Everyone has a book in them, or so they say. In idle moments and on holidays, we fantasise about writing an international bestseller and living off the proceeds forever.

The reality, however, is far less romantic and writing is merely the first step. When you finally finish your opus, you need to persuade a publisher to print and sell it. While some are chasing the age-old dream, others are turning indie with Just-in-Time Publishing.Everyone has a book in them, or so they say. In idle moments and on holidays, we fantasise about writing an international bestseller and living off the proceeds forever.

The reality, however, is far less romantic and writing is merely the first step. When you finally finish your opus, you need to persuade a publisher to print and sell it. While some are chasing the age-old dream, others are turning indie with Just-in-Time Publishing.Clever sites like Lulu.com offer budding writers the support of a community, access to professional services, plus a sales and publishing channel. It's a one-stop-shop for aspiring authors, with experts like proofreaders, artwork designers and translators. They offer all the services you'd expect from a large publishing company to help you polish and sell your work globally. There are no upfront expenses like other self-publishing deals, you set your own price levels and own your own copyright.

Even previously published authors are going indie through Lulu. They can help sell your book at your local bookstores or online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Best of all, each book is printed only when a copy is ordered, saving postage, packaging and above all our precious trees and forests.

To publish your work through Lulu, you simply upload and convert your manuscript, choose your bindings, colours and cover artwork. The final phase is to set a price and choose a level of copyright protection, using a standard or Creative Commons license.

In July this year, Lulu claim to have published the world's first book ever written by mobile phone. Italian Robert Bernocco, an IT professional, thumbed his 384-page sci-fi story Compagni di Viaggio (Fellow Travelers) while commuting to and from work by train. "Only a few years ago I would have struggled to find both the time and the publisher to enable me to create this book," says Bernocco. "Thanks to my Nokia and Lulu, I am now proud to be a published author."

Lulu's online book catalogue contains as wide a range as you'd find in any bookshop. Their top 100 sellers include books on dating, technology and humour. And it's not just books that you can publish through Lulu - you can also sell artwork and calendars, like these enterprising artists, photographers and craftsters.

Some local authors are already onto Lulu.com. You can read Dances With Marmots by Kiwi George Spearing, who took a 'leave of absence' from his job as a firefighter in the New Zealand Fire Service to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Corrugated by Peter Beddek is a photographic essay on corrugated iron and its visual effects on the New Zealand environment.

Even authors with traditional publishing deals are using e-books to reach new audiences. In Giving It Away, sci-fi author and Boing Boing co-editor Cory Doctorow is obviously happy to say: "I've been giving away my books ever since my first novel came out, and boy has it ever made me a bunch of money."

He does not subscribe to the view that a free download equals a lost sale, and his mixed media and paid/free approach has brought him many new fans, including myself. I first read his Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom on my Palm Pilot, and then tracked down more of his works which are available for free download at his Craphound website.

If you do have a book inside of you as they say, then now is the time to put fingers to keyboard or pen to paper. Why not start with a short story or three? Before long you too could be a Published Author.

16/8/07

As well as being TBI's strategist, Helen Baxter a.k.a. MsBehaviour runs dance-music label TMet Recordings, 3D animation company Mohawk Media and has a fortnightly slot on National Radio called 'Virtual World'.