Tag Archives: Self-Publishing

Disadvantages of Self-Publishing

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In the last year not only have sales of eBook readers like the Kindle and Nook exploded, but the number of book titles available to download into these devices has more than doubled. With major online retailers offering writers a means to self-publish works for sale, one can expect to see thousands more novels and works of non-fiction and poetry on virtual shelves. For the author frustrated by the traditional, agency publishing model, self-publishing offers the freedom of creative control and the opportunity to keep more revenue. Despite the recent successes of some authors, though, it’s important to note the challenges that self-publishing brings.

Self-publishing may not carry the stigma it did in years past, where one assumed that an author putting out his own work could not interest a “real” publisher. These days, writers choose to self-publish rather than submit a work at all. In fact, some authors who have published traditionally now take the liberty of producing and distributing their own work. That said, one must realize there are disadvantages. This article is not intended to discourage anybody from independently publishing a novel, but rather to keep people aware of possible obstacles. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1) As a self-publisher, you are responsible for every step of the process, from writing to work to making sure it is edited and proofed. You will need to find suitable cover art and distribution channels, and handle marketing. Now, you’re probably wondering how this is a disadvantage – well, it really depends on how you look at it. When you sign a contract with a publisher, many of these items are handled for you. You will not cover the cost of an editor and artist, and depending on the publisher’s budget you probably won’t have to spend too much for promotion. When you take the DIY route, everything comes out of your pocket, and you are investing time in finding the right people to assist you. One could view this as time that could be spent writing your next book.

2) You may run into complications with distribution. Whether you publish exclusively in digital format or make your work available in print, you need to work with distribution channels to get your work to the public. While Amazon and Barnes and Noble welcome self-published authors to join their platforms, other distributors may require you to build an extensive catalog before you can distribute through them. Brick and mortar stores may require you to place your books with a service like Ingram or Baker and Taylor before they will order your books. It’s important to research whether or not you can work with such companies.

3) As a self-publisher, you are held accountable. If you produce a book of poor quality, you risk alienating readers or inspiring word of mouth that discourages new readers from checking out your books. This is not to say that all books published with agency houses are perfect – opinions on quality will always vary – but acting as publisher and writer means taking extra care to ensure a good book. You will need to commit to every step of the process.

If you choose to self-publish, do not feel rushed to get a book in the stores for the sake of having something to sell. This is your work, and you want to present the best written story possible to readers. Take caution to know the pros and cons before you make any sudden leaps.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on self-publishing services.

Author: Kathryn Lively
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Five Things to Consider Before You Self-Publish

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It should come as no surprise that the allure of self-publishing has strengthened over the last year. The rise in popularity of digital book readers like the Kindle and Nook have inspired user-friendly publishing platforms for writers who wish to sell compatible eBooks. The simplicity of do-it-yourself print on demand sites allows writers to take charge of formatting and design for their books, and to make them available for sale rather quickly. While it’s true that an author contracted with a traditional publisher has advantages, a number of self-published phenoms have proven they can sell as well as the next New York Times chart-topper.

Bear in mind,however, that self-pub successes like Amanda Hocking and John Locke typically are not the norm. It doesn’t mean you don’t have the potential to sell in the thousands or more if you self-publish, but it’s important to decide if this is right path for you. When you make the commitment to write a book, you have the opportunity to share your voice with readers. Taking on the responsibility of publishing and marketing your work should progress in a way that attracts people to your sales pages. If you have become frustrated by traditional publishing or if you have wanted to strike out on your own, take these points into consideration:

1) How much time will I devote to the process? Self-publishing a novel may be accomplished full-time or part-time – you manage your schedule and put in the necessary hours. The same goes for marketing, too. How will you divide your time among social media, blogging, and making contacts for reviews and events?

2) Who will edit the book? You might think because you have so many years of experience in writing and literature, that you are qualified to self-edit. You may have edited well for others, but when it comes to your own work you risk letting your ego get in the way. You may also become so attached to your manuscript that you let errors slide. It is crucial to employ an editor to work with you to ensure that your work is polished and error-free, that characters remain consistent, and that the story makes sense. Your first book becomes the primary promotional item that sells your next book, so make it count!

