APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book

APEAuthor ~ Publisher ~ EntrepreneurGuy KawasakiShawn WelchGuy Kawasaki has written several bestsellers, Enchantment, What the Plus, The Art of the Start.Shawn Welch also has written three books but in his genre. I haven't a clue what they are about, way too technical for me.As a member of the ape Community on Google+ and since I've written my own first book.ONE TWO ONE TWOa g h o s t s t o r yDestined to be on every book shelf in N. American and Britain.What the heck, S. America, Australia,Europe and the Orient. Did I mention Africa?Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, where ever.On every Kindle ever sold.In every Library around the world!I even want it reviewed on Amazonas many times as ape is.Oh! Did I mention I am self-publishing.Hey!I'm sixty-three,I can't wait for a traditional publisherto tell me I have a best seller on my hands.Times: "they-are-a-wasting."Big deal, if it makes money.That's not my motive.All I want is a book.A book to hold in my hands.or a Kindle if I had one.A story someone might like to read.And really enjoy.Which of course they will.I just had too get this book.Everyone was raving about it.ape this, ape that,Guy this, Shawn that.Everyone "goo goo gaa gaaing" about them.Especially Guy.I'm jealous!ape what a strange name for a book, I thought.So, I typed ape, in the Amazon search boxand searched their books for ape.There it was...and there it was a lot cheaper on Kindle.Almost 1/2 price.If I had a Kindle I would have used that,because there it was, in black and whitea lot cheaper.Kindle the future of books.What? A gorilla tearing up the city.Is that a man in a costumefrom one of those old Japanese films.Is that the Empire State Building in his hands.I had to have it. I ordered it.It came, I read, I will conquer.THE REVIEWThe first chapter:Question? Should you write a book?Answer: Umm...too late, I've already written the book. I mentioned it earlier. Remember?ONE TWO ONE TWO.a g h o s t s t o r yTalking about putting the horse before the cart. But for someone just beginning. He tells it like it is and then asks, man to man like,Will your book add value to people's lives?I had to ponder that question.Yes, I said. My book will.He also asks, is my heart into it?Of course. I've been up for months,working late into the night, many a night.Hardly sleeping.No pay, rarely showering, hardly eating.Shunning friends.Yes, is my answer my heart is into it.He lists two bad reasons for writing a book,You listen to others,They are saying you've got a story there, young man.and money, bad, the root of all evil.I don't want any of it.Are You Kidding, Dog?Works for me, I don't listen to anyone, and moneynever had it, so I won't miss it.Would be nice, to have a hit, best seller.Now that's what I want.I'm "shooting for the stars."I believe in myself.They go on to talk about Traditional Publishing which isn't new to anyone. We all know how long it takes to get from idea-editor-publisher-to you. Too long.We all know they fleece the crap out of you. So, nothing new there. There used to be a stigma about self-publishing but no more. To be published by an established publisher would be great, but it rarely happens and I'm not waiting. I hope you aren't either.Many a good book "never" got published just for this reason alone. If a publisher doesn't like your work, it's filed into bin 13, the garbage. More likely it sits on the corner of his desk awaiting him to read it. Months could go by. Like I said, I don't have time.I have other stories I want to tell.They explain the advantages and disadvantages of self publishing. The escalating rise in Ebook sales.Tools to use. Right down to what type of computer you should be using, a MacBook Air. Not cheap.ape starts off with, "How to write your book." Like I said. Too late.Remember: ONE TWO ONE TWOBut for others. Articulately explained, along with financing, money you'll make, editing and how to avoid that self published look. Interior and cover design with lots and lots of tips.ape also explains in depth, how it all works: online ebooks, direct sales, marketing, print-on-demand and how to sell your book, direct sales, converting files, the tools needed, testing, How to set up Pay Pal, using Smashwords, Createspace etc., uploading, pricing, audio and foreign languages, legal issues, using Amazon and other sites, building your brand name, choosing a platform, profiling and sharing on social media, blogging, finally getting reviews.This book is jam packed full of useful dynamic information. Using the ape format. I'm trying to follow, step by step.Unfortunately, I'll be doing all the work myself against ape's principles. But you "gotta do what you gotta do."Easy to read, you can almost hear Guy talking as you read, and I've never heard his voice. Strange. Plus it is explained so well, I even understand. Any ape'rcan too!I highly recommend this book for anyoneself-publishing for the first time or for the one hundred time. You will learn something that's for sure. It's an education in itself but then... A Dog's never to old to learn new tricks.I'll be a monkey's uncle, I'm an ape'r.I give it two thumbs up!A great read,Michael Estey

