VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

You Should Write a Book! Really.

Many of you have shared your hobbies and intersts with me. I am amazed and thrilled about the knowledge of many of my readers. The compliment, “You should write a book!” might be something you hear often.  The writing part may be intriguing to you, but then there is that whole mess of getting the darn thing published, much less read. One of the options has always been self-publishing, and then you make about fifty cents a book, if that.  Most times, you end up losing money and have a basement full of books that you cannot sell.

I just came across a press release about an architect that was rejected by publishing houses, and then turned around and had more success than he would have had with a large publisher:

Self Publishing Author Earns Over $100,000 in Just Six Months with Outskirts Press
May 12th, 2009. Denver, CO and Irvine, CA – Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full-service self publishing and book marketing company, today announced that one of its authors has earned over $100,000 in author royalties in six short months.

Gang Chen, the self published author of Planting Design Illustrated and LEED AP Exam Guide, will receive a first-quarter royalty check in the amount of $77,611.88 for books sold between January-March 2009. This follows a previous royalty check of $33,679.56 that Chen recently received from Outskirts Press for books sold between October-December 2008.

“Earning $111,000 in six months is an amazing accomplishment for any author, self-published or otherwise,” Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson commented. “Of course, publishing with Outskirts Press certainly helps. We extend heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Chen, and also want to thank him for graciously granting us permission to publicize his success.”

Gang Chen, an expert in the field of architecture, with a master’s degree from USC and over 20 years of professional experience, was among the top-five performing Outskirts Press authors in the 4th quarter of 2008 and then went on to double his royalties for the first quarter of 2009. When notified of his earnings, Chen responded, “I’m in the process of publishing my next book in the LEED Exam Guide series through Outskirts Press, along with a book on architecture, so I hope to break this record soon.”

After contacting hundreds of traditional publishers for his first book Planting Design Illustrated, Chen finally landed a deal with one major publisher, only to discover that he was dissatisfied with the substantial revisions they were suggesting. He promptly cancelled the traditional publishing contract and decided to publish the book himself. He compared various publishing options and chose Outskirts Press. “Their services do not end after the book is published,” Chen stated. “They continue to provide excellent marketing advice, as well.”

Outskirts Press understands that marketing is a huge part of an author’s success and, unlike most self-publishing firms, offer promotional advice and marketing services extending for years after publication. States CEO Brent Sampson, “Successful authors have the potential to separate themselves from the pack by publishing with a full-service, custom publishing company that provides support before, during, and after publication.” For a partial view of the marketing services that are available for Outskirts Press authors, visit http://outskirtspress.com/marketing.php .

There has been a book that has rattled around in my head for some time. In fact, pen is to paper and I have most of it finished. This is motivating me to finish it and get it out there. Not sure if anyone will latch on to it, but this story gives me some hope that if I decided to release it, it won’t be a long and grueling process. In fact, what gives me writer’s block the most is the fear of rejection. As long as I edit it well and am willing to pay the fee, I won’t be. Many people wonder why one has to pay a fee. Well, even setting up a book costs money. Plus, if you were to be represented by a large publishing house, you would probably have to spend even more money just to get yourself in line for a meeting with them. Lunches, a new suit, and other materials all add up very quickly.

I tossed my email address in to receive more information, and I am reading the downloads now. Have you tried Outskirts Press or any other self-publishing service? If so, let me know what you think!