We don’t do book reviews on this site (there are too many great review sites out there already!), but this particular book AND its website full of useful links and free downloads is worth the read for every emerging author, so we’re making an exception. You might say we’re, well, ape over APE…
We’ve mentioned APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
They wrote the book to help people take control of their writing careers by publishing their books. The thesis of APE is simple but powerful: “When a self-publisher successfully fills three roles—author, publisher and entrepreneur—the potential benefits are greater than with traditional publishing.”
Guy and Shawn call this “artisanal publishing” and they offer page after delicious page – 400 pages in all – of practical, tactical, inspiring information, from writing and structuring your book, to negotiating the rough seas of self publishing, to taking your book to market (and for obvious reasons that’s our favorite part!)
We read the Kindle version and it’s full of useful live links throughout the text. But perhaps the BEST LINK is to their ApeTheBook.com website, because of all the fantastic tools and resources, including:
- SPIT (Self-Publishing Intelligence Test): To determine how much you already know about self-publishing.
- Over 350 hyperlinks: If you own the ebook version, all you need to do is click on them. But if you own the printed version, you can navigate to the hyperlinks from there.
- Free downloads: Including Word.doc and InDesign formatted book templates, a consultant contract template, and even a copy editor aptitude test to screen potential editors.
We give APE (and its useful website) an enthusiastic thumbs-up!
Wow! This is fantastic. I liked the free stuff so much, I might have to invest in the book just so I have a referral tool close by. In reality, it’s hard to believe they put so much free stuff on that site, if their real end-game is to sell the book. Must mean they love authors…which gives me a warm fuzzy 🙂
YES! We’re not in any way affiliated w/ this book except that we’re happy to recommend it (and the website) to clients – the online content is all really useful stuff (though I might skip the spit test unless you’ve read the book).