Over the years, I have read a host of books on publishing, self-publishing, and marketing. Before APE: AUTHOR, PUBLISHER, ENTREPRENEUR--HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK (simply APE for the remainder of this review), I thought I had a pretty good take on the latest in publishing and marketing.Apparently, I'd only scratched the surface.In this ever-changing world of publishing, APE is about as current and thorough as it gets.APE deals extensively with Amazon, but it covers many other publishing options as well:For ebooks, APE covers Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo.For printed books, APE goes over various POD companies, including, of course, Lightening Source. (But information on author-services companies and POD options is available in abundance from many sources.)I was especially impressed with the following topics (I've never seen them in any other book):Financing options such as raising money through crowdfundingCrowsourcing for feedback and copyeditingDo-it-yourself file conversion from Word to various ebook formatsHow to price your bookHow to create audio files and foreign language translationsHow to guerrilla-market your bookHow to make a great profile for social mediaHow to post, comment, and reply on social mediaHow to pitch bloggers and reviewersThese nine items are by no means all the book covers, but for me, they were a major eye-opener.APE is the best-looking, most professional independently published book I have ever seen, not only making a real-life example of everything the book expounds, but raising the bar for all non-fiction books in general. And the editing was superb; I didn't catch a single mistake. (A book on publishing blemished with mistakes would have immediately raised a red flag.) It was as visually appealing as it was easy to read; even the highly technical section on converting a Word document into various ebook formats flowed so smoothly, I didn't have to re-read a single paragraph.Guy Kawasaki has the guts to voice his own opinion. I really respect that. He doesn't hesitate to say Windows sucks and Apple rules. Oh, and love his sense of humor!At one point, Guy Kawasaki discusses the advantages of ebooks over printed books. One of these advantages, he says, is privacy. He gives the example someone reading on an airplane. With an ebook, people around you can't see what you're reading. Kawasaki says, "Maybe you're an S&M fan so you're reading a book about Microsoft Windows or Fifty Shades of Grey. With ebooks, there's no external cover to reveal your literary tastes. For all people know, you're reading War and Piece..."I highly recommend Guy Kawasaki's book to anyone considering publishing. It's ranked #1 on Amazon for publishing & books. It's funny, easy to read, and chock-a-block with useful and up-to-date information.Guy will tell you the advantages and disadvantages of every option he covers, be it a comparison between traditional publishing and self-publishing, or Hootsuite v Hibari. He also pushes Microsoft Word, believe it or not, saying it is the best software for writing a book. He doesn't even try to sell Pages, though he does mention it as an option for writers on an extreme budget. That's cool coming from a guy who used to work for Apple. I wish he'd taken a bit more time with Scrivener. I didn't get the impression he'd actually tried it before dismissing the program as being too organized for his mind.Guy calls `em as he sees `em. And this is a man (I almost wrote "guy") with a hell of a platform. I read his book carefully, and I'll be using it as a reference from now on, though, as he himself admits, information on indie publishing changes all the time. In a year or so, this book could very well be old news. (Look for APE version updates.)APE is full of practical advice and information I was hearing for the first time. I wish I'd known a tenth of this years ago, before I published my first novel.Whether you've published before or not, APE is an absolute must for any author hoping for success.

All my life I have been an aspiring author. I published my first book with a traditional author and I paid for all expenses, which did not lead me anywhere. Then, I accepted an offer for my second book from a small publishing house at no cost for me, which also did not lead to world fame and/or any success.Finally, for my third book, I decided to self-publish. I started a blog with the future title of my book and afrer one year (now) I decided to deep dive into the science behind self-publishing.There is a very helpful principle when going into a new field: ask the question “what should I have known before going into xxx”. APE answers exactly this question. Guy and Shawn are successful authors and professionals and I appreciate that they shared their expertise.I will come back and edit my review as soon as I publish my third book (sometime in 2019 I hope) and I will share the results.

I have been struggling to complete and publish some of the stuff I have been collecting over the past few years (Yes, years). Now, I feel that the time could not be more right, I have set off on my APE adventure.The book is well structured, fairly easy to understand, and helps aspiring authors to get their act together. Some people might think, that they already know everything that's written in this book, but IMO the structure and the logical flow really help put those thoughts in order. Additionally, I love the call to action, for all of us, the aspiring APEs.Thank for this book, Guy and Shawn, I am inspired to continue pursuing my dream.I have returned to my list, culled or archived some of the less promising stuff (IMHO), selected one story which looks sort of promising (already 4000 words), synced it across my iPad and MacBook Air (using OneDrive), and that I will published that into kindle singles in 6 weeks or 42 days from now (March 13th 2017 - I am superstitious, 13 is sort of lucky for me... Go figure)

