Is it possible to self publish a high quality book?

Self publish or get an agent? A unique situation:

Self publishing is never the right choice, and it just got a lot harder. I would never never never never ever self publish.

First of all, it is very expensive to self publish. Then the marketing of it is very expensive if you want people to know your book is out there and buy it.

Now the latest news is this. Amazon bought BookSurge – one of the more expensive self-publishers. They now say that within a few months or so, they are going to remove the BUY buttons from every non BookSurge self published book on their site. That is going to make it twice as hard for you to sell your books – without having Amazon as a place where people can go to buy them.

They will leave your button on under the following conditions. You pay them 29.99 annually PLUS 55 % of your cover price PLUS you have to purchase the books from your own self publisher and ship them at YOUR expense to Amazon for them to keep on stock and send out. That is ludicrous. If you add in what your own self publisher charges per book, you may end up making zilch or even being in the red. Most likely in the red.

It is just going to drive the price of self published books – already too high- up even more. That will mean fewer people will buy them. Where self published books used to sell 100 copies on the average, that number will go down.

Self publishing is a black hole. Remember Uncle Jim’s Law – When publishing, the money should flow TOWARD the author – not away from them.

To that I add Persi’s Law #1 – If you believe in your book and in yourself, you owe it to yourself to spend at least twice as long trying to publish it traditionally as you did writing it.

With this latest development – which I just got a notice about this week – self publishing just took a turn for the worse.

Pax-C

Photoshop CS4 Workflow: The Digital Photographer’s Guide [Paperback]

Ashod Simonian: Real Fun: Polaroids from the Independent Music Landscape $2.69 Ever wonder what indie rockers on tour do for the other 23 hours of their day? Real Fun answers that question with over 100 photographs of musicians lounging in the giant green room that is the world–sleeping, eating, fishing and just goofing off. Photographer Ashod Simonian has traveled with scores of bands, and his dreamy, lush Polaroids capture Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, Sleater Kinney, Pavem…

On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City $24.59 Energizing the visual landscape since 1968, New York City’s community murals beautify, educate, protest, celebrate, and often motivate residents to action. Collaborations between artists and neighborhood groups, these painted walls reflect the social, cultural, and political climate of their times. The result of six years of research and hundreds of interviews, On the Wall brings to light murals t…

Science Content Picture Dictionary, Grades K-5 (English/Spanish) Paperback $3.48 Offer students user-friendly access to the most common content area vocabulary in life, Earth, physical and space science lessons.- Supports research-based best practice of direct vocabulary instruction as a means of developing background knowledge needed for success on standardized tests- Features 168 words with definitions in English and Spanish, alphabetized by English entry- Provides full-colo…

The Complete Guide to Sonys NEX 3, C3, 5, and 5N Mirrorless Digital Cameras (B&W Edition) $41.34 Love your NEX camera, but having a hard time understanding all that it does? Not happy with the quality of your pictures? Then this book is for you. This easy-to-understand guide provides a complete instruction manual which explains each feature in plain English and provides hundreds of visual examples. In this book you’ll learn: * What every mode, button and function does in plain language. * The…

Nikon School: Guide Book to Digital SLR Photography Paper Back Edition $1.99 Nikon School Guide to SLR Photography, Paperback edition. This book covers the basics of Digital SLR Photography. Including Getting to know your camera, The Lens, Shutter Speed, Aperture Control, Exposure Fundamentals, Light Metering, Flash Photography and more. It has several interactive Exercises to enhance the learning experience. Paperback: 75 pages Publisher: Nikon (2006) Language: English…

Digital Memories: Scrapbooking with Your Computer $2.99 Revolutionize your Scrapbook! With Digital Memories: Scrapbooking with Your Computer, you can bring the beauty of your family treasures to family and friends across the globe with digital scrapbooks or intensify your traditional scrapbooking techniques with enhanced digital artistry and new ways to create special effects. Carla Rose, photographer and best-selling Photoshop author, shows you how to…

