Source: http://www.freearticles.co.za/writing/seven-ways-to-sabotage-your-self-publishing-success.html

he book business is a billion dollar industry; however grabbing your slice of the pie will require skills far beyond simply writing well and conveying your message clearly.

So, if you’re thinking about becoming a published author read this before you power up the PC and prepare to pen a masterpiece because there are a few (17 that I’ve found) landmines to watch out for on the road to self publishing success.

Following are seven of the primary reasons many authors fail. Is your book is positioned to fly or flop?

1. Publishing books with unprofessional covers. Despite of what your Mom might have told you, people DO judge books by their covers and if your cover does not look like it was professionally designed it won’t sell as many copies as you’d hope.

Take the time and do the research on a quality cover designer who will help you bring your book cover to life professionally and affordably.

Here’s a great way to get a surge of inspiration – even if you never intend to see your book in the bookstore – go to the section in the bookstore that you would find your book and get ideas from the covers that are already there. Jot down the titles and go online to see which of them are top sellers and then model their success for your book.

2. Printing in larger quantities then they have proven they will be able to sell. The book
business is more a marketing and promotion business than it is a publishing business. No matter how great your book might, you’ll face financial frustration if you blindly print 5000 copies on the “hope” that they’ll sell quickly.

Without advance marketing and pre-sales promotions it’s very easy to overestimate the initial quantity for your first order. So as soon as you have a quality cover designed you want to use that visual representation as way to promote your book, generate buzz and best of all gauge your first print run size.

3. Paying large amounts for services upfront to “save” money. Many first time authors believe that they will save money by printing a large quantity of books all at once. In fact, that is only partly true. If you print 5000 copies of your book to “save” $1.00 per copy on printing but only sell 1000 copies, you may be loosing more than you save if you haven’t factored in the additional money you need for marketing and promoting the remaining 4000 copies.

To keep your initial “savings” from actually costing you future sales, consider working with a Print-on-Demand printer that will allow you to purchase smaller quantity print runs. While it might seem like you’re paying more per copy the reality is you’re making a more financially sound business move.

4. Working without a coach or mentor. Information is great, but too much information can actually lead to inactivity. Have you ever been so blown away by a great idea that you didn’t know where to begin; so you did nothing? It happens to the best of us. That’s why most often it’s not more information that will lead to your success, but a structured plan and accountability to see it through.

Tiger Woods is arguably the world’s best golfer. He has broken records and sent golfers 20 years older packing. He’s focused and determined to win, and despite all of his success he still has a coach. His mentor isn’t necessarily a better golfer than he is, but a person who understands the game and can see things from a different vantage point to offer him tips, advice and coaching for maximum success.

5. Not testing a title before it’s printed. Often when we have a great idea we can become so attached that we loose objectivity. When I wrote my book, “Teen Money Tips: Simple Steps For Banking, Saving & Making Money” my original title idea was “Get In The Driver’s Seat: 7 Keys To Making The Most of Your Money” it was cute and cleaver but it didn’t give the reader an instant indication of what the book was actually about.

After testing the title with more than 50 potential purchasers in my target market the results were in overwhelming favor of “Teen Money Tips,” a title that I though was too boring. But I had to remember it didn’t matter what “I liked” if the intended audience wouldn’t buy it.

Boy, am I glad I listened because my market has rewarded me time and again with a steady stream of book sales!

6. Writing books they think people “should” read. The famous 12-step program operates on the sole belief that a person must first admit they have a problem before they will truly work towards recovery.

If your book addresses an issue that people “should” be concerned about, but that they don’t know about, don’t care about or are to afraid to take action on, then it might not be the best
investment of your time or resources to be the first one to write the book.

Writing for established markets that have proven to be willing to pay for information and a solution to their problem will enrich your life and theirs.

7. Waiting until the book is completed to market it. I’ll admit that writing a book can seem like a single focus task, and it should be at times. But authors must never loose sight of the fact that books are written to be sold. If no one knows about, or anticipates your book’s release, then your initial sales will be low and disappointing, making it difficult to cover the initial investment and even harder to play catch-up.

Movement encourages success, and very few things guarantee movement like having advanced marketing for your book. Book announcements, virtual book tours and bundled book bonus offers are just a few things that you can do in advance to market your book and boost your bottom line.

There are many other reasons that first time authors don’t reach their full potential. I’ve been there so I understand what it’s like to be long on enthusiasm and ideas, but lacking a full understanding of all the nuances to be successful as an author. That’s why I’m passionate about helping aspiring (and even previously published) authors write, publish and promote their way to self publishing success.

By avoiding the “Seven Ways To Sabotage Your Self Publishing Success,” you’ll experience the upside of self publishing.

About the Author:

Speaker and top selling author Sanyika Calloway Boyce, recommends Self-Publishing-Info.com as a great resource for coaches, consultants, speakers, authors or anyone who wants to write, publish and promote a book successfully.

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Source: http://www.bookcatcher.com/articles/how-to-self-publish-a-book-on-a-tiny-budget.php

Written by: by Bob Burnham

Can you make hundreds of thousands of dollars by starting with a small budget? If you’re writing and publishing a book you can. Self publishing is one of the best ways to make incredible profits and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to publish a very professional and impressive product. Read more to learn how to publish a book on a tiny budget.

We do not all have thousands of extra dollars to spend on book publishing. The good news is that self publishing is not for the rich, or at least it does not have to be. Folks on a budget can self publish too. Better yet, they can self publish with the same professional results.

