Should a First-Time Author Self-publish?

publishing path comparison chart_traditional_hybrid_self-publish

 

As a first-time author, you may be trying to decide if self-publishing is the right path for you. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. There are several factors to consider, and this article will outline them so you can make the best decision for you and your book.

What exactly is self-publishing?

According to Wikipedia: “Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an eBook or as a physical copy using print on demand technology. It may also apply to albums, pamphlets, brochures, games, video content, artwork, and zines. Web fiction is also a major medium for self-publishing.”

Not a new concept, self-publishing dates back to the 18th Century. The internet and other advances like print-on-demand have helped make it a more accessible method for authors. Due to its popularity, self-publishing a book has evolved to include a variety of forms. Authors can take the entirely Do-It-Yourself self-publishing route or choose from professional self-publishing (also known as assisted self-publishing) or Hybrid publishing.

It helps to understand the publishing process before you decide if you want to self-publish your book.

Publishing your book is more than simply uploading your manuscript to Amazon and hitting “submit.” Preparing your manuscript for publishing includes copy editing and proofreading, formatting, typesetting, and adding other book matter. Publishing your book so that people will read it means figuring out a go-to-market strategy, a distribution plan, pricing, which formats to offer your book in, and more.

As a first-time author, you may need a handle on all the steps in the process or which ones you can (or should) do well yourself. Different kinds of self-publishing mean taking on some or all of these tasks. Our goal is for you to be fully informed about whether self-publishing is right for you as a first-time author. Then you can determine what route you want to take if you decide to self-publish.

The allure of traditional publishing

Traditional publishing means having your manuscript acquired by a publishing company. The company then takes over most of the other steps, from laying the book out, printing it, and selling it, to enjoying a substantial portion of the profit.

Traditional publishers have strong relationships with bookstores, so there is a higher likelihood that they will be able to place your book on retail bookstore shelves.

For some authors, the prestige of garnering an agent and a publishing deal is part of the appeal of writing. They believe this route aligns more with their vision and brand and may feel that self-publishing needs to be more respected or legitimate.

Traditionally published books are indeed well-produced and professional looking. The trademark of a well-known publishing house can lend a book legitimacy in the eyes of some readers, although most don’t pay attention to it.

Over the past few decades, self-publishing has gained popularity and respectability, and done right, it can achieve the same results as traditionally published books. A well-done self-published book is indistinguishable from a traditionally published book.

The publishing landscape has changed in the 21st Century. It was customary for publishers to give authors a large, up-front advance payment on their royalties. Today, though, most first-time or non-celebrity authors get little book advance. 

What a publisher does for you (and what it doesn’t)

The other main appeal of a traditional publisher can be that they handle everything for you. The publishing company’s staff oversees book production, including proofreading, formatting, cover art, etc. 

There is a perception that there are no out-of-pocket publishing expenses for the author who goes the traditional publishing route. That used to be the case, but nowadays, publishers typically don’t do marketing for most authors they publish. Instead, because publishers are very risk-averse, they do the minimum amount of publicity—perhaps issuing a press release for the book—and then sit back to see if the book gets traction on its own. If the book gets traction, the publishing house will start putting its marketing and publicity dollars to work for the author. 

So, authors need to be aware that, even with a traditional publishing deal book deal, they will still be responsible for their marketing and promotion. If the author can get attention for the book on their own, the publisher will only do a little to help.

Additionally, the publisher will be making most decisions about the book’s branding (the look and feel) and setting the timeline for publication, which can be as far as two years out. 

A final factor to consider is that the author gets the smallest percentage of royalties with a traditional publisher. If the author got an advance, they wouldn’t get paid any additional royalties until the book has “earned out” the advance. Authors will also pay a higher price to buy copies of their own books if they want them for speaking engagements or to sell on their own websites.

Hybrid publishing options

Hybrid publishing is the halfway point between self-publishing and traditional publishing. Like traditional publishing, a hybrid publishing company handles all aspects of your book publishing and some or all of your book’s marketing and promotion. They often have good relationships with distributors and retailers, increasing your book’s chance of being placed on bookstore shelves.

The difference between hybrid and traditional publishing is that there is no book advance. Instead, the author pays some of the book’s costs, and the publisher picks up the rest. As an author going the hybrid route, you have more say in creative decisions. You also maintain the rights to your work, but depending on the contract/agreement with the hybrid publisher, they may have some say or control over certain aspects of your book or decision-making.

What about the self-publishing options?

DIY, DIY Plus [DIY+], Professional and Assisted Self-Publishing

When you think about self-publishing, you may imagine having to do everything yourself, from proofreading to book layout to writing the book description and even the cover design. Do-It-Yourself, or DIY, is the most hands-on version of self-publishing, and therefore it has the steepest learning curve.

Total DIY self-publishing has the potential for your book to turn out looking less than professional. Consider that some skills needed to publish a book, such as cover design and interior layout design or formatting, are skills only some nonfiction authors have. Design not only requires skill, but it also requires an “eye” or highly developed sense of design aesthetic. 

However, there are design templates that you can use as a base, which can shorten the learning curve and could yield better results than trying to DIY your book design from scratch.

