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.)

Related Posts
Approaching Agents & Publishers while Self-Publishing
Don’t make these 7 self-publishing mistakes

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

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

Related Posts
10 Things to Consider Before Self-Publishing
Zero Cost Self Publishing and How to Get It

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/publishing-articles/typecast-how-book-marketing-can-make-or-break-a-self-published-book-5496359.html

Written by: K. Leeds

It is often said that self-publication should be a last resort. Many will tell you that self-published books go nowhere; that self-published books are for desperate authors of weak books, and that self-publication is feeble attempt to become a legitimate author. Do not believe it. The bane of good literature is NOT self-publication; it is a lack of proper book marketing. If no one knows about your self-published book, no one will buy it, regardless of who puts it out in print!

What is this book marketing of which you speak?

Simply put, book marketing is a set of specific strategies employed to raise awareness of your book. With proper marketing, you can sell anything. This holds just as true for self-published books. Set up events, network, talk to bookstore owners and bibliophiles. You are your own book marketing dynamo. Don’t let anyone tell you that you won’t succeed just because you’ve self-published books.

How much is this going to cost me?

That depends. You can do your own book marketing, or you can hire a professional book marketing campaign group to take the ball and run with it while you self-publish more books. Nearly every publicist you check out will give you a different quote and itemized list for their services, and of course, it depends on the content and page count of your self-published book. Every book marketing campaign is different because every book is different.

I advertise extensively, what’s the difference?

A book marketing campaign is very different than advertising. With advertising, you pay for your information to get noticed by readers. You govern how that information is distributed, and to whom. With book marketing, no one knows what media entities will respond, how they will react to your self-published book, or whether or not they will even cover you. There are no guarantees. Book marketing and publicity of your self-published book is wholly dependent upon the interest of the public in your work. Greater public response equals greater publicity. Media coverage equates to credibility; anyone can pay for an ad, but when an editor or producer takes interest, it gives an author instant credibility.

Important note:

It is still much more difficult to generate buzz and interest about a self-published book than one through a publishing house, but difficult doesn’t mean impossible. The biggest key to your success is you. If your self-published book has merit, intriguing subject matter, high readability, and a new, bold flavor, you are much more likely to be successful. You will get out of any book marketing campaign only what you put into it. Dedicate yourself to your work as much as you believe in it, and you will be a successful self-published author.

Related Posts
New Year�s Resolutions for Marketing Your Book: Say Yes to New Things
Self Published Books and Authors are Gaining Credibility and Popularity Through Book Marketing

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

Source: http://www.go-publish-yourself.com/archive/articles/book-marketing/rossm2.php

Written by: Marilyn and Tom Ross

Want to move into the big time? Many creative small presses and self-publishers are discovering a practical path for penetrating bigger “establishment” trade houses. They bring out a quality book, market it successfully, then allow a trade publisher to buy the rights. While this sounds patently simple, it isn’t. But it does often work. How do you accomplish such a victory?

Your best ammunition is a good, well-focused book. By good we mean one that has been meticulously edited and attractively crafted. Is the cover striking and clear? Has the interior designer laid out the book so it is appealing to the eye and simple to use? A well-focused book meets a specific need and is distinguishable from similar titles in one or more distinct ways. Outflank the competition by making your book more complete, more useful, or more unique.

Now that you have a quality product, go on the offensive and sell the heck out of it! Tap into every possibility for free PR—get reviews and author interviews—cultivate that all-important word-of-mouth. Place ads in specially targeted media and, if your book retails for $25 or more, consider launching a consumer direct mail campaign. Seek every opportunity to develop momentum for your title.

What does it take to interest a large trade publisher or an aggressive mid-sized house? An impressive print package and a strong sales track record. When you have that delightful duo you’re bargaining from a position of power. You’re offering a proven product; the risks have already been taken.

Research to determine who publishes your kind of book. First, look in Literary Market Place under “Book Publishers.” There is an index at the end of the section telling who publishes in what genre. Writer’s Market also has a very useful subject cross index. Second, call and get the name and correct spelling of the appropriate current editor. Next, request their current catalog. (Many will have toll-free ordering numbers you can use.) Now study the catalogs. Look for books with similar subject matter. Often you can show how your book will complement another title on their list. Or perhaps you’ll detect an obvious void you title would fill.

Now go to a large bookstore and carefully explore your subject area. Again, tune into relevant titles. The reason we succeeded in selling our Big Marketing Ideas for Small Service Businesses to Dow Jones-Irwin was because we saw their Service America while doing homework at Denver’s Tattered Cover Bookstore. We suggested our book be positioned with it.

