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This information that this book discusses is the type of information I enjoy reading about about, and I am fascinated with the Temple. Thanks for bringing this book to everyone’s attention. And the information on self publishing was very informative. I am writing a book that, hopefully, will help many people.
[Editor’s note: we opened the door for comments on self-publishing, but these do not address the substance of the article. Please address the article for future comments]
For anyone considering self publishing, there are several companies available that will considerably shorten the greater than nine months this one took, and at the same time often charge nothing up front. The only one I can really talk about is CreateSpace since I have published a few books with them. My publications include a life story of my parents, a book I’m sure nobody but my family would be interested in and it cost me not a cent to publish it. I have also published a couple of political books with them (“Freedom or Serfdom? The Case for Limited, Constitutional Government and Against Statism,” and “A Dictionary of Polspeak, What Politicians Really Mean.”
Create Space, and probably similar companies, will accept Word or .pdf manuscripts. They will either help you design your cover (for a fee of course) or provide limited software to allow you to design your own. They also offer optional editing services, again for a fee. You can get proofs back within a week after finalizing your book and, since they are print on demand, the book is available as soon as you give final approval. They also make it easy to produce a Kindle version.
The biggest advantage of this company is that it is an Amazon company so your books go on Amazon immediately. The biggest disadvantage is that it is an Amazon company so a lot of book stores are reluctant to carry books from a company they regard as harming their business.
For those of you who may be preparing a book for publication, I thought I would share why I chose to self-publish. Following my MHA presentation in 2012, I was approached by a publisher who asked to review my manuscript. It was accepted for publication, but they strongly suggested removing Wilford Woodruff from the spotlight. I didn’t feel that the story could be told without him and, for that reason along with a related concern, I withdrew my manuscript. I then submitted it to two other publishers. The first, an independent publisher, wanted to publish it immediately without waiting for copyright on the images, and I believed the images were such an asset to the historical value of the narrative that I chose to withdraw the manuscript. The second, an LDS publisher, said it would take two years to get it from manuscript to store shelves. A third (academic) publisher offered me an advance if I would publish through them, promised it would be fast tracked and out in 9 months, but wanted less “faith” and more of an emphasis on the “scholarly.” I declined their offer and, instead, hired professionals to edit, index, design, and print it so I could maintain control of the content and get it published “immediately.” Immediately actually took longer than the 9 months the third publisher guaranteed, but I kept Wilford Woodruff as the narrator and his faith as the message.
I have been told that combining a biography with an historical narrative is the most difficult way to write a book, but this was Wilford Woodruff’s story and it could only be told through the experiences of his life. Since publication I’ve wondered if I’d have chosen differently knowing then what I know now. It would certainly have been cheaper to go through a publisher (even though they take 85-90%), but I don’t think the end product would have been better. So, I hope you enjoy the journey!