3) Who will design the cover? Readers do judge a book by the cover, and often the cover and title are what prompt readers to buy in the first place. If you want to present your book in a professional manner, you need a cover designed by a pro. You may be tempted to cut corners with royalty-free stock photography, but think about the end result if you know little about design. Your book deserves a great cover, so make sure you know where to find it.

4) Who is the target audience? Who will read your book – men, women, teenagers? If your book is non-fiction, is there a certain market that would be more interested — music lovers, people from a specific geographic area, people of a certain faith or creed? How you market the book depends upon the demographics of your intended readership, so know your audience.

5) How will I sell the book? You probably have the plans in motion to distribute through Amazon.com and other retailers, but what else do you have planned? Will you sell through your website or social profiles? Do you have leads for book signings and book events?

If you are new to the publishing world and feel intimidated by the growing to-do list of a self-published author, here’s one thing to keep in mind: even if you are published traditionally through a house like St. Martin’s or Harlequin, you are expected to pull your own weight. Some decisions, like cover art and editing, may be handled for you, but unless you are the house’s mega-star, you will discover that you must schedule your blog tours and book signings, and order your promotional items. Moreover, you must write the next book.

Is self-publishing right for you? Only you can make that decision, but if you decide to do it be prepared!

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on self-publishing services and book editing services for indie authors.

Author: Kathryn Lively
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Self Publishing Hardcover Books Made Easy

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This article looks at the possibilities for self publishing hardcover books.

In traditional publishing, it is next to impossible to get a contract to publish a hardback book, unless you are a well known, high sales, best seller, blockbuster author, which most people simply are NOT. The good news for an author who really wants a hard back book published is that there are a lot of options these days. The area of self publishing has changed the publishing world forever, and that is great news for authors.

The main economic difference between self publishing and traditional publishing is that in self publishing, the author bears the cost of the printing process. While that might seem, to some, to be a bad thing, it is also important to bear in mind that the author also has near total control over the printing process, the choices of paper, print type, binding, book jacket (and the design thereof), promotion and marketing, and almost every other area of the production process. For an author who wants to publish her or his book in a very certain way, this is an unheard of level of control.

Self publishing hardcover books, is, naturally, more expensive than the other self publishing options (such as paper back books, ebooks, print on demand books, books on CD and so on), but that is expected; hard cover books are simply far more expensive than other books, no matter what the print production method.

There are still a lot of options available to one who wants a hard cover book printed. There are publishing houses who can and will produce a relatively low cost bound book (with or without a book jacket) and there are those who will produce a fine quality collector level volume from the best materials with hand crafted workmanship. The difference is, of course, price, and that is a decision that the author can make after comparing all the available options.

Not so very many years ago, an author would have had to have traveled to New YorK City to meet with the publishing houses who handle this sort of work. Now, however, an author can simply search the ‘Net, contact the many possible publishers, submit manuscripts, make design and binding decisions, approve mark ups, and oversee the entire process without ever leaving his or her desk.

The publishers web sites are typically clear and easy to understand, with good photos of samples of their work, easy to follow instructions and guides, and a plethora of suggestions and tips to make the process easier for the author. Self publishing hardcover books is a reality.

Get to know the process and decisions in self publishing books at a good price at http://www.selfpublishinginc.com.

Author: Louis Zhang
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Self Employment in The Age of Self Publishing

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Never before has it been so easy for the average person to
publish his ideas to the masses. The printing press
revolutionised the book industry in the 15th century and it is
the same effect the internet is having on self-publishing in
this day and age.

Article, ebooks, reports and blogs are a few examples of
self-published materials. You can literally wake up this morning with a great idea and have it in front of people in a day once
you know the proper techniques.

Say you are an aspiring music producer or writer and you need to
set up shop for others to enjoy your creativity. You could visit
Lulu.com and sign up to become a self-publisher and it is all
free. Cafepress.com also offer similar services with the added
benefit in that you can market their affiliate program and earn
commissions.

Now that you have signed up, you are ready to expose your
creativity and talents to the world. Self-publishing websites
offer easy step-by-step instructions which you can follow to get
started right away. It is wise to decided before hand what you
intend to do with your product. Are you offering it as cheap
promotional material or is it a business from which you want to
earn a living.

