ISBN & Library of Congress
I don't think we've experienced any grand relevations, but we did draw our own conclusions about what's out there and laid our course accordingly. First, we recognized that when you are private/self-publishing, there are at least seven critical strategies you need to understand and drive that contribute to your book launch momentum:

One Paddy We Didn't Step In
Most POD sites paint an optimistic, risk-free partnership getting books out to market -- the blogs don't agree. We found stories about the flip side -- "consignment" strings which imposed fees on unsold inventory returned along with varying handling and storage fees. Then, my book specs would have to conform to whatever printing/binding options offered by a particular POD, and it was difficult to find spiral binding with a landscape layout. So, I opted for my original vision and ultimate control by pursuing a venture capital grant and accepting the responsibility and work of handling the ordering, marketing, and fulfillment arrangements myself. We thought broadly and took this opportunity to also produce a flier, coupon, social network badge, mailer, and business card. |excerpt PDF • web camp