 

Important Self-publishing considerations

Consider that as an established brand, entrepreneur, coach, or consultant looking to use your book to attract high-end clients and opportunities, you will need your book to reflect that high-end aesthetic and professional vibe. That is why you will want to consider DIY+ self-publishing or professional self-publishing.

Other skills you will need to succeed as an author have little to do with publishing. For the DIY and DIY+ self-publishing paths, you will need project management skills: knowing the required tasks and ensuring that you, or any freelancers you hire, get things done correctly and on time. 

DIY+ is a middle option between total DIY and professional/assisted self-publishing. With this path, you are still DIYing it but outsourcing certain aspects of the process. For example, you can hire a professional book cover designer and an interior layout designer and handle the rest of the publishing process yourself.

If you are going the DIY + route, this can be a project unto itself, researching, interviewing, vetting, and hiring your book publication team. If this is your first time doing this or you are a novice, hiring a team can be overwhelming and time-consuming.

Like most things, it’s not black-and-white. You can still self-publish but outsource critical tasks like cover design and book formatting. In this case, you would be doing DIY+, where you act as the project manager overseeing the publishing, hiring, and managing as many creative resources as you choose to bring to your book-publishing team.

For DIY+, professional self-publishing, or hybrid publishing options, you’ll need to be able to research, vet, and hire the right creative professionals or team to assist you with your book publishing.

Professional self-publishing, our term for what is also known as assisted self-publishing or guided self-publishing, is a way to get your manuscript published by hiring a publishing consultant or firm to manage the entire process of taking your book content through all the stages of publishing and distribution. It is a done-for-you service, and you retain creative control.

With professional self-publishing, you benefit from experienced guidance and an existing, proven team who can hit the ground running to take your book through the publishing process. This can be a pricier option, often on par with hybrid publishing, but it saves you a lot of time as you don’t have to learn all the ins and outs of publishing a book. You can rely on your consultant or firm to provide guidance and make it happen. This can be a much less stressful route to publishing as you bring on seasoned professionals with years of experience publishing books. It removes the guesswork, overwhelms, and doubts of first-time authors.

In all self-publishing paths, you retain the IP, creative control, final decision-making, and royalties (less what Amazon or other publishing platforms or retailers take).

How to decide if you, as a first-time author should self-publish?

 

publishing path comparison chart_traditional_hybrid_self-publish

When deciding whether to self-publish as a first-time author, it’s important to consider yourself and what you value. Is having total control important? Then you should self-publish using one of those three options.

Is having an existing team in place a priority? Or are you confident in your ability to hire and manage a team or a few freelancers? If so, DIY or DIY+ self-publishing could work well for you. Otherwise, you’ll want to consider one of the publishing paths with an existing professional team: traditional, hybrid, or professional self-publishing.

What is your time worth? Are you busy running a business and life? While hiring a team or freelancers can seem costly upfront, you have to factor in the cost of your own time. It will take you many hours, especially as a first-time author, to figure out your author’s action plan and how to implement it. It is up to you to decide how best to use your time, as it is a precious commodity.

Do you want guidance, or do you want to figure it out on your own?

The learning curve can be steep, especially the first time you do any new activity. In addition to learning what you need to do, you must invest the time to do the publishing. Again, it’s worth considering whether your time is better spent figuring out your book-publishing process or hiring experienced professionals to guide you and implement the required tasks.

Will the results be as good if you DIY your publishing as those you get from hiring professionals? As with any first-time activity, you don’t know what you don’t know. As long as you accept that there will be some aspects you get wrong, DIY self-publishing can be for you.

Another consideration is the cost. While hiring a professional self-publishing consultant or hybrid publisher may sound expensive, it may end up cheaper than total DIY. I have spoken to many authors who made costly mistakes the first time they self-published and ended up having to redo tasks, paying again for work that had already been done, bringing up the total project budget.

The good news is nowadays, there are numerous publishing and self-publishing options for authors to choose from. Some first-time authors decide to go with professional self-publishing, as they can learn the process by looking over the shoulder of their provider. Then take this knowledge and confidently bring future books to the market using DIY + self-publishing. 

 Related Content: Choosing the best self-publishing  book company for your needs

Choosing the Best Self-Publishing Book Company for Your Needs

Choosing the best self-publishing book company for your needs_

Choosing the right self-publishing book company is an important decision in bringing your book to market successfully. If you’ve completed writing your book, it’s easy to think your author work is done. If you haven’t already decided on your publishing route, now it’s time to consider your self-publishing options. You’ll need a company to print, distribute and sell your book. However, that’s just one piece of the puzzle. When you self-publish a book, you take on many new responsibilities. You need to find the right self-publishing company, create an effective marketing plan, and choose the right printing options for your book. In this post, we’ll cover all the details you need to know when choosing a self-publishing company.

Self-publishing a book can seem like an intimidating process. After all, you’re essentially the publisher, marketer, and distributor all in one. But with the rise of self-publishing platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), it’s now easier than ever to get your book out there. In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about choosing the best self-publishing book company for your needs and goals.

While Amazon and other platforms make it easy to simply upload a file to publish a book, many of you will want a more professional-looking product. You want bookstore quality and a book that will speak to your ideal audience and get you the results you are seeking.

