If you're thinking of self-publishing not only in electronic form, but also in print, a huge consideration is your goal. Do you wish to be considered a publisher in your own right? If so, I recommend Lightning Source as your printer. If not,  CreateSpace will work fine. With Lightning Source as your printer, you'll need to set up your own publishing company, which will establish you as a separate entity in the publishing world. This applies whether you're having your own books published or if you're widening the field as a small publisher and offering your services to others. Relatively speaking, it's not horribly expensive to set up a company, but there's some bother involved. You'll need to decide on a unique name for your company. You'll probably want to purchase a post office box, unless you wish the company's address to be your home's; then you'll register the company and send out notices. You might also consider a special log...

This month's topic is printed books . As usual, I have some questions, which I'll answer and then it's your turn. Choose one or more of them and share your opinion. If you're only answering one, please expand. If more, please shorten. Also, only include one website URL or blog link. Questions: Are printed books obsolete? The new wave appears to be e-books, yet I have tons of friends and relatives who still prefer sitting down and turning the pages on what they call "real" books. I must admit being drawn to the covers of printed books when I'm shopping at Wal-Mart or even Osco. Some are so pretty I'm almost tempted to buy them, but I refrain. I can get a much better bargain buying a Kindle book. Also, my Kindle 3 and Kindle Touch are easier on the eyes. Do you buy paperbacks, hardcovers, both, or none printed? I usually buy paperbacks, either trade or smaller sized when they're written and autographed by close author friends. Otherwise, I g...

It’s important for a publisher to produce a quality product. Since self-pubs are especially scrutinized by book industry members, it’s even more important for a self-published book not to look home made. Bindings, paper, all the things that contribute to the look and feel of a book, need to be just right. I had a good idea which printing house to choose, but asked around to make sure. Book Surge didn’t seem popular. Lulu fared better, but I heard grumblings that made me pause. Lightning Source appeared to be the leader. My small press publisher, Hard Shell Word Factory, had used the same printing house for Two Wrongs and Girl of My Dreams , and I was pleased with the result. Not only that, Lightning Source belonged to Ingram, which meant a great distribution base, including not only Ingram itself, but Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, NACSCORP, Rittenhouse and even the Espresso Book Machine. That was just in the United States. In the United Kingdom, Amazon.uk, Bertrams, Blackwell, B...