

Ask HN: Has anyone here self published a book before? - palidanx

I'm looking to self publish a cookbook, and was wondering if anyone here had any advice about platforms and methods?  I want to publish the book in a hardcover and also via ebook.
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JohnHaugeland
Depending on your budget, I'm a big fan of a commercial tool called PrinceXML,
which consumes [html|xml]+css and produces PDF. All of the big self publishers
accept PDF as one of their printing targets.

Of course, this means you're writing a book in HTML, which is either a huge
win or an enormous loss, depending on who you are. But, given that it's HN, I
figure there's a half decent chance this is right for you.

There's a free version you can try it out with; the commercial version is
around five hundred bucks. In my opinion, totally worth it. YMMV.

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palidanx
Is there a reason you don't use Word's print to pdf function? Or does it
generate kooky layout?

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thoughtcriminal
Lulu. I've self-published twice with Lulu and it was a painless enough
experience.

Actually, no. Let me correct myself. It was a lot of work, and quite painful,
but Lulu's tools made it a lot easier. I highly recommend them.

EDIT: I used Word (actually, I think it was Open Office) to write and layout
the book and not any page design software.

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thoughtcriminal
One more thought. Cookbooks - the popular ones anyways - are plastered with
glossy pics. The typsetting and design are immaculate. You may want a
professional designer to design the book for you.

Okay, I'm done.

