cover image Confessions of an Ebook Virgin: What Everyone Should Know Before They Publish on the Internet

Confessions of an Ebook Virgin: What Everyone Should Know Before They Publish on the Internet

Laura Shabott. Long Point Press, $9.99 trade paper (112p) ISBN 978-0-9888979-7-7

Writer and self-publishing evangelist Shabott puts pen to paper for a likable but insubstantial stab at helping fellow authors make their books available through Kindle, Nook, and other digital platforms. Her “manifesto” is designed to appeal to writers who haven’t had much luck publishing through traditional publishers: “Within this amazing new paradigm, no writer has to follow the traditional, often fruitless, path of finding an agent, who then hunts for a publisher—a journey that can take years—and might never happen.” A slim manual clocking in at a little more than 100 pages, the book covers the practicalities of self-publishing: hiring an editor, “design[ing] the right package,” getting reviewed prior to publication, creating e-books, and advertising yourself and your book. All these items are summed up in a concluding checklist, which represents Shabott’s’s most valuable offering. The chapters, on the other hand, are chatty and encouraging, but lack the substance to back up their suggestions. Without more concrete information, advice such as “Everyone is different, so discover what works for you and stick with it,” seems unlikely to provide aspiring authors with the key to success. [em](BookLife) [/em]