Re: self publishing - in depth

**"C.L. Fornari" c*@mail.com**

Because my publisher went bankrupt a couple of years ago, I decided to self-publish a 
revised edition of my first book, The Cape Cod Garden.  This is a regional book so it 
almost sells itself, and local promotion is a great deal easier than national promotion.  I 
would self-publish another regional book (maybe) but I wouldn't do a national book 
because the promotion and distribution would be almost a fulltime job in itself, and I have 
three other “fulltime” jobs already.  

The process itself was pretty painless.  Get yourself a copy of Dan Poynter’s book “The 
Self-Publishing Manual.”  You can follow it like a recipe; I did and it went very well.  To 
answer your questions specifically:

 Did you hire a book designer to do the layout?
	No, I did that myself.  I was an art major in school and have a good command of both 
Illustrator and Photoshop, and an adequate ability to draw.  You can see a picture of the 
cover on Amazon.

How did you find a good printer?
I used the list in the back of Poynter’s book to get quotes, and they were ALL over the price 
spectrum.  I used Patterson Printing in Benton Harbor, MI.  They were one of the least 
expensive, I liked the sample books they sent and they were GREAT to deal with.  I would 
use them again in a heartbeat. 

Did you hire an editor/copyeditor?
Yes – a copy editor.   Since this was an updated version of a book I already worked with 
an editor on, I didn’t need an editor per se.  I can give you two or three names of freelance 
copyeditors (all familiar with gardening) if you want to contact me off-line. 

Do you do the fulfillment yourself or do you use a fulfillment house?  
I do it myself out of my garage… can be a pain to come home after a sweaty day at the 
nursery or a speaking trip off-Cape and have to box up books and print invoices, but the 
profits are all mine.

What is the minimum printing you suggest and how much should one be prepared to pay?
I had 2,000 books printed, and I can’t honestly remember how I decided on that number.  I 
can’t remember what I paid per book for the printing alone, but the final cost of the book 
(printing, copy editing, bar code fee, shipping and having the manuscript put into Page 
Maker by a graphics person) came to just under 4.50 per copy.  2000 books (274 pages, a 
little less than an inch thick) boxed up fits on two pallets, one stacked four boxes high and 
one a third of that.  

I have sold just over half of the first printing the year since I published.  

I am probably not as high-powered as I should be in selling this book… I should be calling 
the bookstores monthly to find out if they need copies but I forget to do this.  It’s offered on 
Amazon and I’ve been meaning to list on Barnes and Nobel Online, but haven’t gotten 
around to it.  I’d rather be writing, speaking, propagating or planting I guess!

Let me know if you have other questions!
C.L. Fornari
www.gardenlady.com

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