Review: A Self-Publisher's Companion by Joel Friedlander

It's been a while since I did a product review or a book review on this blog, and few books are better to break that drought with than Joel Friedlander's A Self-Publisher's Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish from TheBookDesigner.com. I  recently found Joel's blog, The Book Designer, and it has been a daily read for me, and I highly recommend it to you. So when I read that Joel had come out with a new book on self-publishing, I headed over to Amazon to check it out. What I found was a strong resource that I highly recommend to authors.

Joel writes this book from the experience of an author who pioneered the early days of self-publishing. Having been brought up in his father's print shop, he took those skills and self-published before people even knew what self-publishing was. From then, he honed his skills and truly became a pioneer in what is now refereed to by many as the golden age of publishing. You may find a lot of gurus out there who can help you self publish your book, but you'll be hard-pressed to find someone with the depth of experince that you'll find in Joel.

That's what makes A Self-Publisher's Companion such a powerful resource for authors. It's backed by decades of experience that shows you what works, what doesn't work, and why things work. For the author who doesn't understand anything about publishing, Joel takes you by the hand and brings you up to speed on where the publishing industry is and where you fit into it. In doing this, he demystifies the process and gives you the tools you'll need to make informed decisions when it comes to self-publishing your book.

His book does a masterful balancing act between giving authors encouragement while still painting a realistic view of what's in store for someone who decides to publish their book themselves. It's packed full of resources and tips that will make this a resource you'll want to keep within arms-reach as you start your self-publishing journey.

When I did the Amazon review for this book (5 Stars without question), I made the point that it's written in a way where you can read it cover-to-cover or you can use the table-of-contents to jump right to the point that addresses your specific area of need. That makes it both an educational work and a reference work at the same time. By the time you are ready to put this book down, you'll know the course you'll need to chart to successfully publish your book yourself.

Here is a taste of what you will learn in this book:

- Book Design Tips
- Cover Design Tips
- Self-Publishing Paths Authors Can Take
- Common Mistakes To Watch Out For
- Using Social Media
- Publishing E-Books
- Marketing Your Book

This list hardly covers everything in the book. And Joel has made this book available in print form and as an e-book, so picking up your copy is easy and convenient, no matter the format you read. If you're like me, you'll find yourself referring back to this book over and over. Without question, if your book budget is limited, this is one resource you'll want to put at the top of your buy list.























 -------- Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests.