Self Publishing
Xlibris Book Publishers

ByDAVID POGUE

Last week, Barnes & Noble's Nook e-book reader took on Amazon's Kindle, joining the Sony Reader and several smaller players. And that arena has only just begun to heat up; in the next few months, a raft of additional models will appear.

"When the iPod introduced music lovers to the idea of copy protection, a years-long war ensued between consumers and the RIAA (and others). The primary issue was that if I purchased a song for my music player, it would only play on that player; I didn't really own it, per se. Years later, we finally have digital music without copy protection.

Well, first of all, there ARE a lot of upset people. A minority, yes, but plenty of people are alarmed by the precedent being set.

The issues involved with copy protection haven't changed. They're the same on e-books as they are with everything else. Namely:

All right. So: should e-books be copy protected?

As an author myself, I, too, am terrified by the thought of piracy. I can't stand seeing my books, which are the primary source of my income, posted on all these piracy Web sites, available for anyone to download free.

When I wrote about my concerns a year ago, my readers took me to task. "For all you know," went their counterargument, "the illegal copies are just advertising for you; people will download them, try them out, then go by the physical book. Either that, or they're being downloaded by people who would not have bought your book anyway. Why don't you try a controlled experiment and see?"

Well, it sounded like it could be a very costly experiment. But I agreed. My publisher, O'Reilly, decided to try an experiment, offering one of my Windows books for sale as an unprotected PDF file.

After a year, we could compare the results with the previous year's sales. The results? It was true. The thing was pirated to the skies. It's all over the Web now, ridiculously easy to download without paying.

The crazy thing was, sales of the book did not fall. In fact, sales rose slightly during that year.
That's not a perfect, all-variables-equal experiment, of course; any number of factors could explain the results. But for sure, it wasn't the disaster I'd feared.

Does this mean thatbook publishers in UKshould quit copy-protecting their books?

Not necessarily. My experiment was intended to track the effect of free electronic copies on the sales of *printed* books. The idea was, once you've tasted the honey of a Pogue book on your screen, you'll want to rush out to buy the paper edition.

But if you own an e-book reader, you've already got the book in the desired format! You wouldn't go out and pay for the paper edition; avoiding paper is the whole reason you bought a Kindle in the first place.

Read morehere.

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Would you like to learn how to write, shoot, produce, edit and direct professional digital videos? This self-published handbook does just that: From the first idea - to a Hollywood style movie!

Our worldwide “digital explosion” requires a new kind of “How To” books. Why? Most photographers are not just still-photographers anymore.

Journalists, reporters, editors, camera operators, photographers depend on digital video knowledge.

Nowadays, advertising, marketing, public relations and Internet communications people work more with video than ever before - in addition to workers in education, training and all kinds of instructional areas.

Colleges and universities are teaching students who want to become professional media experts.

This is a didactically new, learning-focused approach presenting all basic “standard knowledge” you need in order to professionally write, produce, shoot and direct digital video. Follow me!

Digital Video Production Handbook is written by Pierre A. Kandorfer.

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People making lists
buying special gifts
taking time to be kind to one and all...

At Xlibris, it's that time of year when we want to give you more than the presents you see at our store...

Take advantage of these holiday treats from the self-publishing leader and enjoy discounts as huge as 50% on Xlibris publishing and marketing services...

They're all yours for the taking... for yourself or for your friends and loved ones.

Happy Holidays from the Xlibris team!

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Performances: Past and Present is a self-published book that will become a tool to guide you in writing the things that we so easily forget as years go by. Illustrations and photographs, traditional manuscript writings have been provided in this book.

There is joy in reading about the organizers and contributors in Dallas County, and the part others played in shaping its history. For many contributors, this chapter has been closed, and to others it’s only a beginning.

The purpose of this book is to give an early version of the origination, consolidation, location, and transportation of Dallas County agencies, institutions, and people, who played a great role in the lives of individuals. The dual careers as a mother and an educator provided a complete perspective on enlightening the constituents of Dallas County in becoming aware of its rich heritage.

Performances: Past and Present is written by Annie Louise Kelly Cunningham.

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Speakers are great at getting information, verbally, from point A to point B. One difficulty occurs, however, in situations where an intermediary (like radio) is involved. Radio is "invisible" to most people, including speakers; it is largely unknown to speakers why or how things are chosen to be "on the air". If you only remember one thing, make it this: It is not how good a person speaks that determines if he/she will be PLACED on the air.

