[Stylist] DLD Publishing?

[Miss Thea]

    Hi, Mark.
I'm as blind as one can get--that is, I've never seen light, and couldn't 
imagine it.
So I respectfully beg to differ about the convenience issue.
I couldn't have taken my own photos, nor do I have family and friends who 
could have helped.
Money's tight in my world, too. Thankfully, Tellwell takes credit.
I'm on Disability, so it will take longer to pay that off.
Tellwell's prices are very high, and they're not into accessibility. But 
they did a great job with my book, Lucy.
The cover image is, I hear, quite nice.
DLD Books did the cover for my short story Poo In The Face.
It cost me money I don't really have, and I have other conditions besides 
total blindness which sap my energy because of pain.
All that to say this: I couldn't publish if I had to do it on my own, and 
thank God for publishers and publishing services companies.

Having said that, if you're inclined to learn about the publishing business, 
more power to you.
In the music biz, people who can write songs get paid more royalties than 
people who sing them. I found that out after reading Respect, Aretha 
Franklin's biography.
Plus, singers, especially back in the day, were fairly low on the music biz 
totem pole.
So if you can control all aspects of your work, that's great.

As for me, my health and inclinations drive me in the direction of being a 
damn good writer, specializing in the creation of stories that'll keep folks 
up nights. I'll happily let someone else do the rest, even if I have to pay.
Thea



Check back often.
http://www.dldbooks.com/thearamsay/
-----Original Message----- 
From: M. Taylor via Stylist
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2018 1:58 PM
To: 'Writers' Division Mailing List'
Cc: M. Taylor
Subject: Re: [Stylist] DLD Publishing?

Hello David,

Obviously I am not Thea but I did take a look at DLD Books.

You are quite correct in your conclusion.  DLD is not a book publisher, in
the sense that you mean, but rather, a publishing service.  DLD is quite
clear on what it does and does not do for its clients.

I can see how they would be a great alternative for someone who does not
want to be bogged down with the minutia of self-publishing mechanics. Make
no mistake, though, the process is self publishing.

One thing I like about what I read is that they will provide editing
services as well as cover art design.

Be that as it may, they do nothing that one cannot do on his/her own,
provided that she/he has the time and inclination to do so.

As for me, while I function as a totally blind person, using a Braille
display, Jaws, VoiceOver, etc, I also have just enough residual vision to be
able to use ZoomText, as well.

So, back in 2011, when I published That's the Way Love Goes, I went down to
the ocean, took a photo of a gorgeous southern California sunset, on my
beloved iPhone, and used it for the cover for the book.

I then purchased a batch of ISBN numbers, created Kindle and Create Space
accounts, and learned, painstakingly, or so it seemed at the time, (smile),
how to create and manage ePub documents.

Getting my work on the iBook store was much more complicated but I wanted to
do it because, back then, iBook was one of the few platforms where fellow
blind and low-vision readers could obtain my work.  Now, of course, the
Kindle app is accessible to us but back then, it was not.

Even though I had to jump through many, many more proverbial hoops to get
onto the iBook Store, I did it because it seemed wrong for a blind person to
publish a book without given other blind people the chance to read it.

For the Dream Factory, I knew exactly what kind of cover I wanted for the
book, even before I began writing it.  So, I hired a then out-of-work
graphics artist to create it for me.  It took her about two hours of her
time and I paid her $100 for her services.

For me, cost was everything.  I did not want to pay others for things I
could do myself.  Money has always been tight, in my world and even more so,
back then.  Also, I wanted to truly understand the publishing process so
that I would always be in control of my work.

To be honest, had I been totally blind, I'm not certain I would have taken
the route I took but situations are what they are, right?  (smile)

I think that if one can afford a service like DLD, it is a fantastic option
as long as one knows that he/she is paying for convenience, above all else.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Russell
via Stylist
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2018 9:47 AM
To: stylist
Cc: David Russell
Subject: [Stylist] DLD Publishing?

Thea and Others,

I will look at your link, but think you might be missing the point of my
question. Let me try again.

I understand DLD Book Publishing is not a publisher but a publishing service
are we in agreement there?

You choose as an author to have them put your title on the publishing sites
they offer: Amazon, CreateSpace (kind of the same) and SmashWords. I think
though Amazon and SmashWords are in competition.

Customers by your book from the publisher, not DLD, right?

Or they buy it from a brick and mortar or online venue, right?

I will view your link to try and answer my other questions. I realize what
they do, and am sure happy you directed me to consult them, thanks.

--
David Russell
david.sonofhashem at gmail.com
"chilah phanim" Make G-d smile!

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