Here are a few tips if you are working on a budget:

Find a partner. It does not have to be a partner that has the same passions or interests as you, though it helps. Finding a partner that specializes on something you do not specialize in is the key. For example, if you are great at marketing then partner with a writer. Conversely if you are great at writing, or comfortable with it, then find someone who excels in marketing. Publishing a book is all about the marketing.

However, you can also partner with a person to write the book, share the expenses, and share the profits. Many successful books are written by teams.

Finance the book. I do not mean go to the bank and get a loan, that is not necessary. Instead, once the book is written find relevant businesses to approach. Ask those business owners to pre-purchase your book in exchange for promotion in your book. For example, if you have written a book on how to choose the right computer for your business you could approach your local electronics store and make them an offer, in exchange for listing their company in your book as a great place to find their computers they will buy 100, 1000, or more copies of your book. Now you have money in the bank to pay for publication.

Another way to save money is to e-publish. Electronically publishing, offering your book as a PDF. An electronic book is called an e-book and offering your book this way is a great way to sell your book and to cover the costs of printed books.

Buying in bulk is always a great way to save money. If you are confident you can sell thousands of books and you have the space to safely store them, then have a large amount printed. It can literally save several dollars per printed book.

Hiring a book distributor can also help save money on fulfillment and distribution. Generally book distributors take a percentage of each sale so the cash out of pocket expense is very low, however you’re take is lower than if you had handled the distribution and fulfillment yourself.

One last option is to save money on the writing process, and time, by recruiting experts to write your book for you via contributions or interviews in exchange for publishing their contact information in your book and/or promoting them on your website.

There are many ways to make publishing a book more affordable. The key is to think outside the box and look for creative ways to partner with others to make it happen. Heck, I have known people who have managed to publish a book for free. Imagine that 100% return on your investment from the get go. If the will and the desire are there, there are definitely ways to make it happen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Burnham Entrepreneur, Consultant and # 1 Amazon Best Selling Author of “101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book”. For Information on How to Write and Publish your Own Book go to Expert Author - http://www.expertauthorpublishing.com. For YourFREE MP3 (Value $97.00) How To Make A 6 Figure Income Writing & Publishing Your Own Book Go To: Make Money Writing

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Source: http://www.adzines.com/Writing-Articles/WHY-YOU-SHOULD-SELFPUBLISH-YOUR-BOOK/59577

This one’s going to be hardcore and straight to the point, so be sure to read it over a few times to get the gist of it. It’s really simple and I am not asking for forgiveness if my tone is direct and to the point. The business of self-publishing your own book, IF you want to be a success, takes a strong head, a resilient personality and a lot of dedicated work – on your own, with you as the Director and Producer of the whole “project,” not to mention the guy or girl who wrote the book, the very words, that you are working on getting out into bookstores and e-readers worldwide.

I’m 41 years old and have been writing since I was in Junior High School in Scottsdale, AZ, where I mainly grew up back in the 1980’s.

My writing career all started with penning little stories about my numerous girl “friends” and I and the things we did when we all hung out way back in the 1980’s. Movies, video games, tennis, roller skating, going to the beach…I can’t even remember all that we did, but I do recall it all as being fun and enjoyable, as life should be. And since I found it so inspiring, I picked up a pen and put myself to sleep each night by writing the happenings of my days with those girl friends. That was 7th grade and while I didn’t know then what was inspiring me to write about the happenings of my life, I just went with it and rolled with the punches, often getting only a couple of hours sleep each night, as there was so much to put down on paper. Yes, it’s true, what I was writing may not have been publishing material, that is, of interest to others, but it was, I learned many years later, the basis, the very skeleton for what became my most adept trade – writing.

In high school, despite having a massive case of then-undiagnosed ADHD, I became an avid writer, so much so that to the point where my English class was the only class that offered me any kind of satisfaction or enjoyment whatsoever. It was in my Senior year, however, when my last English teacher died, that I lost my impetus for writing, as that teacher was the first one who ever gave me props for my literary skills, and when I found out he died and a substitute was going to take over for the remainder of the year, I just stopped coming to school altogether, with no thought of the consequences…a high-school dropout 3 weeks before graduation. I’m sure someone has written a story or ten about that subject before. But don’t worry, I took a correspondence course a few years later, in late 1991, got my HS diploma, and went on to attempt to be a university student.

Again, after a few months at UNLV, in the city of lights and sin – that’s Las Vegas for those of you who haven’t yet caught on – I dropped out of college to self publish my first book of poetry for the masses, “All Together Now.”

“All Together Now,” entitled under inspiration from a John Lennon song, was a very small book of poetry for children, put together to teach kids to use their heads and hearts versus guns and knives to solve their problems. And this was all pre-Columbine. And as self-publishing, in the minds of the masses, was still a rather “unknown” manner in which to publish a book at that time, I stuck out in the crowd, so to speak, and I was able to get interviews in the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper and to be featured on numerous TV and radio stations for “All Together Now” and to share my story of why I felt my little 5×8, 15 page book was of the utmost importance to the average American kid. The coverage I received was my first inspiration which proved to me that I had made a wise decision to self-publish my book and get it out virtually overnight, rather than wait on a bunch of suits in NYC to critique my book of poetry and decide, based solely upon their own opinions and/or egos, whether or not my book was qualified to be published and sold on the open market.

During the next few years, I wrote a few other books, while one in particular sticks out, especially since it was the reason, the final reason, that I will NEVER have a “publisher,” no matter how supposedly reputable or financially sound, publish any book I write.