The kind of self-publishing companies we are talking about in this post

It is important to frame this conversation with what kind of self-publishing book companies we are talking about.­­­­­­

Some people refer to Amazon and Ingram Spark as self-publishing companies. While some of them offer services to help you with the self-publishing process, they are best as platforms you can use to self-publish [print, sell, distribute] your book. The downside to hiring a platform to also handle your self-publishing process and book launch or promotion is that these companies will only sell you what they offer, which may or may not be the best option for you and your book.  They also may not provide the best bang for
your limited book budget.

What this post is about is self-publishing book companies that offer to guide you through self-publishing your book or offer done-for-you self-publishing.

We call it professional self-publishing. It’s also been called assisted self-publishing.

By using a separate company from the platforms to self-publish your book, you can get unbiased advice and are not get locked into one platform. You can take advantage of the best resources across multiple sites and increase your chances
of success for your book.

What exactly is self-publishing?

According to dictionary.com:
self-publishing is a verb, gerund or present participle:
(of writer)publish (a piece of one’s work) independently and at one’s own expense.

There is only one key difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing: “If the author owns the rights and royalties, then the book is self-published. If the publishing company owns the rights and royalties, then the book is traditionally published.” [souce: Scribemedia]

Self-Publishing Paths – your three options to consider

  1. Self-publish your book yourself by handling every aspect of preparing your book for publication, gathering all the necessary components, and uploading it to the selected publishing platforms

  2. Hire a company or consultant to handle all aspects of your publishing- taking your completed final draft through successful publishing and book launch

  3. Hire a company or consultant to handle a portion of the preparation or book setup for you

 While self-publishing has made it easy for anyone to become a published author without needing a book publishing deal, there are a lot of moving parts, nuances, and micro-decisions to be made. Self-publishing requires a team to handle all the different, required aspects of publishing your book. These include title, cover design, book formats, categories, keywords, etc. While anyone can do it, the question is, do you want to earn your Ph.D. in publishing, or is it a better use of your time to hire a professional self-publishing company or self-publishing consultant to shepherd you through the process.

 

DIY or hire it out – Which type are you?   

You may have a finished manuscript, but it’s not quite ready for publication. After all, you wouldn’t want to put your name behind something that wasn’t well-edited or even error-free.

As we’ve discussed, self-publishing is more than just uploading your manuscript to publishing platforms. It requires many different functions from book editing, design, copywriting, and so on. You can build your own team and then act as a project manager to oversee the process of finding your own book printing company, creating a professional cover and layout, creating front matter for your book, and several other important tasks. You can learn to do this yourself.

There are many resources available to help you understand the self-publishing process. Free resources include free courses, YouTube videos, and online Facebook groups. There are also paid classes and membership groups that provide training and a place to learn or ask questions as they come up.

As with any new endeavor, you’ll have to learn new skills and technologies. If you have never hired or assembled a team, you may not know what questions to ask, or how to properly vet the freelancers. Taking the time to understand the publishing process, being willing to ask questions, and having a measure of patience will help you succeed at doing it yourself.

 

Hire a self-publishing book company

The other option is to hire a self-publishing consultant or self-publishing company team to direct, oversee and manage the process of self-publishing your book.

When you hire a self-publishing book company or consultant, you get someone to advise you on what you need to do, and when it is needed. Then, they bring in their team as needed to accomplish the tasks and move your manuscript through the process of becoming a book and publishing and launching it. As you are the owner of the intellectual property, you will be consulted on and get the final say in all decisions. With this path, you will be making informed decisions as your company/consultant should be sharing with you the pros/cons and what to consider before making the decisions. 

You can sit back and make high-level decisions while they do all the heavy lifting and keep it on track. No details were left out and it is usually stress-free. This method takes the least amount of your time. There is no time needed to search for team members or vet them – this has already been done for you.

 

The cost of hiring a self-publishing book company

The cost of hiring a professional self-publishing book company or self-publishing consultant may create sticker shock at first glance. When you factor in the professional advice they offer, the time saved in not having to source, vet, and hire a team, project management or do the actual publishing yourself, it is probably well worth it. Outsourcing it to professionals, will save you time and likely save you from a lot of mistakes and headaches. The process will go smoothly, and you will end up with a great, professional-looking book. Plus, it was one less thing on your already busy plate.

If you go with the third option, to hire out only some of the needed parts of self-publishing your book, it will be helpful to learn as much as you can about the self-publishing process so you can decide which parts to do yourself DIY and which parts to outsource. 

cost to self-publish a book

First time authors don’t know what they don’t know when it comes to self-publishing

As an author, there are a lot of micro decisions to make along the way to publishing your book. Some of which will have long-term impacts. Impacts that you may not understand when just starting. Here is just one example of a common situation that first-time authors come up against. One example of this is the sourcing of their ISBNs.

ISBN Selection

Authors often try and conserve costs­­. Getting the required ISBNs for your book is costly. Bowker, the main player in the US market, sells one ISBN for $125, or a block of ten ISBNs for $295. If your book is in ebook and paperback formats, you will need two ISBNs, one for each version of the book.

