Self-publishing journey starts in Long Tan

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mollison has achieved a lot since he led his men home from Vietnam in 1967, but the men and memories from the 12-months spent there still inspire him today. Part of that inspiration has been channelled into a book, Long Tan and beyond: Alpha Company 6 RAR in Vietnam 1996-67.
Charles spent four-and-a-half years writing the memoir, which he describes as a labour of love. He also took charge of the end product by self-publishing.
Charles admits the self-publishing journey has been a steep learning curve. He’s had to learn how to market and promote the book, and become skilled at posting and packaging.

“Printing the book was easy. I was fortunate to find a local company who specialised in book printing. The people at Queensland Complete Printing gave me great advice on what to do and what not to do,” he said.
“Self-publishing gave me the freedom to choose the paper quality, cover design and the overall look and feel of the book, and I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on it,” he said.
Recently, Charles enlisted the help of a distributor, a decision which saw the book’s sales double to more than 8,500 copies sold.
Charles regularly gets phone calls from people who are thinking about self-publishing and want a few guidelines. His advice is to have a firm idea of how you want the book to look.
“In the very early stages you need to think about how you want the book marketed because that governs the quality of the production and the price,” Charles said. “You also need a very clear idea of who your market is and how big it is.”
Recent changes in digital printing technology means self-publishers no longer need to print a thousand copies to make it economical. Queensland Complete Printing recently installed a digital printer that allows printing of just one book, or ten, or whatever quantity is required at a fraction of the pre-digital cost.
For those budding writers out here, Charles highly recommends self-publishing, and for those interested in reading an authentic account of young Australians involved in one of modern history’s most controversial conflicts, this writer highly recommends ‘Long Tan and beyond’.
Find out more email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au or visit our website at www.qprint.com.au