Below is the self-publishing story of Alistair Sowerbutts, author of The Pyn King. He discusses his motivation to self-publish, the self-publishing process itself, and his marketing efforts after publication.

I self published the first version of The Pyn King for my sister. She had agreed to check the book for glaring errors before I started sending it out to agents. The manuscript was over three hundred and fifty double spaced pages and as such was unwieldy for a busy woman who was forever dashing around Europe by plane or train.

And then I found Lulu. (I don’t think UK authors care for that name, by the way. Due to an unfortunate co-incidence, we have our own Lulu who is an actual living person and likes a good shout. This can lead to many a confused conversation.) Quick as a flash, I uploaded the manuscript and about a week later, my very first effort at self publication arrived through the post. It had a plain black cover with white lettering and looked altogether professional, if simple. I was dead chuffed and gave it to my sister the next time I was up in London with her. It was a far more convenient size for her to carry around and, to my surprise, she said she enjoyed it and found it was quite readable. I was amazed! (I should point out that my family are not an X Factor / American Idol lot. If something one of us does is rubbish, the others are quick to point this out; not in a cruel way, I hasten to add. Had I the inclination, I would never be caterwauling in front of Simon Cowell with my folks in the background swearing that I was the next Michael Buble. The conversation with Ryan Seacrest / Dermot O’Leary would go more along the lines of, “Well, we told him he couldn’t sing. He’s awful, isn’t he?”) (more…)