Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher www.jeanboggio.com www.colerithpress.com It's not just you. Traditional publishing has become ludicrous in its demands of writers. That's why I decided to form my own publishing company, initially to publish my own work, then to encourage and assist other new authors. I think the Big Six are a dying breed, dinosaurs. I'm also not in favor of POD publishers (not to be confused with POD printers) who charge a fortune and give no help, just so someone can maybe sell 50 copies of their book to friends and family. Publishing may be a business, but it's an artistic business and we have to keep that thought in front of us.

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher www.jeanboggio.com www.colerithpress.com I soon saw that assisted publishing (POD publishing) was the kiss of death in the industry if you wanted anyone to take your work seriously. That was why I started my own press rather than go that route. I've been learning a lot about publishing and hope to share that with other new authors. I'll be working with someone who did assisted publishing at first, but now wants to be published by a "real" publisher to give credibility to his work. I hope to provide that service. My own first book is about the hit the market this spring and I've invested time and money to give it the best packaging I could. That gives it its first chance. The next thing is my own time and energy to promote it. And that is where I think you're wrong when you say that with self-publishing you have to do more marketing than with a traditional publisher. Even there, your book will languish on the shelf if you, the author, don't get out there and push it. If I'm going to do all that work, I want the reward for it! Don't be shy about promoting your work!

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher www.jeanboggio.com www.colerithpress.com Hi! You might want to check out my websites www.jeanboggio.com and www.colerithpress.com. I did something similar to what you're doing. I found it very difficult to create an even flow from my own life to the family history, and tracing effects of events through my mother's generation and down to my own. I had a lot of help from some of my cousins and my sister, and, many revisions later, I think I have a credible book. The book will be available from my websites -- probably in February, although the official publication date is June, 2008. After researching the market, I didn't even get involved in tradional or assisted publishing but went straight to forming my own company and I plan to work with other new authors as well as myself (I was a teacher at one point in my life). Please check out my website and you'll get an idea of what I have done. www.jeanboggio.com and www.colerithpress.com. Good luck.

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher www.jeanboggio.com www.colerithpress.com I am also a senior, but not yet retired (mortgages to pay). After taking a memoir writing course, I finally decided to write the family story, as well as my own life as a descendant of a rather colorful family. I, of course, don't stop there. With encouragement from friends and family, it seems this story needed to be told, involving as it does, eminent domain and other issues. Looking at the dismal state of traditional publishing, and the false hopes of assisted publishing, I decided to start my own publishing business. So here I am, publisher at Colerith Press, about to launch my first book, STOLEN FIELDS: A Story of Eminent Domain and the Death of the American Dream. It will be out this spring. I have more to write in at least two future books. I have been contacted by a talented young man who has written a beautiful memoir that he published through assisted publishing, but has realized it is the kiss of death in the trade world. He and I will be working together to publish his book through Colerith Press to give it the credibility it needs to have it's day in the sun. This has been exciting so far, and promises to be more so as I travel this path. Please check out my websites at www.jeanboggio.com and www.colerithpress.com.

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher
www.jeanboggio.com
www.colerithpress.com

I am also a senior, but not yet retired (mortgages to pay).

After taking a memoir writing course, I finally decided to write the family story, as well as my own life as a descendant of a rather colorful family. I, of course, don't stop there. With encouragement from friends and family, it seems this story needed to be told, involving as it does, eminent domain and other issues. Looking at the dismal state of traditional publishing, and the false hopes of assisted publishing, I decided to start my own publishing business.

So here I am, publisher at Colerith Press, about to launch my first book, STOLEN FIELDS: A Story of Eminent Domain and the Death of the American Dream. It will be out this spring. I have more to write in at least two future books. I have been contacted by a talented young man who has written a beautiful memoir that he published through assisted publishing, but has realized it is the kiss of death in the trade world. He and I will be working together to publish his book through Colerith Press to give it the credibility it needs to have it's day in the sun. This has been exciting so far, and promises to be more so as I travel this path.

Please check out my websites at www.jeanboggio.com and www.colerithpress.com.

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher
www.jeanboggio.com
www.colerithpress.com

Hi! You might want to check out my websites www.jeanboggio.com and www.colerithpress.com. I did something similar to what you're doing. I found it very difficult to create an even flow from my own life to the family history, and tracing effects of events through my mother's generation and down to my own. I had a lot of help from some of my cousins and my sister, and, many revisions later, I think I have a credible book.

The book will be available from my websites -- probably in February, although the official publication date is June, 2008. After researching the market, I didn't even get involved in tradional or assisted publishing but went straight to forming my own company and I plan to work with other new authors as well as myself (I was a teacher at one point in my life). Please check out my website and you'll get an idea of what I have done. www.jeanboggio.com and www.colerithpress.com.

Good luck.

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher
www.jeanboggio.com
www.colerithpress.com

I soon saw that assisted publishing (POD publishing) was the kiss of death in the industry if you wanted anyone to take your work seriously. That was why I started my own press rather than go that route. I've been learning a lot about publishing and hope to share that with other new authors. I'll be working with someone who did assisted publishing at first, but now wants to be published by a "real" publisher to give credibility to his work. I hope to provide that service.

My own first book is about the hit the market this spring and I've invested time and money to give it the best packaging I could. That gives it its first chance. The next thing is my own time and energy to promote it. And that is where I think you're wrong when you say that with self-publishing you have to do more marketing than with a traditional publisher. Even there, your book will languish on the shelf if you, the author, don't get out there and push it. If I'm going to do all that work, I want the reward for it!

Don't be shy about promoting your work!

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher
www.jeanboggio.com
www.colerithpress.com

It's not just you. Traditional publishing has become ludicrous in its demands of writers. That's why I decided to form my own publishing company, initially to publish my own work, then to encourage and assist other new authors. I think the Big Six are a dying breed, dinosaurs. I'm also not in favor of POD publishers (not to be confused with POD printers) who charge a fortune and give no help, just so someone can maybe sell 50 copies of their book to friends and family. Publishing may be a business, but it's an artistic business and we have to keep that thought in front of us.

Jean Boggio, Author, Publisher www.jeanboggio.com www.colerithpress.com What Amazon has done to the thousands of small publishers who rely on POD printing for their livelihood is appalling. Perhaps Amazon is mis-named and should have been called Scorpion. Like a scorpion it could end up stinging itself to death in the long run, stinging its own long tail. The ideal would be that all those small publishers would have the courage to stand together against the beast but I fear many will cave. That will give Amazon the go-ahead to add more and more requirements and fees until the smallest publishers are crushed under the burden. In the end, it will come back to haunt Amazon. As a writer/publisher, I used POD initially and plan to use it again -- but not at Amazon's BookSurge or CreateSpace! I won't be selling 100,000 copies of my books, but plan to make a decent showing -- with or without Amazon!