Thanks to the Internet, many businesses and industries have become revolutionized. The publishing world is no exception.
If you are an author who wants to avoid the pitfalls of trying to find a traditional publishing company, you should look to self-publishing your book as a viable option.
By publishing your own book, you are able to reach a lot of readers worldwide.
Why do you want to write a Book?
Not everyone decides to write a book for the same reasons. Some want to make money. Others want to share their knowledge. What is your reason for wanting to write? If you are not sure, your answers to questions like the following might be helpful:
- Do you want to share your success story with others?
- Are you looking to build upon your success by sharing your skills and knowledge?
- Is your goal to become a coach or paid speaker by leveraging your skills?
- Have you launched a new business and want to stand out from your competition by publishing a book?
Do Your Research
Before you start writing, you have to know what you are writing about. Will your book be non-fiction or fiction? Samples of non-fiction books are:
- Biographies/autobiographies
- adventure memoir
- Guides/Manuals
- Handbooks
- Technical books
- Travel
- Self-help/Self-Improvement
Samples of fiction books are:
- Adventures
- Horror stories
- Mystery novels
- Science fiction
- Romance novels
- Fantasy
Research your book idea to get a basic understanding of your market. You will want to see if your topic is viable and will have enough interested readers to make it profitable for you.
Look into current trends in your market. See what and how other authors who have written books similar to yours are doing.
Start Writing
This sounds easier than it is. Writing is hard work and takes a lot of time. If you are looking to publish your book by a specific date, make sure to dedicate enough time each week to writing so you can reach your goal.
Analyze your life to determine when you are most productive. Are you an early riser or a night owl? Find out what time of day you are most creative and have the most energy.
Set aside time during that period to write. Start with a rough draft. Don’t fret over little details. You can take care of grammatical and spelling errors later.
If you know others who are successful writers, talk to them to get any helpful hints that will make your process easier and run more smoothly.
Check Your Work
When completing your final draft every little detail does matter! Your goal is perfection. If you have written a non-fiction book, making sure your facts are accurate is really important. Double and triple-check your facts online. Ask friends or family members to help out.
Whether your book is non-fiction or fiction, you have to proofread it…very carefully. You do not want to have spelling or grammatical errors.
If you can afford it, hire a professional editor. If you can’t, you should read your own manuscript several times and out loud. We often read our own words as we meant them to be instead of what they actually are.
You can also ask friends or family members to proof it for you. Make sure anyone you ask is a good writer in their own right. It is in your best interest to have several different people read your work as mistakes are easily overlooked.
Create a Compelling Book Cover
It has been said that you can’t “judge a book by its cover” when in reality, that is often how people do judge books.
Your cover design is what potential readers will see first and could be the determining factor in whether or not they buy your book. It can also provide the opportunity for your book to stand apart from other books in the same category.
Publish Your Book
Your finalized project is now a book ready to be published and purchased. Have you decided if you will look for a traditional publisher or self-publish?
Many traditional publishing companies have gone out of business. Even if you are able to find one, it is very difficult to get them to accept your manuscript.
If you publish your own book, you will maintain total control over the process and may even get better royalties.
Market Your Book
Once your book is published, you want to get people to buy it. You should also pay attention to distribution so your book will be available from as many retailers as possible.
Many experts suggest pre-marketing. This means getting people interested and involved in your topic idea before it is actually published.
