Well the book is coming on a-pace, though it won’t be ready for several months yet, perhaps longer. Meanwhile I’m looking for the experiences of someone who has been down this road before. Which epublishing sites would you recommend? UK ones if possible, to avoid the smashwords witholding 30% of your fees for the US IRS that you have to go through a complex process to reclaim sort of hassle. Ideally I’d like to able to publish my book for free, as it’s my first, but to be able to accept donations from satisfied readers or well-wishers. Is such a thing possible?

Someone I know has written and published seveeral SF books, that she’s managed to get into Waterstone’s. She’s currently writing the next one in the series, so I’ll drop her a line on Facebook when I get home and ask her who she uses.

Thanks, though I’m not that ambitious yet. I just want to give it a go and see if it works for me. They say that everyone has a book inside them, though it may not be a good one.

I’ve published my stuff through http://www.lulu.com for paperback/ePub and Amazon Kindle Direct publishing (kdp.amazon.co.uk) for Kindle. Createspace is also worth a look but much more tied to Amazon

The downside is the revenue percentage they take BUT the marketing upside is worth it. Thoroughly recommend it for the first project..can I plug my book now?

If you want any help at all, please feel free to drop me a line. The withholding thing is not that hard to get through once you know how. Basically, you ring the USA IRS, ask for a EIN number then fill in a WBEN-8 (I may have those TLA’s slightly wrong).

Best of luck with it. Most important tip, grow a thick skin for reviews. I didn’t. Each bad one destroys a little bit more of me.

Thanks. I’ve had a lifetime of having to grow a thick skin.

Hi, I just asked Jane, and she says self-publishing is an expensive way to do it. She uses Authorhouse, and says they are very good, if you find you want to go that way eventually, but she says you’d be better off epublishing.

Epublishing is/was my plan all along rather than self-publishing.

Not Epublishing but this might be of interest to you. A friends book has just gone to press through these.

http://unbound.co.uk/

Hmmm… I don’t think I’d get many pitches for my plot.