The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide

by Joel Friedlander, Betty Kelly Sargent

The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide is the first and largest collection of curated and verified resources for independent authors who plan to publish their own books. Produced by a team with long experience in both traditional and independent publishing, the over 850 resources are listed in an easy-to-use format that includes live links, phone numbers, email addresses and brief descriptive copy. The Guide makes vendors and other resources easy to find by separating them into 33 distinct categories within the 3 main tasks the self-publisher must deal with. How to Prepare, Publish, and Promote their books:

PREPARE
Content & Developmental Editors
Copyeditors & Proofreaders
Indexers
Cover & Interior Book Designers
Image Sources
Illustrators & Cartoonists
Translators
Writing Software
Writers’ Conferences & Workshops Offering Scholarships
Grants and Funding for Writers
Professional & Trade Associations
Best Books on Writing

PUBLISH
eBook Conversion
Print-on-Demand (POD) Printing & Distribution Services
Subsidy Publishers
Short Run Printers
Book Production Software
Best Books on Self-Publishing
Helpful Links

PROMOTE
Website Design for Authors
Social Media Consultants
Book Review Services
Press Release Services & Sources
Best Blogs on Self-Publishing
Book Blog Tours
Marketing & Publicity
Sites to List eBooks
News & Views
eBook Aggregators & Book Distributors
Major Retailers
Writing Contests, Fellowships & Prizes
Book Awards for Self-Published Authors
Consumer Protection

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Business, Reference

172 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2014

About the author

Joel Friedlander is an award-winning book designer and one of the Internet’s leading experts on self-publishing. Joel runs the popular blog at TheBookDesigner.com where he’s helped thousands of authors create books that readers really want to buy. Joel’s articles appear widely in online and print publications. He is also the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion and a sought-after speaker who inspires authors to get their books into the marketplace. Joel is also the founder of The Self-Publishing Roadmap online video training course (http://selfpublishingroadmap.com/) for authors who plan to take control of their publishing career.

Joel is also the book designer behind http://BookDesignTemplates.com, a Marin Bookworks company. Book Design Templates was created to solve a problem that has seemed almost impossible up until now for indie authors—getting a good-looking, industry-standard book interior from a word processing program. With Book Design Templates ready-to-use templates for Microsoft Word, authors for the first time have a reasonably-priced alternative to the high cost of professional book composition.

Reviews

[Sally Ember · Rating 2 out of 5]

15 reasons I could only give a 2-Star #Review for The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide, 2015

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) of The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide and promised to write and post an honest review here on my own blog and on at lesat one other ebook site (see links, below) in exchange.

According to the co-editors, this Guide “is the first and largest collection of curated and verified resources for independent authors who plan to publish their own books. Produced by a team with long experience in both traditional and independent publishing, the over 850 resources are listed in an easy-to-use format that includes live links, phone numbers, email addresses and brief descriptive copy. The Guide makes vendors and other resources easy to find by separating them into 33 distinct categories within the 3 main tasks the self-publisher must deal with. How to Prepare, Publish, and Promote their books.”
15 reasons I could only give a 2-Star #Review for
The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide
PERSONAL NOTE: This Guide already received some excellent endorsements from “heavy-hitters” in the Indie-Publishing industry, several of whom happen to be my unofficial mentors: Mark Coker ofSmashwords, Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn, and Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, to name a few.

I’m daring to add to and not to agree with these experts’ opinions, here. If I were you, I’d also go read theirs! And, please: I’m trying to be constructive, so I give a lot of recommendations and make many pleas. It’s not just a pan.

I wanted to like this book. I wanted to give it 5 stars. I cannot.

The best thing I can say about this is that the editors promise that they want it to be improved and added to quarterly or annually.

I am NOT trying to be snarky or mean. I genuinely went in with high hopes and expectations, given all the hype and positive endorsements this Guide has had. These hopes were dashed in the first few chapters and it did not get better as I went along.

I hope they will take my critique and others’ feedback to make the Guide better, not just longer.

Here are my 15 reasons for giving Guide only 2 stars:
1. Why isn’t this an actual GUIDE? Why is the Guide almost entirely just a lot of somewhat organized lists?
Instead of directing, informing, and assisting new indie authors with each selected aspect (and I do like the aspects, or chapters, they decided to include), there is a lot of information not given. This info is either missing, such as the reasons a writer would need to use a section or how to use the information provided, or withheld, such as the providing of a rating system or users’ experiences for each resource—annotations, as in YELP or Angie’s List—for each entry.
If we wanted to acquire a list of resources, we could do that from many other places.
The editors say these have been vetted, but where is the evidence of that? What did they assess? Why don’t they include their assessments, or a summary of why each listing is “better” than those not included, and for what, exactly?
I was very disappointed in the editors’ lack of interaction with each listing provided. They seem to have merely collected a lot of self-written descriptions or blurbs about each entry (meaning, written by each resource provider, not the editors or users) and put the selected listings in alphabetical order.
Since they say they vetted each entry and rejected some, why aren’t we reading more about WHY they included each entry?
If I had paid for this “GUIDE,” I’d want a refund.

