This good is advice. I recently started a self-publishing company and published my first book (U's Guide To Managing Credit and Personal Finances). I was unemployed and broke at the time. My bank account was -$32.00, I had a computer that was given to me but no printer.
After my book (98 pages 6"x9") I got a quote from a printing company for 5,000 copies ($1.05 per copy). Being broke I borrowed $200 from a friend and used $175.00 to pay for a Press Release that read "Author giving away 5000 copies of his new book. In the PR it did state that there was a shipping and processing fee of $6.45 and the retail value was $14.50.
In less than 4 months I have filled over 7,600 orders, for a total of $41,000, and still counting. This has turned out to be a great way for me to finance my business.