Guy Kawasaki und Shawn Welchs Buch "APE - How to Publish a Book" will ein praktischer Leitfaden für Autoren sein, die ein Buch im Selbstverlag (Self-Publishing) veröffentlichen möchten. Das Buch zeigt Schritt für Schritt, was man als Autor beachten muss, bis ein Buch bei einem Online Buchhandel oder in einem Buchladen zu kaufen ist.Die beiden Autoren finden aus meiner Sicht hierfür eine sehr gute Mischung aus Hintergrundinformationen und praktischen Tipps & Tricks.Das Buch ist in drei Teile untergliedert: APE = "Author" + "Publisher" + "Entrepreneur".Der erste Teil "Author" beschäftigt sich mit den Grundlagen des Selbstverlags (Self-Publishing), welche Werkzeuge (Textverarbeitung, etc.) und Schreibtechniken man verwenden sollte und welche Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten es für ein Buch-Projekt ohne traditionellen Verlag gibt.Im zweiten Teil "Publisher" wird der Weg beschreiben, wie man als Autor vom Buch-Manuskript zum fertigen publizierbaren Buch kommt, dass über die verschiedenen Self-Publishing Plattformen oder Print-on-Demand vertrieben werden kann.Das abschliessende Kapitel "Entrepreneur" beschäftigt sich mit der Vermarktung des Buches über die verschiedenen Self-Publishing Plattformen (Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple iBook, etc.) und wie man als Autor seine "Marke" aufbaut (Social Media).Was das Buch für mich sehr lesenswert gemacht hat ist die Tatsache, dass Guy Kawasaki und Shawn Welch das Buch selbst im Self-Publishing verlegt haben. Und genau diese praktische Erfahrung spürt man in jedem Kapitel.Als Käufer des eBooks geniesst man ein zusätzliches Privileg (zumindest wenn man bei Amazon Kindle gekauft hat). Die Autoren aktualisieren das Buch fortlaufend. Diese Aktualisierungen (Versionen) des Buchs kann man kostenlos herunterladen. Somit hat man das Buch immer in der aktuellsten Version als Nachschlagewerk zur Verfügung.Es gibt jedoch einen Nachteil des Buches: APE ist für Autoren in den USA geschrieben. So nützen manche Information einem Autor aus Deutschland nicht viel (z.B. Firmen, die ein Lektorat anbieten).Insgesamt ist das Buch ist sehr zu empfehlen für (zukünftige) Autoren, die im Self-Publishing (Eigenverlag) veröffentlichen möchten.

== Summary ==Guy Kawasaki, a seasoned author and entrepreneur, joined Shawn Welch, an author versed on the self-publishing/artisanal-publishing market, to write this step-by-step guide on how to do it by yourself.The book has three main parts: Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur. All the parts are enlightened by the description on how they did it on this book and on previous self-published books (like Guy Kawasaki's  What the Plus!: Google+ for the Rest of Us ). On every part of the book they explain the pros and cons of being self-published and reveal the alternatives to it.After reading this book I had a better understanding of the Writing/Publishing market and now I know where to head on the Books I want to write.The book  The Self-Publishing Playbook: Discover How 12 Successful Authors Hit It Big Publishing Their Books Independently  is an excellent companion to this APE. It shows how successful authors have already done it. See my review on this book to know more about it.== Pros ==* This is indeed a "meta-book" on artisanal publishing. I mean a book about artisanal publishing that was published using the techniques explained on it and it details examples of the process they used to do it. From Wikipedia: Meta (from the Greek preposition μετά = "after", "beyond", "adjacent", "self"), is a prefix used in English (and other Greek-owing languages) to indicate a concept which is an abstraction from another concept, used to complete or add to the latter.* The Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur sessions of the book are detailed and filled with examples and practical steps== Cons ==* The book is being updated regularly but unfortunately I have not being able to receive it. I Have twice talked to Shawn twice on Google+ but he seems to be having trouble with Amazon's update process* I think that the update on Kindle process should be more transparent for on the site they state that the updates are included.== Conclusion ==* If you want to publish a book and want to understand the new ways to do it, read this book* If you are or want to be a self-published author, read this book* If you are not willing to put effort on writing and publishing a book this is not the best reading for you* If you are just and Entrepreneur that doesn't want to publish a book this is not the best reading for you What the Plus!: Google+ for the Rest of UsThe Self-Publishing Playbook: Discover How 12 Successful Authors Hit It Big Publishing Their Books Independently

Guy Kawasaki est un homme d'entreprise connu pour avoir « évangélisé » la marque Apple. Après avoir publié plusieurs livres à compte d'éditeur, il a décidé de franchir le pas et de s'initier à l'autoédition numérique. Sa démarche est celle d'un entrepreneur, mais il reste toujours accessible et humain. À mon sens, il s'agit du meilleur livre sur le sujet, en tout cas du plus complet, car il couvre tous les aspects de la question. Petit bémol : l'auteur disposait déjà d'une solide base de lecteurs avant son aventure numérique. Il est permis de se demander ce qui serait advenu s'il avait été un parfait inconnu.