5-ways-to-publish-your-own-book. For the author within.

Article curtesy of :http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2011/02/02/

5-ways-to-publish-your-own-book

Always wanted to be an author? Maybe you’ve even sent manuscripts off to publishers in the hope you might get published? Well guess what – like MySpace gave musicians the chance to find their own fan base without ever having to ink a deal with a record label, so would-be authors are now able to make books with nothing more than a computer and their imagination. Real life, bookshop-quality books, at that. Books you can put your life’s work in, your photographs, your collages, pretty well anything you like – as a memory that can live on forever.

It’s a new phenomenon called, simply: self publishing – which costs as little as £5 per book. And if you’re thinking this all sounds a bit complicated, good news – there’s something for everyone. You don’t need to be a design guru or computer-whiz to make incredible books. In fact, in most cases, you need little more than a computer and your own imagination. Here are the top five self publishing companies ready to make your book publishing dreams come true.
Blurb
Arguably one of the top dogs in self publishing, Blurb is a great entry point for amateur photographers who want to go pro, to pros who want something inexpensive that looks great. You simply download their BookSmart software (for Mac or PC) and use the programme to layout your pages. It’s very easy indeed. Of if you’d like the process even easier you can make a book online, with Blurb’s Bookify programme. Books come in hard, soft and dust jacket formats. You can even sell the books you make and keep the profit. Blurb also has an annual, global photobook competition called Photography Book Now judged by top photographers.
Ubyu
It’s quality and detail that make a book really special and that’s where ubyu comes in. Their books are a different breed – favoured by pro photographers – in bookends, end papers, embossed covers and foil blocking. These bits of detail turn something special into something extraordinary. You can even order their ‘SourceBook’ to feel the papers, see the ribbons and get an idea of what you want – something none of the others in the market offer. What’s more you only have to order one book – so no expensive bulk orders either.

LuLu
So if you dream of being a published author – say, the next JK Rowling – then LuLu could be for you. They don’t claim to offer you any skills as a writer, as such. But they do text based books better than most. They’ve recently introduced ebooks too. They’ll help you get barcodes (known as ISBN numbers recognised by the publishing world and retail) for your books too so you can sell them on Amazon if you wish.
BobBooks
Your Life In Hard Back – says the BobBooks strap line. Nice. BobBooks aren’t cheap but the quality’s good. Just download Bob Designer for PCs or Macs and follow the instructions to make your books. You can make little flick books and even calendars as well. Their photobooks famously ‘lie flat’, a highly sort after kind of book binding that means none of your image is lost in the ‘gutter’ of the book (the bit that connects the pages to the spine of the book in the middle). Enter their monthly competitions to win free books.
PhotoBox
Photobox is famous for making photo prints available really cheaply through the web and they very quickly cornered a market for all things photo related – that means mugs, t-shirts, stickers – you name it. They also do photobooks. So if you’re keen on capturing those holiday snaps so they live on in something other than your computer’s hard drive, they might just be the choice for you. Sign up for the newsletter to get loads of regular promotions and offers.
If you’re really getting into this and fancy exploring self publishing some more, checkout Self Publish Be Happy – a community dedicated to self publishing.
Photography by Richard.Fisher and Shutterhacks