Now develop a proposal with pizzazz. Tell how the book meets a present need and why it is different. Give them your sales figures. Include copies of reviews, large purchase orders, and newspaper interviews. This is what we did to sell Writer’s Digest Books the rights to our Complete Guide to Self-Publishing.

When negotiating a contract, you may find it makes sense to bargain in person rather than just by mail, email, and phone. This allows you to “read” the other person better, and more quickly consummate a deal. Otherwise, contracts usually go back and forth several times. Sometimes they even falter and collapse. We feel sure the five-figure advance we negotiated for one of our books would have been considerably smaller had we depended on a less personal form of communication.

The negotiation process should be a win/win proposition. Think about what you would like to have—and what you must have. But be willing to compromise. There is no way around it: Publishers Row has some sacred cows. They aren’t going to alter their position on certain issues for you or anyone else. Be reasonable in your expectations, but firm in explaining what you must have.

The success stories using this springboard technique could go on and on. Last year Putnam came out with Breaking into the Boardroom, a book we helped a client privately publish in 1986 and for which St. Martins ultimately bought the paperback rights. What Color is Your Parachute, How to Avoid Probate, and The Elements of Style are other classic examples of self-published works that zoomed to stardom. So if you want to fatten your wallet, consider pursuing a trade publisher to pick up the rights to your proven product.

.

© Copyright 2004 Marilyn and Tom Ross

.

Marilyn and Tom Ross are the coauthors of 13 books including the best-selling Complete Guide to Self-Publishing and the award-winning Jump Start Your Book Sales. Through phone consultations and ongoing coaching/mentoring, Marilyn empowers authors and self-publishers to realize their dreams. She can be reached at 719-395-8659 or Marilyn@MarilynRoss.com. Visit http://www.SelfPublishingResources.com and sign up for their FREE monthly ezine on how to make more money selling books—plus get your FREE downloadable copy of “15 Smart Strategies for Self-Publishing Success.” Order books by calling 800-331-8355.

Related Posts
Is Your Book Selling Well?
Extend Your Books Life With a Sales Letter

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

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.

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

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

Love digital? We’ve finally created an online bookshelf exclusive for e-books!

The e-Bookshelf enables self-published authors to their e-books that feature a thumbnail image of their book’s cover, publishing details, a 25-word advertising blurb, and a link to an online bookstore where their book is being sold.

Submit your book advertisements now! Log on to http://www.bookwhirl.com/e-Bookshelf/

Sincerely,

BookWhirl.com | You have the book…We have the marketing resources.

Related Posts
Helpful Ideas In Marketing Your Niche E-Books
E-Book Publishing Standards

Bookmark and Share:

Summary: BookWhirl.com launches a bookshelf service exclusive for e-books.

GREEN BAY, WI (06/28/11) – As part of the company’s current move on innovation and development, BookWhirl.com launches its e-Bookshelf today. After the launching of the company’s e-Book Conversion service just last week, they have unveiled another e-book publication service. Self-published authors who are interested in boosting their e-book sales online can now do business with BookWhirl.com’s e-Bookshelf.

BookWhirl.com created the e-Bookshelf to provide more options to self-published authors who are into e-book publishing. The newest online e-bookstore features the simplest yet staple system for an online bookstore. The e-Bookshelf also has an easy sales system tracker that enables authors to keep track with their progress like a walk in the park.

“One year ago, e-book publishing was just a part of our vision. Now, everything is already happening. Our visions are slowly but surely coming into reality. BookWhirl.com is proud to announce the birth of e-Bookshelf, our latest offering in providing self-published authors the best possible business solutions. And with our success, we are grateful to our employees in every essential department who have worked hard for us to finally bring our ideas to life. We have every reason to celebrate,” concludes Johnny Chu, CEO of BookWhirl.com.

For more details about BookWhirl.com and its book marketing services, visit the company’s official website http://www.BookWhirl.com. You may also channel your inquiries through email at Info@BookWhirl.com.

About BookWhirl.com

BookWhirl.com is an online book marketing service company, specializing in providing low-cost, high-quality marketing services for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books. Through its unique, inexpensive book marketing services, BookWhirl.com helps authors promote their published works more effectively and connect to readers in a more effective, more efficient system. BookWhirl.com employs an experienced team of online marketing strategists, ad copywriters, graphic artists, and web designers, whose combined talents ensure an effective online marketing campaign at easily affordable rates.