Let me summarize – I was hired to write the fictionalized life story of a woman who was married to a famous pilot during the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was a total chick-book (nothing pejorative intended by that phrase, ladies, as we all know what genre I am referring to) and I used not only my writing skills to write this amazing book, but also my PR and marketing skills to get it placed for sale in every major airport bookstore in the USA and the UK.

The publisher who put the book out, that being the same lady who hired me to write the book, loved the money earned by the book so much that she kept it all for herself. Nearly $250,000 in gross sales, of which I was supposed to get 50%, and it all stayed in her bank account. It wasn’t until 3 years later, a major lawsuit, 5 days in jail for using the “F Word” in court due to the stress of a 3-year-long lawsuit, and me being nearly homeless, having lost everything I owned through selling it and pawning it to stay alive during the litigation just to keep shelter over my head, that she “settled” and I was paid a measly $10,000 and the case was done. I heard the remaining books all got thrown away and she died a few years later.

They say in life it’s often better to learn a lesson through someone else’s experience. On that note, I ask you to learn your lesson from my nightmarish mistakes which I have just shared with you. Trust is one thing. Contracts are another. However, ultimately, unless you hold ALL control over your writing project, YOUR BOOK, you hold no control whatsoever.

In summary, here are 5 reasons why you should self publish your own book, no matter what genre it is in -

1. Editing Control – You will and must have final control of the end work, the edited copy of the book wording itself. Too often, as it is known in author circles, a writer will write a book, but by the time it gets to the bookstore, it’s been passed along through so many editors, with their fancy degrees and self-righteous opinions, that the original manuscript written, with all the heart and soul of the author, is nothing like the final product. So, I ask, why on Earth would you want to write the “greatest American novel” just to have it torn apart by some six-figure editor who probably has never had her or his own book published themselves???!!! Of course you wouldn’t let that happen to yourself, silly, now would you???!!!

2. The Cover – Once the book is written, who better than YOU knows what the essence of the book is and who better than you can say how the meaning, or summary, of the book should be designed on the front cover? I say, no one but YOU can make this very important decision. Do some research on books that have sold millions of copies and see what strikes your eye for inspiration and NOT FOR COPYING, hire a graphic designer, such as one at the self-publishing book printer I exclusively use, Instant Publisher, who charge a nominal fee for this service, to make you, under your direct supervision, the greatest, most appealing cover you can imagine for your Magnum Opus!!!

3. Setting The Price – Who else but you can put monetary value on something you have written? It doesn’t matter whether the book is an autobiography, a family history, a piece of fiction, etc. It only matters what other books in the same genre, of similar quality and page count are selling for that should determine your book’s retail price. My best-selling book, “Kick It With Gusto! A Practical Guide To Living Through, Anxiety, Depression and Bipolar Disorder,” which sold about 10,000 copies, including printed, trade paperbacks and PDF downloads, was priced at $11.00 for the printed version and between $6.00 and $8.00 for the downloadable PDF version that people could read on their computers or print and read themselves while holding a stack of paper in their hands. I set this price after extensive research in the self-help/psychology book genre in which my book fell and found my pricing to be perfectly in line with what people were used to paying for a similar book. Please don’t think that I am forgetting about the Nook and other E-Readers…these days, you simply MUST do your research and find out what the e-reader publishing parameters are and make sure you have a version of your book that is e-friendly, both in terms of price and formatting.

4. Promotion – Even if you sign with a big, NYC publisher, and unless you are among the one-tenth of one-percent of publishers who are promoted at the cost of such a publisher, all those publishers are going to do for you is take your manuscript, cut it up to their standards, print it (all to their liking, not yours) and send them to distribution houses for minimal distribution – all this, and you may not even get an advance in actual dollars. If you want, as all of us authors do, the word to get out, for you to be able to do book signings, locally and/or nationally, for you to be on TV, radio and the Internet with stories of your book and why people should buy it, you need to do, at the very least, the following -

A. Make sure your cover stands out. Get yourself a great, affordable graphic designer, such as one at my book printer, Instant Publisher, or find one at a local graphic arts school and work BESIDE THEM to make your cover portray exactly what you want it to say.

B. Make sure your book is professionally edited. For that, you can go to a local community college and pay a new Masters in English or a stellar English student less than $250 to edit your whole manuscript. Most of them are dying for the chance to edit someone’s manuscript, anyone’s for that matter, so don’t rule yourself out there.

C. Purchase, for a nominal fee, lists of all the independent bookstores nationwide, available through companies online when you do the right keyword search or return to this website for this 12-week series on self-publishing tips and tales, and send out a custom-designed postcard offering your book to the bookstores directly. It’ll usually be a 60/40 split, you/them, but isn’t it better to get $6.60 on an $11.00 retail price rather than a buck or two IF your big, NYC publisher happens to put out the effort to get your book into bookstores? I say a big, fat YES!!! And if your book is in a particular genre, say, for instance, mental health, contact every mental health organization nationwide and start getting the word out on your book. Yes, do Amazon, you can’t actually lose money there, but there is so much more to do and so many great resources out there to help you get the word out on your book, from self-publishing guides put out by printing companies such as Instant Publisher to books you can find in your local bookstore, with me favoring the previous as it is always up-to-date and available at a moment’s notice by download at their website, not to mention, truly custom designed for writers like you and me, those who are new to the industry, as I was, and those who truly want to sell 50,000 copies of their book and not 50.

