As a professional publishing consultant, Mick Rooney has written many articles on the book and publishing industry. He is editor of The Independent Publishing Magazine, where many of his articles have appeared, as well as writing for some leading print and online periodicals over several years like Writers' Forum, Publetariat, Irish Publishing News, Self-Publishing Magazine UK, Self-Publishing Review, The First Cut and Publishing Basics.
He is author and co-author of three books on the development of e-books and self-publishing; To Self-Publish or Not To Self-Publish, Choosing a Self-Publishing Provider (with Ben Galley), and a contributor of several articles to the Publetariat Omnibus 2008-2012.
As a journalist, he has written extensively on Irish and international current affairs, the world of chess (its politics and the modern game), the aviation industry, literature, international soccer, as well as criminality and humanitarian issues.
He is a regular speaker at international literary and industry events and is currently an Industry Services Watchdog for The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).
Every serious writer at some point considers the path of self-publishing. Now, more than at any other time in book publishing, self-publishing has become the chosen path for authors previously within the mainstream industry and authors starting out on a writing career. To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish not only prompts the author to ask the million dollar question - Why do I want to self-publish? - it takes the author carefully through the process of reasoning, and the realities of self-publishing, to help them find the best path forward. It also provides an analysis of the publishing world today and the choices, opportunities and services available. This book will provide advice and guidance to enable and empower every author considering self-publishing to identify reputable and quality services suitable for their book, as well as helping them define what publishing success is for an author.
This guide, compiled by the Watchdog team at The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), tells you all you need to know in order to choose the self-publishing pathway that's right for you.
Drawing on recommendations from ALLi members, warnings from our Watchdog Services, other community word-of-mouth and in-depth research, the book compares twenty of the most significant self-publishing (SP) services -- from single service suppliers to package providers; from large big brand names to smaller sole traders; from off-the shelf providers to bespoke services.
We evaluate these players, compare one to the other, tell you what they do and don’t do, what they charge and for what. Offerings are categorised, prices examined, royalty structures broken down, terms and conditions trawled, small print scrutinised, and claims checked against the experience of real-life authors who have actually used these services.
Using these twenty examples, we show you how to do such a comparison yourself: the good and bad signs to look for, the questions to ask. The aim is to demonstrate all the options you are likely to encounter and show which services are doing a good job — and why you might avoid others.
Most importantly, in a landscape where things change rapidly, the Guide provides the criteria by which you can evaluate any SP service.
From leading authors, publishing industry pros, consultants and subject area experts, drawn from the first four years of Publetariat.com's operation. They've been there, done that, and now they're sharing their lessons learned. This book includes articles written by:
Alan Baxter, Julian Block, Mark Coker, Melissa Conway, Nick Daws, Joel Friedlander, April L. Hamilton, Joseph C. Kunz Jr., Cheri Lasota, M. Louisa Locke, Shannon O’Neil, Joanna Penn, Virginia Ripple, Fay Risner, Mick Rooney, L.J. Sellers, Dana Lynn Smith, Bob Spear, Richard Sutton and Toni Tesori.
Here you'll find everything from craft advice to tax advice, from marketing tips to design walkthroughs, from self-editing how-tos to copyright boilerplate you can use in your own book, and more! Having these 67 collected articles is like having a publishing consultant, editor, designer and business adviser by your side as you set out on your own indie publishing path.
He is author and co-author of three books on the development of e-books and self-publishing; To Self-Publish or Not To Self-Publish, Choosing a Self-Publishing Provider (with Ben Galley), and a contributor of several articles to the Publetariat Omnibus 2008-2012.
As a journalist, he has written extensively on Irish and international current affairs, the world of chess (its politics and the modern game), the aviation industry, literature, international soccer, as well as criminality and humanitarian issues.
He is a regular speaker at international literary and industry events and is currently an Industry Services Watchdog for The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).
Every serious writer at some point considers the path of self-publishing. Now, more than at any other time in book publishing, self-publishing has become the chosen path for authors previously within the mainstream industry and authors starting out on a writing career. To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish not only prompts the author to ask the million dollar question - Why do I want to self-publish? - it takes the author carefully through the process of reasoning, and the realities of self-publishing, to help them find the best path forward. It also provides an analysis of the publishing world today and the choices, opportunities and services available. This book will provide advice and guidance to enable and empower every author considering self-publishing to identify reputable and quality services suitable for their book, as well as helping them define what publishing success is for an author.
Drawing on recommendations from ALLi members, warnings from our Watchdog Services, other community word-of-mouth and in-depth research, the book compares twenty of the most significant self-publishing (SP) services -- from single service suppliers to package providers; from large big brand names to smaller sole traders; from off-the shelf providers to bespoke services.
We evaluate these players, compare one to the other, tell you what they do and don’t do, what they charge and for what. Offerings are categorised, prices examined, royalty structures broken down, terms and conditions trawled, small print scrutinised, and claims checked against the experience of real-life authors who have actually used these services.
Using these twenty examples, we show you how to do such a comparison yourself: the good and bad signs to look for, the questions to ask. The aim is to demonstrate all the options you are likely to encounter and show which services are doing a good job — and why you might avoid others.
Most importantly, in a landscape where things change rapidly, the Guide provides the criteria by which you can evaluate any SP service.
Alan Baxter, Julian Block, Mark Coker, Melissa Conway, Nick Daws, Joel Friedlander, April L. Hamilton, Joseph C. Kunz Jr., Cheri Lasota, M. Louisa Locke, Shannon O’Neil, Joanna Penn, Virginia Ripple, Fay Risner, Mick Rooney, L.J. Sellers, Dana Lynn Smith, Bob Spear, Richard Sutton and Toni Tesori.
Here you'll find everything from craft advice to tax advice, from marketing tips to design walkthroughs, from self-editing how-tos to copyright boilerplate you can use in your own book, and more! Having these 67 collected articles is like having a publishing consultant, editor, designer and business adviser by your side as you set out on your own indie publishing path.