Really happy that Graham has weighed in for you. What wonderful, specific, timely advice. Obviously he has been through the self publishing process fairly recently, and I was proud to be part of the Kickstarter campaign that brought his fine book to fruition. The result of his efforts is a reference work that will serve fretted instrument enthusiasts for years to come.
Graham makes a great case for self publishing versus going though a publisher. It’s way more work but the bottom line is much better. I did want to give a +1 on proofreading. You can not proofread your own copy. You become blind to your own mistakes. Even after multiple proof readings things somehow sneak in. Even Graham’s fine book has a few examples of errata. Sorry Graham, but it’s true, and I’ll bet you know where they are and what I’m talking about! But perfection is elusive and can be the enemy of excellence.
Alison, you say you don’t have a lot of time to put into this, and you want to put the profits into the building. You may have to compromise a bit on that. I submit that the hardest part is already done- the writing. What you need is an editor. Someone to sift through it, pick and choose the best, and organize it into a professional looking end product. Ideally, it should be someone who has an interest in vintage instruments, is familiar with the store and Stan, and has professional editorial skills. Does such a person exist? I don’t know. But to get someone to do this, it won’t be gratis. A true professional will expect some payment up front and a percentage of the action down the road. That will reduce your bottom line, but would most likely be worth it in the long run because a professional looking product will sell better than a homemade looking one.
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