Amazon offers free ISBNs. Sounds good right? Once you use Amazon’s free ISBN, you can’t take it with you to other platforms. Go to publish your book on B &N, or Apple Books and your ISBN is not usable. The other downside to this free ISBN is that it requires you to list Amazon as your imprint. This can detract from your book, as it is obvious your book is self-published; it may also deter other bookstores from carrying your book.

This is something first-time authors learn the hard way. If they decide later to publish the book on multiple platforms, they often must go through the process of republishing their book as a new version with a new ISBN that they own. This is because a new ISBN can only be issued if there are changes in text, format, or binding to justify it. This can be costly in terms of both time and money.

Questions to ask yourself– are you willing to live with rookie mistakes? They can be costly to your brand and your wallet, as well as drag out and delay your publishing timeline.

With all of this in mind, there are several things to consider before choosing the best self-publishing book company for you and your manuscript.

Not all self-publishing book companies are created equal

 

Here are a few examples of self-publishing book company service offerings: 

Company A – offers editing and proofreading

Company B – offers all steps from idea to published book, on sale on all major platforms – offers no marketing 

Company C – offers all steps from idea to published book, on sale on all major platforms – offers book launch, book marketing and PR

When you hire a fully staffed self-publishing company where everything is done in-house, you get a ready made team. With a solo self-publishing consultant, you will also get a team, as they will quickly assemble trusted, vetted professionals from their network. 

 

Before you hire a self-publishing company – 3 factors to consider

When you are looking to hire a self-publishing company, it’s important to understand what stage of the process you are in and what you need to bring your book to market. What are you as the author bringing to the party? Here are three questions to consider:

1. Is your manuscript written and edited? 

Some authors get as far as they can with their book and will tell us their manuscript is finished. They’ll look to us to take it through the editing and proofreading process. Other authors come to us with a fully edited manuscript that they have edited and proofread for typos and grammatical errors.

 When an author says their manuscript is finished, this can mean two things. They have taken it as far as they can and want help polishing and packaging it for publication, or, it is fully edited and ready for publication.

2. Do you know what your goals are as an author?

Understanding your goals can have an impact on the publishing strategy you need. You may think of publishing your book as separate from marketing your book and may be planning to use different companies for each phase of your book’s journey. It is important to understand what your bigger author goals are, as they can have an impact on how and where you decide to publish your book. Your self-publishing company or self-publishing consultant should inquire about this and work with you to publish your book to help it meet your goals. Different goals can mean a different strategy is needed. Here are two examples:

 A local real estate agent wants to publish a book to hand out to prospects. It will be their unforgettable business card.  Their main goal is to stand out in their local market. Being published on Amazon is simply an added boost for them so that when someone googles their name, their book listing shows in their search results, adding additional credibility to them. However, they aren’t looking for sales on Amazon or to get national recognition or visibility. They need a simple strategy – Publishing in both paperback and eBook formats, and publishing only on Amazon may be sufficient for them.

A consultant looking to increase their reach, visibility, and credibility and presell more high-ticket clients will want the broadest reach, distribution, and credibility. They will want to have their book published on every possible platform [Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo…], and they will want multiple book formats- paperback, eBook, audiobook, and possibly hardcover, as well as the option to have their books carried in bookstores and libraries. They will probably want a visibility campaign to get the word out about their book and reach more people.

3. How willl you handle marketing and book promotion?

The typical self-published author sells about five copies of their book. The average U.S. book now sells less than 200 copies per year, and less than 1000 copies over its lifetime. Books don’t automagically sell themselves, so you will want to have some kind of book launch and promotional plan. This may be something you look to your self-publishing book company or self-publishing consultant to provide, or you may have this covered elsewhere. 

It is important to put time and thought into how your book will get out into the world, and who you want to have do that for you or with you, or if you plan to go totally solo and handle it on your own.  Some self-publishing companies offer promotional strategies, guidance, or actual implementation. It may be included in your self-publishing package, as an add-on service, or by referral to partners who they can recommend to help you with this.

Comparing self-publishing book companies – what to look for

It’s important to define what publishing a book means to you, and how a self-publishing company defines it as a service offering before you hire them. I see a lot of confusion about what it means to publish a book; often clients think that a book launch promotion is part of book publishing. It can be, but it may not be, so this is an important point to clarify in advance of hiring a book publishing company or consultant, and choosing a publishing package. It’s important to understand how and what publishing a book means and what your self-publishing company defines it as and what it is exactly that they offer.  Does your self-publishing package include any launch, promotion, or book marketing?

Define exactly what self-publishing a book means – make sure your self-publishing company is on the same page with you

Let’s go to the dictionary to shed some light on a few terms that may be being interchanged in the publishing process and can lead to some unintentional confusion.

► Publishing: The term publishing means, in the broadest sense, making something publicly known. Historically, it came to refer to the issuing of printed materials such as books and magazines.

What is the meaning of a published book? Produced or released for distribution 

► Book Launch: A book launch is any even wherein the author or their public relations (PR) team invites a group of people to celebrate the arrival of an upcoming book

► Book Marketing: A book marketing plan includes publicity and promotional marketing efforts to help sell books and reach more readers

► Book Publicity: A plan and campaign designed to raise awareness about the book and create buzz. Unlike marketing, it’s goal are not specifically tied to selling books. 

