I've decided to publish my 2nd and 3rd books, but even though the technology has progressed ten fold since my last book, it seems that I am yet again faced with the same daunting decision of which publisher to go with.

My last book was done via Lulu.com, mainly because they allow people to design books to their liking in InDesign and upload PDF files (aka. not limited to the templates provided by the service). I've looked at a number of different self-publish services in the past week, and even dabbled with LR4's book feature (which is based mainly around Blurb.com).

As much as I like the ease of having book export from Lightroom, they failed at actually giving folks any kind of template customization! This frustrates me to no end considering it was one of the most requested features. There is no way to manually place text fields, and the lack of text effects, which adobe utilizes in every other program they offer, leaves me disappointed to say the least.

So given the above limitations, I also always look for expansive market reach options when publishing/printing anything. Being limited to an obscure website for each type of product is NOT what I'm looking for in my business. Lets face it, end users just HATE having to register with multiple websites to order any kind of product.

That being said, the ONLY reliable self-publisher of photo books in the world that offers ISBNs and global distribution options is still Lulu.com. With their new(ish) photo quality sizes available since my last book, these guys seem to cater to an actual business model rather than John Doe wanting to make a one off book of his child's birth.

This does mean, however, that the process of finishing the book to be ready for press is 100% manual (and quite time consuming). But, for the options of total customization AND ISBN services, its well worth the time and effort. In the end, my books are available on the lulu.com store, amazon.com, as well as any book store that requests books from any US based distributor.

So now down to the content of my upcoming books:

My second book will be titled "Natural New Zealand" and will feature landscapes from around the north island with a focus (but not limitation) on the natural beauty that New Zealand has to offer. I've spent about a month touring around, from Cape Reinga to Taupo, and just about everywhere in between in hopes to capture some of the iconic and natural landscapes that NZ has to offer. I've gone WAY off the beaten path with some images coming from locals that a rental car just shouldn't be allowed to go.

My third book is yet un-named and will feature some of the best Artistic Nude images that I've captured in the past 4 years. From Southern California to Hawaii to Australia and New Zealand, this will be a tribute to the models and friends that I've made over the years and is likely to be a limited run (or sold exclusively through me so I can sign every copy).

All that being said, there are thoughts of a fourth book, titled "Landscapes of the Pacific", which will feature a lot of my (yet unpublished, but old) landscape photos from around California, Oregon, Hawaii, Australia, and Mexico. With a central focus on locations that are bordered on the Pacific Ocean, there is plenty of opportunity to fill out this idea of a book in the months to come.

My question and discussion subject for anyone reading this:

What are your thoughts on any self-publishing service you've used, or are thinking of using. Why do you like the service you've gone with, or are thinking of going with? What are the most important features that you look for in a publishing service, and why?