5. Working With Your Printer – The one thing that you simply have to get right when it comes to printing your book is your printer, in the world of self-publishing often referred to as “on-demand printers” or “short run printers.” I researched the Internet for weeks and weeks before I FINALLY found a printer that not only was able to print the small number of books I wanted to start with (500) at a very, very affordable price, but they also had the technical savvy and production equipment so that no sacrifice would be made on quality.

Having been in business for over 10 years now, my printer, Instant Publisher can not only print your book at a moment’s notice, but will guide you through all the steps necessary to turn your Microsoft Word Document, i.e. your manuscript, into a ready-to-sell trade paperback or hardcover book. Most “vanity” publishers, i.e. those whom you pay a fee to because they say they will print and promote your book and make you a bestseller, are just full of it. Instant Publisher is NOT a vanity publisher – they are a great, family-owned book printing and book marketing & promotion business who will do everything from print your book, design your cover, design and print your business cards, postcards, posters and bookmarks, and show you, hand-in-hand, how to market YOUR BOOK and actually sell copies to make a profit. They are, in fact, the owners of Photo Galley, THE PLACE to have your books of photographs published, to name just one of their amazing family-owned businesses in the Fundcraft Family of Companies, who will show you how to turn your dream, that being your book being sold online and offline, into a reality with you at the reigns the entire time.

These days, whether you are with a small publishing house or a big, NYC publisher, unless you are JK Rowling or Stephen King (who, coincidentally self-published his first book decades ago), it is YOU who is going to have to do 99.9% of all the promotion, marketing, book signing set-ups, etc. So, I ask, why let a publisher take your $11.00 potential bestseller, pay you a miniscule advance, if anything at all these days, cut your book into unrecognizable pieces and then have you end up having to do all the work for 10% of net sales? It makes no sense. With a printer like Instant Publisher, all you have to do is have the book typed, edited to your standards and put in PDF form and then upload it to their site, along with your cover art which, as noted above, they will assist you with, and Voila!, you have a book – You’re a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!!

You can print as few as 25 copies at a time with Instant Publisher, perhaps those that you will give out to friends, family and industry specialists in your field for endorsements as you prepare for a larger printing run, or as many as 10,000 at a time, once your book really gets rolling. So, I ask, when it comes to the validity of your book, the importance of it to you, the time, sweat, blood and tears you put into putting it together, doesn’t it make more sense to control the whole ship?

I say yes, yes to self-publishing and a big, fat YES to Instant Publisher, the finest on-demand, short-run book printer and simultaneously, most adept combination book printer/book promoter in our beautiful country. Their quality is the best. Their customer service can’t be beat. Their prices are super low, although they never skimp on quality. And when it comes to deadlines, the date people are expecting your book in their hands, Instant Publisher will deliver as promised. I have used them for over 8 years now and with three more books coming out next year, they are the only company I will ever involve in the printing and promotion process of the books I write.

Please follow my series on this website and other, similar websites, over the next 12 weeks, as you will see a “general” article like this one, transform into more articles which will be specific tips and advice, based on decades of experience as a self-published author, on how you, too, can make the book in your head a reality on paper in bookstores worldwide and on E-Readers worldwide…and, yes, you will make money at it, too, so that you can make, and then continue to make, authoring books the financial support for you and your family for the rest of your life.

As a side note, I offer consulting, for authors and businesses of all types, through my company, New Business Image, and can be contacted at the contact info below. You can learn more about the diverse consulting and marketing services my company offers New Business Image. We have worked with every size and type of business from a local Karate school to the largest bank in the U.S.A. And please remember, for your book needs, whether it be printing and/or help with promotion and marketing, even something as important as getting you your ISBN Number, http://www.InstantPublisher.com is THE WAY to go!!!

Here’s To Your Becoming A Bestselling Author!!!

Sincerely, Dave Sutz (My previous books and articles are written under Neal David Sutz)

480-330-8045 USA Smartphone

dave@newbusinessimage.com

http://www.NewBusinessImage.com

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Source: http://www.avidarticles.com/Article/A-Quick-Guide-To-Self-Publishing-Fiction-Works/527813

Written By: Pat Hutchinson

Every aspiring author who has struggled to have their work accepted by an agent or a publishing house – only to have collected enough rejection slips to paper a wall – turns to thoughts of self-publishing.

Harsh as it may seem, the onus of having to research on the steps and techniques in successfully publishing your own fiction would fall on you, the writer. But in any case, here are some tips – let’s start with POD, or print on demand, an up-and-coming alternative for writers who wish to have their works self-published.

You also need to do your own marketing if you’re publishing your own fiction. Knowing how can mean the difference in selling a few books as opposed to thousands. Your marketing needs to be as professional and flawless as possible.

Nobody wants to promote a book that is riddled with typographical errors or misspelled words, because they simply do not look professional, and the errors also make your work seem written for the sake of writing.

Depending on the genre of fiction you are writing, you can join online forums or discussion groups on the Internet. Be sure you search out these groups and become involved with them. This is a good way to make sure your finished product is as polished and professional as possible.

A signature is important whenever you send an email to someone online or respond to a bulletin board post. These files contain what you want other people to see when they read to the end of your email message.

The signature file can contain information about your work of fiction and where the reader can purchase it. This alone is a powerful advertising tool that can spread the word around really fast.

Print on demand works by printing and sending out the books only when there is a demand for them, thus saving you publishing and printing costs.

You could also pay a fee for vanity presses to print a certain number of books. After the printing, the author is free to market her fiction without the restrictive contracts required of mainstream publishing houses.

