Joel Friedlander Interview – How Self-Publishing Has Changed

I had the pleasure of speaking with Joel Friedlander, the proprietor of Marin Bookworks where he helps self-publishers get ready to go to press. He is the author of
A Self Publishers Companion, and you can find Joel on his blog at http://thebookdesigner.com or on Twitter at @JFBookman.

In the video interview below, we discuss:

  • How authors need to take ownership of the entire publishing process: from manuscript to marketing.
  • Why ebooks are “doing violence” to the concept of what a book is.
  • How self-publishing has changed, from something that was “a step above the plague,” to something an author is proud of.
  • How authors sometimes view cover design in the wrong way.
  • That if an author has a limited budget, the first two places they should spend money are: a good editor, and a good cover (in that order.)
  • That many eBooks look bad today because publishers can’t be bothered to make them look better. It is just faster and easier to dump them into that format.
  • That the craft of bookmaking has taken a huge hit from the ebook transition.

Here’s the interview:

Thanks so much to Joel for taking the time to chat!
-Dan

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