DVD Studio Pro 2 Solutions $5.41 Create Hollywood-Quality DVDs on a Small-Business BudgetWith DVD Studio Pro 2, Apple introduced a completely rewritten DVD authoring program at a fraction of its original price. Powerful and full-featured, DVD Studio Pro 2 offers a wealth of sophisticated tools that let you build your own professional-quality DVDs.DVD Studio Pro 2 Solutions offers expert instruction in putting this complex tool to…

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers $23.99 Since Lightroom first launched, Scott Kelby’s The Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers has been the world’s #1 best-selling Lightroom book. In this latest version for Lightroom 4, Scott uses his same step-by-step, plain-English style and layout to make learning Lightroom easy and fun. Scott doesn’t just show you which sliders do what, and he doesn’t just cover the newest features of Lightroom …

Photo Inspiration: Secrets Behind Stunning Images $22.12 The inspiration you need to help improve your photography skillsWell-known for their stunning world-class photography, 1x.com has worked with their most talented photographers to handpick 100 awe-inspiring images and provided the back-story and photographer’s secrets that helped capture them. This book presents you with inspiration as well as underlying techniques that can help improve your photog…

Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera $11.49 With more than 350,000 copies sold, Understanding Exposure has demystified the complex concepts of exposure for countless photographers. Now updated with current technologies, more than one hundred new images, and an all-new chapter, this new edition will inspire you more than ever to free yourself from “auto” and create the pictures you truly want. In his trademark easy-to-understand …

1 Minute Digital Photography Secrets (Paperback) $86.63 New

10 for Digital Photography (Paperback) $69.64 New

100 Black and White Photography Method (Paperback) $99.57 New

100 Digital Photography Digital Photography Skills of Children (Paperback) $75.3 New

100 Digital Photography Technology Fully Raiders (Paperback) $72.88 New

100 Digital Photography Technology Photography Composition (Paperback) $75.3 New

100 Digital Photography Technology Photography Tips (Paperback) $75.3 New

A Day at the Beach: How Absolutely Anyone Can Successfully Build Sand Castles and Build Even Better Beach Memories $1.74 Used – Finally, a book for grown-ups who play at the beach! Great sand castles! Better beach memories! An understanding of kids! Live there or vacationing wannabe beach dweller? Bored and cannot read another paperback? This book opens new worlds. Partially narrated by a cartoon plastic toy shovel, it’s sized for ease at 11 X 8 with 128 all-color pages of great photography, fun illustration and helpful text.

A Master Guide to the Art of Floral Design $126.96 New – Now available in paperback, this beautiful guide is a fresh approach to an ancient art. Exquisite photography and illustrations join with a unique, comprehensive theory to reveal the beauty of flowers and their role as teachers of floral design. Though directed toward the advanced practitioner, it is equally accessible to the floral designer who is just beginning.

American Ruins $5.23 Used – American Ruins is the first photography book to document historic ruins throughout the United States. It presents a stunning visual record of places that stand in defiance of time, ranging from ancient Native American dwellings in the Southwest to the remains of Gilded Age mansions on the East Coast and a kings summer home in Hawaii. Hauntingly beautiful images are accompanied by brief essays detailing the significance of each site. This landmark publication, available in paperback for th

Art Photography Now $25.8 Used – The most comprehensive survey of contemporary art photography on the market is now in paperback, and not a moment too soon. If photography helped shape art in the twentieth century, it has begun to dominate it in the twenty-first. Not only are major international museums and galleries devoting blockbuster exhibitions to the medium, but artist-photographers are being celebrated as contemporary masters, with their work commanding unprecedented prices. This essential survey presents the work

