How to self-publish a novel

If you want to see a big part of the future of book publishing, go to www.jodymeacham.com.

It's the Web site for Through the Heart of the South, a new self-published coming-of-age novel about a white high school lad buffeted by the civil rights movement, with a background of Dixie railroading.

The author is Jody Meacham, a North Carolina native, onetime Seaboard Coast Line brakeman and recovering California sportswriter. He has a commercially published book -- Skating for Dummies, with Kristi Yamaguchi -- under his belt as well as the skills and smarts to make a private venture work.

The first two chapters of the novel are free on the web site for the downloading, in .pdf format, and their vivid prose impelled me to order a $8 e-book (there is a link to Amazon.com) to read on my Kindle. The novel also comes in ePub format at the same price for the Nook (with a link to barnesandnoble.com) and a $16 print-on-demand trade paperback.

The Web site is attractively designed, with sections offering a Q-and-A with the author and the historical background of the novel.

I learned about this book on railforum.com, a Web site devoted to one of my pastimes, railroads and train travel. There, using the nom de web "Doodlebug," Meacham posted a message about the book. Targeting niche interests on the Internet is potentially an effective way for a self-published novelist to promote his wares, and you will be seeing more of this kind of thing in years to come.

In a week I'm taking Amtrak's Capitol Limited to Washington. Guess what I'll be reading aboard the train?