We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Richard Turner
Book: I Can’t Always See My Path…But I Keep On Walking

Website: http://rturnerphotography.com/

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

I practiced law for over 40 years. I was blessed to have a successful practice. One day I told my wife I’d be back in a month.  I ended up in the wilderness of Idaho and got a job on a cattle ranch in Montana.  I came back and told my tolerant wife “I quit.”  Quite by accident (another story) I became a professional nature photographer.  My friends and customers, who know of my work and my poetry, said I should write a book joining the two arts, photography and writing.  So I did.

Please tell us a little about your book:

The book is elegant and beautiful. It has 3mm boards, heavy paper, silver foil stamping on the hard cover, and a very attractive dust jacket.  The book has been endorsed warmly by famous photographers and by Dr. Wayne Dyer, the author of over 40 books on self-realization and spirituality.  It is a collaboration of my images from the natural world and my poetry and reflections.  The theme of the book is that “We are one with all living beings.”  As such we must care for all beings and the environment in which we live.  Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic photojournalist for over 20 years calls the images “stunning,” the words “deeply moving,” the book a “treasure.”  Father Tom Weston, a nationally acclaimed Jesuit priest, calls the book “a masterpiece.”  Wayne Dyer says “the words and images touched me at my soul.”

How long did it take you to finish your book?

I began taking the images 12 years ago and writing the poetry before that.  the book project itself took about 2 years.  I retained my own editor to help me with the copy and the graphics, putting the book together.  I worked with Global Production to choose the physical aspects of the book.

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?

Assuming the book is a seller, of interest to other people, the most difficult part of the process is the marketing.  After you’ve exhausted your family and friends as purchasers, how do you interest the general public.  I’ve been lucky in that Costco carries my book in some of its stores (another story).  The key is getting the book distributed and taking note of other people whose expertise it is to distribute and promote books.  This can be very difficult.  I recommend hiring a publicist or a company that specializes in this sort of thing.  They exist.  It is way too hard to do it all yourself, unless you enjoy living out of your car for a year!  Social media can produce sales, but even here, it helps to retain someone who knows how to navigate the internet and its mysteries.( My publicist has just booked me on a nationally syndicated TV show.)

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Dianne Bailey, CSCS
Book: Eating Simply

Website: http://www.theconditioningclassroom.com/eating-simply/

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

I am the owner and head trainer at The Conditioning Classroom, a personal training studio in Denver, CO.  We always discuss nutrition with our clients and they were always bugging us to share recipes with them.  So we decided to put our philosophy of eating, along with a few recipes, into a book.

Please tell us a little about your book:

If you have ever struggled with the idea of healthy eating… here is your motivation, your guide and your easy-to-read implementation tool that will make every day a simply healthy day, adding vitality to you and everyone in your family! Discover: How to Eat Simply for weight loss Tips to simplify your food life A Pick and Choose list for simple meal creation Sample simple meals How to create a simple refrigerator salad bar 34 simple recipes and lots more.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

About 6 months.

Do you offer your book as an ebook? Yes

What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?

Our book needed to be very graphically oriented.  It needed to be visually appealing and inviting . . . not just words on a page.  So, our relationship with our graphic designer was critical in this process.  Know your own talents and then be willing to hire other professionals to help with the things that are not your strengths.

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Ratindra Das
Book: Watercolor Beyond Obvious Reality- a workshop in a book

Website: http://www.ratindradas.net/

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

It was one of my lifetime dream projects. I have been teaching watercolor painting classes and workshops for almost twenty years. I have been an artist and made a living as an architect and have always enjoyed teaching. Teaching is part sharing of your knowledge and part learning from students. Writing a book is one way of sharing with a large audience.  With the thought of writing, I have been writing and compiling materials for over ten years. The content of the book did not receive much encouragement from the big time publishers. I waited and waited until time came to be able to publish with a reasonable cost. I needed to change the format and made it attractive to readers and artists without compromising the contents. However, I had to eliminate lot of materials . Perhaps another book will cover those parts.  Like all artists I am mostly self-taught. I was able to make a successful living as a licensed architect. Somehow I kept the passion of art and teaching alive. With many unexpected turns and twists I became serious about becoming an artist and then throw all my energy in teaching and communicating my ideas in a book. From a modest local art organization, with encouragement from other artists and teachers, I started joining competitive exhibition and eventually became a signature member with Dolphin Fellowship in the American Watercolor Society. Approximately sixty plus members in the entire world can claim that status. It was well beyond my dream. I have taught workshops all over the US, as well as in Mexico, Italy, China and India. A number of articles in art magazines have been published over the years, and a DVD has been produced by a leading company.My paintings are included in museums , corporate and private collections.

Please tell us a little about your book:

This is my first book,, and with a bit of luck won’t be the last! The book is on watercolor instruction in a coffee table format, hard cover with texts and over 250 images (paintings, sketches and photographs).There are many books available for instructions in usual formats. The format and the concept of my book  is quite unique in its content and may be one of the very few published with extensive visuals. It is not intended for beginners who are just interested in some basic techniques and “how to’s”. There are many excellent books written in that area, although this book will inspire many beginners. The book is divided in four chapters- first three consists of essential elements of painting – shapes, value and color, and the fourth chapter is on Design where all these elements come together. The book is a result of acquired knowledge from others and explorations and personal experiences as an artist. There are  images that include sketches, photographs, paintings, illustrations and helpful hints with easy to understand texts. Introduction and foreword are written by my teachers and  advisors who are very well respected in the field. Large images make it attractive for readers.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

The project had been in my bucket list for almost ten years. I kept on changing as new ideas emerged. Teaching workshops for the last ten years gave me valuable insights as to the needs of students-their delights and frustrations. I tried to address all the relevant issues. Due to lack of interest by usual publishers I took it upon myself and started serious writing and editing in May of 2013 and was ready to sit down with the printer and layout designer. All books were delivered at my door in the first week of December.

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?

The subject of painting requires skill of painting demonstration and verbal communication. I didn’t realize that it requires tremendous amount of  writing ability and express ideas clearly which are easy to understand. I didn’t have an editor. An editor is useful to keep all materials organized, not to mention grammar, syntax etc. This was the most tedious part of the job. I suggest to have an editor on board to keep the author in line. The second difficulty was to be able to satisfy the printer with the quality of images. Many of the images of paintings were in 35mm slides and with not so good quality of resolution. Many of the paintings were no longer in my collection and as a result could not rephotograph. Now that we have digital cameras, I suggest anyone taking up a project like this take every potential picture with a large file (no less than 1MB) and then make a copy in a smaller file in jpeg. Images should have a separate folder and no texts. Texts should be in separate folders. This will save lot of time and money. I could have easily saved two weeks of pain. Have the copyright permission well ahead of time. Sometimes it is time consuming. Working with a reputable printing/publishing company is worth every penny. I have been a happy camper!

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Patrick Harnish
Book: Darkest Depths to Brighter Beginnings

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

I wrote about non-fiction book from personal experiences in childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. I knew when I did speakings,  I needed a way to connect with the audience that was cheap for them, and that I could help donate to the humane society, which I did at 20% of each book sold every year. I was not about how many books I sold, it was about teaching kids to place a name to something that was bothering them internally, mentally. I knew that others were sharing stories of trauma and confusion, and lacked information. My book shares my story and what I learned.

Please tell us a little about your book:

My book of-course is non-fiction about bullying and being abused in an Iowa school system that failed at every level, the trauma that stuck until the age of 28, until I realized I couldn’t live with it anymore. The book helps parents realize what they and their children are living with, and how to gain some signs of what to look for. In essence, how to connect.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

Around 3 months

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)

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)