How Should I Publish And Illustrate My Book?

I am writing a book. It is a scientific book stating how all world religions are false.

I need to have many illustrations done. I know that the publisher will want to use their illustrator and I don't know how much they will charge. I have freelance illustrators and they all seem pretty expensive.

How do I self publish? How do I go about getting it printed?

How much cut does a publisher usually take?

 

Many publishers will not talk to you if you don't have ISBN proof of your self-publishing efforts, particularly successful ones. But they want to see the unsuccessful ones as well. A publisher has to know you're not a 1-hit wonder and that you can deliver a consistent product according to their deadlines. Only after years of this will they allow you to become the eccentric writer who lives on a private island when not haunting the Park Avenue penthouse.

Self publishers are the ones you see selling their books at DragonCon, ComiCon and even FarmCon.

I suggest starting with "The Well Fed Self Publisher". The author is a marketing near-genius and also consults for people who want to be walked through the process. If you have a book written, his book will get you self-published with an ISBN number and boxes of books that need to be sold. Be aware that as a marketing person this author sells the crap out of everything he writes. He'll try to sell you a whole library of stuff. Be happy with the ONE book I cited above. It's a full, working plan to self-publish on the cheap or not so cheap.


Another trick is to casually drop your self-published book into libraries all over the country. With some skill you can make it look like just another incoming book. Toss it on the cart and you'll see it tagged and on the shelf in a week. Getting it on Amazon is a LOT harder! But eBay is easy. Web marketing has all kinds of potential. If your book is written for a cause or purpose and you don't are for making a buck on it, give it away. This is an excellent venue. Or self-publish all the way to full registration, then give it away.

I'm not saying a person can't write a book and have publishers at their feet. But that can't possibly be plan A. It's down around Q.

 

I talked to one publisher and they said they would publish it no problem, but the issue I had was with the percentage they wanted.

 

I put mine on Hippy.com back in 2002. It's in the writer's forum here under "Epic Stoner Novel". I've posted up to chapter 11. My reason is to make it a gift to hippies everywhere. It's about life in the US after a global economic crash centered in the 70s. It's based in Memphis but starts with a trip from Boston, having to trade for passage the entire way.

In this book money is gone. Everybody trades to make a living. The utility infrastructure is basically gone. The lead character has 3 wives and trades brandy, hams, marijuana and steam engines. He ultimately trades into a small fleet of steam-powered riverboats, originally built as show pieces.

I started it in 1995 and left it off at chapter 16 around 2003 or so. What's funny is that the book started out as a Y2K survival guide. But it was boring and it looked like Y2K was not going to be the apocalypse. So I shifted to a fictional portrayal. But all of the survival methodology, from making soap to purifying water, are all in the book. Which is why I am giving it away. It has more value for the kinds of people I'd like to see survive; hippies!!!!!
Jal