Deborah H. Bateman Interviews Kristen Eckstein

Author Interview Series Teleseminar

Kristen Eckstein

Kristen Eckstein

 

Deborah H. Bateman

 Interviews

Kristen Eckstein

Wednesday,

02/20/2013

at 2:00pm EST

 

 

We will be discussing publishing and self-publishing

If you were unable to attend the interview live you can listen to a recording.

To hear the recording of this interview call:

Playback Number: (605) 475-3229

Access Code: 860983#

To take advantage of Kristen’s  special offer

Go to: http://deborahhbateman.com/1nbd

coupon code: crazy (for an extreme discount)

Traditional Vs Self-Publishing

After you have poured your blood, sweat, tears and a dash of red wine into your manuscript, you now have to ask yourself the big girl question, “Should I self-publish or shop for a publisher?” (Cue dramatic music and lightning sound effects)

With all the new technology and random news stories about how some new author made millions of dollars selling their self-published ebook for a penny, it all may have you believing that self-publishing trumps the traditional publishing option 100% of the time. And that is simply not true. Each side has it’s own pluses and minuses that you need to consider before making the decision. Hopefully I can provide some assistance in that area. So let’s dive in, shall we?

It’s every author’s dream – you come home one day and find a letter from Random House. Your family gathers around as you skim over the words which inform you that your manuscript has been accepted, will be on the shelves in a month, here’s a movie contract for you to sign and, oh, a big fat advance check is enclosed.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but don’t hold your breath while waiting for that letter. Publishing companies won’t even look at your manuscript unless you have an agent to represent you or you have somehow proven that you have an established fan following, marketable platform or sales.

Traditional publishing has many benefits. In the first place, it doesn’t cost you a cent to get your book published. In fact, they pay you! Well, eventually. You will get royalties from the sale of your books.

If you are the type of person that is only interested in the “writing” portion of book creation, traditional publishing may be the best option for you. Many self-published authors have to find editors, graphic design artist, printers and a slew of other professionals to complete the book publishing process. It can be overwhelming for someone who has absolutely no interest in such. Traditional publishers do it all for you. They design, print, ship, sell and market your masterpiece.

Traditional publishers take over the heavy lifting, but it will cost you. It may cost you your intellectual property. Once you sign that contract, you may not own your book anymore. From then on, the publishing company decides how, or if, to release and market your book. In a traditional publishing contract, you get royalties and the publisher gets your book.

If you want to retain all of your intellectual property rights and managing a staff of publishing professionals doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out strand by strand, you may want to consider self-publishing. You make profits rather than royalties.

What makes self-publishing challenging is that there are so many ways you can do it. You can go to a printer and print a couple thousand copies. You can go to one of the on-line publishers, upload your book and have them print it. You can also self-publish using the various forms of epublishing and make your book available through the Kindle®, Nook®, iPad® or other electronic devices. Do you want to know what is even more disgusting? Each one of the above mentioned methods have their own way of doing things along with their own advantages and disadvantages….DUN DUN DUNNNN!!! (Cue horrific scream)

Another major difference between traditional and self-publishing is the access to distribution channels. Traditional publishers have distribution channels already established, which means it will be easier for your book to get into book stores or other retail stores. In contrast, most of the self-publishing options can’t measure up when it comes to placing your books on bookstore shelves.

If you have already established a strong online presence, not afraid to walk in some seriously uncomfortable shoes, and prepared to market like there is no tomorrow, self-publishing can be a very profitable and rewarding option.

So there is the brief overview. Once you delve further into the subject, you’ll find confusing questions that you will need to answer before you make a final decision. Regardless of the direction your decide to go, make sure you understand your options and the corresponding advantages and disadvantages.

Happy publishing!

Cinnamon McCann is the author of Self-Publishing in Stilettos: A Woman’s Guide to Publishing With Confidence. Learn everything you need to know about self-publishing and sign up for her newsletters to receive the latest tips and techniques by visiting her at http://www.selfpublishinginstilettos.com.

Author: Cinnamon McCann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How to Publish Your Informational Book, Part 3 – Self Publishing

In previous installments of this series, I described the four basic methods of publishing your information book – Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing, Print-on-Demand, and eBook – and wrote at length about the pros and cons of Traditional Publishing. In this article we’ll look in depth at the next method: Self-Publishing.