Conclusion

Choosing the right self-publishing company is an essential part of the self-publishing process. Whatever publishing path you take, you need to find the right platforms, companies, and resources to help you bring your book to market.

Before looking for a self-publishing company, as we discussed, it’s important to know your author goals, how much you want to do yourself, and how much you want to outsource before you start evaluating the self-publishing book company options.            

The best self-publishing company for you will depend on your publishing goals and which company offers the level of service and package you are seeking. It’s important to carefully consider each company and that they offer services that match your needs and goals before making a final decision.

Jane Tabachnick & Co. is a full service self-publishing book company. We work with non-fiction authors to help take them from idea through every stage of book publishing and book promotion.  Find out more about working with us here 

Listen to our podcast: The Self-Publishing Blueprint here

Should You Self Publish Your Book

5 Reasons to Self Publish Your Book

should you self publish your bookAuthors often wonder should you self publish your book or seek out a traditional publisher. There are pros and cons to both avenues of publishing, so it’s important to understand them before making such an important decision.

You may think you need the know-how of a publishing house behind you or want the prestige that comes along with a big name publisher, but you’re a savvy woman and with the accessibility of self- publishing you need to consider it seriously as an option.

My top 5 answers to the question: Should you self-publish your book

1. Speed to market
When you self-publish your book, you eliminate the time you would have had to spend to find a book agent and then pitch a publisher. Instead, you can use the time to write, publish and promote your book. As a self-published author, you also can typically move through the publishing process faster, than a publishing house does.

In a few months, you can write and publish your book, whereas the search for an agent and publisher can take as long as two years, not including the writing and packaging of your book, which would be additional.

2. Total artistic control
While working with a publishing house, you get the benefit of their valuable insights and know-how, your book is your baby and having total creative decision making over it ensures that you will come out with a book that totally reflects you, your brand and your personality.

Should an opportunity arise around your book, whether it’s interest from a foreign market, or Hollywood has come calling, you get to decide if it’s right for you without having to consult with anyone.

3. you keep 100% of the profits
By publishing it on your own there is no one you need to share profits except the book store or online book retailer.

Most authors don’t make a lot of money from the sale of books, so being able to keep all of your share of the profit is beneficial. Additionally, when you work with a traditional publisher they give you an advance. That means that once you make book sales, you have to pay back the advance or draw out of the retail book sales. Once you finish paying back your advance, you have to share the remaining profits with the publisher, which means less in your pocket.

4. Book promotion and marketing
One of the big frustrations I hear from those who work with a traditional publisher, is that they don’t do much in the way of book promotion and marketing, until you become successful. Even with a publishing deal, as a first or second time author, you’ll have to do your own book marketing and promotion. You might as well self-publish and do your own marketing and promotion and know that you’re reaping all the benefits of those efforts, instead of having to share the rewards with your publishing company, who left you do the heavy lifting.

5. Equal access to distribution channels
Today, as a smart self-published author, you can get the same distribution and same visibility as traditionally published authors. You no longer need a publisher to get you into every bookstore, library, and online retailer. You can also maintain control of distribution, as well as the ability to offer discount pricing as needed.

The advantages to self-publishing are many, though there is a learning curve. Self-publishing doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself, there are programs, coaches, and companies to help you publish your book like a pro. Done right, it can be hard to tell a self-published book from a traditionally published one.

she-owns-it-logo
This post first appeared on She Owns It

Related post: Choosing the Best Self-Publishing Book Company for Your Needs

How to Build a List of Book Buyers Before You Even Publish

 

How to Run a Bestseller Campaign on Amazon

Bestseller Campaign on Amazon

How to Run a Bestseller Campaign

The reason why you want to know how to run a bestseller campaign on Amazon goes beyond bragging rights. When done right, it will provide a significant boost to your book’s visibility and sales, as well as help garner book reviews. I am speaking here about Amazon Kindle Bestseller Campaigns.

Before jumping into the hows of a bestseller campaign… at the risk of stating the obvious, you want to start by writing a great book.

Visibility

When set up right, your book will show up high in the categories your potential readers are browsing in… this way it can be discovered. Amazon is a giant search engine, and like Google, people don’t go beyond the first page to search for results, so ranking high matters. In the case of Amazon, it is the opposite – a low number ranks higher with #1 being at the top. It is key to getting found by new prospective buyers.

Your book can also show up in the Hot New Releases section and potentially other sections that will give it additional visibility in front of your target audience.

How to Run a Bestseller Campaign on Amazon

Categories and Keywords

Your category and keyword research, when done right, along with optimizing your An optimized listing, will help your book continue to rank well long beyond the bestseller campaign.

When I refer to optimizing your listing – I mean carefully selecting your categories and keywords to help your book get discovered, and taking advantage and using all of the 2 categories and 7 keywords Amazon allows a book.

The optimization of a book listing is a combination of art and science. Sometimes authors see their book as belonging in a certain category, which may not be the ideal one, nor the one or the only one their ideal reader will search in. There are probably a number of ways your reader will browse for books like yours… so remain open. Research can help you identify the optimal categories and keywords. You can conduct your research by polling your target audience, researching similar books on Amazon, using a keyword tool, or hiring an expert.

