By far, the very best tool that I found is a complete list of steps to take in order to publish your book. Small Publishers Association of North America offers a "Self Publishers FAQ" page with detailed information about every step involved in going from your creative work to a published book. We had all these steps scribbled on a sheet of paper thanks to a couple of self-published friends who helped guide us. I'm so glad that this organized list is available for you!
Another site with great tools available is Strategic Book Marketing. Our marketing strategy was in place before we even had the printer chosen. Many of the services they offer are areas that you will need to be thinking about as you plan how you will attack getting your book out to the public. Their blog also has great tips and is worth reading as you build your knowledge of the industry.
Best Children's Book is a site created by writer Steve Barancik. Check out the tab "Ready to Publish" for some real words about getting your book published but beware as this could be discouraging. However, look at it as an opportunity to know your obstacles. They will be there so why not be prepared?
I still need to go through this list of 50+ Sites for Book Lovers. There is a host of information available for you if you are willing to sift through and check out the different sites that can help you through the book business including review sites, communities, publishing resources & book searches.
These four resources could take quite a few hours to go through and I'm sure there are so many other great resources available. What would we do without the internet access to all this information?
It would be super to hear any comments about these links so let us know what you think and we'll look forward to hearing from you!
Mona
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