Art Photography Now $25.8 New – The most comprehensive survey of contemporary art photography on the market is now in paperback, and not a moment too soon. If photography helped shape art in the twentieth century, it has begun to dominate it in the twenty-first. Not only are major international museums and galleries devoting blockbuster exhibitions to the medium, but artist-photographers are being celebrated as contemporary masters, with their work commanding unprecedented prices. This essential survey presents the work

Art Photography Now $29.06 Used – The most comprehensive survey of contemporary art photography on the market is now in paperback, and not a moment too soon. If photography helped shape art in the twentieth century, it has begun to dominate it in the twenty-first. Not only are major international museums and galleries devoting blockbuster exhibitions to the medium, but artist-photographers are being celebrated as contemporary masters, with their work commanding unprecedented prices. This essential survey presents the work

Art of the Boot $137.65 New – Now in paperback, this is the perennial bestseller that started it all, with an incredible look at the artistry happening in boot manufacturing over the last 20 years. Includes the finest boot photography anywhere.

Art of the Boot $15 Used – Now in paperback, this is the perennial bestseller that started it all, with an incredible look at the artistry happening in boot manufacturing over the last 20 years. Includes the finest boot photography anywhere.

Art of the Boot $18.99 New – Now in paperback, this is the perennial bestseller that started it all, with an incredible look at the artistry happening in boot manufacturing over the last 20 years. Includes the finest boot photography anywhere.

Art of the Boot $9.78 Used – Now in paperback, this is the perennial bestseller that started it all, with an incredible look at the artistry happening in boot manufacturing over the last 20 years. Includes the finest boot photography anywhere.

Baroque Baroque $39.95 Now available for the first time in paperback, this extraordinary book examines the ‘culture of excess’ in all its twentieth-century manifestations. Fashion, film, photography, design and decoration: all feature in Stephen Calloway’s consideration of the colourful, the opulent and the theatrical. The author examines early examples of Baroque excess — by the Sitwells, Cecil Beaton, Angus McBean and others — as well as the darker Baroque spirit of the wartime Neo-Romantics or film-makers such as Fellini and Jarman. Tracing the Baroque tendency into the 1990s, he shows how ideas have cross-fertilized, providing links between such unlikely bedfellows as Leon Bakst and Luis Bunuel, Coco Chanel and Nigel Coates, Liberace and Lacroix. Illustrated with a wealth of photographs, this book provides a celebration that is truly Baroque.

Baroque Baroque $76.7 Now available for the first time in paperback, this extraordinary book examines the ‘culture of excess’ in all its twentieth-century manifestations. Fashion, film, photography, design and decoration: all feature in Stephen Calloway’s consideration of the colourful, the opulent and the theatrical. The author examines early examples of Baroque excess — by the Sitwells, Cecil Beaton, Angus McBean and others — as well as the darker Baroque spirit of the wartime Neo-Romantics or film-makers such as Fellini and Jarman. Tracing the Baroque tendency into the 1990s, he shows how ideas have cross-fertilized, providing links between such unlikely bedfellows as Leon Bakst and Luis Bunuel, Coco Chanel and Nigel Coates, Liberace and Lacroix. Illustrated with a wealth of photographs, this book provides a celebration that is truly Baroque.

Baroque Baroque $28.97 New – Now available for the first time in paperback, this extraordinary book examines the ‘culture of excess’ in all its twentieth-century manifestations. Fashion, film, photography, design and decoration: all feature in Stephen Calloway’s consideration of the colourful, the opulent and the theatrical. The author examines early examples of Baroque excess — by the Sitwells, Cecil Beaton, Angus McBean and others — as well as the darker Baroque spirit of the wartime Neo-Romantics or film-makers s

Baroque Baroque: The Culture of Excess $29.5 Used – Now available for the first time in paperback, this extraordinary book examines the ‘culture of excess’ in all its twentieth-century manifestations. Fashion, film, photography, design and decoration: all feature in Stephen Calloway’s consideration of the colourful, the opulent and the theatrical. The author examines early examples of Baroque excess — by the Sitwells, Cecil Beaton, Angus McBean and others — as well as the darker Baroque spirit of the wartime Neo-Romantics or film-makers