You can always tweak or change your categories, however, if you aren’t sure why your book isn’t ranking the way you would like, changing the categories and keywords without getting professional input, is a bit like playing the lottery, and leaving the result to chance.

The momentum of a bestseller campaign is valuable on Amazon as it gives you a number of sales. It also boosts your book’s ranking and visibility. Keeping your promotion going beyond the initial campaign can really solidify your book rankings for an extended period. We continue to run a promotional campaign for a few days after the Bestseller campaign. Keeping the price at .99, we see steady sales, increased reviews, and long-term rankings boost. The books that have used this strategy continue to rank and bring in sales month after month with no additional promotion.

What Not To Do – Credibility Busters

  • Beg or hound friends and family to buy your book. Instead, join a number of book groups that allow you to post your promotion, or hire a service or professional to run your campaign.
  • Claim bestseller status when your book has no reviews listed. Think about it, is it credible that a book would become a bestseller and no one would have reviewed it? Instead, get a few reviews before running your bestseller campaign.
  • Post your book online with the bestseller seal on it, before its even published [if it somehow happens to pass Amazon scrutiny this way] before you even start your campaign or reach bestseller status.  Instead, hire a graphic designer [a Fiverr for $5] to add the graphic, and upload a new cover once you have actually achieved bestseller status.
  • No Author page. Amazon gives you this great free marketing tool with Author Central, so why not take advantage and set it up before promoting your book.

Find out about our done for you bestseller campaigns here

How to Get Celebrity Endorsements For Your Book

How-to-get-celebrity-endorsements-for-your-book

How to get celebrities to endorse your book

Having celebrities endorse your book will lend credibility, prestige and authority. It will also help you sell more books.

Big brands have been using celebrities to sell products for ages. Think Michael Phelps on the corn flakes box to Ellen Degeneres in Cover Girl makeup commercials. They pay big fees to the celebrities because these endorsements help sell more products.

The good news is, with a little bit of effort on your part, you can get industry influencers and busy celebrities to endorse your books- and you won’t have to pay a fee.

To understand why celebrities will give you an endorsement, even if they don’t know you, see Part 1 of this series Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement

I reached out to a top industry expert who was also a multiple New York Times bestselling author to get an endorsement for a client’s book. They agreed.  We were thrilled! An endorsement from them would add incredible cache and authority to my client’s book. Weeks went by. We heard nothing. After more than a month, I reached out and asked if it would help if I sent some sample endorsements.

The expert’s assistant wrote back with a one word response: “Absolutely”.
We got their endorsement the next week!

The key to having celebrities endorse your book is to put in time up front, and to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes.

get the celebrity book endorsement guide

Here is how to get celebrity endorsements for your book

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Create a simple, ‘package’ with all your information and materials to send via email.

Start by sending a very short, detailed note about your book along with your request and why you think they are the perfect person to endorse it. [Genuine flattery goes a long way!]

Offer a copy of the book as well as a representative sample

Many celebrities and experts will not want to read your entire book; however, you should offer them a copy of it as well as a representative sample [intro, table of contents and a chapter].  Rather than send the sample as an attachment, host your sample chapter in the cloud [drop box, google doc…] and offer a link to the files in your email.

Offer Sample Endorsements [3 -5 samples]

Let them know you recognize that they are busy, so you have drafted a few sample endorsements that they are welcome to use as is, or edit. This can make it easier for them. They can simply select one of your samples and email you back which one to put their name next to, or they can customize a sample endorsement to make it more ‘in their own voice’.

This last step of offering ‘sample endorsements’ can make all the difference between getting an endorsement or not, as you can see from my client example.

Sending sample endorsement works for two reasons. People are intimidated by a blank page. They aren’t sure where to start.  By offering them some samples, you are helping to give them some suggestions and direction. They don’t have to think hard about this, and can comply with your request, by customizing one of your samples in a minute or two.

Remember, you are asking a busy people to take an action on your behalf. You want to have celebrities endorse your book. They get a lot of requests. The easier you make it for them, the greater likelihood you have of success.

Fast Track Your Results & Get More Celebrity Endorsements

get the celebrity book endorsement guide

Related Content :

Part 1: Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement

Part 3: How to Contact A Celebrity for a Book Endorsement

 

 

 Related Posts: Choosing the Best Self-Publishing Book Company for Your Needs 

Listen to our podcast: The Self-Publishing Blueprint

Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement

why-you-should-ask-barbara-corcoran-for-a book-endorsement

To add credibility and social proof to your book, there is no better way than to have a celebrity or recognized expert endorse your book. In this post I’m going to cover  Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement.

You may be thinking, ” but I don’t know any celebrities or recognized experts, or they don’t know me, so why would they endorse me”?

Here are 3 reasons why a celebrity will endorse books or products, even if they don’t know you personally:

  • They want to remain visible
  • They want to give back and help someone who is up and coming
  • They believe in the product

And yet….Barbara Corcoran turned me down.

get the celebrity book endorsement guide

When I published my first book, Success Secrets of the Real Estate Super Stars – Remarkable Women in Real Estate, the obvious choice to ask for an endorsement from Barbara Corcoran.