2. This book was poorly written and edited. However, the authors’ long, impressive bios (see below) list extensive experiences in editing and proofreading. They also exhort the need for both in this Guide .
However, even though I wasn’t looking for or expecting to find mistakes, find them I did. There were numerous mistakes in grammar, punctuation and syntax as well as inexcusably sloppy and poor writing in almost every one of their brief intros/summaries for each section/chapter. Finding so many problems was surprising and very disappointing.

3. The editors mention more than once a warning to readers to “read the fine print” if they choose to enter into contracts, but nowhere do they provide any tips or hints about exactly what to watch out for, what to avoid, what to accept. Why?
Their advice is so vague as to be trite and useless; without specifics, they’re not helping anyone. Why not a chapter on “Don’ts” or “Beware of…”?
[It’s as if they started to write a guide and then, halfway through, made it a listing service instead. It makes me wonder if there was some money exchanging hands, ensuring certain listings and keeping out others.
Is that just my inner cynic talking? There is no evidence of resource providers’ purchasing their listings….]

4. Why did they not include a chapter on authors’ support networking? There are so many indie authors’ forums, Kindle Boards, authors’ groups, etc.
If they take my advice and add that chapter, I hope they make notations as to which resources/ groups/ providers are fee-based and which are free, and what the fee ranges are, if applicable, and what the fees avail members of, specifically.
Fee information is crucial but missing from every chapter.
Also, I hope they weed out the “review swap” groups, since these violate Amazon’s Terms of Service, and I hope they would EXPLAIN the TOS violation consequences (removal of reviews, for example) in their new chapter.

5. Why is there a chapter on websites for authors? What makes a website for authors particularly uniquevs. a website for bloggers, e.g., or vs. any other small business? This claim of distinction is never explained, yet there is a chapter devoted to a list of people they are supporting who supposedly create websites “for authors.”
I’m scratching my head over this. If the editors explained their rationale, I might be on board. However, again, no explanations are given.

6. There is a chapter devoted to Book Reviews with no mention of the extremely important and controversial issue of paid vs. free reviews, and no annotations as to which of those listed charges authors for providing reviews nor how much they charge.
These omissions are significant oversights. Must correct in future revisions, please.

7. There are several chapters that are devoted to formatting one’s book—ebooks vs. print vs. Print On Demand vs. “Short Run” [sic]—with no explanation as to the differences among these formats or which to do first and the reasons.
Also, what about the issue of whether or not even to have a print version: why? when? at what cost? Many of us do not have any print versions: what are the consequences of going ebook-only for each genre?
Furthermore, when introducing each type of formatting, there is no explanation about the reasons/ bases for ebooks’ formatting issues or the assistance offered, via Smashwords vs. Amazon, for example, or about difficulties of passing through Smashwords‘ “meatgrinder” successfully and what that success generates in benefits; no mention is made of that nor that Digital2Digital does not use such gate-keeping, for example.
If this is truly going to serve as a guide, MORE ANNOTATIONS and information are needed.

8. What is a Short Run [sic]? I have never heard of it (since I have no print books, yet) and it was not sufficiently explained (nor hyphenated?). Why include it if not also to explain more completely what it is?

9. Several key “players” were omitted, which I know can be corrected, but since some of them provided endorsements or reviews, I’m baffled by their absences. Many of those missing are very prominent in the blogosphere, Google+ or Twitter but not so much on Facebook. What about those who shine on Pinterest, Instagram, or Tsu?
Maybe these editors not as active on the other social media platforms? The Book Marketing Toolsand its free ebooks listing tool, e.g., were not included.
In order to be an actual GUIDE and not just a list, part of this chapter should include annotations giving pros and cons of authors’ activity on each platform and who the leaders are on each.

10. Social media platforms are the not the only places authors need to “go” or be “seen.” Start with: Blog Talk Radio shows that feature authors and books, like Indie Books with Will Wilson, The Backporch Writer with Kori Miller, and so many more; Google+ LIVE and taped Hangouts on Air, such as my show, CHANGES, which then go to Youtube; D’vorah Lansky’s and others’ teleseminars and webinars devoted to books, book marketing and authors; The Authors Show, A Book and a Chat and many others on their own “channels”; podcasts and other shows, such as The Author Hangout, with Shawn Manaher and R.J. Adams, via iTunes and other sources, and so many more.
Please request and create a chapter with annotated listings of opportunities of this type and how to access them.

11. There was no mention of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited and the controversies/problems indie authors face regarding this, nor was a distinction made between Kindle Select and Kindle Direct.
These are exactly the types of explanations missing from this book that need to be put in, please.

