self-publishing on a shoestring

[gurdonark]

This morning I surfed sites for printers for a self-publishing venture. I feel the need to write at least one chapbook, and perhaps three. I always have this fantasy that some new service will arise that will take my prosaic poems and poetasting prose and render it in chapbook form, for minimal cost, with minimal fuss, with gorgeous layout and design. I am often impressed by how much better other peoples' work looks than my own.

I keep thinking that someone holds the key to avoiding the sweat and agony involved in designing one's own product. As is often the way, I have not found so far anyone who can do the job at a mark-up which is reasonably appropriate to my needs. I like to keep my production cost at under a dollar and fifty cents a copy, while folks in business understandably want three or four dollars a copy. When I do the math (I spend a lot of time doing multiplication in my head), there's precious little profit in printing other people's chapbooks. I think I need to bite the bullet and print up my own chapbook(s) again.

I have this mental image of a chapbook that looks as cool as "Gardening with Terrariums and Sand Sculpture", by Rex Mabe. It's a 48 page five by eight saddle-stitched glory, with an illustrated picture of two terraria on the front. Although nearly thirty years old, this little chapbook remains a sturdy joy forever. I want a chapbook that looks as cool as that. I do not think it's that big a challenge, really. Maybe a heavier bit of paper, and some work on graphics in the booklet.

Part of my vanity in vanity publishing is the desire to have an ISBN number and a listing on Amazon.com. Some middle aged men want a new trophy wife. Some want a luxury sports car. As an aside, I find that one of life's rules is that no man owns a really great sports car until he is too old to look anything but absurd driving it. But I am showing my age-ism in my old age, I suppose. But I'm not looking for trophy spouses nor fancy cars. I'm just looking for a little legitimacy.

I got a great jolt back into reality this morning. A poet named David Alpaugh has printed up some 1500 chapbooks for other poets. His website points out, correctly, that as most poets don't need an ISBN, as most merely hand out their books to friends or people who attend readings anyway.

As the only place I ever believe I will sell a book of poetry is on eBay, I think that I can again forego an ISBN and an Amazon listing. It's funny that those two things symbolize legitimacy to me, in ways that a publishing contract never could. They symbolize spunk and small business pluck and a kind of publishing savvy I don't have. I know, it's just a matter of going to RR Bowker and plunking down 225 for an ISBN, buying a barcode on line for 10, and then sending a copy or so to Amazon. But it's the idea of being a "real" author that draws me in.

In addition to actually using a print on demand company for my novel, I plan to write another book of chess poetry to market on eBay just as I have done. But I have two other things in mind. It might be fun to write a chapbook which tackles non-fiction topics similar to this weblog. It might also be fun to write something practical, like a "how to" guide on something. I wonder if there is anything I know "how to" do?

I think I'm resolved, though, to keep this hobby on a shoestring potato. I always liked the way that shoestring potatoes come out of a can, and yet are so salty, real and bite-sized. I do not have "War and Peace" in me, but I might have a miniscule chapbook. We'll see.

The key is to move beyond the planning. Planning is great. Planning is good. Planning is the way you see the way beyond the wood. But I don't want to merely plan. I want to do.

Comments

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Have you thought about collaborating on some of your chapbooks? This may not appeal to you at all, but it seems to me that there are probably a few folks who read your journal who also really enjoy bookbinding. Maybe you could open up some kind of design thing where, say, you send the text electronically (if you trust folks) and participants agree to design and construct 10 books for you. If you get 10 folks to do it, that's 100 books! Ten "limited editions"!

Just a kooky Saturday morning thought...

Is your new bookbinding book helping at all? Depending on the number of pages, a simple pamphlet binding is really very classy. And easy!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

What a cool idea! I can't think that any of my slender verse actually deserves "real" bookbinding, but it would be a great deal of fun to try. It would seem to me to be an imposition to seek out 100 books that way, but I'm sure the books would be hip. I'm not sure I know 10 bookbinders, though!

The new bookbinding book is pretty user-friendly, but it still seems to involve a lot of vice-and-slice work to me, neither of which is my forte. I have this mental image of 9th grade shop class, where I barely got out of the woodworking section of the class because I could not saw a straight line down a board. It's a cool book, though, done by a junior high teacher in 1934, and thus geared to inexpensive do-ability rather than high tech craft.

I really should learn simple binding, so as to avoid always have to do saddle stitch or copy shop binding. Copy shop binding has gotten darn expensive these days. Maybe I'll get a tape binder as a stopgap, but it would be good to know how to "really bind".

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I mean "vise" not vice".

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Well, a cursory glance at your "friend-of" list reveals at least 4 bookbinders! And, I guess I had selfish motives...as I'd love to give it a shot. If I can "bind" my silly stories, certainly, your poems deserve a similar treatment.

I'm still going to advocate the pamphlet binding--three holes, some thread and a needle! And it really does look great. Functional, easy, and attractive...What more could you ask?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I love the whole idea.

I do not know much about pamphlet binding, although it seems to me that the fifth grade level book=making book I bought described something similar to what you're describing (holes, thread, needle).
I know a poet sent me his chapbook once which used an ornate thread as a binding device, though the technology I can no longer describe.

This sounds cool. I am energized about it. But it still seems such an imposition to ask someone to do something as hard as hand binding for simple bad verse.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I forgot to say thank you. This is such a kind offer, and I'm really pleased. I have to think through how to make this work.

[bardcat.livejournal.com]

wishing you all the best on your next self-publishing venture.
not sure this site would be helpful, but, if you haven't seen it, you might want to look at cafepress.com

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

You know, I was reading someplace else that cafepress is now doing bookish things. I've bought artsy stuff by other folks there for years. I'll look into it.

[elainegrey.livejournal.com]

Don't forget that other press i pointed out last month...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/elainegrey/384345.html

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I had forgotten that one, but it's the second endorsement today! Thanks!

[bardcat.livejournal.com]

hope the site is helpful!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I'm agonnna check that out! Thanks!

Something else that occurred to me

[theodicy.livejournal.com]

is that one of the colleges near where I used to live had students printing and binding books as a project. You might well inquire as to student classes - they might print your stuff as a way of fulfilling a requirement. They win, you win.

Re: Something else that occurred to me

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

You know, that's a good idea!