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...]
Why Self-Publish?
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...]
What Is Involved in Self-Publishing?
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...]
Advantages and Disadvantages of Self-Publishing
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that self-publishing is itself a use of "publication" rights; you cannot then sell a book to a publisher as a "new," unpublished … [Read more...]
How to Find an Endless Supply of Best-selling Ideas for Your Nonfiction Book Title
Feel stumped when it’s time to create your book title? There’s no need to stare helplessly at a blank page or blank screen. Instead, jump-start your creation of a title by looking at successful books on today’s best-seller lists and using the patterns you can identify in those titles to spark your own ideas, tailored for your own book’s content and focus. For example, … [Read more...]
Do You Have a Book in You?
A book enhances credibility and commands higher speaking fees. Business leaders, subject matter experts, humorists, psychologists, and diet gurus are all expected to share their knowledge in book form. High-profile CEOs often write books to pass along their business philosophies and practices, to articulate their personal visions for their companies, or to share the hard-won … [Read more...]
What is Self-Publishing?
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...]
How to Self Publish a Book in 8 Easy Steps
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...]
Finding A Good Idea For Your Book
The journey of a thousand manuscripts pages (or even 150) begins with a single idea. Here's how to find one. Many people who attend my book publishing seminars already have a book idea in mind. Others, however, have a strong desire to write a book, but are stuck on coming up with a suitable topic. If you fall into this category, here are ten sources of ideas for books you … [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...]