12. Why was there such a small number of “Social Media Consultants” included? I could come up with more than that, yet I am not one myself nor have I used one.
The editors need to do better outreach, here, and a LOT of annotating, since many who call themselves “experts” are NOT; I know vetting is something these editors say they have been doing, so let’s see the results.

13. There needs to be more info about money. For example, if the chapter on contests and awards is going to be useful as more then an incomplete list, each entry needs to be annotated to include info on entry fees and deadlines as well as more about the actual value of winning or placing in each.
These contests can take a lot of time: show us what’s required, specifically, to enter, please, and what we might gain from winning.
Great to include a chapter on acquiring funding, too, but that also seemed a bit “light.” There are many more opportunities out there, but at least there were several clearinghouses, like C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers, listed.
Such lacks make this book more of a jumping-off point than a guide, though.

14. I also don’t understand why those who provide services in more than one area (as delineated by these editors) are not dually or triply listed, as often ought to be the case. Readers/users will find resources only in the chapters they go to skim and may not read other chapters at all.
For example, Judith Briles is listed for her private site, but Author U is not listed at all, anywhere I could find.
I know it would make the Guide longer, but there must be a way to show readers that a listing appears elsewhere in the book, or could appear elsewhere (and in what chapters) but editors decided to list each resource only once for space reasons, right?

15. I do not think Book Promoters are the same as book PR people, but perhaps I’m alone in this. In any case, I think having the word “Promoters” missing from the chapter headings is confusing.
If/when most or all of these omissions, errors and improvements are managed, I’d love to see that version. Or, maybe they should change the title from “Ultimate Resource Guide” to “Resource Compendium” or “Resource Listings.” They’d have fewer changes to make if they did that.
I wouldn’t think that would be as useful, though, as my revised version could be. I hope SOMEONE makes that version!
Meanwhile, although I believe The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide may be worthwhile as a starting point, it is far from being the “Ultimate Resource Guide” at this point.
Any newbie to self-publishing would have to pick up many other and better guides to make this one useful.

On their book’s website, in the FAQs, they state: “We plan to update the ebook edition of The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide monthly after the launch, eventually moving to a quarterly update. The print edition will be updated once each year, so we’ll have a new edition reflecting all the changes at the end of 2015.”
Proof? they post this excellent exhortation/invitation on the “CONTACT” page:
"'The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide' is a living document.
"Although we have tried to gather the most valuable resources for indie authors, it’s inevitable that some have been missed, and new products and services are constantly being introduced.We want your help to make it even better. If you know of a person, company, product, or service of value to independent authors that’s not included in this guide, please let us know. You can send submissions to be included in the next edition of 'The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide' by the contact form below. Thank you.
"Essential Qualification Guidelines for those who wish to be listed in 'The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide.'
Extensive, professional experience in serving the self-publishing community.
A current, informative, interactive website.
Complete contact information; location (city, state/province, country), phone number, email address, and contact person if applicable.
Outstanding reputation; positive client/customer testimonials and/or reviews.
"The final decision on all listings is at the editors’ discretion.
"Note: Personal connection or recommendation of resource/business, is meant for anyone who is recommending someone else’s business. Say you are an author and use an editor not listed in the book. You can put that into the submission as your connection (I am an author who uses these services) and recommendation (what you think of the services you receive). It would not apply to someone who is asking for their own company to be included."

[Venky Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I write this review on an ARC of The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide that I did not pay for.

For a couple of years now, I have been scrambling, looking for that magic mix that will help me elevate my books way above the background clutter. I have bookmarked, Evernoted and copied and pasted thousands of how-to pages, pages on tools and resources and pages on editors, proofreaders, designers, agents, publishers and all those other people that are part of that magic mix.

The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide does not give me that magic mix, but by giving me a whole bookful of resources (most of which were not known to me before), it gives me options, lots of them. It has saved me considerable effort and time.

I especially liked the chapters on Book Review Services and Book Blog Tours. I intend to move straightaway on some of the leads in the chapter on Writing Contests, Fellowships and Prizes.

My gripes?

This book is so US-centric. The world has writers and readers in very many other parts of the world, too. I hope the authors of this book will make up for this shortcoming in future editions. For example, India has plenty of plenty of talent—much, much cheaper talent, a vital consideration for struggling authors—in areas such as website design. It would be nice to have some references.

It would also be a great help if the genres preferred were indicated for the editors, designers, illustrators, translators, agents, publishers, etc., listed in this book. That information would save authors a lot of effort.

[Kimber Wheaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

I had very high hopes for The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide. I've been following Mr. Friedlander's blog for a long time and have received some great publishing advice there. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but this book was not what I was expecting. Be sure to read the blurb--that's what you get--a list of resources.

