I've written 12-15 short stories. One has been published in a small magazine and another has won honorable mention in a contest sponsored by Writer's Digest magazine. I would like to see my stories collected in book form, not necessarily to sell the book, but mainly to have my stories in a professional-looking book. What would be the best (in terms of cost and professional appearance) self-publishing place to bring my stories to in order to get them in book form? Thanks.

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you can take it to staples and they can help you with the binding information and ways to keep the pages from getting messed up. my friend had some anime he had translated and he went there and they helped him with everything. as for the cost i'm not sure because it probably would depend on how many pages and the size of it and how professionally you want it to be binded. hope that helps

Check this place out... it'll at least give you some ideas on what to look out for. http://www.samstownecenter.com/merchants/books_magazines/iuniverse.php

I know Amazon has a self-publishing method, but it costs at least a few hundred dollars. Have you at least tried writing a few agents to see if any of them would represent you? They can set you up with a publisher who can publish and distribute your book. It's worth trying.

Read the fine print carefully. Join a writer's group and ask questions. I have heard some horror stories about Publisher America and others. I know many people that use LuLu; they seem to be just fine but make sure you know what you're getting into. They may ask you to purchase a certain # of books. They will not help you bring them to bookstores; that's up to you. You will have to do your own marketing. They may promise to keep your book in a warehouse for 7 years but then don't. This situation just came up with a group member. Best wishes on your success-