Once you have created your product, you need to save it as a
file on your computer. The beauty of products like ebooks is
that it can easily downloaded over and over once you have done
the initial work in getting it published.

Now that the creation process is over, it is time to market your product so that others can know that it exist. Articles, ezines,
classifieds, forums and press releases are some of the avenues
on which you can concentrate your marketing efforts. So far all
of this has cost you nothing but some of your time which is a
huge advantage for the self-publisher.

So how does self-publishing facilitate self-employment? Simple.
Create your own self-publishing empire. Don’t stop at one
product instead develop a range of ebooks, blogs and reports so
that you create multiple sources of income.

The dependence on 9-5 jobs to earn a living will decrease in the
age of self-publishing. More persons will start to depend on
themselves to raise their standard of living. So what are you
waiting for? Are you still sceptical about self-publishing? No
need to be, you just read an example.

Copyright © Oceanroc Web Publishing

Nicholas Dixon is the CEO of Oceanroc Web Publishing, a one man self publishing company from Mandeville, Jamaica. Get free tips and hints on how to start your own affiliate ebiz @ http://MajorMoney.blogspot.com.

Author: Nicholas Dixon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Self-Publishing to the Amazon Kindle – A Few Tips

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It is certainly possible to have a book published to the Amazon Kindle in less than an hour, and selling in just a couple of days. Unfortunately though, no one is looking over your shoulder to make sure you are doing it right. Not to mention, the typical self-published author is only making 4 sales a month, a rather dismal amount. To make sure you don’t fall among these unhappy masses take a second to follow a few crucial tips to ensure your success publishing to the Kindle.

Formatting – Your material needs to be well formatted for the kindle or it will look terrible and lead to bad reviews. Avoid any and all spacing wherever possible, understanding that the kindle is more like an unfurling scroll rather than a physical book. I do this by selecting the entire document and going to format => paragraph => spacing => after and selecting 10 pt. Now I go through the entire document and remove any extra spacing. I also always use Microsoft word, since it is the most compatible with the Kindle formatting engine. You should also add a clickable table of contents and various other small details. Google “Smashwords style guide” for more free information on how to format for the kindle and other eReaders.

Title – Possibly the most important component of your eBook. If you are a non-fiction writer this is even more crucial. People need to find your eBook in the wilderness called Amazon. Which means you need to know what they are searching for. I use Google’s keyword tool to research what people are searching for on the net. If I am writing a book on Kindle Publishing, I type this in and see what comes up. What I find is that people are searching not only for this combination of keywords but also “Kindle Marketing” “KDP publishing” “home-based business” etc. What Google is telling me is that people are searching for these particular keywords and they really need to be in the title of my book in order to get discovered. I will also research other books in a similar genre to figure out what kind of language (and cover) is selling the most books.

Cover – It is a really bad idea to be doing this yourself. If people are finding you from your title they are making a fast decision on the quality of your book based on the cover. The term “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is simply not true. If the cover looks excellent the reader is far more willing to pick up your book. The place I like to get covers done is called 99design.com, they are cheap and have thousands of designers. I like to harvest about 10 covers from Amazon that I really like and show them to the designers with my specific idea in mind.

Price – I have heard some pretty silly assumptions about the perfect price zone for a Kindle book, ignore this advice. Rather, leave the price of your book at.99 cents until it has some decent sales and is doing well in a few categories. After it doesn’t seem like it is going to sell much more we inch up the price. The next price point is 2.99, where you can receive a 70% royalty and make a decent amount of cash. If you don’t see a massive dip in sales, keep the price here for a little while. Once you feel sales aren’t going to change too much try bumping the price up a buck a month until you feel that you have maximized profit (not overall sales). Depending on the need for the material and how niche you are, the price can go as high as 9.99 but most likely it will do the best at 4.99.

Mike Masters self-publishes his work to the Amazon Kindle with excellent results. In less than two years of self-publishing Mike has sold thousands and thousands of books and is now happily well off. Mike share’s his knowledge on successful publishing to the Kindle in his best selling book Kindle Cash – The Beginner’s Guide to Creating, Marketing and Publishing on the Amazon Kindle. For more information on Publishing to the Kindle visit his website http://www.publishingforthekindle.net/ or pick up the book and like Mike join the thousands of happily self-published.

Author: Michael Craig Masters
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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