Do you or your students have an idea you want to share with the public? Have you ever thought of writing a book about it? In her book, Self Publishing: How to Produce and Market Your Book on a Budget, self-published author Linda Foster Radke explains several ways fledgling authors can spread their wings and fly into self-publishing without spending all their money. As she explains in the Foreword, "Writing the book is the easy part; the tip of the iceberg. The real work begins when you switch hats to expend time and money on promoting the book. As you enter new territory, this book will be your beacon."

Radke also states that this book can be an encourager, coach, mentor, recipe for success, or even a secret weapon. She has obviously tried her wings with self-publishing, and succeeded to the point that she founded her own publishing company and is now marketing books by other authors. Any writer who has thought about publishing a book should read this one, if only to get more ideas about how to publish and market a book without spending a fortune.

The book is written in three parts:

The Manuscript
Self Publishing as a Business
Publicity, Promotion, and Marketing

The sections are able to stand alone, so you can browse through the information in one section without reading another, depending on your interests or needs.

In The Manuscript section, Radke offers advice from other authors and experts, including information on grammar, usage, and style; creating a manuscript; finding an audience; working with various aspects of a manuscript (design, cover, copyrights); and typesetting. She then goes into the details of printing the manuscript - and explains the differences between printing in bulk and on demand printing. She brings up ideas and options that some authors might not consider without her help.

In the Self-Publishing as a Business section, Radke shares her business savvy and discusses running a publishing business out of a home. She covers such topics as banking, zoning, and other minor details that a reader might forget about. She also discusses a variety of tools that a publisher needs - computers, fax machines, photocopiers. She then goes into procedures - how to accept payment, deal with shipping/handling; and expanding into a large-scale publishing business.

In the Publicity, Promotion, and Marketing section, Radke discusses the difference between publicity and advertising, prepublication marketing materials and media kits, ordering information, and other types of marketing tools for authors to consider. Additionally, she discusses media and mailing lists, and public speaking.

The Appendix also includes a plethora of marketing and writing resources that many authors would find indispensable, including sample covers, forms, flyers, and postcards. Last, the book also includes a comprehensive Index for the reader who is looking for specific information about one topic.

Any writer would find this book a useful tool, and the student who is considering a writing career ought to also consider reading this book. For homeschoolers who supplement their income by writing curricula or any types of resource materials, this book may offer some surprises. It's worth the investment to read Radke's book in order to learn more.