Self-Publishing is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, because that is the method I chose more than eight years ago when I published my first fiction book. It required a steep learning curve, but became profitable quickly, and in fact, I have since self-published five more books, all of which sold well and continue to sell well.

Here’s what you need to know:

Self-Publishing essentially means that you take on the role of publisher as well as author. And with this new role comes a long list of new tasks, and a whole new set of people that you need to interact with. You are responsible for supervising the book printing, the cover, the layout and artwork, the paperwork for procuring an ISBN number (the number that’s required to create the bar code, so that your book can be sold in retail stores and online), shipping, storage, distribution, and more.

It can be a pretty daunting list.

So why in the world would someone want to take on all that responsibility? Because the list of positives is even longer. Here are a few of the main benefits to Self-Publishing:

1. Guaranteed Publication – 99% of all manuscripts submitted to editors and publishers are rejected. Unless your subject has instant mass appeal, your chances for publishing your informational book are even higher. Instead of trying to please some faceless editor or publisher, why not let the buying public determine if you have a winner or not?

2. Speed – If you want to get a book out quickly, or if you are dealing with time sensitive material, then self-publishing is the way to go. Unlike traditional publishing processes which can take a year or more to complete, a self-published book can go from completed manuscript to physical book in as little as 30 days.

3. Control – Self-Publishing gives you the ability to create your perfect vision exactly as you see it. Cover art, subject matter, tone and feel… it’s all up to you, and no one can overrule your decision. When you work with a traditional publisher, it is a constant negotiation, and the author rarely wins.

4. Money – Samuel Johnson once said, “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, but for money.” If the purpose of your book is to bring in cash, than self-publishing may be your best option. The reason is simple: since you are your own publisher, you get to keep all the money. For example, if I print a book for $2.23, and sell it for $10, the difference – $7.77 – is mine to keep. Contrast that with traditional publishing, where royalties can often measured in pennies.

When I released my first self-published children’s adventure, I generated more profit in the first few months than other authors I know generated in years. And I did it not because I sold more books, but rather because I made far more profit on each book that I did sell.

Self-Publishing is not for everyone. It takes an entrepreneurial mindset and a love of learning new things beyond just authoring a book. Yet, in many cases, it can be the fastest, more profitable way to get your book to market.

Understanding all of your publishing options certainly brings you one step closer to a successful book. But nothing happens until you can interest people in buying it. So what should you do next? What can you do to entice people to try your book? These are exactly the questions I’ve spent the last 10 years researching, and you can find out the answers by visiting me at http://www.FictionSecrets.com. Download a 30-page report and receive a 5-day eCourse covering this subject.

Kevin Franz is a successful fiction author and online marketer. For more than twenty years he has made his living putting words to paper, and he has helped thousands create their first written works. He is currently showing internet marketers how to incorporate the techniques of great fiction into their online sales efforts. You can find the details on his blog – http://www.kevinfranz.wordpress.com.

Author: Kevin Franz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Two Roads Diverged – Understanding Traditional and Self-Publishing Differences

The publishing world has experienced change over the past several decades as all industries have, but the next 10 years will be a cocoon altering it into a different species altogether. Many major print publishing houses have either merged, or acquired smaller houses, and the net result is that there are fewer traditional channels for getting your book published. However, this only means that the nature of the challenge of getting a book published has changed. It does not mean that the challenge has become insurmountable.

The traditional publishing path of the past has been described similarly by many sources. Write a book, send query letter and/or book proposal to agents, get picked up by an agent, get sold by agent to a small-to-medium-size publisher, pray that your book takes off and garners attention from a big publisher who pays you a six-figure advance in return for the rights to your book.

Nathan Bransford, a literary agent with Curtis Brown, discusses going from small presses to big publishers. I agree with many of his points on the difficulties of being recognized by a big publisher. His advice is very similar to my premise, if your book is really good, well edited, designed, printed, distributed, and promoted, it will succeed.

Today, the traditional publishing path is in upheaval and turmoil. The economic downturn has caused many small publishers to shut their doors or, at best, significantly decrease their new release budgets. The emergence of the Kindle, Nook, and other Ebook readers has stirred things up. Publishers of all sizes are more carefully scrutinizing new authors, primarily seeking to invest in less-risky authors with established platforms. Gone are the days of a publisher investing marketing dollars to help an author develop their platform.

The new traditional publishing path is emerging as more of a partnership between author and publisher with the responsibility for marketing and publicity resting on the shoulders of authors. If you bring a viable manuscript to the table with a sound marketing plan and/or platform, the publisher will invest in editing, design, printing, and distribution, the rest is up to you.

