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...]
5 Tips for Self Publishing
Self-publishing your own written work can be greatly beneficial, but can also be a very daunting task. The key to making self-publishing work for you is to not sway from quality in your efforts to save money; here are five tips to get you on your way. 1. Editing is Crucial Good editing plays a strong role in the image you project. When you do things yourself you don’t have a … [Read more...]
Considering Self-Publishing?
Self-publishers range from those who only envision selling a few books to those who sell thousands of them. Many New York Times bestsellers began their publishing journeys via the self-publishing route. The usual reason is that they couldn’t get a publisher to pick it up and/or get an agent to become their champion, thus never getting it to a publisher’s … [Read more...]
Traditional and Subsidy Publishers – Advantages and Disadvantages
Traditional and Self-Publishing Companies have different advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right publisher for your book can begin simply by analyzing information on a publisher’s website. From there, you can compare different companies and crunch your numbers to decide which publisher or publishing option is the best one for your book. Many first-time authors want … [Read more...]
8 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Custom Publishing Service to Help You Self-Publish Your Book
Long before I owned a publishing company, I started out by self-publishing my first book (which led to numerous opportunities!). Like most new authors, I had to start from the beginning and investigate my options. Trying to navigate the world of self-publishing was like driving in a dark rainstorm without a map. It was completely overwhelming. Years later when I decided to … [Read more...]
Getting Published Through a “Self-Publishing Company”
Writers are confused and it’s not their fault. In searching for the best way to break into print, they come across self-described “self-publishing companies”. I get emails asking if I can self publish for writers. That is impossible—by definition. The problem is that many POD vanity publishers are calling themselves “self-publishing companies.” They are trading on … [Read more...]
Self-Publishing Made Easy – Self-Publishing or Print-on-Demand?
With the advent of technology, writers have numerous options when it comes to publishing. If you’re blessed to get a book deal with a traditional publisher (i.e. Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins), you’ll get an advance, royalties and a marketing allowance. Given the volatility of the book industry and emergence of e-books, landing a deal with a traditional … [Read more...]
Publishing, Writing, and Having a Life
Being a self-published author is a lot of work as you write, publish, and market your books. You can’t accomplish everything you dream of doing, but with learning how to schedule your time and remembering to take time for yourself, you can make significant strides toward your goal. Self-publishing is not easy. Let’s get the myth out of the way right now. Just because you … [Read more...]
What Could An Agent Do For A Self-Published Author?
Traditionally, an agent shopped a client’s book, negotiated a deal with a traditional publisher, and then focused on selling subrights. But what could an agent do for a self-published author? I think the answer is – it depends. The truth is, if you self-publish a book and sell only 200 copies, an agent is going to have the same (if not worse) luck trying to sell … [Read more...]
Vanity Publishing?
I am a published author. Many of my poems and essays have been published in numerous periodicals and anthologies. But by traditional standards my books have been vanity/subsidy/self published. I have no illusion that those facts give me the street-cred or status of a John Grisham or Elizabeth Gilbert. However, in addition to my writing, I have worked in the wholesale and retail … [Read more...]