Self-publishing Takes On A Modern Flavor

Cutting edge Internet technology allows writers to publish their hard-copy book from the comfort of their home for FREE. PA writer, Melanie Schurr, explains how.

(PRWEB) January 24, 2004 --Free-lance writer, and Pennsylvania resident, Melanie Schurr, is now a book author, thanks to cutting edge technology which now gives hopeful authors yet another publishing option to consider. Schurr, who briefly approached more traditional publishing markets with her first book proposal, became frustrated when she learned the realities about the publishing business. Of the two companies who expressed interest in her manuscript, Schurr says the royalties they offered were insulting. "Authors are given the short end of the stick because, let's face it, where else are they going to go to get their book noticed? As if that wasn't frustrating enough," continues Schurr, "it is not uncommon for large publishing houses to expect authors to sign a contract agreeing they will accept television, radio, and other such invitations to promote their book. That's great if you are a good public speaker, and social butterfly, but if you are like me, more of a low-key and low-profile person, such a clause in ones contract can be distasteful." Schurr's next move was to check out the subsidy press and e-book route. She states, "The subsidy presses, otherwise known as vanity presses, will basically publish anything as long as you have the money. However, I wanted my book to stand on its own merit without it costing me an arm and a leg. The electronic book route was better, but I had my heart set on my book being available in hard-copy form as well." Being a woman of faith, Schurr says she prayed about the matter, and trusted God to direct her path. That is when she discovered Lulu Press Inc. which was founded in early in 2002. Lulu, based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, and evolved from a company called Open Mind Publishing, provides individuals, companies, and groups the ability to publish and sell a variety of digital content, including books, photos, images, and music. Authors set their own royalty, and Lulu takes care of the printing, delivery, and customer service. Lulu is an old-fashioned term for a remarkable person, object or idea. According to Melanie Schurr, Lulu advertises their printing service as free, but authors need to understand that paper and printing expenses are later deducted from the sale price once the book is purchased from the consumer. However, it is the consumer, not the author who covers this cost, and this was a sweet draw for Schurr. While Lulu Inc. also provides uploading, formatting, cover design and editing services for a fee, Schurr, a 43 year old wife and mother of almost twenty years who has designed entire web sites believed she may be computer literate enough to pull off these most difficult tasks of publishing herself. She admits that the do-it-yourself medium has been anything but a breeze, however. “I spent weeks formatting and reformatting the same manuscript over and over, adding aspects to it that most authors don't have to worry about, such as page numbers, editing, embedding fonts, converting a Microsoft Word document to .pdf format, and adding borders and graphics. I created a couple of hard copies that turned out to be duds due to the graphics I used were the wrong size, and I made the mistake of uploading the document double spaced rather than single space. If I were simply handing my manuscript to an editor, as is typical, the acceptable format would be double spaced, but I keep forgetting that I am wearing the proverbial editor and publisher hat now, so my job is to upload everything to Lulu perfectly print-ready. If something doesn't come out right, aside from Lulu's responsibility to print the pages as is, I have no one to blame but myself." Lulu exec's admit that this type of business structure isn't for everyone. However, according to Melanie Schurr, it seems to be a natural fit. "If I didn't already have an established reader base from my other Christian-related writing projects I don't think this type of arrangement would work as well since I'd have a book, but no exposure for it to sell."

Schurr, a former newspaper columnist for the Colorado Daily, has spent the last seven years as a weekly contributing writer of Christian inspirations for Daily Wisdom, which is sponsored by The Gospel Communications Network. Gospelcom.net touts itself as being the most popular Christian website in the world. They now have over 300 individual online ministries working to use technology and the Internet to reach the world with the message of Jesus Christ. Her book, SON Salutations: A Refreshing Collection of Daily Inspirations, is a compilation of her devotions from 1998-2003.

With LuLu Press by her side, Schurr's second book, Ecstatic Living Ecstatic Loving: A Christian marriage manual and life-guide, immediately followed the January 2004 release, as the author states she has working ardently on the books for the last few years. Both books (8.5x11) are available in hardcopy and electronic download at www.Lulu.com/lotusbooks

According to the author, her book, Ecstatic Living Ecstatic Loving, was mostly created because she was tired of typing the same response to GospelCom.net readers who often sought her advice. "Readers who approach me via email know I am not a formal counselor, but they seem to respect my life experience, and appreciate my down-to-earth style. I am glad they now can obtain my books, and hopefully, find some comfort there." Schurr says her book covers many corners of daily life, with particular focus on marriage. She has been married to the same man for nearly twenty years, and has two older children. "My book is all about how to gain more peace and joy in all facets of life, with special attention to marriage. The chapter on sex in marriage may catch some folks off guard with its frankness, but I'd rather see people blush in embarrassment, than tolerate a life without ecstatic levels of peace and joy which I believe are possible. These are not my opinions, but time-honored Biblical principles which I define in more modern terms. What makes my book unique, I think, is that, while I adhere to traditional Western spirituality, there is much we can learn from Eastern wisdoms as well, such as the balancing of the mind, body and spirit connection." The authors mirror web site may be found at members.fortunecity.com/melanieschurr

Lulu Enterprises, Inc.
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