We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.
Author: Brian O’Keefe
Book: Musicians Notebook for Lecture and Notation
Website: www.lakeyboardproject.com
Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:
As a graduate student in Music Education at Oakland University Rochester, Michigan I found it increasingly difficult to manage all the information on a daily basis. Hence was born “The Musicians Notebook for Lecture and Notation”. This notebook was designed by a musician for musicians to help them stay organized in their daily music studies. I am now in my forth printing and this notebook is being used Music Schools, Junior Colleges and Universities across the country such as Berkley College of Music, California State Long Beach, California State Northridge, California Institute of the Arts and University of Southern California to mention a few.
Please tell us a little about your book:
I created “The Musicians Notebook for Lecture and Notation” for musicians to help them stay organized in their daily music studies. It is designed in three formats to assist in note taking for theory, ear training, history, composition and applied lessons. This is really helpful to students in that they can refer back to their notes for any semester they attended school. It really is an insurance policy to help in retrieving important, unique pedagogical teachings by instructors.
How long did it take you to finish your book?
I created several versions until I finalized my current version. All told, the process took about two years.
Do you offer your book as an ebook? No
What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?
I would say the process in finding an ISBN number was confusing at first until I discovered Publisher Services. Once I read their information it was a breeze. Finding a suitable printer was a challenge as well because I had specific needs for music especially the weight of the paper. I finally found a printer that uses WEB printing process(not the internet but big Heidelberg printing presses)
