# Cheap Self-Publishing for the lazy. . .



## HLGStrider (Aug 20, 2005)

Half of us here are dreaming of publishing someday, and I fight off and on with rejection letters from the real publishers. I had been considering self-publishing, but while in someways I really love the idea, in others I really really hate it. 

Anyway, well I had set up a website with various information on myself and my work here: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider. I run a different business on my other site (which I won't be evil and plug here) so I had a paypal account and for a joke I added the donation button you see on the first page of the account. I thought, heck, while I'm here, it wouldn't hurt to go all out. . .

So I have invented my own version of self-publishing. I am letting people request emails of my work for small fees. No one has done it and probably no one will do it, but I thought, "heck, I'm not the only one who could have though of this. . . I bet some of my other Tolkienites do it. . ."

Of course, Lonna really self-publishes (I bought her book!), but what about the rest of you? Have any of you considered selling like this?


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## Wraithguard (Aug 28, 2005)

Yes actually. My uncle owns a small printing shop so I get away with professional publication. Hard bound and all.


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## e.Blackstar (Aug 28, 2005)

Ooh, I envy you Rai. Not fair!


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## HLGStrider (Aug 28, 2005)

You know, my grandpa is a banker, and I don't get free money. . .of course, my dad delivers for a major baking chain, and we do get free bread and bear claws occasionally. . .

Hmmmm. . . 

I wonder if I could marry into a publishing firm. . .


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## Inderjit S (Aug 29, 2005)

Or you could try robbing a bank, or marrying into a family of bank robbers.


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## Hammersmith (Aug 29, 2005)

My family's in printing, and I've secured numerous promises that when I have something I like, I can have it printed. Of course, neither I nor they could afford large volume print of my book, say, in the sort of quantities I could sell it in. And besides, distribution and stuff like that...but it would be nice to have concept copies to send to agents. Or I could do the bank thing I suppose.

One thing I do know: if you are interested in getting your book/writing printed, Short Run Digital Print is the cheapest, best and most convenient way in which to do it. No drawbacks whatsoever.


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## HLGStrider (Aug 30, 2005)

I still hope to be really published someday, so I am leary of any real form of self-publishing. . .heck, how come everyone here is in publishing family and I am in banking, breading, and business?


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## Hammersmith (Aug 30, 2005)

HLGStrider said:


> I still hope to be really published someday, so I am leary of any real form of self-publishing. . .


^^Which is exactly why I am currently unpublished


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## HLGStrider (Aug 30, 2005)

Ah, hoping for the big time. . .


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## Hammersmith (Aug 30, 2005)

HLGStrider said:


> Ah, hoping for the big time. . .


If I can't live off my books, what sort of writer am I? Actually it's more like relying on a promise


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## Nenya Evenstar (Aug 31, 2005)

Elgee, I've heard that self-publishing can be very bad for any future publishing you may wish to do. From what I've heard, big publishing houses look at self-publishing as a bad mark on your record, which decreases your chance of them ever publishing anything for you.

From what people have told me, if you want to get something published you need to start by publishing things in magazines. Publishing houses don't like to publish books unless the author has been previously published. So, start with magazines and work your way up. At least this is what I've been told!


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## HLGStrider (Aug 31, 2005)

Which means I'd have to start reading magazines. . .I hate magazines. . .


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## Hammersmith (Aug 31, 2005)

Nenya Evenstar said:


> Elgee, I've heard that self-publishing can be very bad for any future publishing you may wish to do. From what I've heard, big publishing houses look at self-publishing as a bad mark on your record, which decreases your chance of them ever publishing anything for you.


That's partly true. The odds of a publishing house looking at anything that you have already self-published are remote - are practically zero, in fact. However, I'm fairly certain that most will simply not consider any prior self published works, providing that the manuscript you're offering to them is guaranteed fresh.



HLGStrider said:


> Which means I'd have to start reading magazines. . .I hate magazines. . .


There's a reason most magazines are found in the bathroom, Elgee


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## yhwh1st (Sep 4, 2005)

Someone told me that Stephen King (when he first tried to publish his books) was turned down by numerous agents and he finally gave up and decided to self-publish. Well, y'all can pretty much tell _me_ what happened from there. His book hit the 'Best Sellers' list and the agents who refused him came crawling back but he said 'no' to them and went with an agency that he hadn't sent his manuscript to, and who hadn't refused him. So, here's some encouragement for all of us wannabe big time authors.


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