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

Source: http://adzines.com/Book-Marketing-Articles/Book-Publishing-Without-Pain/6459

When I meet an author with a great book concept, one who’s definitely the right person to write that book, right away I’ll often encourage her to self-publish. This is because I know that, if that author is thoroughly invested in what she has to say, and if she is determined to create a buzz about her message, she’ll discover

5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-publishing

1. Control. When you enter into a contract with a major publishing house, you’re signing an exclusive agreement that prevents your having input into most of the important decisions that will affect your book’s perception by the public, and its sales. You’ll have very little say about the look and feel of your book cover, the endorsements that appear on the back of your book, or the wording of your press release, for example. And since all of the above elements are critical to giving your book its best chance for bestseller status, such loss of control can pose significant problems. “But don’t publishers know better than I what to do to sell a book?” you may ask. Not necessarily. Authors usually know more about their book’s subject-and hence, about their target audience (market)-than anyone else. Hey, they wrote the book!

More food for thought about signing with a major publishing house: If for some reason your book doesn’t sell quickly and the publisher lets it go out of print, there’s often a “waiting period” before the author is allowed to self-publish the book to get it back on the shelves. In the meantime, the reading public sees that your book is “out of print” and a great deal of word-of-mouth damage is done. Self-publishing means that you are at the helm of your book project. Of course, it also means that the responsibility for its success rests in your hands. But when you believe in your message and know that you’re going to do everything in your power to get that message out to your target audience, isn’t it a good feeling to know that you’re the one driving its success in the marketplace?

I suggest a balance of control and delegation. The right publishing ally can coach you through the process of writing and editing your book, and will also advise you to design and market your message in a way that gets optimum results. Your publishing ally may be a book editor, a publishing consultant, a published author, or all three. If she’s worth her salt, though, she’ll know what it will take to get your book published, and she’ll know how to help you make it happen. Reputable help can be found in Literary Market Place (online or in your local library). LMP is the publishing industry’s by-nomination-only directories–here you’ll find book editors and publishing consultants with a proven track record.

2. Money. Why does it make good business sense to self-publish? Consider the following: a contract with the book publisher doesn’t give you an ironclad guarantee that your book will ever and upon the shelves. If you’re a new author, your publisher will allocate zero marketing dollars to promote your book. It’s sink or swim! If your book does sell well, it will be due to your own hard work and ingenuity-and your reward will be a tiny fraction of the book’s total profits. Self-publishing admittedly involves more capital risk, but it also means that the extensive footwork you do to market your book will go to producing income for the person who most deserves it. After all, you’re the one who’s doing all the work to ignite word-of-mouth about your book. Not only that, you wrote it! Don’t you deserve to reap 100% of the profit?

Makes sense, doesn’t it? One of the greatest perks I experience collaborating with authors is seeing our self-published books consistently create more reader excitement and interest than their traditionally published counterparts.

3. No Waiting, No Rejection. The Cinderella story of the little book that gets discover by a publisher and becomes an overnight bestseller is mostly just that-a fairytale. Yes , it happens. But it hasn’t been happening a whole lot lately. In the current publishing climate, with major houses paying gigantic advances to celebrity authors-their “cash cows”-not much is left to spend on developing new talent. Let’s be honest: a publisher isn’t going to spend a dime marketing a book by an as yet unknown author. To get your book considered for publication in the first place, you’ll need to have an extremely convincing marketing strategy in place which you intend to implement on your own, at your own expense! Such as the case in every genre from children’s books to alternative health to historical novels. First-time authors are being turned away en masse. And since many nonfiction book projects are time-sensitive-well-placed offerings intended to respond to a specific market trend-their authors often while way their precious window of opportunity waiting for agents or publishers to respond to a proposal. It isn’t impossible to get a major publishing house interested in a book by a first-time author, but it’s getting more difficult all the time. Self-publishing removes the wait (and the accompanying weight from your shoulders) and the discomfort of rejection from the process of getting your book into print.

Why wait? And why bother wading through a mountain of rejections?

4. Independence. Self-published authors are usually people with confidence in their message. Many have already developed a following by giving talks and seminars in areas where they live and work. Experts know when they have a powerful personal message-they don’t need a publisher’s approval to pump themselves up. Such authors, many of whom are already seasoned professionals, self-publish their books because they love being in the driver’s seat of their book project. Rather than gamble that a big corporation will treat their book with the respect it deserves, such an author takes the publishing reins to ensure that her message reaches the widest possible audience.

No one cares more about your book than you do. Get someone on your side who will help you get your book the attention it deserves. A good editorial and publishing consultant knows how to

• make your book irresistible and
• market your book efficiently and effectively to your target audience.

