Publishing a Book in Today’s Market

Before you venture out into publishing your book you will need to examine your motivations. Unless you are an established author, a well known celebrity or have many degrees after your name, success in selling many books could be elusive. There are several reasons why you may want to write a book.

1. Put your thoughts on paper
2. See your name in print
3. Have a legacy for future generations
4. Become a best seller.

The first three are easily accomplished; the fourth one will take time and money…and lots of it. There are several ways to publish a book today:

1. Self publish: This means finding a printer who specializes in printing books. You will need to have space to store the thousand books that you will be printing. If you are motivated to go further you will have to get distribution, marketing help etc.

2. POD which is publish on demand. This is the least expensive, as you only have your book printed as you need them. So the first outlay is minimal. There are many services that these companies offer in the way of marketing, distribution, design help and editing. Book stores often will not purchase PODs because of the lack of editorial quality. This is great if you want to see your name in print and leave your legacy.

3. The best way of course is traditional publishing. Though the royalties are small you basically have no out of pocket expenses. Some traditional publishers do a lot of marketing and some very little. They tend to get more involved in marketing celebrities or best selling authors.

Whatever method you decide on, make sure you have an outside editor. There is nothing more unappealing than an unedited book filled with typos and grammatical mistakes. There will be at least 100 rewrites of your book. Every time you go over a chapter you will make changes. The first draft should be full of mistakes and typos. You want to get your thoughts down as fast as possible. This spontaneity will allow you to be creative and share your thoughts.. After about ten rewrites have a close person read the book and make notes on mistakes. After another twenty or thirty rewrites hire an editor. Never publish a book with outside help.

Depending on the method you decide your cover is of paramount importance. Hire a designer who specializes in book covers.

The title is a major issue. They have often said that the title can make or break your book. I woke up one day with my title in my head and the book followed. It took me about three months before I got a clear picture of where I was going with my book.

This book writing is an adventure…one that captivates your very soul.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *