Simple. It means that there is no outside, commercial publisher, like Random House or hundreds of others. How come?

   It can take a long time to find such a publisher. At 75, I didn’t want to try that. I wanted to get this book written and published while everything was fresh in my mind, and I wanted the book’s contents, especially its many pages of how-to information, to be as helpful to you as possible and not out of date.

   And I had to be realistic. Maybe my long search would not have found a publisher with the vision to undertake my book. So self-publishing made sense for me. After all, I’ve had a lifetime of experience in interviewing, reporting and writing. And I have the means to bring the book to life.

   My book has a further characteristic. Rather unusual, I think. Most books have just one name on them, of course. The author’s name. But most involve a whole team behind the scenes. Are you aware of that? An agent. A publisher. Sometimes a ghost writer. Notice how often the cover says, "By so and so, with so and so." Or "By so and so, as told to so and so." Or "With the assistance of so and so." And sometimes, I suspect, many ghosts stay in hiding, so we never learn their name.

   The team often includes a copy editor to fix the grammar and patch up the prose. A book designer to make it all look good. A typesetter. Maybe a photographer and a researcher and an indexer and a marketing consultant. At times a whole advertising agency! Plus more consultants.

   I call this "book publishing by committee." Too often the author doesn't have much of a say in the final product. Can't choose the title! May be told to chop out 15,000 words!

   My book has been a solo enterprise. I wrote it …every word, in the memoir section, then in my "BackPack" section of tips and cautions, even the aphorisms. I edited it, designed it, chose Infinity, the publishing-services company to do the printing and other routine stuff. I am the publisher.

   I took hundreds of pictures, turning the camera over to someone else only at rare moments when I felt I should be in a picture. I designed and created the map, prepared the table of contents and the "BackPack" index and the other helpful features. The front and back covers are my concepts, with my words. I chose the ink colors.

   As I labored at this day after day, I felt once or twice I had turned back the clock to olden times. You know, to those days when a man out on the frontier would build his house, I mean his whole house, starting by clearing his lot and cutting his trees into the lumber he needed.

   I am pleased to say that my dear daughter, Monique, helped with proofreading. My eyes have lost some of their sharpness. And my artist friend and neighbor, Jane Manning, made some inspired suggestions when she saw my front and back covers.

   Jane drew my little BackPack graphic at my kitchen table as we were having coffee one morning, and then took my suggestion and stuck the happy waving arm in my Airliner graphic, which I like so much and have used often. Several people honed my computer skills and more than once took me by the hand to lead me through that nightmarish mega maze.

   Keystroke by keystroke, I created the master digital fine required for the printing – a single, monstrous computer file for the entire book. What a job! Infinity converted that file into the fine book that has pleased me enormously. I conferred with them, of course, particularly sharp Mark Gregory and efficient and caring Caryn Mihaly. Good people!

   But in a nutshell, I have done the big job myself, from A to Z. Including all the financing. I am handling the PR and the marketing. These can be as challenging and time-consuming as the writing and the editing.

   What this self-publishing also means, of course, is that any mistakes or deficiencies or omissions are my fault alone. If you see errors or shortcomings, please bring them to my attention, please. Mea culpa.

   Many writers have published their own books very successfully, including many who went on to fame and fortune. But many have flopped.

   We’ll see.

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