I did a search online and found her press contact. I drafted my endorsement letter and sent it off. I got a prompt response from her press person saying that unfortunately Barbara was slammed with travel and wouldn’t be able to endorse the book. I was a little bit disappointed but went on to publish the book.

Fast forward two years. A colleague was publishing a book on real estate and wanted to get an endorsement from Barbara Corcoran. She reached out and Barbara said yes. Why? The timing was better. She had the time to look at the book and endorse it.

So if you’re looking for endorsements from anyone famous, a celebrity or industry expert, the first rule of thumb is simply – you have to ask.

Be prepared to get turned down. It’s not personal, necessarily. It’s probably just that they’re too busy and not able to comply.

Want to sell more books?  – get endorsements from recognized experts or celebrities.

Fast Track Your Results & Get Celebrity Now

get the celebrity book endorsement guide

Related Content:

Part 2,  How to Get Busy Celebrities to Endorse Your Book

Part 3, I show you how to find a press contact for any celebrity.

 

Does an Author Need Both PR and Social Media

Does an Author need both PR and Social Media

I was recently asked by a fellow publisher “whether an author with limited time and resources should put them into social media strategies rather than trying to include publicity or even going exclusively the publicity route.” Does an author need PR and Social Media to succeed?

Here is my response:

Good question. The first thing I always want to know is where does your audience live, as it should inform a lot of where to put your efforts. If you target an audience that is rarely on social media, then that would not be a great use of all your efforts.

author media and prI consider social media as part of  ‘the media’ nowadays

Earned media [others writing about you, talking about you…] is the most valuable type of content you can have [no one cares or believes what you say about you to some extent, especially on social media]. Others talking about you is social proof, third party credibility, perceived as an endorsement…

In our review economy [also called trust economy], people trust:

  1. recommendations from friends and family
  2. online reviews & recommendations and
  3. the media [source: Nielson]

You have probably heard it said that people buy from those they know, like and trust… so media coverage/mentions are in the top 3 factors that influence buying decisions

The media are respected, and as it is they who decide what they write about; being the ‘selected one’ has additional value – i.e. they featured you over all the other experts out there.

When you are featured in the media, you get the halo effect of being associated with their respected brands…. that is why we say, as seen in the NY Times or cite a NY Times book review, and we don’t say “as seen on Facebook” or cite a Facebook book review, no matter how glowing.

As you can probably tell by now, I think that authors need PR and Social Media to succeed; I recommend authors use a combination of PR and social media… yes, even when time and resources are challenged [when aren’t they?]… all the more reason to learn how each medium works and learn how to maximize your efforts.

Want to learn more about how to do your own publicity? Please check out our Magnify Your Message program

How to Grow Your Business as a Speaker or Author

books-are-to-speaking-as-peanut-butter-is-to-jellyI am just back from an amazing 4 days at the Speaker Empire event learning how to grow your business as a speaker or author. I picked up lots of tips and inspiration and it got me to thinking…

In the United States, a favorite food staple is peanut butter and jelly. You rarely see one without the other. They just make each other better then they are on their own.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Books are to speaking, as peanut butter is to jelly” quote=”Books are to speaking, as peanut butter is to jelly”]

One of the best ways to grow your business is as a speaker or author, and best when you are both, as they are the peanut butter to each other’s jelly, they can give you exposure and expert positioning. Together, as both a speaker and an author, you make a bigger, better impression.

As an author, you are more attractive to conference and event planners, so it’s easier to get speaking opportunities. As a speaker, you can get in front of new audiences, wow them with your message, and sell your books and services with your speech. As a speaker without a book, you are leaving money on the table.

Nowadays it can take 5-12 touches before someone becomes a client. When you present to an audience, you immediately have expert positioning and authority, however they may not be ready to buy a big-ticket service from you. Your book is a great way to get them to buy something from you that at a price point that doesn’t require approval from corporate or their partner. Your book continues to give them an experience of you and your philosophy and methodology, and can move them closer to becoming a client.

One of the amazing things I discovered, is that once you commit to writing a book, you can start getting speaking opportunities. I have been interviewed on podcasts and been invited to speak at events based solely on announcing my forthcoming book. So your book can make getting visibility and attracting ideal clients much easier, even before its completely written!

I’ll be sharing some of the tips I picked up at Speaking Empire, as well as tips on how you can build buzz, write and promote your book… via Facebook Live. Please like my page so that you will get notified when I am broadcasting.

If you have any questions or topics you’d like to see my cover, please comment below.

5 Ways You Should be Using Your Nonfiction Book to Make Money

How a nonfiction book can make you moneyIt’s been said that your book is your best business card. In many ways it is, because as it introduces you, it also positions you as a credible expert.
Your nonfiction book can and should make you money.  There are a number of tactics you can use to help you convert more readers into paying clients. One of the easiest ways to do this, is to invite your readers to interact with you outside the book.

 

 5 Ways a Nonfiction Book Can Make Money

1. Build an email list.
You have probably heard the expression ‘the money is in the list.’ There are numerous benefits to having a list of interested prospects, before you publish and afterwards, so that you have a ready audience waiting to hear from you and buy your latest books or programs. It has been said that prospects now need as many as 12 touches [emails, social media…] before they are ready to buy. With an email list, it is easy to create those touches by sending out updates and information of interest to your audience.