First of all, it is a great resource guide. The book is a series of lists, containing links to sites offering services for self-published authors. I didn't check every link so I can't vouch for the verity of each individual link. However, I noticed that many links I have bookmarked on my PC were also in the book. I spent hours and hours weeding through the numerous sites out there. This book does it for you, as long as you're okay trusting someone else's research. So, in that it's a huge time-saver!

If you are completely new to self-publishing, please note that this book does not go into anything in detail. I think this book is more for those who are experienced but in need of additional links and information.

If you are looking for a book full of links to services for self-published authors, then this is a great book for you. But if you are looking for an in-depth guide to self-publishing, you'll have to find that elsewhere. I do like the fact that the authors intend to update the book, providing additional links as needed.

[Samantha Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a useful book for self-publishers but could do with some additional features.

Creating a compendium of all possible resources and all suppliers of those resources would be impossible, but this is a good start. The problem with self-publishing is figuring out who to hire. When starting a small business, usually you go local and have a handful of well-known or personally recommended suppliers to choose from. But the global nature of the publishing industry means vast numbers of possible resources. Weeding through Twitter feeds and blogs to separate the wheat from the chaff is a long, arduous process, even if you go by who has been recommended by people you already trust.

But this book does it for you.

The problem with it is that I expected a little bit more out of it. It's pretty much just a yellow pages of suppliers. You still have to pick through who does what--for instance, the editors are listed alphabetically and not by the genre that they edit, although each editor has listed what genres they work within.

You should always do your own research on whomever you're hiring, of course, but it's good to have a starting point. These are people that Joel Friedlander, a strong contributor to the writing community, recommends. And for that, I find it invaluable.

But it's not an exhaustive list. I didn't find the people I hired in this book, even though I can vouch for how well they did on my first release. So I would expect that future copies of this book would become more and more comprehensive, although that poses a problem for the author. How does one vet everyone, good or not, who might want to be included?

Do I recommend this? Yes, if you're looking for a starting point to find people to hire to work on your self-publishing project.

[Teddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a subscriber to Joel Fridlander's website and newsletter for quite some time. He often has good tips for self-publishing and book marketing. So, when I receive the opportunity to review this book, I jumped at the chance.

I really like how the book was set up with the three categories and sub-categories. It makes it easy to skip to what you want information on. This book is said to be the "largest collection of curated and verified resources for independent authors." Well I do believe it delivers on its promise, there are a lot more resources you can find on-line that are just as valid. They can be found by a simple internet search.

There were also a few resources that I have heard some not so good things about. However, there are services listed that have a good reputation as well and they do warn the author at the beginning of the book to do their homework before choosing a service.

I think overall this is a good resource for authors who may not have time to do an internet search for the information. Don't forget that no matter what agencies look good in print, be sure to ask the right questions to make sure you will get the services you really need.

3.5/5

[Sherry Torgent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for indie authors…

If you're writing a book or have already written one, no doubt you have spent countless hours digging through the mass amounts of information on the Internet looking for help. I know I have. Now, with this resource guide, you have instant access to just about anything a self-publisher needs. Tired of hunting for the perfect proofreader or copyeditor? The book lists thirty-five – some international. Need a cool writing software to enhance your writing? Choose from forty-nine. Want to know what publishing platforms are available for your book? How about contacts for organizing a blog tour? Looking for great books on writing? There are many more categories. I can't wait to explore all the possibilities.

If you're planning on writing and publishing your own book, this is a wonderful place to start. If only I’d had this book three years ago when I was writing my first book, it would have saved me countless hours of research. Thank you to the authors for putting together all their years of experience and sharing it.

[Veronica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains an annotated list of resources for self publishers. It's a very useful tool! I used to help me select a couple of book tour coordinators. I also checked out many of the resources online. This book is a great reference for any self publisher.

[Iola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publishing industry experts Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly have undertaken a monumental task with The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Book. They claim it’s:

“the first and largest collection of curated and verified resources for independent authors who plan to publish their own books”

It’s a great idea, and I suppose it’s well executed for a first edition (the plan is to update the paper version annually, and the electronic version two to four times per year), which is good because I noticed one thing that is out of date even now, a mere six weeks after publication (Amazon will no longer be running the ABNA Award).

It’s an ambitious and noble project. The book has over 850 online references in 33 categories, organised into three sections: Prepare, Publish and Promote, and there is a lot of good information. There was some information at the beginning of each category explaining what the category was about and why it was important.

However, I would have liked to have seen more, for those writers who are really new to the self-publishing scene (most reviewers won’t be: I assume most got their review copies in the same way I did: because we follow Joel Friedlander’s blog, The Book Designer. That means we’re not completely new to the self-publishing scene).

I also would have liked to have had more information about each individual and organisation listed in the guide than simply their website and some advertising verbiage off said website. For example, what about this product/service justifies its inclusion in the Guide? Have Joel or Betty personally used their services, or were they recommended? If so, by whom?