However, once a speaker IS chosen to be on the air, his/her speaking ability will have great affect on the listeners. This is why speakers do well with listeners once they get on the radio. It's just the getting "on" in the first place that is the hard part. (And, doing well with on-air-sales is a different matter entirely, requiring you to know how to make contact announcements). So here are some specifics, tailored to speakers, to help you get radio interviews; these are the exact same techniques we use with clients, and they do work. They are, starting with the easier ones:

1. When promoting yourself to the radio producer or host, ask for a referral to a local business person, meeting planner, group organizer, or event promoter who may have interest in hiring you to speak for them. Since the radio person now knows your topic, and since radio people keep in good contact with most businesses and groups in their city, this is fairly straightforward for them to do. And note that this can be accomplished whether OR NOT they decide to interview you on-air.

2. If your topic is business or sales related, call the station's sales manager and offer to do a one-hour telephone consultation with their sales department for free, in exchange for an on-air interview. If this works once, then offer to make it a weekly event, in exchange for a weekly on-air "bit". If your topic is any kind of voice/acting/drama skill, then do the same thing but ask the program director instead. And if your topic is any kind of personal improvement/empowerment, then do the same thing but ask the general manager instead.

3. Offer the station program director a weekly custom-recorded topical "bit", usually 30 seconds long, that they can air. The topic would depend on your personal topic, and the topic that the station wants to air. In return for this, they would interview you on-air. The number of "bits" required for one interview would be up for negotiation.

4. If your topic is sales, then offer the radio station sales manager this deal: When they give up on a tough prospect, you will call that prospect and attempt to close him (for a specified minimum dollar amount.) If you succeed, you will get an on-air interview. It's important, however, that you only attempt this with the station's "failed" prospects, because the salespeople there will not want to you interfering with their "hot" or "current" prospects.

(The following require field trips. The bonus of this is that since you would be in their city, you can do the on-air interviews live-in-studio. Traveling expenses are "usually" covered.)

5. Offer the general manager to speak for free at a "station sponsored" event. Many times these are charity/fundraiser events that the station donates air time for, and since these events are usually with groups or outdoor activities, it makes for a good crowd for you to speak to. In trade for your appearance there, the station would give you one or more on-air interviews (depending on what is negotiated).

6. Offer the sales or promotions manager to speak for free, live and in-person, at a station client's event if the station gives you an on-air interview. If your topic matches up with one of their hot prospects, then your speaking (for free) at the client's event may just help close the deal for them. They do the closing, and you do the traveling and speaking.


Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion
1828 Broadway, 2nd Fl
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-998-8305 x10
fax:310-998-8323
bryan1@radio-media.com

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Greg Pappas, author of the book SoulBound, shares his thoughts about his self-publishing experience with Xlibris.


How did you first come to learn of Xlibris, and what made you decide to publish with Xlibris?
I browsed Google for online publishers, and Xlibris’ presentation was the most impressive.


How was your publishing experience with Xlibris?
Being a first-time author wrought a rather difficult process for me… but in the end, when the job was finished, the final product looked great.


What do you think is the most important thing to consider when you choose a self-publishing company?
Trust. You need to be able to trust that the book will look the way you want it too, and that the publisher you use will work tirelessly to accommodate your needs.


Is there anything that you would like to pass on to other writers who are presently entertaining the idea of self-publishing their book?
Yes, I would be certain that you thoroughly review your own work before submitting it, as the editing process can be tedious and time-consuming. Also, be sure to have those closest to you, a dear friend or family member, read your work, as it offers a whole new view on how the book reads. It is very important to have someone outside yourself give you feedback.


Would you recommend Xlibris to others?
I would, but with the cautionary tale that it would serve them best to come as best-prepared as possible.


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Geocaching is the hottest, fastest growing high tech sport in the country. Do you have a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver? Do you have access to the internet? Do you enjoy the outdoors? Do you like to go on scavenger hunts for hidden treasures? If you answered yes then you are ready for geocaching!

Team Laughing Gravy has enjoyed geocaching so much that we wanted to open up the sport to more of the public. The Reno area abounds in breathtaking scenery. Many of the local cachers have taken advantage of this by placing caches in locations that provide awesome views. Rick and Bea Vandenberg, authors of Geocaching Around Reno with Team Laughing Gravy, hope to entice you to find some caches with the photos in this self-published book.

