books Fife: Self publish and make money BE HONEST now: how many of you have said, or at least thought, ‘Damn - that would make a good book’ and, if only briefly, toyed with the fantasy of writing it? On second thought, let’s make this enumeration a bit easier: how many of you Aaven’tflirted with the idea of writing a book? Ah, much better. Admittedly, writing a book is a major hurdle, but scant thought is given by wistful, would-be Hem- ingways, Kings and Steels (different spelling, no relation) to the next step on the road to immortality or remainderdom. Yet the painful fact of the matter is that it doesn’t matter how priceless a piece of prose you've penned if you can’t find a publisher willing to commit it to print. This is probably the toughest part of the whole process and cer- tainly the most frustrating. In the normal! way of things the B.C. Best Sellers Figures in brackets indicate last week’s position FICTION 1. (I) Cat’s Eye ...... Atwood 2. (4) The Sands of Time eee eee eneenes Sheldon 4. (1) Journey ...... Michener ** 5. (D The Satanic Verses eee ese eeees ** Rushdie 6. (5) Lyre of Orpheus - Davies 7. (3) French Kiss wees ce aee Yan Lustbader 8. (-) The King of Murgos ee eee eee eee Eddings 9. (9) Stomes .......... Findley 10. (10) Lady Bug Lady Bug cee eee en eeee Mitchell NON-FICTION 1. () Chaos .. 2.0.0.0... Gleick 2. (3) Brief History of Time eee eee cen eneeee Hawking sence cece eee eecues Garner 4. @ Arctic Grail 5. (6) Stress for Success . Hanson 6. (5) Accidental Airline cscceee ss White /Spilsbury 7. ¢-) Blind Faith .....McGinniss 8. (9) The Power of Myth THE SPORTS NETWORK : Sizzling Competition and Spectacular Feats’ | Hockey, octal, bassemal, paseoat PLUS got. tems Soxng race hfe “gue i Skating. Skiing 10080 SOCce”, arene SIIW, fawn powing! Quality choice for Capile today's selective viewer. MIKE STEELE book reviewer writer sends an outline, chapter sample, or, occasionally, a com- pleted manuscript to a prospective publisher. Then he or she waits in mounting tension, suspense and anxiety for a reply. Weeks or months later, the rejection slip ar- tives. The cycle then repeats itself as the submission rapidly takes on a remarkable resemblance to the 505 AMI/FM-stereo receiver with 30 watisichannel r299-FS power, digital display Flying Dutchman, dvomed forever to sail through aspiration limbo with the cheerful complicity of Canada Post. Sadly, that elusive creature, the acceptance letter, may not always be the unqualified blessing the author expects either. No matter how much thought, time and skill have gone into your book, there’s no guarantee that the publisher will package it properly. release it at the right time or promote it ef- fectively. Indifferent attention to any of these areas can kill a book’s sales and, consequently the author's royalties. However, there is an alternative: self publishing. If you’re canvinced the book will sell, if you've tested the idea or manuscript on someone quali- STA-130 AMIFM-stereo receiver has search mode to find stations fast, 12 FM/6 AM memory presets and §-LED output power meter fied to critique it (and honest enough to let you know what she or he really thinks) but you either can't find a publisher or want to keep a bigger slice of the potential profits for yourself, this might be the way to go. Kelowna-based Nancy Wise is a book distributor, marketer and selfpublished author who has written the definitive Canadian bi- ble on self-publishing called, quite appropriately, How To Self Publish And Make Money. At $12.95, this paperback guide to the pitfalls and rewards of self publishing may be the best in- vestment that any writer could make. How To Self Publish..., co-writ- ten with author Marion Crook, is a methodical, clear guide to every 27 - Wediesday, March’ 15, 1989'— North Shore News Self-published author Nancy Wise ..-book is a good investment. facet of self publishing. Topics range from the advantages of self publishing and the mechanics of book creation to such things as profit margins, distribution and potential pitfalls. In short, How To Self Publish... (Sandhill Publishing & Crook Publishing; 136 pp.) leaves no See B.C. Page 28 DIVISION @@ INTERN Cenana LTD 55-channei marine transceiver keeps you in touch MT-400 marine transceiver has 55 channel transmit, 90 channel receive and channel 46 priority. With Rush 25-watt switchable, easy- cose co "2? : 228, digital display and hand-held mike. button direct entry keyboard, 19-8240 iVA0 headphones : ~ stereo : : Programmable Superthin solar 42-cigit deskion with circuit breaker 40-channel sconner powered calculator printing calculator For multi-component systems. PRO-57 B00 you access to EC-443 with 3-key memory, EC-3015 is compact and idea! 33-1006 Voltage spike protector. over 22, frequencies auto-constant, vinyl case for business/personal tinances Digital LED display home alarm clock on ond p.m. indicators 63-787 Fone-flasher alorts you to phone calls Green 0.6" display with aiarm- 43-178 65-970 Electronic phone amplifier system Enjoy hands-free, 2-way conter- ence calls Built-in mike, speaker 3 new computer software programs Resume Kit. 25-8515 Sugg once 49 95 only 39.95 Grand Prix. 25-8516 Sugg once 5495 onty 39.95 PC-Tools Dix, 25-8517 Sy 7935 price 99 95. = Computer workstation ONINC1UGeG Unies Hee Check the white pages for the Radio Shack store or pariicipating dealer nearest you Multifunction onsworing machine Sale prices expire March 34, 1989 Cheques will be tauod # On Hem th sod out We reserva Me Gh! gage, vocorect NRographi:al eon bonenesartaptencomputer com: rsa ponenn moa TAD-325 tetephone answering machine with remote con- trol, programmable sacurity code. AC operation and “beeperiass"