From: natashavita@earthlink.net
Date: Tue Jan 14 2003 - 13:20:07 MST
From: Ramez Naam
>> I'd like to suggest my self-published book _Create/Recreate: The
3rd
>>Millennial Culture_ because it is the only book available to
>>date that explains the history of transhumanism.
>Natasha, I'm interested to hear more about your experience with
self-publishing. As I've posted to the list, I'm working on my own
book, _More Than Human_, which is an overview of several
transhumanist technologies and an argument that fundamentally we
ought to pursue these technologies as a way to improve ourselves and
our world.<
What I like about self-publishing is that it allows the author to design
the book without worrying about costs/expenses and publisher
interference, and that the book can be revised/updated at any time
without having to go through a lengthy negotiations meeting.
Also advantageous to self-publishing is the fact that if a person is
smart about marketing, anything is possible. Most self-published
books, here in the US, are considered acceptable and some people
even consider self-publishing to be a sign of a self-starter, a person
who enjoys being on first base and 3rd base simultaneously, and
someone who is not afraid of the publishing industry (which can be
pretty unnerving).
However, self-publishing, for all its bandied accolades, high praises,
you-go attitude, still - still self-publishing is looked down upon by many
people who think that it means that a person cannot get an agent or a
publisher.
This is the misnomer. To the contrary, people who self-publish tend to
be impatient. They also tend to be people who enjoy being creative
and also producing. Some just have something to say and don't want
to wait for someone to tell them that it is okay to say it.
If a self-publisher becomes a best seller or the author gets on Opra
Winfrey then no one thinks it is a cop-out. Otherwise, there is always a
lifted eyebrow and people who not consider a self-publisher to be a
real author.
In my case, I already had a Hollywood top agent wanting to sign me as
a writer (Paul Kohner Agency - can't get any better than that when I
started writing). When I chose futurism as my topic of interest, no one
wanted to sign me because it was too early on (1980s).
Today, I don't worry about getting a publisher if the topic is good, if the
writing is good, and there are potential sales.
That is the name of the game. Supply and demand. If they can sell it -
you have a deal.
For the ABCs of self-publishing, just write it, put it in PageMaker or
Quark or another program and take it to a printer. Put up a website to
market it and take it to conferences. When you have your book
completed, I'll give you some marketing tips.
Would I do it again? YES! It may be in video formatt or CD, but I'm a
producer so it comes naturally :-)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Jan 15 2003 - 17:35:51 MST