Vigilant Silver Fox

Okay, to be very frank, this week has been frustrating. I feel I have entered the murky waters of the self-publishing world. I was told, not once, but several times by agents and publishers,  "Don't pay anyone to publish your book!" Well, this week I took more time to read all the fine print and details of several self-publishing sites. Some sites lure you in with a short video telling you to write your book and make a cover and put it on their site.  The hookis  if you want to be distributed  through their largest distribution network, the upgrade has a considerable dollar value. Other sites "advise you to use their "editors" While others outright charge you to format your document into the distribution format of their choices. There is the question of the cover. You can slap any cover you want on the site, but it won't make the "premium" catalogue. Some sites just come out and tell you they design the cover and how much it will cost

WOW! All I can say is my learning curve about self-publishing increased this past week. I am impressed with the site www.smashwords.com  The site offers writers the opportunity to get their stories literally out to the world. Mark Coker and his wife Leslyann founded Smashwords after having a frustrating experience trying to publish through traditional publishing houses. Smashwords w as founded in 2008 and authors worldwide have published more than 278,000 ebooks. So the question is "Will Smashwords.com work for you?" If you sign in to Smashwords.com or go to utube, you can get an hour and 42 minute presentation on the origination, the business model, the author's responsibilities, and the benefits of self-publishing online with Smashwords . Once you sign in and establish an account the following free texts are available to you at no cost: T he Smashwords Style Guide  The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success: How to Reach More R

       2014 launches me into new territory on my writing journey. This year I am going to examine and explore the world of epublishing and self-publishing. Aren't they the same? You may query. Well, the answer is yes and no. I have choices depending on the vehicle and the vendor I choose to use to self-publish.         My writing career has spanned several decades.Yes, I do remember using a Smith-Corona typewriter, learning to use a PC with a green and white screen, finessing a mouse, and finally in the last three years dancing with a MAC. My software experiences are vast and diverse. I remember getting copy ready for the "printer" who would want specific spacings for the type setting. Now I format documents in a pdf. and electronically send them to a nationwide copier center by Internet and pick up my documents, collated, and bound as I requested. So, I am not timid about venturing into this new world of epublishing. I want to be discerning. I want to know what ar