By Lee B. Roberts (The Journal Times.com)
Marvin Lindberg writes first in longhand in spiral notebooks, and then on his laptop computer. (Photo by Mark Hertzberg, mhertzberg@journaltimes.com)
Everyone’s got a book inside them, or so it has been said. And, with the increased access to self-publishing that the Internet has provided in recent years, more and more people are bringing those books to the surface.
Marvin Lindberg, for example, took up writing in 2003 after selling his assisted living business, Loving Care Homes, which he had run in Racine County for many years. He has since written several fiction books which he had published through print-on-demand companies online.
Two of Lindberg’s books, “Final Justice” (Trafford Publishing) and “Saving Vegas” (Xlibris), are thriller/adventure stories based on themes from current events. His most recent effort, “Four Square,” (Xlibris) is aimed at the tween market with its story of two 12-year-olds dealing with divorce, with a little adventure thrown in.
No matter what the subject matter, producing books is something Lindberg says gives him a great sense of accomplishment.
“I really enjoy the writing process – especially creating characters and giving them personality.”
Figuring out the self-publishing process seemed difficult at first, he said, but once he went through it, it seemed like “a piece of cake.”
Virginia Burlingame decided to give self-publishing a try for her first attempt at a novel, “A Window Bed,” which follows a mother/daughter relationship as it evolves in the last year of the mother’s life. A local gerontologist, Burlingame had gone through traditional publishing companies with her previous professional books, but decided self-publishing was the best route for her first fiction venture.
Armed with advice she’d gotten through both a self-publishing class and from fellow authors in a couple writing 
groups she belongs to, she chose to publish her novel through lulu.com, a print-on-demand publishing house.
“It was one of the best deals I found,” she said.
The process, which Burlingame is still going through, can be a complicated one involving everything from formatting to marketing, she said. But, there is help available along the way.
“I hired someone to do the formatting for me,” she said.
“The biggest problem with self-publishing is that you have to market the book yourself,” Lindberg said. “I haven’t had huge sales, but that hasn’t stopped me from writing.”
Doing, not being
It is true that sales and marketing are important aspects of self publishing – ones that often give writers pause when considering self publishing – says Peter Bowerman, author of “The Well-Fed Self-Publisher” and “The Well-Fed Writer.” But, in today’s oversaturated book publishing market, even authors who go through traditional publishing companies are required to do most of their own marketing, said Bowerman.
Such skills can be learned by anyone, he said, and despite popular thinking, an outgoing personality is not required to be successful in sales and marketing books.
“It is more a matter of things you have to do, than some way you have to be,” said Bowerman, who devotes an entire chapter to sales and marketing (“Learning to love S&M”) in “The Well-Fed Self-Publisher.”
“I want to help people get over what is really an irrational fear of the whole sales and marketing process.”
The whole point of Bowerman’s book is to show writers how they can make a living through self-published writing. And while his expertise is aimed at non-fiction writers like himself, some of his advice can apply to publishing fiction, he said.
His blueprint for self-publishing goes way beyond the print-on-demand option, with a goal of producing a book that the average consumer would not be able to tell apart from a volume published by one of the big publishing houses. His self-publishing methods, he says, not only allow authors to have more control over their finished work than they would through traditional methods, but to keep a larger percent of any profits. For more about Bowerman and his self-publishing success story, go to: http://www.wellfedsp.com
Just us
Not everyone, though, goes the self-publishing route to make money. Donna Peterson is in the process of self-publishing a cookbook of recipes from her late Aunt Dorothy, who she described as “an excellent cook.” Her purpose in doing so is to preserve and share the beloved recipes, as well as humorous anecdotes about growing up in wartime America, with her friends and family.
Peterson’s self-publishing journey is a more low-tech version, as she is having her book produced by a local printing company, Schabel’s in Caledonia, rather than online. Even so, Peterson said she has enlisted a lot of help along the way, having friends and family assist with editing, formatting and general advice.
“I’ve been reaching out in every direction,” she said. “I’ve also had a lot of input from Barb Trentadue at Schabel’s. She’s a wonderful resource. We have a good working relationship.”
Putting the 10 chapters of recipes (the originals of which were all handwritten), her 12 short stories and assorted photos together into a finished product wasn’t easy, Peterson said. But all the effort seemed worthwhile when she recently saw the mock-up of her cookbook.
“It surpassed my expectations,” she said. “I really feel good about it.”
Peterson’s advice for anyone looking to publish a similar piece of their family history: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. “It’s out there, all you have to do is ask.”
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