Once you’ve made a name for yourself self-publishing your books, then maybe you’re ready to go one step higher and enlist the help of those big publishing houses. It may be enough to rattle their cage and make them want to take a chance on you.

Article Source: http://www.avidarticles.com

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Source: http://www.10000articles.com/The-Bible-Of-Self-Publishing-46814.html

Any book that is in its 14th edition must be doing something right. Such is the case with author Dan Poynter`s, The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book.

Poynter, in addition to authoring The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book, has written more than 100 books, 50 monographs and over 500 magazine articles.

The latest edition of The Self-Publishing Manual is required reading for anyone contemplating self-publishing. Succinctly, it is a “soup to nuts” manual that takes you by the hand and reveals all of the intricacies that you must know about self-publishing.

Divided into twelve chapters, the book opens with what are the publishing choices available to authors. Poynter explores various possibilities- big publishing firms, medium size niche publishers, vanity or subsidy publishers, and finally self-publishing.It is the last one which much of the book revolves around, and where the author presents a very extensive overview of self-publishing.

Poynter acknowledges that self-publishing is where you will make more money, get to press sooner and keep control of your book. Although, as mentioned, “you will invest your time as well as your money, but the reward is greater. You will get it all.”

The author no doubt has done some rigorous research and every chapter is substantiated with invaluable information covering specific topics as: writing your book, starting your own publishing company, announcing your book, how to evaluate your book’s worth, promoting your book, targeting your market, advertising, moving your book out the door, electronic book publishing and promotion, and coping with being published or once you are published what do you do know.

At the back is a well- presented information section containing excellent resources for publishers, recommended reading, book production and promotion resource, a calendar to keep you on track while you go through the various phases from writing to completion, and a glossary.

Readers seeking to learn the hard facts about self-publishing do not need to go elsewhere-it is all wrapped up here in 430 pages that just about answers everything you want to know.However, as the author points out in his preface, there isn’t sufficient room in one manual to include everything. Consequently, as a compliment the book, the publishers, Para Publishing, have prepared several supplemental reports (called documents, special reports or instant reports) that are referred to throughout the book. These can be found on the author’s web site. Appendix 2 lists all of these resources.

Norm Goldman is the Editor of the Book Reviewing site, http://www.bookpleasures.com and the travel site, http://www.sketchandtravel.com

Norm is also a travel writer and together with his artist wife, Lily, them meld words with art focusing on romantic destinations.

You can view their articles and art work at http://www.sketchandtravel.com

Bookpleasures comprises over 25 international prestigious book reviewers who come from all walks of life. They review all genre.

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source: http://selfpublishingresources.com/11-self-publishing-strategies-for-success/

Written by: Sue Collier

As self-publishing continues to go mainstream and lose its stigma, more and more authors are taking the plunge and going indie. Success, however, is certainly not guaranteed. By following the tips below, you’ll avoid many of the pitfalls and enhance your chances of flourishing.

1. Educate yourself. Publishing is a business and needs to be treated as such. There are books, blogs, websites, and associations devoted to self-publishing. Failing to learn all you can about it can mean wasting thousands of dollars by blundering along without knowledge or a plan.

2. Study the competition. Be sure your topic hasn’t been overdone. Check the library, your local bookstore, and Amazon.com. But don’t stop there: Check Books in Print Subject Guide and Forthcoming Books in Print Subject Guide. Then make sure yours is better than what is already out there.

3. Write what other people want. Catering to one’s own personal desires often makes for a blah book nobody buys. Face the facts: Personal journals and impassioned tirades are best saved for family and friends, not foisted upon the general public.

4. Think “marketing” from the start. The time to start generating marketing ideas is before you even write the manuscript. Identify your market. How can you reach them? Start folders of ideas. What catalogs might be interested? Which associations reach your potential readers? Can you sell the book as a premium to companies that would give it away as a gift to entice new customers or use it internally for training? Think about who else reaches your potential customer and how you can partner with them. Do you have contacts who have national name recognition and might write an advance endorsement?

5. Get professional editing. You cannot edit your own work. You cannot.

6. Create a catchy title. The right title can make a book. Short is best. Clever is fine but don’t sacrifice clarity. Include a subtitle for nonfiction books as it gives you extra mileage in ensuring readers know what the book is about.

7. Include all the vital components. Depending on whether your book is paper or electronic, you may need an ISBN, LCCN, EAN scanning code, subject category on the back cover, the title displayed boldly on the spine, and so forth. Don’t know what you need? See item number 1 in this list!!

8. Have a dynamite cover. Get it designed by a professional who knows book cover design, not just someone who does nice logos or brochures. There is a lot of competition out there; this is your opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

9. Make the interior inviting. Study the insides of books that look clean and user-friendly; use these as your model. The production values of your book must meet the competition to be acceptable in the trade. It is not advisable to do your book layout in Word, so if you are not budgeting for the steep price tag and learning curve of a program such as InDesign, hire a pro.

10. Price properly. Books that are much more costly than the competition—or even sometimes a lot cheaper—can meet resistance. Figure out a per-unit cost that still offers you a margin for profit and enables you to offer booksellers a discount—and that keeps you in line with your competition.

11. Publicize, promote, publicize, promote. Eat, sleep, and talk your books. Ongoing, enthusiastic marketing is the real key to success. Never quit. Always be on the alert for new opportunities; marketing is forever and your efforts today can yield results way down the road.

(Portions of this post have been excerpted from the upcoming second edition of Jump Start Your Books Sales by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier, scheduled for release in late 2011.)