Barron’s Handbuilt Pottery Techniques Revealed Handbuilt Pottery Techniques Revealed $24.99 This book reveals the secrets of handbuilding shown in unique cutaway photography. Here are directions for many creative, fun-to-do pottery projects potters can follow to produce handsome finished objects without need of a potter?s wheel. The author instructs in coil, slab, mold, and pinch techniques to produce pots, bowls, vases, tiles, and other decorative pieces. She also advises on acquiring basic tools, mixing and preparing clay, and using coloring agents. Newcomers to pottery crafting will especially appreciate her tips for making projects easier to accomplish, such as use of a hairdryer at regular intervals for drying out too-wet clay, and easy methods for keeping clay soft and pliable. Step-by-step color photos with detailed captions guide handcrafters through each project from start to finish. Many photos are of the cutaway type to show correct hand positions for controlling the clay, both inside and outside the form. Here?s the book that takes the mystery out of handbuilding in clay, demonstrating each step in the pottery-making process. More than 400 color photos. By Jacqui Atkin. Paperback, 160 pages. Measures 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. Barron’s 2004. ISBN 0764126660

Bats $6.42 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Bats $17.95 This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $45.89 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $308.98 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $182.95 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $12.36 Used – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $182.95 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $202.13 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $191.44 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $191.44 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Beluga Whales $12.36 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Black & White Photography $13.07 New – - BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY has sold more than 500,000 copies in its first two editions.- The 2nd edition of BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY (1982), currently in its 24th paperback printing, still enjoys annual net sales of 25,000 to 30,000 copies.- Henry Horenstein’s books have been widely used at leading universities, including Parsons School of Design, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and MIT. They are also required texts in many continuing education classes.- Horenstein is a professor at the Rhode

Bottlenose Dolphins $18.51 This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Bottlenose Dolphins $30.25 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Bottlenose dolphins $1.99 Used – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Bottlenose dolphins $2.75 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Brazil Handbook $0.99 Used – A comprehensive guide providing practical and background information to get the visitor around the vast country of Brazil. This second updated edition is in a travel-proof paperback format with extra extending flaps, and it includes: highlights of Brazil illustrated with colour photography; comprehensive information from where to stay, eat and drink to how to stay healthy; useful Portuguese words and phrases; and colour maps to help plan a trip.

Brightwork: The Art of Finishing Wood $34.98 Used – “As elegant as the work it describes so successfully – elegant in its writing, elegant in its photography, and elegant as a volume’ – “SAIL”. This new paperback edition of Rebecca Wittman’s magnum opus answers your every question about creating, maintaining, and restoring the deep lustrous glow to any boat’s wood trim. You will learn how to diagnose and cure a deteriorating finish, when cracked and flaking varnish can be patched and when it must be stripped and a new finish applied, how m

Cantor Lectures on Photography and the Spectroscope (Paperback) $29.39 New

Cantor Lectures on Photography and the Spectroscope (Paperback) $29.39 Used

Cheetahs $263.95 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Cheetahs $16.44 Used – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Cheetahs $10.99 Used – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Cheetahs $263.95 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Cheetahs $5.8 Used – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Cheetahs $263.95 New – This top-selling series introduces the wild creatures of the world and examines the natural world. Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

Chinese Photography Yearbook 2008 ~ 2009 (Paperback) $273.47 New

Click Book & Camera Kit $11.97 New – With the information and equipment readers find here, there won’t be any blurred shots, washed out photos, or heads cut off in their collection. In this all-in-one kit, readers find a paperback copy of “Click! Fun with Photography”, a full-color guide to film, lighting, framing, focusing, special effects, and other techniques; a bright blue, 35mm reusable camera, complete with auto focus; and a big, red 4 x 6 photo album with 24 pages.