Personally, I’d rather have seen the Prepare section divided into pre-writing research (like recommended writing books or what writing programme to use, Word or a specialist writing programme such as Scrivener), and post-writing resources, such as editors and cover designers.

There are several notable omissions: they recommend “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Renni Brown and Dave King, but don’t recommend Dave King’s editing business. More worryingly, there are also at least three entries which slipped in through “an error in our vetting process” which will be corrected (but which make me worry for those readers who’ve bought the 2014 print edition, and won’t know they are errors … and makes me wonder what errors I don’t know about).

The “errors” I did see are the inclusion of Author Solutions imprints Lulu and WestBow Press. These feature as part of a “curated list of subsidy publishers”, aka vanity publishers, and the inclusion of these seem to me to contradict the concept of self-publishing in the first place.

I also think the Book Review section needs to be divided in two, as it currently lumps paid review services (like Kirkus Indie reviews) together with other services without explaining the difference, and without explaining that paid reviews (e.g. Kirkus) be included as Customer Reviews on Amazon, while reviews from sources such as NetGalley can.

Overall, I think this is a good basic resource for authors intending to self-publish in the general market, as that is the focus of most of the entries. There are some Christian references, but not many, and I would suggest writers aiming for the Christian market won’t find a lot of useful information here.

Thanks to the authors for providing a free ebook for review.

[Meg Cowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I really like the concept of this book - I think it's a fantastic idea to place all the resources you may need as a beginning self publishing/independent author in one place. Starting out is so confusing and overwhelming - this is a great point to begin. I wish something like this had been around when I began!

Even if you don't want to use every single professional service categorised in the book, it still gives you a great list of things to consider when publishing - for example, listing different types of editing services that you may not be aware of, different types of publishing services and so on. There were actually a lot of areas in the book that I didn't expect to see - Joel and Betty have done a great job of breaking down lots of aspects of the self-pubbing process. It's objective enough to include things like subsidy publishing and extensive enough to include indexing services for non-fiction authors and a listing for grants available.

Every section is a short introductory paragraph or two and then a list of relevent services. I really like how well laid out these are, with the person/company name, a contact number/email if relevent, a website and most importantly a very succinct description of the services they offer.

The downside of this, is that many of these people are multiskilled. That's obviously great, but means that if you're looking for a specific editor who deals with urban fantasy, you do have to read through the entire list. Perhaps as this is a working document (another plus - the authors will improve and update this guide to ensure it stays current), the authors could improve the organisational layout, making it easy to find servies based on sub categories, for example the genres they work on. This might be hard and make the book larger than it currently is, but it could make it more easy to use.

It's also very US centred - there are a few international operatives scattered throughout, but not many. If you do want to work with professionals from your area/country outside the US, this guide probably isn't going to be too useful for you as you will have to read the entire thing to find those in your country - and you might struggle to find them. If you're not bothered about this however and don't mind working online/across distances, this isn't a problem. There are many services listed.

Because of who the authors are, I would like to think I can trust the sources and trust that it's not just a list of people picked from google (which anyone can do). I hope I am right in thinking that every service listed in the book comes with some level of personal use or recommendation.

Overall, it's a great concept, with lots of useful resources within inclusing useful links (which are very useful!). It has a lot of potential for being a one stop shop for self publishers - but I don't think it's *quite* there yet. I think it is let down by the execution - although it's perhaps difficult for a project of this nature to be organised to be accessible to all users very quickly, I think that with some work, this could be improved.

[Amanda Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

his book is exactly what it says it is: a list of everything you should need to get your book polished, published and promoted. It’s broken in three sections: Prepare, Publish and Promote. In the Prepare section you’ll find listings for the people that will help you polish your work, like editors and designers, in addition to resources to make you a better writer, like professional associations and books to read. Publishing covers exactly what you would think it would: printers and distributers. Besides web designers and social media experts, the promotion section also includes contests, resources like blogs that will review your book, and sites that will let you list it.

Overall, I gave this book three of five stars for two reasons:

1) Everything in here can be found online with a Google search and, inevitably, the material in here was outdated the moment it was taken off-line and put in a static format. That said, THIS WILL SAVE YOU A TON OF TIME. You could spend hours or days researching this stuff on your own. Having it all here is awesome. At the beginning they ask for updated information to be submitted, so I’m curious how that will be communicated to people who have purchased the book, or if this will be like the Writer’s Digest Market Books that you need to re-buy every year (or buy a subscription to the website) to have up-to-date information.

2) I wanted there to be a lot more information about each of the categories listed. When I published my first book, I didn’t realize I needed separate content and copy editors. Based on my work with NoiseTrade, I know a lot of self-published authors don’t really understand the different ebook formats, or the difference between a print-on-demand publisher and a vanity press. Again, all this can be found online, but if you’re going to look it up, you might as well be looking up the services too.