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source: http://www.go-publish-yourself.com/archive/articles/self-publishing/poynterd.php

By Dan Poynter

Many nonfiction book writers ask how to approach an agent or publisher. Today the question is when to approach them. Traditionally, writers had to decide between selling out and self-publishing. Their considerations were Often reduced to money, time and control.

Money. If your publisher prints 5000 copies, the book sells for $19.95 and your royalty is 6% of the cover price (12-14% of the net), your earnings will be less than $6000. If the book sells and goes back to press, you may do well.
Otherwise, it is not worth the many hours at the keyboard for $6000. According to Publishing for Profit by Tom Woll, most initial print runs are 5,000 copies.

In self-publishing, you invest the money but you do not have to share the net. You get it all.

The Publisher is the person or company that invests in the book.

Speed. It takes a large publisher 18 months to move a book through its system of production and distribution. From the time you deliver the manuscript, it will take a year and a half before books are on the shelves in the stores.

You can have a book printed in 2-5 weeks. You must consider: Do you want to wait an eternity to get paid? Will your information expire in 18 months? Will someone else beat you to the market with the same information? Do you want to let a publisher delay the publication of your book?

18 months? You can make a baby faster than that!

Control. Some of the larger publishers have surrendered to their bean counters. Many of their books are on pulp paper, the margins are narrow and the type is small. Your publisher may leave out some of your illustrations to save money.

As the (self) publisher, you can design the book to convey your information to your reader in the best-possible way.

A poorly-produced book lacks credibility.
People won’t buy the book and will never be exposed to the message.

Covering your bases. Today, with the computer and digital printing, it is possible to approach publishers and publish yourself. You can print 500 copies very reasonably (144 pages, 5.25 x 8.25, soft cover for $1,500). Then you can send the (example) book to agents and publishers.

Those who circulate a proposal, query letter or manuscript
are treated like a writer.
Those with a book are treated like an author.

You will also send copies of your book to magazines for review, to book clubs for adoption and to foreign publishers for translation and publication.

Self-Published Books that were “Discovered” by Publishers

- In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters. Over 25,000 copies were sold directly to consumers in its first year. Then it was sold to Warner and the publisher sold 10 million more.

- The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. His manuscript made the rounds of the mainstream houses and then he decided to publish himself. He started by selling copies out of the trunk of his Honda—over 100,000 of them. He subsequently sold out to Warner Books for $800,000. Over 5.5 million copies have been sold.

- The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson sold over 20,000 copies locally before they sold out to William Morrow. It has now sold over 12-million copies since 1982 and is in 25 languages.

- The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer was selfpublished in 1931 as a project of the First Unitarian Women’s Alliance in St. Louis. Today Scribners sells more than 100,000 copies each year.

- What Color is Your Parachute by Episcopal clergymen Richard Nelson Bolles. It is now published by Ten Speed Press.

- Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts sold 486,000 copies before selling out to Warner Books.

Self-Publisher Overcame Rejection

He was a 34-year old advertising executive in Salt Lake City. He had two daughters, age six and four. He loved them very much—he told them so every day. But he wanted to express his love more permanently.

So, every night after he and his wife put the two girls to bed, he sat in the kitchen and wrote. After six week, he had completed 87 pages. He took them to a copy shop and reproduced 20 copies for family and friends.

They read his work and passed it on. After three weeks, 160 people had read his work. He was even contacted by a bookstore—they had customers asking for the “book”.

Encouraged, he approached some publishers—and, of course, he was turned down. Not to be discouraged, he scraped together $5,000 and printed 9,000 copies. Then 19,000 more. By the end of the year, he had sold
over 250,000 copies.

And then, the publishers came looking for him! Simon & Schuster offered him $4.2 million—and he took it.

That was Richard Paul Evans and the book was The Christmas Box. It hit the top of the Publishers Weekly bestseller list and was translated into 13 Languages.

I teased him with “Rick, you were doing so well selfpublishing and you sold out. Well, we all have our price. Your price is $4.2 million. (I suspect my price is a bit lower).”

Authors and promotion. Some authors do not want to publicly flog their books. You may be looking forward to the day when your work is recognized and you won’t have to promote it. You may wish to be a celebrity and above all this crass commercialism. Be advised that Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes) spends some six months each year making appearances on behalf of his books. He is a best-selling author because he promotes his books.

Whether you sell out to a (NY) publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion. Publishers do not promote books. They have the books manufactured and they place them in bookstores. It is up to you to let potential buyers know your book is available.

There are four stages in the life of a book: writing, publishing, distributing and promoting. Giving birth to a book is like bringing a child into the world—you have an obligation to raise it. Fortunately, the book is not a twenty-year commitment and you do not have to send it to college. But, you do have to promote it.

You will write and promote your book and your publisher will produce and distribute it. You can deal with typesetters, printers and distributors yourself to get your finished book into the stores. You might as well self-publish.

Publishing increases the value. No one can be an expert in every book—some 100,000 titles are published each year. Everyone specializes or, at least, has a track record with certain categories of books. If you are turned down by an agent or publisher, that is not a reflection on the ability of the writer or the quality of the work. That agent or publisher just does not get it. With this New Model, if industry people fail to recognize the need and market for your book, it does not matter because your book is launched. It is out for review, it is be considered by book clubs and evaluated foreign publishers. If an agent or publisher “discovers” your book after you have proven it in the market, it is now worth more. For examples, see the sidebars.