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AuthorAdilah Barnestalks about having her book,On My Own Terms: One Actor’s Journey, self-published with Xlibris.


How did you first come to learn of Xlibris, and what made you decide to publish with Xlibris?

I heard of Xlibris from a former acting student of mine, Pamela Durant-Aubrey who was an employee of Xlibris at the time. Unfortunately, by the time I moved forward with Xlibris as my publisher, Pamela had left. I had counted on her being there to support me in the process but though she was gone, I did have a team at Xlibris who supported me along the way until my book was completed and printed.


How was your publishing experience with Xlibris?

Quite honestly, I met a number of challenges along the way (ie editing issues, printing issues, etc). However, in the end, we turned out a well-presented book of quality!


What do you think is the most important thing to consider when you choose a self-publishing company?

The company, package, process and support team.


Is there anything that you would like to pass on to other writers who are presently entertaining the idea of self-publishing their book?

Yes, make sure you are clear on what your book is about, that there is an audience and market for your work, do the research needed, have an editor and allow the time to complete the process with excellence.


Would you recommend Xlibris to others?

Many have appreciated the quality of my book and have asked who my publisher is. I have referred others and one has a contract with Xlibris now. At the same time, I have also impressed on them the importance of double-checking the work and working closely with your team to get the excellence they desire.

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Make your 2009 Thanksgiving celebration more meaningful and more memorable by publishing your book with Xlibris. This year, we are giving you another reason to be extra thankful with our Xlibris Thanksgiving offer.

Choose our Premium Publishing Package and enjoy a 50% price cut off your publishing costs. The Premium Package is one of Xlibris' premiere publishing packages, loaded with an assortment of publishing and marketing services. That means we are giving you a full-service package at half the price.

And if that's not enough to get you into a grateful mood this Thanksgiving, we're throwing in a one-year book returnability program, absolutely free. That's an amazing complement to make your book publishing journey complete.

So start your publishing experience today with an attitude of gratitude. Give us a call at 1-888-795-4274 or send us an e-mail at publishtoday@xlibris.com to take advantage of this limited offer, which lasts until November 25, 2009.

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Perky Debbie McWard, New Zealand adventure travel guide, dodges two former lovers, flirts with a hesitant widower, Gil Rocklin, and copes with raucous investigative reporter, Frank Ferret, among her travelers.

Romances give way to fear, as a tourist is murdered, and another is falsely blamed. Debbie discovers that an indicted Yugoslavian war criminal, Ratac "the Butcher" Bymarovitch, is disguised and hiding among her trampers. But among six possible suspects, who?

The most terrifying question is why, of all the tours in the world, one of the world’s most hunted criminals specifically sought out Debbie’s tour group in which to hide, plot, and murder.

Only Debbie, her friends, and two small children can thwart the Butcher’s killing and his rekindling of the Balkan wars.

Surprises sizzle in Croatia, Slovenia, and New Zealand.

Kiwi on a Cloud: A Murder Mystery Novel is a self-published mystery story written byNorm Aspen.

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911 Pictures is very, very pleased to announce the publication of its first book of beautiful fire scene photographs, "The Resplendent Demon"!

This 80-page, self-published picture book contains 48 stunning full-color photographs, hand-picked from 911 Picture's archive of over 2,400 images, of the most magnificent and dramatic fire scenes we have on file, taken by 16 of our most accomplished photographers. For us, the book is our way of showing that the world of firefighting, as dangerous and gritty as it is, can also sometimes be quite breathtaking in its beauty.

If you are someone who is in the fire service, appreciates or loves the fire service, or who even just loves fine photography, we believe this book would make an excellent addition to your library.


[ Excerpt ]

"What is beauty? What is considered beautiful? On the surface, we all seem to know inherently when something is beautiful: a spectacular tropical sunset stretching across the sky; a magnificent diamond-and-ruby necklace; a happy toddler's unadulterated laugh of pure joy. These things seem so obvious that at times we risk taking their beauty for granted.

Just as all of us know what is beautiful, we all know what is ugly and horrible. Strangely, however, as human beings we are equally fascinated by the horrible as we are by the beautiful: tragedy and destruction seem to captivate our attention as just as much as beauty does - if not even more so, as the media floods us on a daily basis with pictures of tragic events from home and around the world, to the point where again we are perhaps guilty of becoming desensitized to the distressing images, and take them for granted.

