The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days

This is one of three books titled "The Publishing Game". Each of the books sets itself apart from the others by the subtitles "Publish a Book in 30 Days", "Finding an Agent in 30 Days", and "Bestseller in 30 Days". Taken together they are a comprehensive set of instructional resources for everything you might want to know to get your book published and marketed.



The areas covered in "Publish a Book in 30 Days" include deciding to self-publish, hot topics for publishing, choosing a title, setting a book's price, writing a business plan, choosing a company name, the legal structure of your company, getting an ISBN, filling out an ABI, discount schedules, planning for the future, creating a website, ordering a barcode, copyrighting, advance galleys, getting CIP data, book layout, printers, listing with publishing houses and listing with online bookstores.



There are several items that set this book apart from similar titles. One is the thoroughness of the information on how to create the impression that you are a large publisher and not a self-published author. In fact, it walks the reader through the process of becoming a publishing house from beginning to end. How detailed is the information? For example, the discussion on how to get an ISBN details not only how to apply and the cost, but also what each section of an ISBN number means and how that affects the impression your book makes. Buying a small block of just ten ISBNs makes you appear to be a small publisher of only two or three books (since hardcover and softcover, audio versions, and new editions all require their own ISBN). How will anyone know that you just purchased ten ISBN numbers? Actually the ISBN number gives that information. The second set of numbers in the ISBN is five, six, or seven digits long. If it is five then you purchased a thousand ISBN numbers. If it is six then you purchased a hundred ISBN numbers. If it is seven digits then you purchased ten ISBN numbers.



Another example of the way this book differs from similar titles is the tremendous amount of detailed, step-by-step information. This is a cookbook approach on how to become a publisher. As a result, you can feel confident that if you follow the directions you will get the same results every time. Unlike most other similar books, the author not only instructs you on what to do but also provides all the necessary details to actually complete the task. For example, when discussing Print-On-Demand options for printing your books Fern Reiss supplies the names and contact information for several reputable firms. This pattern is followed throughout the book and makes it well worth the price just for the detailed contact information.



This is one of the best books available on the subject of becoming an independent publisher. "The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days" is a highly recommended resource for anyone looking to become an independent book publisher, publish their own titles, or just wanting an comprehensive inside look at the publishing market for the small press.--Harold McFarland, Florida, Amazon.com Reviewer