An Unplanned Home Business Success
By Home Business Magazine

Never for a moment did Marcus Meleton, an engineer, aspire to become a book publisher. Yet according to him, his home-based publishing company, Sharkbait Press, has achieved national recognition and exposure that he says was all forced upon him.

All that Marcus wanted was for a publisher to publish his work. Marcus likes to write satire, but was unable to get anything published, whether it be a magazine article or a book. His favorite work was a satirical book on dating. For almost a year he queried publishers. The result, disappointingly, was over two dozen rejections by national publishers. But Marcus was obsessed about getting the book published, and with that obsession came resolve.

For rejected writers, self-publishing is the last option. It takes a lot of work, risk and money. Marcus began to read books and attended conferences on self-publishing. He knew that rejection from two dozen publishers did not mean his book was unworthy. The formation of Sharkbait Press proved just that.
Sharkbait Press was formed as a sole-proprietorship. Marcus shopped out editing and illustrations, and he hired a typesetter to prepare his book for print. Going to print was just a bidding process based on quantity, style and size. He chose a book title to grab attention when marketing the book.
What transpired even surprised Marcus. His first book was covered by USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and more. Marcus appeared on television shows such as Geraldo, Montel, and Leeza, and he conducted almost a thousand radio interviews across seven countries. Rights to publish a Greek version were purchased. The book ultimately sold out of three printings and 35,000 copies, and Sharkbait Press just reissued a new edition. Now carried by bookstores, specialty stores, Amazon, and his web site (www.Sharkbaitpress.com), Sharkbait Press now has five active books on the market.
All of this was accomplished through Marcus’s little, one-man home-based business. Says Marcus, “There are always “experts” who will tell you your product or idea is not marketable. The question is, do you have the obsession that will make you do it anyway?” Marcus Meleton did, and you can see that in print. Visit www.sharkbaitpress.com , email mm@sharkbaitpress.com or call
949-413-3052. HBM

Previously published on page 58 in the December 2009 issue of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, an international publication for the growing and dynamic home-based market. Available on newsstands, in bookstores and chain stores, and via subscriptions ($19.00 for 1 year, six issues). Visit www.homebusinessmag.com

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