This New Book Model is the best approach for you, your book and your writing future. Send your finished book to agents and publishers. Do not send a proposal, query letter or manuscript. Don’t let the agents and publishers hold you back.
_____________________________________________________________
Writing periodicals:

Dan Poynter does not want you to die with a book still inside you. You have the ingredients and he has your recipe. Dan has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-Publishing Manual. For more help on book writing, see http://ParaPub.com.
© 2003

or

Book Publishing periodicals:

Dan Poynter, the Voice of Self-Publishing, has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-Publishing Manual. Dan is a past vice-president of the Publishers Marketing Association. For more help on book publishing and promoting, see http://ParaPub.com.
© 2003

or

Professional Speaking periodicals:

Dan Poynter has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-Publishing Manual. He is past-chair of NSA’s Writer- Publisher PEG and the founder of the PEG newsletter. For more help on book writing, publishing and promoting, see http://ParaPublishing.com.
© 2003

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source: http://selfpublishingresources.com/don%E2%80%99t-make-these-7-self-publishing-mistakes/

Written by: Sue Collier

There is a lot of information available on self-publishing today—there are blogs, books, and groups galore where authors can learn the ropes. Unfortunately, I still run in to authors who have made costly mistakes with their projects—blunders that could have been avoided.

Here are some of the most common:

1. Setting unrealistic goals. In spite of recent success stories in the news, you probably won’t become rich from your publishing venture. And you probably won’t sell a million copies of your book. Keep in mind that a book that sells 10,000 copies—whether self- or traditionally published—is generally considered to be a “success.” Another thing is that too many authors also believe that just putting their work out there is somehow going to result in sales, so they neglect putting together a marketing and promotions plan—which leads to the next item on the list.

2. Failing to think about marketing before the book is published. This is a biggie. I know that writing a book is no easy task, and authors tend to get caught up in the process before thinking of the next step, which is ensuring your book reaches your audience. I frequently speak with authors who have had their books out for months and have generated few sales. When I ask what they’ve been doing in terms of marketing, I often get a vague response. Or I have authors call me in September, asking to help them plan a promotions plan for the upcoming holiday season (which they should have started long before fall). It’s never too early to think about promoting your book and building your author platform. You’ll definitely want to have a plan in place well before the book’s publication date.

3. Not knowing your audience. Perhaps your book does have wide appeal, but not “everyone” is going to read it—even if you think they should. Also, consider your competition: Does your book offer something new and unique to potential readers?

4. Going the vanity press route and thinking you’ve self-published. If you pay a publisher to publish your book, and that publisher uses its own ISBN on your book, you have not self-published. And chances are, if you’ve got a vanity (or subsidy) publisher imprint on your book, reviewers won’t give it the time of day. Although the stigma is diminishing for true self-publishing (you purchase your own ISBN prefix under your own publishing company name and assign a number to your book), it still exists for vanity and subsidy publishing because editing is often nonexistent and interior and exterior designs are usually templates that look substandard. So if you hire a “self-publishing service,” make sure the end result is a well-done book that is truly self-published—by you.

5. Thinking you can do it all yourself. You can—but the end result will likely be an amateurish book that is riddled with errors. Even the best writers need good editors. And unless you are a book design professional, you want a pro to design your interior and exterior so they don’t scream “self-published.” Too many times I see authors in writers groups who post a book cover designed by themselves or a family member—and they almost always look it. Surround yourself with professionals who can help ensure your book reads well and looks good. (Get recommendations for professionals from other self-published authors whose books you like.)

6. Being stingy with review copies. Reviews are an essential part of any book promotions plan, so budget the cost of review copies in your original promo plan. I have worked with authors who were opposed to sending out “free” copies of their book—and the number of reviews they received suffered for it. It’s not unusual to hear some successful authors reveal they sent out a hundred or more review copies.

7. Not looking at self-publishing as a business. Once you’ve decided to self-publish, you are no longer just an author; you are also a business owner. And just as a commercial publisher looks upon any new book as an investment of its resources, so too do you.

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source: http://www.go-publish-yourself.com/archive/articles/self-publishing/nicholast.php

By Ted Nicholas

Today’s topic is about two little-known action tips that will help you succeed in the world’s most ideal business.

I know there is huge worldwide interest in what constitutes an ideal business.

How?

When I first wrote about this subject in my news-letter in the early nineties, I received more feedback on it than any other topic.

What constitutes the ideal business?

1. Enjoys low overhead.

2. Products can be sold throughout the world.

3. Is portable-can easily be moved and operated anywhere in the world.

4. Requires little capital or major investment in equipment.

5. Enjoys high profit margins.

6. Has minimal labor requirements. Can be operated with few or no employees.

7. Can be operated from home.

8. Is relatively free of government regulation and control.

9. Is highly respected in the business community.

10. Sells on a cash basis instead of offering extended credit.

11. Competitors cannot duplicate. Creation of product is legally protected.

12. Is fun for you while satisfying your intellectual needs.

13. Helps make the world a better place.

Self-publishing best meets the above criteria for the ideal business.

Tip: Publishing unique, helpful information can be an unbeatable marketing tool. Further in this issue I’ll show you how to use it successfully for any business.

Let’s briefly look at what self-publishers and conventional publishers typically do when they decide to market a book or special report.

1. The book is written, taking up to two years of effort. Little or no thought is given to the marketing process.

2. The title is decided by some editor often over lunch in less than 20 minutes.

3. The book is published. Absolutely nothing happens. This has been called “the calm before the calm.”

The book never sells out its first printing. (This is the fate of more than 96% of all books published. Is it any wonder!)

Here are the two most important actions I always take. I recommend both as an indispensable part of your action plan.