The exciting game-changer for the unknown author is the advent of affordable self-publishing options. Self-Publishing should not be confused with the deplorable practice of Vanity Publishing where an author is charged seriously inflated prices for editing, design, printing, and/or marketing services while giving up 80% or more of profit and/or rights to their material. True self-publishing is where the author handles editing, design, printing, distribution, and marketing for their book or hires professionals to assist with the process while experiencing control, speed to market, ownership of rights, and max profitability.

The self-publishing path has existed since the dawn of time. Dan Poynter lists 155 best-selling books that started out being self-published. In the past, the editing, design, and printing of a book could easily run $15,000 or more because of minimum print runs of 5000 being required. With the advent of print-on-demand merged with distribution channels, the cost of the entry toll on the path of self-publishing has diminished significantly. And publishing a Kindle version of your book doesn’t require an investment of money whatsoever.

I’m not preaching against the traditional publishing model. I cut my teeth in traditional publishing. My family was in the traditional publishing business for nearly 25 years. I started at the bottom in the warehouse of a traditional publisher picking and packing orders. I eventually worked my way up to running a subsidiary of this same publisher. Throughout my career, I kept seeing countless numbers of authors turned down because we simply didn’t have the budget to add them to our production schedule. When I was asked to take over the helm at Yorkshire Publishing, I studied the self-publishing industry in great detail. I became passionate about being a part of an author-empowering movement to publish and promote quality books that otherwise may have been unrecognized without modern advances in the self-publishing industry.

The old-school mindset that says to avoid the stigma of self-publishing is quickly becoming a whisper in the wind. More unknown authors are starting out self-published for the first time in history. I believe self-publishing is the democratization of the publishing industry. Any unknown author now has a chance.

In my seminars and workshops, I tell authors to treat their book like a business. If you want a real chance, you must treat your book like a big publisher would. When naysayers point to the statistics that say self-published books average less than 200 units sold, I can rebut with a missing link in the formula and Poytner’s list. Remember, if your book is really good, well edited, designed, printed, distributed, and promoted, it will succeed, regardless of the road taken in the yellow wood of publishing.

Todd Rutherford is the Vice-President of Yorkshire Publishing, a firm that provides services to self-publishing authors. If you need a writing coach, ghostwriter, editor, designer, printer, distributor, publicist, or marketer for your book, contact Yorkshire Publishing for a free consultation – 918-394-2665.

Author: Todd Rutherford
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Get Self-Published Today

Getting your book published is easier than you think. I will explain the methods and why you should consider self publishing & marketing.

Traditional Method:
1. Copywrite your book (forms, fee of $35 and up)
2. Send your manuscript to publishers and agents (copies and mailing costs)
3. Hope somebody reads it and calls you back
4. Negotiate your contract and sign your deal

Traditional Method draw backs are:
1. You may never get a call back
2. Agent percentage
3. Negotiating a contract (attorney fees)
4. You may be asked to make rewrites by your agent or publisher
5. Publishers promote high profile authors not 1st timers
6. Your book will be in direct competition with the high profile authors
7. If your book doesn’t sell, agents and publishers might consider your work unsalable and will hinder you in ever getting another book contract.

2nd Method: Hire a company in the business of helping authors get published. Packages range from $1500 to $13,000. They can take of everything acting as your agent to get your book to publishers.You will have to make sure that your book gets reviewed, a good cover, and effective targeted marketing to your particular genre in order to succeed.

Self Publishing and Marketing EBooks Electronic EBook methods such as the article you are reading are already selling. Books online and the electronic devices for reading them are selling now.This is the future.

Self Publishing and Marketing Benefits:
1. Complete control of your product
2. Published instantly (your book offered to the whole world instantly!)
3. No Agent or Attorney fees
4. Reach a much larger audience to make money sooner
5. Attract offers for a book deal (Publishers pay attention to online sales) Get Self-Published Today and start making money with less effort and cost than the traditional no-guarantee way.

Click on the link below for a FREE Writers Newsletter plus a FREE 32 page Ebook entitled “Product Launch Inferno”.

My name is Mike Mirage. I have over 22 years in the computer consulting business and I found a way to help people get self published today! For more about writing and selling ebooks with an easy course with real help and guidance please follow my link here: http://squidoo.com/getselfpublished.

Author: Mike Mirage
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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