The Self-Publishing Magazine is a bit different from the
other writers’ magazines we have reviewed in that it is designed for a
clear group of writers – those who are intending to self-publish their own
work. This narrow focus means that it won’t be of much interest to many
writers but those who are self-publishing may find it very useful to cover
things of concern to them.
The issue I looked at had a useful article on how to promote your
fiction title, with lots of useful tips and another piece entitled ‘Know
Your Market’ from a successful small self-publisher. There was also a piece
entitled ‘DIY Marketing Non-Fiction’. The emphasis throughout the
magazine is on firsthand experience and those who have self-published
themselves passing on their tips.
A couple of inspirational stories of people who had managed to
self-publish their books and how they had done followed, together with a
column from a self-publisher.
An article on innovation looked at new ways of getting your work into the
hands of readers and a piece on Print on Demand described how is it changing
the publishing world and offering new opportunities for authors.
It’s always useful to be on your guard and one usefully warning article
dealt with the dangers of encountering a sham agent and how to recognise
them.
Finally there’s a useful section of readers’ reviews, offering
independent reviews of self-published books.
So it’s a useful magazine, although quite specific in scope and quite
short in terms of page extent (32 pages). You wouldn’t really compare it
to the other magazines reviewed here, but for anyone who is thinking about
self-publishing it provides advice and reassurance.’