After inserting many manuscripts into large yellow envelopes and spending exuberant amounts of money on postage and purchasing several copies of writer manuals, the details of my book were now jeopardy of being turned down. I knew it was a gamble, but worth the try. I remember holding my breath until the mail arrived; only to find most publishing houses were not looking for what I had to offer. Rejection was looking me in the face, nevertheless.
Then one day while surfing the internet I found several places that offered free self-publishing of my books. Not only did the websites catch my attention, they captured my imagination. They enabled a small time freelance writer like myself to express myself and I was thrilled.
They offer hardcover and paperback versions in several sizes and bindings. I started out by choosing a paperback version to start with because this enabled me to stay on a small scale when it came to how many pages I had to publish. I entered the name of my book and before long I found myself designing my own book cover using their templates, which are limited, or my own. For a small nominal charge, my book could also evolve into a hardcover if I so desired. One of the sites I selected was iUniverse. They offered me the best value in self-publishing of my paperback, free. Although there are many sites to choose from, I was already hooked.
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You can also download your own book software. I discovered Book Smart, which is easy for beginners and free. You can also design your book cover using programs such as Microsoft Publisher, Adobe PhotoShop or any desktop publishing program and save the design as a file. Then upload the design into your project. Watch as your book comes to life in a few easy steps. After I submitted my book and it was checked for errors, they assigned ISBN numbers to my books and I ordered a proof copy for myself. You also have the option of making your book an e-book version. Take it one step further and download the file of your book as a Kindle version on Amazon.com or use Mobipocket creator. Finally, never give up trying to sell your book. Search engines make a great avenue for marketing.
Never again will I have to spend money for rejection. I now have several books written in different formats and now I am off to write another.
The possibilities are endless.