I’ve had a really hard time deciding whether I’d recommend people purchase this book or not, and this is what I’ve decided: if you are fairly experienced in self-publishing, this will save you time and is totally worth the eight bucks. You know what you need, and this will give you a nice, quick way to find it. If you’re new to self-publishing, you really need to be spending the time researching all this stuff yourself. It’ll save you A LOT of money in the long run, even if it eats up your nights and weekends. Then come back in two or three years and buy the current version.

**Review copy was provided to me at no cost by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

[Shannon L. Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review:
The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide: Every Indie Author's Essential Directory-To Help You Prepare, Publish, and Promote Professional Looking Books
By Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly Sargent



This Resource guide is supposed to be a self publisher’s go-to guide for every aspect of the process from A-Z in publishing your own book. It has already received quality endorsements from well known authorities in the self-publishing business.

I have mixed feelings on this guide. One it is a fact that it is a categorized grouping of websites for every aspect of self publishing; however, it is lacking in editorial content. With enough research, all of these websites can be found on the internet without buying this guide.
However, it will save the self-publisher time. Time is most precious when resources are running low, or a block wall is met and the new writer doesn’t know where else to turn. This book leads the way for the writer to research these websites on their own. It gives them that all important road map to lead the way, but it doesn’t discuss much else.

The heading for each chapter/section is thin on experienced advice. The listings are excellent for the reader to research and having them all in one place is a handy reference guide. I only wished it had more substance than a small paragraph heading.

If a writer wanted only a quick guide to find the steps to self publish, this is their guide. If they don’t want the hassle of searching the wide web and weeding out the good from the bad, then they definitely want to buy this book. If they are looking for more guidance, or more discussion on each of the topics/categories they will need to look elsewhere or wait for the update. One of the great things about these authors is their admitting this isn’t a finished product. It is an ongoing, updateable resource as websites change or close. Ask yourself what it is you are needing from this book; you just might find it within its pages.





FTC Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this title for review purposes only. No other compensation was awarded.

[Gloria Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors have awesome credentials, which should win our trust in the value of this book. It is organized into three sections: Prepare, Publish, and Promote.

As the title says, this is not a how-to-do. Rather, it's a where-to-find. As I view the list of resources, I feel disappointed at the bare bones of it. Why are these particular editors, proofreaders, consultants, and the like, named when the list could be much longer? The authors say these are the best, but by what criteria? I suppose that means the sources are stable, proven to be high quality, and more suited to indie publishing than the traditional. I say the last, since The Chicago Manual of Style is among reputable tomes not included. But the classic "little book", The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is there. Glad to see it.

Also I'm glad to find Open Office, a free alternative to Microsoft Word. I am not thrilled with some other software, however, which others may love, for example, the widely acclaimed Grammarly, which strikes me as valuable only if one is already well versed in the proper use of grammar. I am pleased to find APE: How to Publish a Book, by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch, as well as The Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker. It's wonderful to see CreateSpace and similar others I have heard of but haven't checked out.

The majority of sources are found in the U.S., with Canada next in volume. Other English-speaking countries have their offerings. So when I see listings in, say, Germany or Serbia, a click on these sites reveals they are in English.

Prepare, Publish, and Promote provide us with a wide range of resources, from help on writing to joining blog tours. In a way, I couldn't help but feel that most of the lists provide services well beyond my means. Do I really want to check out each site to find if this is true? Nevertheless here is a handy list that will grow in future updates, and it's worth exploring.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review by Alexis Aronis

A Helpful Database for Self-Publishers
---------------------------------------
The book "The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide: Every Indie Author's Essential Directory-To Help You Prepare, Publish, and Promote Professional Looking Books" by Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly Sargent (Kindle Edition), is just what mean its writers by the title, namely: a Helpful and Useful Database of Information and Resources for Self-Publishers.

This book resembles really a database - 850 Resources are classified into 33 categories, which are organized into three major Units - i.e., Prepare, Publish and Promote. Naturally, the Units are organized in the way that usually follows the story of a book. Therefore, each Self-Publisher, at any given time, finds easily the Category and the Resources, which may help him in a given moment. In addition, each category begins with a brief introduction, which not only informs the reader about what will follow, but is also a useful auxiliary frame concerning the text to which it relates. The reference of the authors 'Professional Looking Books' on the book cover, as the reader finds in the process of reading, refers not only to the appearance of the book, but also to the internal organization of matter, in avoiding various errors, etc., which spoil the image that will be taken by the reader of the book.

The overall conclusion for this book is that it is a useful, functional, helpful and comprehensive database, addressed mainly to the Self-Publishers. The book really stands out on the seriousness and responsibility with which the authors treat their readers: the Self-Publishers.

[Gillian Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was selected to review this book in a very short space of time and that concerned me, but after taking just 30 minutes to read it I understood why. First off this book is a book of value for a beginning author. A lot of what is in the book I already knew about because I had time to research them over a couple of years. This book would have been the ultimate cheat sheet for me, had it been published before I did all my research. That being said it is still a great resource.

