IMBY (In My Back Yard)

When I decided to terminate my contract with the California micro publisher I was naive about the self-publishing world I would enter.  Where does a self-publisher find resources needed to publish a novel if you want to avoid the vanity houses that have been around for years.

There are private companies now that specialize in helping self-publishers find resources for editing, printing, marketing, and distribution.  I signed a contract with one.  I turned down two proposals to content edit my manuscript.  One proposal was for $5000 and the other for $2700.  A Madison friend offered to content edit in exchange for a contribution to his favorite charity.

A Sun Prairie friend offered to design a book cover.  He didn’t want to be paid but I researched the going rates for design work and gave him a check plus paid the picture he got from the internet.

My book was ready for copyediting and proofreading.  I contacted the firm and they put me in touch with an editor in South Dakota.  That editor wanted over $3000 for the job.  I was discouraged because I don’t have that kind of money to spend on my book.

My wife recalled that we attended a seminar at a local independent bookstore in April and one of the presenters was a copyeditor.  I searched through my notes and found her contact information.  She responded to my request for a proposal the same day I sent the e-mail.  The quote was very reasonable; she could start immediately and be finished in a week. Tilt! Tilt!  The copyeditor lives in Dane County, Wisconsin.

I have been fortunate to find the resources I need to self-publish Murphy’s Troubles and all within My Own Back Yard.