Stick with the big one- MS Word. It can check your spelling and grammar, and offers an excellent thesaurus. It's considered the standard word processor in the e-world. Using a different software program for word processing is something like typing a manuscript on colored paper. There is no advantage or point to it. Try to avoid the abbreviated versions of the real thing like MS Works, which comes loaded for free with many computers. There is a reason why it’s free! Remember: Book manufacturers do not print from word processing files. All files must be converted into an acceptable format. (See the Pre-Press Requirements section on the Web site).

No, not if it is printed in the United States of America. That is optional but it is often stated because so many children’s books are printed overseas. And, if you are printing overseas, the answer is yes. You not only have to say what country it was printed in, but the size of the type that tells the country of origin (printing) cannot be in a size any smaller than the name of the publisher as it appears on the copyright page. If you do not do this, you could have serious trouble getting your books imported into this country. Also, if you have a jacket, the same “printed in” line must appear on it.

While you are writing your book, keep a special folder or electronic file to make note all of the people and organizations that help you. If you don’t do that, you will most likely forget some very important people. You can never go wrong giving credit where credit is due. The people who help you write your books are your allies in the promotion of them. I want to thank everyone who has asked a question about self-publishing, and all those who have helped me frame answers to those questions.

The law grants you copyright protection automatically upon the creation of your work. Your work need not be completed to be protected! You own the copyright on your work as you create it. No publication or registration or other action in the U.S. Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. There are, however, definite advantages to registration. Among these are the following: Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim. Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U.S. origin. If made before or within five years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate. If registration is made within three months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner. Registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U.S. Customs Service for protection against the importation of infringing copies. The copyright notice, which appears on your published books should include the name of the copyright owner, the year of first publication, and the word copyright or the symbol ©. When the copyright notice appears, an infringer cannot claim that he or she did not realize the work was protected. You, as author and copyright owner, are wise to place a copyright notice on any unpublished copies of your work, or portions there of, that leave your control. The use of the copyright notice is your responsibility and does not require advance permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office. Your copyright lasts from the moment of your work’s creation (when it first appears in tangible form) until 70 years after your death. The copyright for a work prepared jointly by two or more authors lasts for 70 years after the last surviving author’s death.

All you have to do is search the internet for connections. There you will find all kinds of writing clubs and societies eager to help members improve their skills. I especially recommend these nine books: “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser. An informal guide to writing nonfiction. “If You Want to Write” by Brenda Ueland. A book about art, independence and spirit. “The Writer’s Chapbook” edited from the Paris Review interviews and with an introduction by George Plimpton. A compendium of fact, opinion, wit, and advice from the 20th century’s preeminent writers. “The Elements of Editing” by Arthur Plotnik. A modern guide for editors and journalists. Editing is writing. “Woe Is I” by Patricia T. O’Conner. The grammar-phobe’s guide to better English in plain English. “12 Keys to Writing Books That Sell” by Kathleen Krull. A mirror that will help you see the strengths and weaknesses in your writing. “Technique in Fiction” by Robie Macauley and George Lanning. An imaginative rather than a mechanical approach to a complicated subject, featuring a splendid variety of examples. “The Writer’s Digest Handbook of Novel Writing” from the editors of Writer’s Digest. Practical advice and instruction for creating the novel. “100,000 Plus Power Phrases for Students, Writers, Speakers, and Business People” by Robert Bowie Johnson Jr. A study of ideas and a stimulant to deep and original thinking. You can find these and other excellent books on writing at, or through, the RJ Communications' on-line bookstore. Whether you think you need writing help or not, I highly recommend that you subscribe to Writer’s Digest magazine. They call their classifieds the “Writer’s Mart,” and it’s worth the price of the subscription just to have access to that. There you can find writing classes, conferences, and contests; editing, critiquing, and ghostwriting services; and much more. When you get your Writer’s Digest each month in the mail, you’ll remember that you subscribe to it because you are a writer! It’s easy to forget that sometimes, believe me.

The copyright page is usually found on the back of the title page. Our copyright notice below, includes the word “copyright,” the symbol, the year, and the author’s name. You don’t need both the word “copyright” and the symbol. Either will do, however just about every publisher uses both. We have the publisher’s name and address. We have the Library of Congress Catalog Number (LCCN), and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). We tell you where this book was printed. And if there is room it is not uncommon to list the designer as well. Copyright ©2009 Self Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by RJ Communications LLC 51 East 42nd Street, Suite 1202 New York, NY 10017  NY Library of Congress Catalog Number: 00-190819 International Standard Book Number (ISBN) paper: 0-9700741-1-5 cloth: 0-9700741-0-7 Printed in the United States of America 4th printing Note: In some children’s books you will find the copyright information on the last page of the book.

Every good word processor today gives you access to important characters that do not appear on the keyboard. They are called ANSI and ASCII character sets. To get the © character make sure the “Num Lock” key on the right-hand side of your PC is on, and use those numbers (the numbers at the top of the keyboard will not work). Now, hold down the “Alt” key and press 0169. When you release the “Alt” key, © will appear where your cursor is.

As a self-publisher you are the publisher and wear every hat in your publishing organization. Just as Simon &Schuster can send a manuscript out to an outside person or service for editing, Simon & Schuster is responsible for what is published. When you hire an editor or editorial service, you are not waiving the responsibility for the content in your book.

The editor gets involved in that he/she reads everything you have written, but your voice will not be changed. At Self Publishing all editing is conducted in a manner that preserves your voice, as the author, so the book is still really your own after editing. The editors work to clarify your intended meaning, and not to change the meaning of your content.

Finding the answer to this question is right up there with trying to find the Holy Grail. The easy answer is, "no manuscript is ever perfect." I guess I can buy into that statement, at least conceptually, but I am still left with the follow-up question, "If no manuscript is perfect, exactly how imperfect is considered acceptable?" Whenever I ask that question, all the editor types tend to clear the room. Unfortunately there just doesn't seem to be a clear cut answer, which ends up leading right back to you, the publisher. Common sense tells us that there will be fewer errors after two editorial passes, than with one, especially if that second pass is with a different person. It follows that even fewer errors will exist after three passes, or four, or five. While this is true, you need to be realistic. Remember, you are running a business. The best thing is to keep your initial press run low enough so you see yourself needing a reprint in six months or so. Then simply keep track of an errors that may have slipped through and make the changes in the reprint.

No, you don't. Your word document will be returned to you with tracked changes and it is up to you to accept or delete each of them.

You can't really. No editor will find every error, that's just a fact of life. But if you think another "set of eyes" would be a good idea, then order what Self Publishing calls and additional proofing pass.

A reprint means more copies are being printed with no substantial changes. Perhaps a few typos are being fixed. A new edition means that there has been a substantial change: content has been altered in a way that might make a customer complain that this was not the product that was expected. Or, text has been changed to add a new feature, such as a preface or appendix or additional content. Or, content has been revised.

No. a new edition is considered a different product and gets its own ISBN.

The title, the author, the publisher, and the city like so: Publishing Basics-Navigating the Publishing Minefield. Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. Self Publishing, Inc. New York.

The title page is still where you list your title, author, publisher, the city of the publisher, and usually your first picture. Children's books are different from other books in that the role of the illustrator may be more important than that of the author. You'll want to keep this in mind as you design this page.

If you want to save money, try to get a qualified friend to help you. Perhaps you can find an English teacher or graduate student at a nearby college who would be willing to help in exchange for acknowledgement in your book. Members of local writers' groups often help each other with this.