The book contains the basic things a newbie self-publisher would need to get started. At the beginning of each new chapter there is a brief description of the type of service that is listed, on the next page are the names, links and phone numbers of the service providers. That's it! That is the entire book compiled by every service a new author would need. All is stuff is available on Google but the book will save you the hassle of looking for it.

I intend to use it as a quick reference guide in my publishing adventures because it is so much easier than going through my hand-written notes in 2 notebooks.

The thing that I have a problem with is that it could have been formatted better. The formatting made me feel like the book was just carelessly thrown together. For example, a space separating vendors would have been nice, and would have made it easier to read.

If you are a newbie author/self publisher and you're looking for quick compilation of services then hit the buy button. If you are seasoned and have done your homework, skip this one, chances are you already know everything in the book.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The word "guide" in the title seems a little misleading. I expected more advice and help. The subtitle includes the word "directory," which is more accurate. Joel Friedlander has developed other resources for self-publishers that would be more helpful for beginners. This book is strictly a list of resources for self-publishers, more helpful for someone who knows what services they need and want to save time searching out the service providers.

The book is well-organized, with sections for Prepare (the writing), Publish (the production), and Promote (the PR/marketing). Within each category, individual service providers are listed according to what they offer. Although the resources are said to be curated, there is no explanation of how specific people/companies were selected, which would have been helpful. I know it's difficult to do any complex formatting in ebooks, but it seems that it could have been made a little more reader-friendly.

The directory can be a time saver for self-publishers who know what services they need, but beginners probably should start with a book that tells them what they need do as well as where to find the service--or hire someone to guide them through the process.

[Karen A. Wyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I expect to consult it several times in the future -- but the potential purchaser must keep in mind what it does and doesn't offer.

The book consists almost entirely of lists of people and websites a self-published author can use for various necessary (or possibly necessary) services. The lists are long and alphabetical. There is no information, either in chart or index form, about which listed service providers focus on what kinds of books, or other such sub-categories. Such additional information would, in my view, make the Guide easier to use and more helpful. As it is, the main benefit of the book is that it lists and plans to update the authors' recommendations within these broad categories.

The section on publishing lists those who can convert a POD printed book to ebook, but not those who will do the reverse. Since formatting for ebook publication is significantly easier, many authors will choose to do it themselves, but to hire someone for paperback formatting. A list of those who will do the latter would be more useful.

[AnnaLund · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my honest and true view of this book, please read …MORE

Goodreads TOS-compliant review (I think, let me know when they tell us what the rules are):

"The book I just read is about two (or three) lovely people, written in beautiful language, by a very good and prolific author. I liked it very, very much.
It is for sale on Amazon.”

DISCLAIMER: My reviews now all have this pretty face, so that all and everyone on Goodreads can stay happy and beatific. I’ll let you know if I change my mind. See the real review above for my thoughts on this book.

[Connie Cockrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, a resource guide for indie authors. A few of the suggestions I was aware of but there are so many more listed in this essential guide. I love how the book is broken into logical parts as the independent author goes through the writing and publishing process: Prepare, Publish and Promote. As always, the indie author must do their own research and choose the options and people they want to work alongside with care and take all due diligence. Now the hardest part will be picking from so many wonderful options. Thanks Joel and Betty. Well done.

[TR Upshur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was offered the opportunity to review this book by the author. I jumped at the chance.

As someone who would like to (finally) become a published author, this book is great! It offered all the resources I knew I needed along with several I hadn't even thought of. There are lists for editors, publishers, writing software as well as various promotional resources.

This book is not a how to. Instead, it offers you lists of reputable people and companies who sole job is to help you with your book. You still have to do your own homework but this book can save you hours of research.

Highly recommended!

[Elizabeth Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent directory for those who are self-publishing or about to self-publish. It's not a "how-to," but a valuable "where to find" resource book.

[Wayne Marinovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for links and ideas on self publishing. Highly recommended

[SYLVIA DALLAS · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a small (for now :D ) publisher, I have found this to be an invaluable resource. I re-read it from time to time to keep on top of my game.

[Tbr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this as an advanced review copy, as did nearly everyone reviewing before 1 February 2015.

I am surprised by the number of 5-star reviews and also by the glowing accolades in the front of the book. I’m afraid I can’t agree with them. Here’s why:

The title: There is nothing ultimate about this; and it is a directory, not a resource guide.

Listings: I couldn’t see anywhere an explanation on how these people and businesses were chosen to be included in the listings. They are mainly, as you would expect from US authors, from the US. But there are a handful of Australian entries and a smattering of UK ones. (There are none from Ireland.) If all the entries were from the US, I could understand it, but these few from other countries popping up every now and again is bizarre. You can send submissions for inclusion in the next edition; I see this as a way for hundreds of editors/designers/marketers etc. to get on the listings (do those included have to pay?), in which case they will become as difficult to use as a search engine result (I’d say they are already, actually). How will the authors make the listing manageable in the future?

