Some of the first days have a modest and fun agenda, such as Day 2, in which you "zero-in on a hot topic...define your target audience, and choose a title and subtitle for your book."

Many of the other days have a more ambitious agenda, such as choosing and setting up a business structure or setting up a database/accounting system to monitor book sales.

For each day's plan, Reiss gives valuable resources and options. Options range from low-cost, do-it-yourself self-publishing to more professional, mid-sized publisher alternatives.

For example, in setting up a record-keeping system, the options Reiss covers range from $10,000 specialized database programs for mid-sized publishers to $100 accounting programs for smaller publishers to buying a notebook and recording sales in a paper journal.

For setting up a promotional website, The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days lists resources to help those who want to learn to do-it-themselves at low cost. Website programs sponsored by the Writer's Guild to help authors are mentioned. And, for those with larger budgets, references to professional website designers are given.

Any self-publisher should find an option within his/her publishing budget in this book. The main focus of The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days is not book marketing, but rather getting a book produced and getting a new publishing company established.

Many business aspects of starting a publishing company, which tend to be neglected in other self-publishing books, are discussed. For example, there is an excellent discussion about distributor bankruptcy and how to protect your small publishing company if your exclusive distributor fails. (A small publisher could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory stored at the distributor during a distributor bankruptcy and never receive payment for it if they don't protect themselves properly.)

Other days' effort involve many smaller, but necessary tasks, such as letting the major book buyers know about your titles by filling out the ABI Books In Print form and similar forms.

Book pricing and discount schedules, getting an 800 phone number, setting up a merchant credit card account to process credit cards, book cover design, interior book design, book indexing, and many other topics are covered.

If you're looking for a step-by-step guide to self-publishing a book, I highly recommend The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days.

Reiss is also the author of two other titles of interest to publishers and authors: The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days discusses book promotion; and The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days helps authors find agents.

-- Book Review by Peter Hupalo, author of the book Thinking Like An Entrepreneur. Visit his web site at  http://www.thinkinglike.com