Self-Publishing Your Book? How Not to Look Like an Amateur (Part 2)

In the first part of this two-part series, I covered a few of the basics of self-publishing, primarily the more creative aspects. Here I look at some aspects of self-publishing that will help place your book on booksellers’ and libraries’ shelves. LOC Control Numbers: To ensure that your books might … Read More

Self-Publishing Your Book? How Not to Look Like an Amateur (Part 1)

After my experience with the publisher of my first book, Mushroom: A Global History, I decided I wouldn’t go the traditional route again. It wasn’t because the publisher did anything bad. Au contraire. They did an amazing job: high-quality paper, vivid interior colors, excellent editing and fact-checking, proper layout. The … Read More

Reasons to Write (Hint: Money is Not the Answer)

I hate writing, I love having written. ~ Dorothy Parker As most writers know, the publishing world is not the place it was as recently as fifteen years ago, a time when an unknown writer like me could earn $600 for a 2000-word piece in a national newspaper. Book publishing, … Read More