1. Write an ad to sell the book before a single word is written.

Tip: The result is the eventual book will have the best chance to do what it should–serve the readers’ self-interest. (Most books are incredibly dull and boring and are an ego trip for the author.)

Plus, of course, you can use the ad to market the book.

More than 90% of your time as a self-publisher must be spent on marketing. For my book HOW TO FORM YOUR OWN CORPORATION WITHOUT A LAWYER FOR UNDER $75, I’ve written more than 120,000 words of advertising copy. The book has just 32,000 words in it. Sales are nearly 2,000,000 copies to date. The reason for all the success is not the book itself, but all the marketing.

As Tom Watson, the late founder of IBM, said so well, “Nothing happens until a sale is made.”

2. Create a great book title. A book title is actually a headline for the book. It’s crucially important. When I create a book title, I write a huge number of potential titles. For my books HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK AND SELL A MILLION COPIES, MAGIC WORDS THAT BRING YOU RICHES, and HOW TO TURN WORDS INTO MONEY, I wrote over 120 titles for each before choosing the final one for each of these best sellers.

Best-selling authors like Harvey Mackay, author of “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” and “Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt,” invest about $60,000 in fees for an expert to create each title for their books. They know how important it is.

Tip: Here is a business-building blockbuster.
Regardless of the business in which you are engaged, whether you market online or offline, you can use books and special reports as free bonuses to build your sales. Here are some examples of businesses and the type of material they could publish that could dramatically boost their business.

Real Estate Developer:
“Seven Easy, Low-Cost Tips Which Will Increase The Value of Your Property”

Plumber:
“How to Stop Leaking Faucets Yourself in Less Than 60 Seconds”

Architect:
“How to Build The Beautiful Home of Your Dreams Below Budget”

Restaurant:
“How to Prepare Ten Terrific Gourmet Meals in Less Than 20 Minutes”

Vitamin Distributor:
“Maximum Health Secrets On a Minimum Budget”

Tip: Your information should be written in such a way that it is (A) immediately useful to the reader, and (B) you do not directly benefit in any way.

What you are seeking is a special feeling of reciprocation on the part of the reader: “I got so much out of this special report, when I think about possibly availing myself of your type of product or service, I will think about you first.”

The result in increased sales will delight and astonish you.

Stay tuned for more tips on self-publishing success.

Warm regards,

Ted Nicholas
www.tednicholas.com

P.S. To get information or obtain a copy of my best-selling book HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK AND SELL A MILLION COPIES, click here.

P.P.S. “The secret to success, in life and in business, is to work hard at the margin. Relentlessly. It’s as powerful as compound interest, the eighth wonder of the world. Those little marginal extra efforts will inevitably grow into something big.”
–Bill Bonner

Little things mean a lot.

“God is in the details.”

Copyright 2003 Nicholas Direct, Inc.

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Why self-publishing in e-book format is better today

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Today, more than ever before authors are presented with publishing opportunities that have never existed before. This is not to understate the hard work that authors have to go through to get recognition, write great books, and make a full time living from their passion of expression. However, it is to say that today, due to advances in communications technology, authors can now get their books distributed much easier than they could a decade ago. One very popular way that authors are distributing their work is digitally through ebooks. Digital books are gaining so much popularity that even some of the most popular authors in the world have used it to distribute their books. Stephen King for example published “Riding the Bullet” exclusively in ebook format. When this ebook began distribution over Barns and Nobel and A om there was so much demand for the download that the servers of these two book giants slowed down almost to a halt. People that wanted to download the ebook were put in a large queue with the hundreds of thousands of other who downloaded the ebook as well.

It’s not only big name authors that are finding success in ebooks. Many of these people are first time authors and are often amazed with the success of their ebook sales. Below are some of their ebook writing tips.

Don’t underestimate the power of the Ebook

Ebooks are still looked upon as unpopular by many authors who have not yet taken the time to learn about the success within this industry. For example, while the traditional publishing industry growing at the sluggish rate of 5% a year the digital publishing industry is growing at rates between 30% -50%. This means that the opportunities within the publishing industry are growing at a fraction of the rate that opportunities within the digital publishing industry are growing.

To set up an ebook you don’t need to be a tech wizard

Setting up your ebook from the idea conceptualization stage to the selling stage can’t be completed overnight but it is definitely something that can be done by anyone regardless of your technological background. If you can use a word processor then you can create and sell an ebook online. While it is recommended you set up your own website, it is not necessary. There are outlets such as om, EBay and L om to name only a few sites that allow you to post your ebook on their servers.

Setting up an Ebook site is virtually costless and you keep 100% of the profits

With traditional publishers you’ll be lucky to see 10% of the profits from your book. With ebooks however, you keep 100% of the profits minus the fees required to set up the site which are minimal. Here is the fee breakdown for ebooks vs traditional books:

Ebook vs Book cost
Ebook = Free to create an unlimited number of copies
Book = approximately $1500 for 200 copies of a 200 page soft cover book
Rights and profit
Ebook = You keep 100% of the profits and rights to your ebooks
Book = You get 10-40% royalty (usually about $2-$5/ book)

With the above examples it is easy to see that for first time authors ebooks make a lot of sense. The risk associated with publishing an ebook is much lower than it is with distributing a soft or hard cover book. Likewise, as an ebook author you’ll keep virtually all of your own profits.

If nothing else, it is something worth consideration. Ebooks may not replace traditional paperback books, but they certainly are gaining popularity at a rate that should make all authors stop to think about how they could use ebooks to their advantage.

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