As photographers, we are charged with the task of trying to show people different aspects of the world that we see and have seen, in ways that perhaps they have never seen before. A successful photograph will not only be captivating to the eye, but will also offer an opportunity to change your mind about how you see the world around you; sometimes in ways that you might not normally expect. A successful photograph may challenge your beliefs, and ultimately may end up changing in some small way how you see the world from that point on in your life to no longer take what you see for granted.

The 16 photographers whose works appear in this book are special individuals. Special, I feel, because with their unique talents they are able to take something that by all rights could be considered horrible and tragic -- fire, and the death and destruction that it can bring -- and show us a different view of fire that we haven´t seen or thought of before: within that horror there can be a terrific beauty as well. A beauty that is both magnificent and horrible at the same time -- a Resplendent Demon.

It is a form of beauty that few ever get to see, let alone experience. It shows itself only rarely, and only if you know where and when to look for it -- a rare thing, as many beautiful things can be. The images in this book are those rare moments, captured by those who are most adept at finding them. For those of us who are fortunate enough to have experienced it personally, we are always left awed and humbled by the power, magnificence, grandeur - and yes, beauty, of fire. It is my hope that the images in this book will make you feel the same way too."

-- Michael Heller, August 2003



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Opening the Door to Authors around the World to Publish in Paperback, Hardcover, Electronic, or Elegant Leather Bound Format and Cementing Their Reputation as the Global Leader in Self-Publishing.
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Xlibris Publishing, the global leader in self-publishing announced their expansion into the UK, Australian and New Zealand markets today with new, digital friendly publishing services.

Xlibris has nurtured relationships with worldwide leaders in the industry and has initiated the launch of alliances with industry-leading digital content portals giving its titles worldwide availability in both print and digital format. The addition of publishing in the ePub format to its entire line of Black & White Publishing Services will enable the independent publishing giant to dominate the online digital publishing market by producing digital versions of all new titles it publishes – and converting tens of thousands from its list of already published titles.

By utilizing its established relationships, these titles will be available worldwide through several popular e-readers and e-channels as well as the traditional book printers and distributors. With the help of the Sony e-Book Store, Amazon’s Kindle eBook Store, and the possibility of distribution through the Apple iStore, thousands of Xlibris titles will be available in a myriad of formats to reach every reader around the world.

“Xlibris leads the world in new titles brought to market. We will convert every new title and tens of thousands from our backlist into digital formats and make them available through the leading digital content portals. We believe as our self-publishing business continues to accelerate, we will become the world’s largest publisher of original digital content,” said Kevin Weiss, president and chief executive officer.

By being at the forefront of digital publishing, and combined with their expansion into the UK, Australian and New Zealand publishing markets, Xlibris has truly cemented their place as the global leader in the rapidly growing self-publishing industry.

Authors can also promote their work and introduce their books with the Xlibris Podcast Marketing Service. This new and exciting marketing tool gives authors the opportunity to reach more readers through recorded interviews made accessible on podcast portals like iTunes.

For more information about Xlibris Publishing; log onto its US Website at www.xlibris.com, UK Website at www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk, Australia Website www.xlibris.com.au, New Zealand Website www.xlibris.co.nz or call 1-888-795-4274 (US); 0800-644-6988 (UK); 1-800-618-969(Au); 800-891-366 (NZ).

As early as November, Xlibris, the leader in the self-publishing industry, gets into the spirit of giving with a 50% off all publishing, marketing and add-on services. Xlibris offers a wide variety of publishing packages starting at $399. Each package offers various combinations of publishing, editorial and marketing services for a customized self-publishing experience.

With the November Sale Xlibris’ line-up now starts at $199 for both full-color and black and white services. Looking for an affordable gift idea for people that are hard to buy for? Xlibris’ publishing services are fully transferable and would make a truly unique gift that will last a lifetime.

Xlibris boasts the widest range of marketing and add-on services available on the market today covering multiple media formats including videos, podcasts and eBooks. Whether the desired target audience is regional, national or international Xlibris’ extensive range of services work together to deliver a complete customized book marketing solution. For the month of November, Xlibris is offering all services at half price.

