Self publishing

THE put-down merchants call self-publishing vanity press, but maybe that should be insanity press, because it is damned hard work.

I grew up in a sub-culture which praised self-production by indie musicians, but the same generosity of spirit was not extended to self-publishers of literature where the general feeling was the product was not good enough to be bought by a mainstream publisher.

Without boring you with all the details, the economics of music production and book publishing are similar. The physical reproduction of a CD or a book is only a minor part of the cost for a big record company or book publisher with economies of scale. For the music company, recording and promotion are big ticket items, while for the book publisher, editing and distribution are costly.

Another common feature is music and book publishers having a poor history of predicting a hit, so they tend to try to reproduce past hits with a twist rather than take a chance on the new.

The muso or writer can do recording or editing a lot cheaper, if often less effectively, than the corporates. But of course, indie artists could never hope for economies of scale in production which also allows multiple distribution of review copies. But the production-cost gap has narrowed with greater economy in short-run CD pressings and the development of printing on demand.

Enter Bent Banana Books and its publication of my novel Iraqi Icicle, a detective thriller with a difference, or quite a few differences, really.

Don't tell anyone, but I am Bent Banana Books.

I am producing my novel Iraqi Icicle through printing on demand and the production cost per unit is only four times or so that of the big publishers. This might not sound good but it is. Before POD, it was seven or so times the cost.
Now, I can see how I go against the majors in marketing my novel in a crowded marketplace. Which is what I am doing with you, right now.

You can buy Iraqi Icicle in soft cover from www.lulu.com or www.lulu.com.uk
If you like the sound of it, buy it or if you would like to have a nibble first, buy Iraqi Icicle Book One At Play as an e-book from www.lulu.com It's inexpensive and the first of a four-part series.

Tell all your friends and make up for those misguided hip people who have been deriding self-publishing for years while they have supported independent record production.
Spread the news,
Bernie