By Stephanie
Chandler
Self-publishing
provides a wonderful opportunity for any author who wants to take
control over the publishing process and get their words into print.
But because self-publishing is so easy to accomplish with a few
bucks and some typed pages, many authors make mistakes along the
way.
As a former
bookstore owner, I have seen it all. A steady stream of authors used
to parade through the store with their books and I could instantly
tell when a book was self-published on a budget. From low-quality
cover design and lack of editing to unreasonable pricing and an
absent marketing plan, at least 90% of the authors I encountered
made some major mistakes.
You can avoid new
author pitfalls by preparing to be successful. Following are some
guidelines to get your started on your journey.
Quality Matters
Successful
self-publishing starts by producing a book that looks like it is hot
off the press from Random House or another major publisher. The
cover should be professionally designed and the text should be
thoroughly edited by a pro—not your spouse, friend or business
partner. Your book is a reflection of you. It should be impressive
from start to finish. Cutting corners with design and editing will
surely be reflected in book sales.
Pricing
Considerations
Some of the print
on demand (POD) companies force authors to set unreasonable prices
for their books. A standard bookstore will expect to purchase your
book at 40% off of the retail price and Amazon.com takes a whopping
55% discount. The price for your book should be reasonable for your
target audience, yet still leave room for you to make a profit.
For example, if
your book has a retail price of $20, a bookstore will purchase it at
40% off which comes to $12. In order for you to make a profit, you
should be able to purchase wholesale copies of your book for less
than $12. Unfortunately, some publishers lure authors in with low
set-up fees, but make up for it in higher per-book costs.
Conversely, I have
seen 100-page trade paperbacks with a retail price of $25 or higher.
Unless the subject matter is highly technical or specialized in an
industry that can bear this kind of pricing, it will be difficult to
convince consumers to pay such a high price for a short book. When
researching publishing assistance, inquire about the purchase cost
of your books and how the retail price will be set.
Placing Your First
Order for Books
When researching
the minimum order requirements of book publishers and printers,
consider how many books you need. Your purchase price for books will
always be lower when you order in large quantities. However, if you
order thousands of copies, you will need a climate-controlled place
to store them and plan for selling them.
I advise authors to
order enough books for one year. This means that you must tabulate
how many you believe you can sell. If you are a professional speaker
and can pre-sell books to companies and associations, you may be
able to commit to several thousand copies. If your book is more of a
hobby for you and you will be selling them out of the trunk of your
car one at a time, it probably doesn’t make sense to order thousands
at a time.
Make a list of
potential sales opportunities and how many you think you can sell
over the course of a year. Also, if you’re serious about marketing
your book, plan to send out at least 100 review copies to media
professionals. Book reviews sell books and authors should be willing
to give books away in order to gain valuable publicity. One mention
in a local newspaper can translate into a flurry of book sales.
Expand your reach to online media, bloggers, radio show hosts,
television and trade journals and you will uncover plenty of
opportunities.
Marketing Begins
BEFORE You Publish
The biggest mistake
an author can make is to wait until a book is in print to begin the
promotion process. When it comes to the media, a book is most
relevant in its first few months in print so timing is critical.
There are literally hundreds of book marketing strategies that you
can begin to tackle right away. Here are a few to get you started:
ü
Get
known online through your website and/or blog. Add content related
to your book and of interest to your target audience.
ü
Leverage the power of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter. Participate in one or more of these sites to gain exposure.
ü
Write
interesting articles and make them available for reprint through
sites like
www.ezinearticles.com and
www.IdeaMarketers.com. Make sure to include a brief author bio
that mentions your book and include a link to your website. Offer
articles for reprint to as many websites and print publications that
you can find that reach your target audience.
ü
Ask
your family, friends and peers to help spread the word. Ask who they
know who might be able to help. Perhaps your aunt Jane has a friend
who is a book reviewer for a major newspaper. Or your sister may
know the host of a talk radio show. You won’t know until you ask.
ü
Get
on the speaking circuit. Put together a couple of speeches related
to your subject matter and pitch them to your local trade and
community associations (chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs,
specialty associations). When your audience likes what you have to
say, they will naturally want to buy your book. If you enjoy
speaking, you can expand beyond your local community and even get
paid to travel and speak to audiences around the world. (By the way,
the fact that you are a published author is going to open doors of
opportunity for speaking engagements. If you want to refine your
skills, consider joining a local chapter of Toastmasters.)
Your book can
become the best business card you have as it will allow you to
uncover opportunities beyond your imagination. However, if your book
isn’t professionally produced and you fail to develop a book
marketing plan, those opportunities could pass you by. Do your
homework before you take this major step so that you can prepare
yourself for a fantastic journey.
About the Author:
Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing
books including “The Author’s Guide to Building an Online Platform”
and “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur.” She is also founder and CEO
of
AuthorityPublishing.com, which provides custom book publishing
and author marketing services for business, self-help and other
non-fiction books. A frequent speaker at business events and on the
radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, BusinessWeek,
Inc.com and many other media outlets. For hundreds of resources for
entrepreneurs, authors and speakers visit
http://BusinessInfoGuide.com. For author and speaker details,
visit
http://StephanieChandler.com.
*You are welcome to reprint this
article provided the author bio is included.
Return to Articles
Directory
Want to publish your book?
Call
Authority Publishing today to discuss your
publishing project and receive a custom quote:
877-800-1097