2. Put an offer inside your book.
It is very easy to put an offer inside your book. A client of mine put an offer inside her book for her biannual live event. She used a large graphic of a certificate, which entitled the reader to a free seat at her event. She started getting signups for her event months in advance [earlier than she usually has people signing up.] Once people get a taste of you and what you offer from reading your book, they want to meet you, work with you….

3. Offer a related bonus within your book.
With my coaching and consultant authors, I often recommend putting a worksheet[s] in their book, to help the reader get more value out of the book, and an introduction to their process. We offer the worksheet in the book, directing the reader to a webpage with a download link, which also signs them up the author’s email list. The worksheets are a great way to get started, but while using them, many people feel that they need personal coaching and help to achieve the results that they are seeking, so they realize they need to hire you.

4. Invite readers to events
Once your reader has a taste of your work via your book, they will want to know more. They may not be ready to hire you, but would welcome a chance to hear you speak and possibly meet you in person. Let them know that you give talks and workshops and have your schedule posted online, and give them the web address. I recommend creating a separate page for this in your book, so it doesn’t get buried within your bio, and stands out. Hearing you speak and meeting you in person or online, can accelerate the need for 12 touches, and can confirm for the reader that they want to work with you.

5. Let readers know how to work with you.
In your bio section or about the author section in your book, I recommend you put in information about how people can work with you. Let them know you offer consulting, workshops and presentations, group coaching, one on one coaching, complimentary strategy sessions, or any other ways people can work with you. It plants the seed of working with you, as well as taking the mystery out of how you work, and what options they can have working with you.

With a little thought and planning before you publish, you can build these simple tactics into your book to help you convert more readers into clients, so your nonfiction book can make you money. If you have already published your book, you can also revise it and republish it to include these. The reader was attracted to your book because it resonates with them. You just have to make it easy for them to see the possibilities and the how of becoming a client and working with you.

 

How a Nonfiction Author Can Get New Clients From Media

nonfiction author get new clientsFor authors, getting visibility helps put them in front of more potential readers. It also helps put them in front of more potential prospects. Nonfiction authors can get new clients from media coverage; especially if they know how to maximize the coverage that they get. The temptation to spend an interview talking about your book is great. With a bit of thought and planning, you can use your interviews to really connect with your audience, and make the case for why they need to work with you.

Here are my top 5 steps a nonfiction author get new clients using media coverage:

Speak in sound bites
“A sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or viewer,” according to Wikipedia. By speaking in sound bites you grab the reader or viewer’s attention and are able to connection quickly as people have short attention spans. A great sound bite is one that resonates with them and is memorable. It is the kind of content that may inspire them to share it on social media, and could easily fit on Twitter, whose limit is 140 characters.

Tell stories about the big problems you solve
Talk about the big problem that keeps your clients up at night. I don’t mean talk about your process. Tell a story about the big problem a client had, and how you were able to solve it. This lets your reader see themselves in your story, especially if this a problem they have. Your audience is going to think. I need that, I want that solution.

Use third party testimonials or descriptions
It can be hard to speak about yourself, especially in glowing terms without sounding boastful. If you have had a client describe you or your work in a very positive and concise way, then use it in your interviews as this can boost your trust and credibility with the audience. For example, “my clients call me the ‘Publicity Queen and Mentor’ and tell me that I make publicity very easy for them to understand and implement on their own.”  This serves as both an elegant way to state your expertise, while also building additional third party credibility with the testimonial.

Cite statistics
Statistics sound authoritative and are called ‘sticky content’; they are easily shared and journalists love them. It’s even more powerful if you can cite your own survey or statistics. It doesn’t have to be a huge survey of 1000 clients. If 10 out of 20 clients have the problem that you solve, you can state that ‘50% of the companies we speak to are struggling with this problem.’

Use language that talks about the benefits of your solution
Well chosen words can really reach the audience and help make them desire your solution and want to work with you. Again, this is not intended to be a sales pitch but part of your story. The client was happy because our solution was ____________ [fill in the blank]. Great benefits to cover are how you save time, money or stress. Words, like cheaper, easier, faster, better will grab the audience’s attention. Who doesn’t want more results like that in their business.

Don’t be afraid to be a bit mysterious and suggest that the audience will have to get the book to find out exactly how you achieved an outcome, but do tell great stories and give them enough information to intrigue them. Make a specific reference in your interview to your book. For example, ‘I cover this in chapter 3’. That draws your reader or listener back to the book and suggests they get it to read chapter 3 for themselves.

Finally, include an invitation, also known as a call to action. In print media, it’s up to the journalist or publication what they will include it in the article or profile, so it may not be possible;  you’ll want to ask if they can include your invitation. A good call to action can be ‘sign up for my newsletter’, ‘download a free report’ or ‘download a sample chapter of the book’ on my website. When you are being interviewed on radio, podcast or TV you can usually make a call to action. I recommend discussing it with the media outlet beforehand. They will often be happy to segue into your call to action by asking, “If the listener would like more information about your work, what is the best way for them to find out?” Here is where you invite the reader or listener to connect with you, download your content or engage with you on social media.

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