by SONDRA HOLTZMAN CBN Feature Writer

Have you ever dreamed of writing your own book and seeing it displayed in bookstores across the country? Can you picture yourself on tour, signing your newly published work for an array of eager readers?

Get ready for a reality check. According to author, editor and writing coach Linden Gross, fewer and fewer writers are getting published and those who do are in for a rude awakening. "As soon as new writers adjust to the fact that they have just handed over all editorial control, they find overworked editors actually have very little time to edit," says Gross. "The average publicity push lasts just two weeks and consists of little more than sending out a news release to various markets."

Gross, a national magazine journalist who has written six books including Julia Butterfly Hill's bestseller The Legacy of Luna, has personally experienced the letdown inherent in so much of traditional publishing. When her publisher Warner Books placed her book, Surviving a Stalker - the first-ever about the stalking of ordinary people - in the True Crime section of bookstores, the author was unpleasantly surprised to say the least.

"This is the last place a stalking victim or a professional dealing with this escalating crime would go to seek information," she shares. "Though 1.4 million Americans are victimized by stalking every year, the publisher managed to sell a mere 15,000 copies of the mass-market paperback. I personally assembled (at my own expense) the media kits the publishing company released and now realize I should have assumed total responsibility for the rest of the marketing as well."

Three years ago, the author became involved in writing coaching. "It's a blast," Gross comments. "It merges my writing, teaching and editing backgrounds and I get to work with people from a myriad of different professions and circumstances." But she hated the idea that her clients' projects would receive the same treatment, or worse, from the publishing industry that her book had.

Then, Gross stumbled upon an article about a writer and coach who had become involved with self publishing using intriguing state-of-the-art machinery. After she learned about Instabook, a patented, print-on-demand publishing system, she knew she had the answer. "The more I read about it, the more interesting it sounded," she shares. The concept of self publishing meshed so perfectly with the rest of the author's projects it 'hatched' the idea of Incubation Press, which opened its doors in September. Self publishing (also known as print-on-demand or POD) has rapidly become one of the hottest trends and fastest growing segments of the publishing industry. "It's a way to give people the chance to try self publishing without having to order 1000 books and warehouse them," Gross says. "They can get in for a few hundred dollars and as orders increase can publish ten, 20 or 100 more copies of their book." The end result: writers remain in control throughout the entire project and only pay for the services they want.

Incubation Press has evolved into a full-service operation. "Aside from self publishing, editing and writing coaching, I offer my clients graphic design, website development, research, transcription services and Photoshop," shares Gross. "Whether your goal is to publish a novel, children's book, memoir, family history or a collection of poems or recipes, Incubation Press offers affordability, convenience, speed and personalized attention."