Many writers believe that by self-publishing a book, they make it more attractive to a commercial publisher than a mere manuscript. I suspect this is because they believe that a publisher will be impressed by the sight of an actual, published book. The sad fact is that this is not the case. Publishers are not in the business of buying books. They are in the business of … [Read more...]
Like marketing, self-publishing is the subject of entire books, and there are many available on the subject. Check the resources section of your local bookstore, search for “self-publishing” in your favorite search engine or Amazon, or go to your local library. If you plan to go this route, spend some time learning about it. What follows are the absolute basics of what you … [Read more...]
Many people choose to self-publish a book because they are unable to find a commercial publisher. Often, this is because a book is tightly focused toward a specific niche market, so that it doesn't have sufficient audience to attract a commercial publisher. Others choose self-publishing because it provides them more control of the finished product. A commercial publisher may … [Read more...]
Self-publishing involves an extensive list of tasks. Before you embark on a self-publishing project, be sure that you're willing to take on the following: Prepublication: Edit or obtain editing for your manuscript Proofread or obtain proofreading for your manuscript Obtain any artwork or illustrations you wish to include Take any necessary steps … [Read more...]
What Are the Primary Advantages of Self-Publishing? The advantages of self-publishing are numerous: You retain full control over the content, design, and marketing of your book. You retain all rights to your manuscript (with the exception that self-publishing is itself a use of "publication" rights; you cannot then sell a book to a publisher as a "new," unpublished … [Read more...]
With the proliferation of inexpensive "pay-for-publication" options, this has become a confusing question. Many writers believe that "self-publication" refers to any mechanism by which the writer bears the cost of publication -- including subsidy electronic and print-on-demand publications. Many vendors encourage this belief, as "self-publishing" tends to sound more respectable … [Read more...]
Many authors make a very common mistake, they spend years thinking, writing and publishing their pride and joy and once it's launched for the whole world to see—THEY SIT AND WAIT. Sitting and waiting for a book sale is one of the best ways towards failing in the publishing industry, and it is an industry and you are the creator of a product. Something authors must understand … [Read more...]
Shawn Welch You don’t know him? You will. He is a rising star in the publishing world—a guy who has been silently at work behind the scenes, helping companies like Pearson Education get their bevy of books and information out to the masses. If you happen to be an iOS developer, chances are really good you already know about Shawn. His books on developing iOS applications … [Read more...]
It might not be as much work as you think. In fact, if you already own a website or blog, you can seamlessly transform your most popular content into a book. Think about it: you can take the same great content you’ve already written for your site and reformulate it into a printed book, PDF eBook or audio book to make the most of all your hard work. Follow these steps and you’ll … [Read more...]
1. Are you passionate about your topic, your book? Your words are you. That’s a huge investment in itself. You’ve got to love what you are creating. Really care for it. Do you? It’s like the difference between your job and your work ... a job is a job, hopefully it pays the bills. But work? It’s part of your fabric, who you are. And when you love your work, passion enters the … [Read more...]