If writers like E. L. James, Hugh Howey and Amanda Hocking can be successful self-publishers, there is no reason why you cannot be one. Ultimately how good you are as a writer matters the most. Even if the publishers are not willing to publish your book, success as a self-publisher can change their views and you could then be worth millions.
Last year Hugh Howey, when he attended the Frankfurt Book Fair, had some valuable tips for self publishing authors. As per Howey, there is a fence with paths on both the sides. And there are lots of people and their books lying on both these paths. Howie advises that a new author should ignore these crowds and the books, and instead concentrate on the work that they have in hand.
This essentially means that the hardest part of self publication is actually writing a book. Once you have done that and you are convinced that it’s worth releasing in the market, start looking at the options.
Editing is the key
Any book that hasn’t been edited a few times cannot succeed in the market. An editor’s job is to make your story flow, remove the inconsistencies and make your book and its characters stronger and more interesting. While the editor is at work on your book, also hire a proofreader to remove the grammatical and spelling errors. Another important aspect to work on here is on the cover page of your book. An attractive cover page matters even when you only decide to opt for an e-book.
Distribution
In the world of e-book distribution, the names that matter are Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Barnes & Noble Nook Press and Apple iTunes Connect. The first in the list is, obviously, the best distribution channel for any author. In case you are interested in publishing a printed version of your book, on-demand printing services from Amazon CreateSpace and self publication options from Partridge Publishing from Penguin Random House are excellent.
Publication
For e-book publication, conversion into the right format is important. There are various software applications available for converting your MS-Word manuscript in Mobi and Epub formats. For printed versions, you need to submit PDF versions of your MS-Word manuscript.
Marketing
This element comes into the picture when your book is ready for publication. Many authors make the mistake of marketing their books when it has already been published and launched in the market. Your marketing plan, on the other hand, should go hand in hand with the creation of your book. Marketing your book can be done in various ways.
• Publish excerpts from your book in print and electronic media. Generate the interest among your readers so that they get prepared for the actual book.
• If you have chosen KDP, you can control the price of your book for a limited period. Offer it for free for a couple of days and the news about it should spread.
• Spread the word through social media and let your social connects do the marketing for you.
• Use your blog and invite other eminent bloggers to comment on your book in your and their blogs.
Authors like E. L. James and Amish Tripathi have so much romanticized self publication that everyone wants a piece of the pie now. Hence, the competition has turned fierce. Don’t look for overnight success because you could face disappointment. Go about the job in a planned manner and it is then you will taste success. But first of all, complete that book of yours.
Image credit: Pittaya Sroilong on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Profile_Pic_Moumita.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Moumita Goswami is a full-time homemaker and a passionate writer. She stays in Pune with her husband and daughter. After giving up working, she started writing about five years ago and can now be seen using her computer keyboard almost all the time. An MA in Psychology from Calcutta University, Moumita has spent time in Kolkata, Delhi and now Pune. For Moumita, writing started as a sudden chance but she soon discovered her likeness for it. And now she has developed a passion for writing and hardly any day passes without her scribbling a few lines. She dreams of publishing her own book one day and is working towards it.
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