Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Many photographers dream of seeing their images showcased in a coffee table book. But unless you’re Internet famous with hundred of thousands, even millions, of followers it’s going to be a tough sell to publishers. So why not self-publish? And even though I’m the author or co-author of thirty-seven books produced by several different book publishers, I’ve tried my hand at self-publishing and suggest you consider self-publishing too.
There is one main reason for self-publishing: You are in complete control of the process. In many posts that I’ve written for this blog, I’ve detailed all of the many fights that I’ve had with book publishers and editors about the images and even the basic format I’ve chosen for my books. Except for Rockport Publishers, I’ve had these kinds of fights with every publisher that I’ve ever worked with. Rockport Publishers was the exception which is why I loved working with them when they were US-owned.
The geek term is for printing one or more books only when somebody wants to buy them is called “print on demand” and Blurb.com is just one of several websites that lets you produce books in quantities as few as one. They’re not the only company that offers this service, just the one I’m most familiar with. You can use any of these other companies to publish the Great American Novel but if you’ve always wanted to publish a coffee table book, Blurb lets you do that without suffering the indignities of receiving enough rejection slips from publishers to wallpaper your bathroom. Don’t laugh; the number of famous authors who have done so is legion.
Blurb lets you create photo books in different sizes that can be produced in hard cover with a dust jacket or softbound versions. There are also options to use “premium” paper but my experience with this option didn’t seem to improve print quality, which is really quite good, although the heavier paper feels nice. All these choices means there are lots of different permutations and combinations so you’re sure to find one that fits your goals, aspirations, and budget. (PS. Blurb can be expensive.) Think about and give it a try with a small book. That’s what I did with a little book called Puerto Rico, The Island of Enchantment. I had so much fun with it I made a few others. Check out the Blurb website and look at their options.
My Current Books, some thoughts…
Cozy mystery books give readers everything they want from a murder mystery, without all the violence and darkness that can weigh down the tone. These novels are light, fast-paced, and generally focus on plot and character development, which ensures a comforting and predictable feeling for the reader.—bookishbrews.com
The last book I read was Robert B. Parker’s Fallout, A Jesse Stone novel that was written by Mike Lupica who has seemingly captured the spirit and style of the late Mr. Parker’s prose and in this book he drags along some of the characters from Parker’s Spenser novels. In the grand scheme of Jesse Stone novels this one has a convoluted plot with overtones of a cozy mystery and maybe that’s what both the new Parker-less Spenser and Stone novels have evolved into. Some reviewers might add qualifiers that the book is “for fans of the Jesse Stone novels” but I would say it for fans of the mystery novel genre. And if this is your first Jessie Stone novel you might want to go back and read some of the others starting with Night Passage.
I’ve previously mentioned Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series and I’m excited that his The Bullet that Missed will be book number 51 for me this year, This is the third book in this series and the first two have have been delightfully surprising, extremely funny and inventive. Osman’s writing alone will impress those reader who will enjoy what seems almost effortless buy at the same time artful and engaging with just a touch of Douglas Adams. And just when you think the mystery genre couldn’t surprise you, along comes a bunch of amateur sleuths living in an English retirement community who get together and solve crimes—hysterically so. (This is different than the excellent UK television show New Tricks, which you can watch on Prime video that’s about retired coppers solving crimes.) And for some people—I know who you are—and who like to read series books in the order they were written, you can pick up the first book, The Thursday Murder Club, then follow it with The Man Who Dies Twice, and you will be as excited as I am when Mr. Osman launches his next book in the series. All books in this series are highly recommended.
What’s next after that book?…
In recent weeks I’ve heard from several publishers who have offered to send me books for review. One photo book publisher said they would “keep me in mind for future releases;” let’s hope they do. Most books that are pitched to me are not of interest but two that were included a collection of sci-fii short stories written by one of the masters of the genre and the other one was a biography. If their publishers follow through and send the books to review, you’ll be hearing about them here. It’s worth mentioning that I sometimes hear from publishers who want me to review their books but instead of sending a book to read, include a press release and expect me to write a review based on that. I don’t even reply to these requests. Just sayin’…