Curation: This is supposed to be curated content. The authors say this “means that we have checked each link at the time the book was created to make sure that the person or company listed is in business, open to working with self-published authors, and is not a scammer looking to rip you off.” What does this mean – the authors admit they don’t know everyone in the lists, so how do they know they are not scammers? How have they checked they are open to working with indie authors? They are not providing endorsement. So what exactly are they curating? They are verifying only that the links work. However, …

Of the 850 entries, I clicked web links to about a hundred. Of these hundred, five links were broken, one page was not found, a number of links went to a portal or organisation homepage rather than to the individual named in the listing (it was possible to go to the individual listings, I created my own link and tried it), one of the pages for an editor had spelling errors, several web addresses given in the book jumped to a site of a different name, and my browser blocked one site because of “potentially dangerous content”.

The authors also say that a condition of being included in the book is “A current, informative, interactive website” – there are several entries (four out of the hundred I looked at in detail) with only an email address and no website. Worse still, several of the authors’ own links do not take you to their details – the Twitter one tries to get me to share a link rather than takes me to the author’s Twitter account; the Pinterest one tries to get me to pin something (which I can’t because there is no picture) rather than takes me to the author’s Pinterest pages; the Goodreads link takes me to the page for this book, not the author’s page.

Incomplete listings: Of course, something of this potential enormous size cannot include everybody and everything, but there is no mention of the SFEP in the UK, AFEPI in Ireland, or EPANI in Northern Ireland (and I think no professional organisation for Australia). Again, I’d understand it if this was a resource specifically for the US, but there are those UK entries throwing me off course again. Also, there are people from the UK who have written glowing testimonials (under the heading of “Advance praise”) on the usefulness of the book, so you would expect them to be thinking of its usefulness to their compatriots. There are no UK/Ireland entries for writers’ conferences, grants and funding for writers, or professional and trade associations. There are no contact details for UK ISBNs.

Many of the entries under book review services are for paid reviews. A warning needs to be given here.

Introductory paragraphs to each section: These are badly written and have spelling mistakes. The introductions would be much more helpful if they said why you might need an expert in this field and what specifically to look out for to avoid being ripped off. In fact, a short section on the publishing process and where each category fits in would be useful.

Money: It is so easy for unsuspecting indie authors to be ripped off. I think it would be helpful for the authors to give warnings and signs as to how this could happen and what to look out for.

I have a lot of respect for Joel Friedlander (I'm not familiar with Betty Kelly Sargent), and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to be more positive about this book.

[Kristi Duarte]

I usually love Joel Friedlander's advice. I'm a frequent visitor to his website thebookdesigner.com, and his downloadable books (10 Things You Need to Know About Self-Publishing, etc.) are awesome. I'm about to self-publish my first book, and need all the advice I can get. The price, at $7.99 (?) was also vert reasonable, so I decided to buy it. More than anything perhaps, I wanted to support Joel Friedlander for all the great work he does on his site.

I read through it. And I highlighted some parts. Was it worth the money? Yes. Do I feel more informed after reading it? No. The book's really just a collection of blog entries by people in the industry with an overwhelming list of links. An overwhelming buck-load of information without any hint at what you should do with it. For me, it was a waste of time, and I'll keep searching for a book that's more informative.

Someone needs to take that book, organize it into more useable section, delete at least half of the links, and it could be a great reference guide. Right now it's like a phone book - the information is all there, but you just don't want to call the 10,000 John Brown's to find the one you are looking for.

[P.D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer, I received the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All listings are presented with little to no commentary. What little exists is mostly ganked from listees’ websites. Selection criteria aren’t stated.

The criteria are loose enough to include such entities as Westbow Publishing, which is affiliated with Author Solutions. Do I need to explain why this is a problem? They suggest the reader do their due diligence regarding subsidy publishers, but why do they even include multiple listings for the antithesis of what self-pubbing is about?

For $7.99 I expect better than lists without discussion and “curation” without parameters. I can get that from Google. People who really do know what they’re doing, such as Guido Henkel (and his name was not spelled correctly) are lumped in with old style vanity publishers, and all given the seal of approval. This gives us no way to assess those we don't already know.

The final irony is that the table of contents does not function.

[Shirley McLain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable Resource

This is a must have book. It is full of resources that every writer needs. It has completed descriptions with web addresses. This valuable resource is one you want in your book collection. In my opinion you can't go wrong with this book.

[Mark Polino · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's a book of lists

While I love so much of what Joel does
For self pushing this is just a book of lists. It seems like there should be a better medium than this.

[Monica T. Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of resources. This book will point you in the right direction at any stage of publication.

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has so many references that I highly recommend this book to anyone considering self-publishing or who has already self-published but may feel that their book could do better.