Are You a Good Candidate? People Who Should Self-Publish Today
Four questions to realistically assess your own potential for success in the business of publishing books.
It's a tale as old as the printing press: Author writes book.
Book meets publisher.
Publisher loves book, and copies are sold in Barnes & Noble stores nationwide-Right? Not quite.
Unfortunately, the reality of publishing books is not as romantic as that.
Nor is it simply a guessing game to determine which books will be commercially successful.
Book publishing companies, especially ones who have been in the business for a number of years, have a definitive list of qualities they look for in potential authors.
As a publisher, I can usually tell within our first conversation the authors who intuitively have all the right tools for publishing success, as well as the ones who may be better suited for other avenues of self-publishing.
I've found four questions to be particularly helpful in determining if you are someone who should be publishing a book: 1.
Do you have a clear understanding of the book publishing business and process? Publishing is filled with romanticisms and misconceptions-in reality it is a labor-intensive marathon.
It is a process that requires usually a series of publishing services including consultants, multiple book editors, design consultations, proofreads, legal research and book printing.
Even after these steps, a book must be effectively distributed and marketed to multiple customer bases to be successful.
2.
Do you have enough time set aside to complete the journey? I often find that professionals with commitments to other projects may have difficulty setting aside enough time out for publishing a book.
The book editing, layout, re-editing, and proofing process can easily take six months, sometimes a year.
The packaging of the book is a crucial step and one that will take a lot of attention and care.
Professionals who make their book a top priority will make the best return on their investment.
3.
Is there a network of followers who already know your name and your work? The easiest way to start selling your book is to have a group of preexisting networks and groups to tap into.
Are you affiliated with any professional or personal interest groups? Are you a teacher instructing students during the week? Are you a public speaker with rotating audiences? These are all sources of already existing relationships that are strategic to target when distributing your book.
4.
Finally, are you good at marketing and selling? Most authors are good writers-communicating quality information to others is usually the primary reason people want to publish.
But that is only one step of the journey.
Do you enjoy selling products to other people? Are you comfortable with the networking and follow-up skills of marketing? A lot of authors aren't the best at selling.
This can be fine, as long as they enlist the right type of publishing services and outside help for this vital selling stage.
The Bottom Line: These questions are a good way to preliminarily assess the marketability of your book and its potential success.
Notice that these questions are focused on the characteristics and motivation of the author, and not the content of book itself.
Levels of commitment and skill of are huge indicators of the type of success an author will achieve.
A conversation with a book packager and book publishing company will be your most realistic and informed source for determining the feasibility of your aspiration to publish a book.
If you answered the questions above with some reservations, or are unsure if you are should ideally be publishing a book today, you may find the article "Different Paths in Publishing: Subsidy Press" to be helpful.
It's a tale as old as the printing press: Author writes book.
Book meets publisher.
Publisher loves book, and copies are sold in Barnes & Noble stores nationwide-Right? Not quite.
Unfortunately, the reality of publishing books is not as romantic as that.
Nor is it simply a guessing game to determine which books will be commercially successful.
Book publishing companies, especially ones who have been in the business for a number of years, have a definitive list of qualities they look for in potential authors.
As a publisher, I can usually tell within our first conversation the authors who intuitively have all the right tools for publishing success, as well as the ones who may be better suited for other avenues of self-publishing.
I've found four questions to be particularly helpful in determining if you are someone who should be publishing a book: 1.
Do you have a clear understanding of the book publishing business and process? Publishing is filled with romanticisms and misconceptions-in reality it is a labor-intensive marathon.
It is a process that requires usually a series of publishing services including consultants, multiple book editors, design consultations, proofreads, legal research and book printing.
Even after these steps, a book must be effectively distributed and marketed to multiple customer bases to be successful.
2.
Do you have enough time set aside to complete the journey? I often find that professionals with commitments to other projects may have difficulty setting aside enough time out for publishing a book.
The book editing, layout, re-editing, and proofing process can easily take six months, sometimes a year.
The packaging of the book is a crucial step and one that will take a lot of attention and care.
Professionals who make their book a top priority will make the best return on their investment.
3.
Is there a network of followers who already know your name and your work? The easiest way to start selling your book is to have a group of preexisting networks and groups to tap into.
Are you affiliated with any professional or personal interest groups? Are you a teacher instructing students during the week? Are you a public speaker with rotating audiences? These are all sources of already existing relationships that are strategic to target when distributing your book.
4.
Finally, are you good at marketing and selling? Most authors are good writers-communicating quality information to others is usually the primary reason people want to publish.
But that is only one step of the journey.
Do you enjoy selling products to other people? Are you comfortable with the networking and follow-up skills of marketing? A lot of authors aren't the best at selling.
This can be fine, as long as they enlist the right type of publishing services and outside help for this vital selling stage.
The Bottom Line: These questions are a good way to preliminarily assess the marketability of your book and its potential success.
Notice that these questions are focused on the characteristics and motivation of the author, and not the content of book itself.
Levels of commitment and skill of are huge indicators of the type of success an author will achieve.
A conversation with a book packager and book publishing company will be your most realistic and informed source for determining the feasibility of your aspiration to publish a book.
If you answered the questions above with some reservations, or are unsure if you are should ideally be publishing a book today, you may find the article "Different Paths in Publishing: Subsidy Press" to be helpful.