Xlibris 50% off sales runs for a limited time only and will expire November 25th. It does not apply to book orders or book galleries.

Get more information on Xlibris Publishing and Marketing Services. You can also call 1-888-795-4274.

Etranger is a self-published book of 53 black/white and color photographs including urban street scenes, rural landscapes, portraits, abandoned railroad tracks, subways and train stations, and old cars. The images were taken during journeys across America, Spain, and Israel.

Photos of Mike Spitz capture solitude in its many forms. Ranging in style from documentary and photo-journalistic to rural and more abstract images, his photography is heavily influenced by the visual landscape of the places where he has lived, including Ohio, New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and Paris. Spitz´s background in film and cinematography enhances his work as a photographer, giving his photos a strong narrative and composition, deep emotion, and a cinematic visual style.

The photography of Mike Spitz has been compared to the likes of Henri Cartier Bresson, Walker Evans, and George Tice.

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Writing a book is one thing. Marketing it to attract people to your work is another.

You've done your best as a writer and your book is published. Now give your book the exposure it deserves by choosing the marketing and promotional tools best suited to your needs.

The right marketing strategy can get your book the attention of reviewers and readers, and help spread word around about your work. With a wide range of promotional services and marketing campaigns to choose from, Xlibris can help you reach your target audience and sell more books.

Xlibris presents a comprehensive line of marketing and promotional services to make your decision to market your book through us simple and worthwhile. Choose from any of the publicity, printed, Internet-based and specialty marketing packages and do more for your book. And for the month of November, you can save 33% when you take advantage of these marketing and promotional packages.

To help you decide which option suits your marketing needs, Xlibris representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Feel free to call us now at 1-888-795-4274 ext. 7100 for your free consultation.

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My Digital Photo Book is a self-published book by photographer Dick Pratt.

It contains one hundred of photographer Dick Pratts favorite images. This self-published book is not a "how to" book, but rather "“why to". It gives insight as to why some of these subjects were chosen to photograph.

What prompted the author to give the scene a second look and the things he liked about it that made him want to photograph it.

In some cases, there is no text, as the author just want the reader to view the images. And in a few instances, he has written poetry to go with the photos.

This is an eclectic work that should appeal to the amateur as well as the intermediate photographers.

My Digital Photo Book: An Eclectic Collection of 100 Digital Images is self-published photo book by Dick Pratt.

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Dr. F.J. Sawaya address issues and concerns surrounding the H1N1 influenza outbreak.


News of the swine flu spread all over the world are still make headlines to this day even as medical professionals scramble to find the vaccine to the H1N1 influenza.

In Southern California, some doctors have expressed frustration over parents who have barraged their offices with calls to have their children vaccinated. These calls have probably come in after reports of a shortage of the H1N1 vaccine broke out.

A spokesperson for the State Health Department, Claudia Hutton, said concentration of vaccination efforts should be directed on pregnant women and children. "Since the vaccine is so scarce right now and since the virus has proved especially difficult for pregnant women and young people — there have been deaths — we felt that the best use of the scarce amount of vaccine right now is for those populations," Hutton said.

With the urgency of having more supply of the swine flu vaccine, things have now turned into a race of finding an answer to the H1N1 menace.

Dr. F.J. Sawaya understands this urgency and this author emphasizes that on the self-published book, The Medical-Chemical Answer for Swine Flu & Avian-Flu. Sawaya gives a factual analysis of and detailed information on the H1N1 virus and the swine flu outbreak of 2009.

Release on September 11, 2009, this self-published title comes at a time when medical professionals and researchers need all the help they can get to find the medical and chemical answers to the swine flu.

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If sharing stories with children is your dream as an author, the Xlibris Children's Publishing Packages can help you make your dream come true.

Whether your book is intended to make a child laugh, share a valuable life lesson, or take children on a magical journey into their imagination, your book deserves the attention and assistance it needs.

You can choose from three packages that suit your publishing requirements: Children's Ballad, Children's Dreamtime, and Children's Fairytale. These packages have been created with features that cater to your creativity as an author and meet the genre specifications of publishing your children's book.

On top of that, you can bring your story to vivid life with the Xlibris Art Studio, who can provide the illustrations, customize the layout, and truly make your story a work of art.

Publish your stories with the Xlibris Children's Publishing Packages. Call your personal marketing consultant at 1-888-795-4274 or visit the Xlibris website for more information.