Self Publishing: Is It For You?
Posted: Wednesday, June 02, 2010
by Terence Tam
Bookpal
Writing a book can be easy. You will have to spend some time writing down your thoughts and connecting them to develop a captivating subject. The hardest part is publishing your book. Contrary to popular belief, publishing a book involves many complex phases. Proof reading to correct grammatical mistakes, editing the sentence structure, typing the entire book into a printable format all these have to be done in order to get your book published.
Self publishing has always formed a small fraction of the publishing industry. Nowadays, advances in publishing technology have allowed that percentage to grow. Desktop publishing, Print On Demand publishing, and the development of xerographic printing have all contributed to the industry in a way that makes self publishing your book more promising.
It isn't just new, unrecognized authors that self publish either. There is a list of bestselling self published titles available including The Celestine Prophecy, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Eragon.
The advantage to self publishing your book is you get full control and freedom. You may design every feature of your book, from the typeface to the cover art. You are in charge of the marketing and distribution of the book. And don't forget, you get to keep all the profits!
The disadvantage of self publishing your book is, while all the paychecks are yours to cash, all the bills are also yours to pay. As a self publisher, you are solely responsible to make sure your book succeeds. Anything you don't know about publishing, you need to learn fast. The outcome of your book, and your career as a writer, depends on it.
Once it has been transformed into a medium that is fit for publishing, you need to find a printing agency . They can do the cover design for you. The cover design and the layout of the book play an integral role in popularizing the book among readers. Search around the internet and you will find plenty of companies that specialize in this niche.
One of the most essential tasks when self-publishing your book is the promotion and marketing process. The publicity of your book is up to you. That means you need to get booksellers to put your book on their shelves, and get book reviewers to spread the word about your book so people will buy and read it.
Never expect overnight miracles since self publishing is filled with hurdles too. Just remember that humble beginnings mark the growth of a prosperous career. In a competitive market, self publishing your book presents steep challenges, but don't be daunted!
2010 Bookpal Australia Pty Ltd - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
BookPal is helping self publishers all around the world to successfully self publish and market their books with cost effective solutions to create bestsellers. The website offers a free book for budding self publishers, and many other free resources.
Terence Tam is the founder of BookPal , he previously spent 6 years as an academic and was a contributing author for several academic books. Frustrated with the level of service he was getting with traditional publishers, he set up his own self publishing company to help other authors publish and market books with cost effective yet efficient solutions.
This Article has been viewed 929 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsNice write up Terrence
I tried to self publish once but I think my work wasn't ready. Thank you for bringing it back to my attention, God bless!
I think authors - especially new ones - often believe the myth that once a publisher accepts their book they're on the road to fame and fortune, but it isn't necessarily so. Publishers are like bankers - conservative and often not very passionate! I love your encouragement.
Terence,Great information, good tips and straight to the points. Thank you,
Thank you for sharing the information.
This is not only for me, this is for my readers.
So true. Thanks for the tips. I've done my own (self-publishing) and you're right on about all of it. One thing you might like to mention (next go 'round) is that even if you get published by a large publisher, the majority of promotion is still done by the author. They are 'publishers', not promoters.
You've offered some very helpful advice Terence. Thank you.
Hi Terence, I had no idea that there were so many best sellers that were self-published! That is indeed very inspiring. I for one am inspired and shall one day I hope pen a book of some sort!
Nice article. Your Bookpal website is interesting. I'll check it out!
More comments
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.