Navigating Indieworld: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book by J.A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman

I wish this new book - Navigating Indieworld: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book by J.A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman- was available years ago.   Years ago in the 1990s when I started writing, I followed the advice of an out of date writer's guide to publishing children's books, for direction to getting my own manuscript published.  Basically it wasted my time and money and the end result was a stack of returned, unread manuscripts.  I wasted hundreds of dollars in postage and photocopies alone.  At most one publisher sent back my manuscript with a handwritten note of rejection.  Little did I know that most of the popular big name publishers require literary agents and they do not even consider unsolicited manuscripts.  Simply put, many books on publishing are not candid about the reality of the process needed to writing and publishing a book. The writers and publishing guides from twenty years ago are now obsolete.

 As an independent author, also known as an "Indie" author, I found Navigating Indieworld to be honest and forthcoming about the prospects of publishing for  new and independent authors.  This book does not offer false hopes and irrelevant advice just to sell copies- on the contrary, it is filled with down to earth, relevant as well as useful guidance for any aspiring author.  Unlike other traditional publishing "how to" books in the publishing genre, Roman and Gerber's book takes into account today's publishing industry, enabling the writer to make the best use of social media as well as the internet in general.

The authors write as if they really want their readers to succeed in the publishing industry.  Reading this book is like having the advice of a trusted friend at my fingertips.  In contrast to book publishing twenty years ago, the world of book publishing has changed entirely.  The authors help guide the writers of today in navigating the self serve world of the internet in every step of the publishing business from marketing, to writing, editing and publishing. This book discusses self publishing companies, e-book platforms, online books stores as well as book blogging resources as well.  For anyone considering writing a book- this is the only resource you will need.  Each chapter is followed up with a "To Do" list to help an aspiring writer organize his time and to prioritize tasks. The back of the book includes a directory of useful resources including blog review websites, important social media web sites as well as marketing and formatting services.  If you finally want to pursue your lifelong dream of publishing your manuscript, this book will tell you how to do it.  As a blogger I received a copy of this book from the authors.