The following is a brief review of a new e-book, The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author’s Success, by Dee Power and Brian Hill (the authors of The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them, as well as several other nonfiction books and the novel, Over Time):

When Dee first mentioned the title of this new e-book, my first thought was that I’d be reading another book about how to get an agent and a publisher. But The Publishing Primer goes well beyond that, explaining various publishing options for authors and authors-to-be, including vanity publishing and POD (print on demand) self-publishing.

The Style

I love the way the e-book starts off with some background on the publishing industry; most importantly how books actually end up on bookstore shelves (good info for any aspiring author to understand).

I also like the e-book’s approach of helping authors decide on the best approach for their writing, as opposed to taking a strict stance on commercial publishing, agents being a necessity, and the like. I’m all about education and helping writers make informed decisions, and that’s what this e-book aims to do.

The ResourcesÂ

At over 130 pages, The Publishing Primer isn’t light reading. Yet, it’s a worthwhile read for any writer considering publishing a manuscript in one form or another. The bonus marketing tips from marketing and PR experts and the collection of newspaper book review contacts make this a must-buy and must-read in and of themselves.

I hate picking up books and e-books that are nothing but long rambling blocks of text. I’m big on scannable qualities in non-fiction reading, because I rarely want to (or need to) read everything. Dee and Brian didn’t disappoint. The Publishing Primer is chock full of checklists, resource listings (like tradeshows), steps and to-do lists, and even a sample press release template to help you announce your new book.

Why I Loved ItÂ

Being in the position currently of deciding whether to pitch a proposal to commercial publishers or to offer print and e-book versions of my work-in-progress in a POD environment (because I already have a lot of direct, and influential, contact with my target markets), The Publishing Primer is a tool I’ll be going back to again and again while I work on making that decision. I strongly suggest you do the same (and if you know me at all, you know my recommendations rarely comes easily). ;) The $37 is well worth it.