Not Your Average Bookshelf
OffTheBookshelf.com is carving a new trail through the mountain of self-publishing. OTB's new concept is so unique, that the company has created a new name for their services. “We don’t call it self-publishing," says president and CEO, Scott Weisenthal. "We call it personal publishing.”
So what is personal publishing? It’s OffTheBookshelf's answer to aspiring authors who are caught in the middle of the e-book publishing wars. The personal publishing that OffTheBookshelf provides means that authors have the power to decide on their e-book’s price and can create their own cover. The e-books are sold through the site with OffTheBookshelf receiving eighty cents for each book sold.
How does it work? Authors can upload their books using a Facebook-like interface. OffTheBookshelf’s software will automatically convert the Word document into an electronic version of the book. Then the author can visit the free cover art creator and viola – the book is ready to be sold.
OffTheBookshelf also has a newsletter that announces the latest technological advancements in "personal publishing." Expansion into marketing is the next step for the four-month-old Internet start up. They are in the middle of growing the “back office” on the site allowing publishing and aspiring authors a section where they can discuss and plan budget marketing.
What kind of books does OffTheBookshelf publish? The company is open to all genres including children’s books, suspense novels, works of nonfiction and more. Many of these titles published by OffTheBookshelf are not on the bookshelves (or websites) of the major bookstore chains. Weisenthal says, “Readers still have Amazon and iTunes for the mainstream e-books, but when readers want to discover something new they are going to be coming to OTB.”
Still have questions? Check out www.OffTheBookshelf.com.