Back in 2009, after searching around quite a bit, I found that I could publish Murder, Jaz, & Tel Aviv, for a reasonable price using BookSurge, which would later become Create Space. In 2011, I used them again for The Curse Breaker of Cairo.
I had another book or two ready for press, but simply could not afford the price to publish in paperback. And then Amazon KDP came along and I was saved. At least my books would be available in ebook form.
I have received monthly newsletters from Create Space for years. Often, they carried useful articles about self publishing and stories about other independent authors. So how is that until less than a week ago, I had not realized that one could now publish a paperback edition for free?
Soon - within hours of finding this out - I got to work converting my word doc for Costa Contente into a submissible format. Between the information available on Create Space, their Community help, and good old fashioned trial and error, I did it.
It took me around thirty hours to get it totally sorted out, but I do like figuring out things by myself. More than a few times I questioned if I could do it. And although the cost of having Create Space format a book is less than half of what it was in 2009, it was still more than I could afford.
Then, having the skills fresh in my mind, I quickly formatted Jaz, Tall Men, & Mayhem, and Bad Accounts.
I am now awaiting proofs of the three books to see if I actually did do it right.
Providing I did so, the books should be available in a week or two.
I'm still sort of kicking myself for now knowing about the free-paperback-publishing thing, but "publishing" three books in one week sounds mighty impressive.
And, as always, I highly recommend Create Space. They have some of the best customer service reps you could ever hope to talk to; they reply immediately to emails, and answer all the stupid questions you might have without making you feel like a complete idiot.