5. Power of Belief. The power of belief in our words is what makes promises good and turns dreams into reality. Authors who self-publish their books believe deeply that others will benefit from reading what they have to say. They have unshakable conviction. Such authors often tell me, “I had to write this book. I just have to get it out there!” Deep belief is the selfless power that drives all true service and makes a difference in the world. Authors with a strong sense of purpose know that they can make their books succeed. They don’t want to wait around for a publishing house to “accept” their work. Aware that time is precious, such authors create their own publishing opportunities. They get behind their own message. They launch a campaign fueled with belief in the creative power of intention.

A good publishing consultant knows that the best way to make your book a true success is to help you create and market a message that both of you will be proud of for years to come. Creating uplifting books is a passion. Make it yours, and every one of your books sold will be a vote of confidence in humanity.

Copyright ©2005 Ceci Miller

Ceci Miller is President of CeciBooks Editorial & Publishing Consultation, a firm with a world-class professional marketing and design team devoted to creating uplifting, first-quality books and giving those books their best chance of success in the market. CeciBooks Editorial & Publishing Consultation is listed in Literary Market Place. Please visit http://www.CeciBooks.com or call 206.706.9565 for a half-hour consultation at no charge.

Related Posts
Secrets to Getting Published
10 Reasons Why a Paperback is Better Than an E-Reader

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

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.

Related Posts
Useful Web Sites for Self Published Writers
Self-Publishing The Hard Way: The Art Of Giving Birth

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!

Source: http://www.goblogin.com/index.php/internet/1203-book-marketing/3991-book-marketing-101-for-self-published-authors

No matter what any POD publisher or marketing company tells you (even the traditional publishing houses) you, the author, are almost 100% the reason your book will sell.

It is your belief, excitement, enthusiasm, and energy that will get a reader excited about buying your book.

Publishers are certainly a vehicle by which you can communicate your passion to the rest of the world, but, for ANYTHING to happen you’ll need to know a few things about yourself and your book – and be able to communicate them very clearly.

1. What is your definition of success for your book?

Some authors write for themselves and their families only – they don’t dream of their books as bestsellers in the marketplace. Some authors write for a very specific personal need to tell their story. Some have unique insight into very specific topics. Many have dreams of seeing their book in the front of Borders or Barnes & Noble. Each author is different, but you MUST decide what your real definition of success happens to be. Don’t try to pursue a goal that may not be what you actually feel is important.

2. Who will buy your book?

This is the big secret to sales success in self publishing. Target your marketing to your potential reader – and have it be someone who is reachable.

“Everyone will want to read my book!” Sorry, but that doesn’t work. Even the absolute best selling books – that sell 2 or 3 million copies in a year – only penetrate to a very small percent of the population. Sales success for your book will be driven by defining a very clear picture of who is interested in what you have to say.

And – they must be identifiable: Make a list! Which groups would be interested in your book? Why? Who is next? Why should the need or want your book? (remember this – someone is more likely to buy something they NEED before something they WANT)

Now – narrow it down even more. Years ago books on computers were all the rage – the market was saturated at the “beginner” level, and it seemed impossible to get anymore books into consumers hands. Then a company came along with the bright idea that they would write a computer book for beginners – but beginners who felt intimidated by their computers – and the now ubiquitous and quite famous “For Dummies” series was born – at the time the books hit, there were nearly 3 dozen titles out for beginners. Yet this one scooped up nearly a 70% market share overnight. The rest were left to fight for the scraps. Find a unique angle about your book – and don’t try and be everything to everyone, because you can’t – instead target 100% of a specific part!

3. Where will you sell your book?

Start Worldwide (world wide web that is) and then get local: Where are your customers? Probably scattered around the country. Use the power of print on demand and just in time fulfillment to deliver books all across the nation without having to print hundreds at a time. Where does your customer hang out online? What magazines and papers do they read? What stores do they frequent – that AREN’T bookstores? What associations, clubs, or affiliations do they join? What conventions to they go to? How can you reach them? Promote your books where you find your potential buyers.

4. How will you promote your book?

The least expensive and most effective ways to promote books are with book reviews, news releases, search engine registration, and some form of highly targeted direct advertising – such as email campaigns, news releases, and pay-for-performance click through advertising. Longer term promotions include author signings, TV and Radio spots, and tradeshows – these are also the most difficult, time consuming, and expensive to secure.

Do NOT neglect the power of you the author – many publishers promotional packages include materials that can help turn you into a promotional machine. Business cards, posters, bookmarks – all are available to support your marketing efforts.

Follow these steps on creating a plan for your book, and you’ll find it much easier to create an effective and efficient marketing program for your book.

Related Posts
8 Great Book Marketing Tips
How to Use Facebook to Conduct Book Marketing Campaigns

Bookmark and Share:

Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!