Review of The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide

When I decided to publish my first book in 2012, I knew nothing about how to put a book together and get it out there. Luckily for me, I found thebookdesigner.com by Joel Friedlander. Through his website, Joel taught me almost everything I know about self-publishing.

I was happy to request a free copy of his new book The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide in exchange for an honest review.

The introduction to Ultimate Resource Guide states: “… for indie authors who don’t have access to these people, and often don’t even know who they are, trying to find top freelance professionals to help them write, produce and sell their book can be a nightmare. Our goal in The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide is to make this process easier for you.”  This book is what it says it is. It is pages of live links from everything to editors, illustrators, self-publishing blogs, places to list your ebooks, and more. If you’re looking for a good read, this isn’t the book for you. But there are links to what the authors determine are the best books on writing!

As I checked through the index, there only seemed to be one section missing, and maybe I missed it. It seems to me that since there are sections on consumer protection, news and views, awards and contests, there should also be a section on the business end of being a self-publisher. Help on setting up as a small business, keeping records, taxes, etc.I would also like to see a page of links to some of Joel’s most oft-views posts. Other things that could be in the book that I did not find: links to youtube “how to” videos and information on creating audio-books.

For what it is, I think The Self-Publishers Ultimate Resource Guide is a great resource, but I’m not sure I would pay $7.99 for it. The good news is that Ultimate Resource Guide is a living document and perhaps any omissions out of the gate will be taken care of in the future.

I definitely recommend this book for those who want a lot of information (in the form of links) right at their fingertips and who don’t mind the price. Find The Self-Publishers Ultimate Resource Guide here.

S. Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade/YA series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!