Henry Baum | Self-Publishing Review

About Henry Baum

Author of three self-published novels and one traditionally published (Soft Skull Press, Canongate, and Hachette Littératures). Recipient of Best Fiction at the DIY Book Festival, the Gold IPPY Award for Visionary Fiction, and the Hollywood Book Festival Grand Prize. He lives with his wife Cate Baum in Spain. He's the founder of SPR.

The Current State of Self-Publishing

The simple truth is that the quality of most self-published books is terrible. And unfortunately this fact is bringing down the entire culture around self-publishing, as people don’t trust a self-published book is any good. At the same time, you can find people reading a book and saying, “I can’t believe this is self-published,” both happy to have discovered something new and lamenting the fact that so many prospective writers have to resort to self-publishing when ignored by traditional publishers.

Getting published is enormously difficult – mainstream publishers aren’t very adventurous and choose “marketable” books, and small presses – which […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:42:30+02:00December 30th, 2008|Categories: Features|

Vanity Publishing vs. Self-Publishing

Is there a difference between vanity publishing and self-publishing? Yes and no. Sometimes vanity publishing and self-publishing are interchangeable – especially when self-publishing is discussed with derision. The concept of vanity publishing – that an author is so vain that he or she must release a book despite it not finding a publisher – should be discarded. Because the publishing industry is so competitive and so driven by the market, there are plenty of books that don’t get bought by publishing houses but have every right to find readers. At the same time, the basic definition of the vanity press […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:42:46+02:00December 28th, 2008|Categories: Resources|

Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing

Most people think of self-publishing as a last resort. And truth be told: it is. It would be much easier to have a mainstream publisher cover all the costs of printing, distribution, and marketing of a book. However, there are cases where even having a mainstream publisher can be problematic – such as getting limited marketing help or never making any royalties. Here are the pros and cons of self-publishing versus publishing a book with a traditional publisher.

Advantages to Self-Publishing

Creative control. This isn’t only an issue about the editorial process, but even as you set out to […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:43:04+02:00December 27th, 2008|Categories: Resources|

The Fundamentals of Good Book Design

One of the major issues with self-publishing is the quality of the book design. A great number of self-published books make it glaringly obvious that the book has been self-published. This is significant because it can lead to a book being ignored by reviewers or prospective buyers. The cliché “You can’t judge a book by its cover” never took into account self-published titles.

If you have a professionally designed book it will be much easier to gain reviews. A tip: if you set your own imprint with its own name and have a well-designed book cover, a prospective reviewer will […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:43:20+02:00December 27th, 2008|Categories: Resources|

Is a Literary Agent Necessary?

If you’ve already chosen to self-publish then, no, a literary agent is not necessary. But a majority of those looking to self publish were either unable to find an agent or an agent was unable to sell a manuscript. Given the short life-span of a manuscript in the slush piles of publishing houses, it is not all that surprising if a book is not able to find a publisher. But to get into the hands of editors, a literary agent is the first major hurdle an author faces.

Here’s a common scenario: you find an agent who sends the book […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:43:36+02:00December 27th, 2008|Categories: Resources|

Self-Publishing Review Blogs

In the early days of blogging, self-publishing blogs were few and far between. Now there’s a long list of self-publishing litblogs. Some self-publishing bloggers come and go, like Poddy Mouth, the pioneer in self-publishing review blogs, but some are here for the long haul, such as Pod People, a blog that has seen other self-publishing reviewers come and go. At one point, there was a “De Facto POD Review Ring” that only contained five blogs. Now the number of bloggers interested in self-publishing is expanding.

This is mostly culled from Breeni Books’ POD review ring, with a few […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:44:03+02:00December 27th, 2008|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|

Writing Self-Published Press Releases

If you’re self-releasing a book, a press release is a mandatory part of the process. Certain self-publishers, like Outskirts Press, include press releases as part of their more-advanced packages, but this does not always include the writing of the press release itself – just its distribution – so understanding the fundamentals of writing a book press release is important. Here are simple steps you should take.

How to Write a Self-Published Press Release

The basic rules for press release writing is to keep it simple and keep it understated. Writing too many superlatives is not a sign that a book […]

Henry Baum2009-12-31T21:44:21+02:00December 26th, 2008|Categories: Resources|

North of Sunset by Henry Baum

If there’s an everyman, then Michael Sennet is every celebrity. Michael Sennet is a movie star. He should be happy, but he’s bored. What does he do after he’s achieved the best of everything: the best women, the best cars, the best homes, the best drugs? He doesn’t have an answer. Meanwhile, the Vanity Plate Killer is roaming the streets of Los Angeles looking for new victims and dreaming of fame of his own. When Michael Sennet uses the M.O. of the Vanity Plate Killer, they find something that eclipses any starring role.