Do you want to self-publish your book, but you’re struggling with knowing what it takes to actually produce a book people will want to pick up and read?
Guess what? You’re not alone.
From what I’ve seen, the primary reason self-published books aren’t successful is this:
Self-published authors are overwhelmed by the logistics of publishing and lose track of job number one, which is to deliver an excellent reading experience.
What I’d like to do is show you how to avoid this mistake and make sure you’re doing everything you can do to successfully publish your book so that it can sell more copies, reach more people, and make a bigger impact.
Not long ago, as I was guiding an author through the publishing process step by step, she said,
“I don’t know why they call this self-publishing. I couldn’t have done this without you!”
I hear variations on this sentiment from my clients all the time. And it’s not for lack of information. In fact, it’s just the opposite. There are books, videos, webinars galore on how to self-publish.
So where do you start? You could just wade in and hope you learn to swim before the water gets too deep. Or you could consume a bunch of that afore-mentioned material and likely end up more confused than educated, especially when you encounter conflicting information.
That’s because you don’t need to know how to self-publish in general. You need to know what’s best for your book.
First, it’s important to understand that self-publishing is not a one-size-fits-all business. That’s good and bad news. You get to bring your book to market however you want, but the challenge is in navigating unfamiliar territory. Cue the “you don’t know what you don’t know” conundrum.
What you really need is a way to transform that glut of knowledge into action. In other words, you need publishing wisdom — insight and perspective applied to your particular book and your reason(s) for publishing it — in order to chart a sensible path forward.
That wisdom comes from practical experience, from conquering the learning curve, and from keeping a finger on the pulse of the publishing business. You could gain some of that wisdom yourself through the school of hard knocks, but is that really the best use of your time and energy? Wouldn’t you rather start leveraging the wisdom you already have in your field or share your legacy by publishing a bookstore-quality book about it?
The shortest distance to that outcome is achieved by collaborating with publishing professionals who are equally committed to the same goal.
For example:
- Should you have your manuscript edited or not? Saving time and money is a powerful motivator to skip this step, but who wants to find typos in a book that could have been corrected in the manuscript? And what does it say about the author’s commitment to quality vs. cutting corners? An editor’s job is to polish your words, which makes you look good and enhances the book’s readability.
- Most authors think they know what a book should look like, but the plethora of self-published interiors formatted like a business letter or college essay suggest otherwise. To impart credibility, a book needs to look like a book, and a skilled layout artist knows how to achieve that with ease and thereby create a good reading experience.
These examples are just two of many ways your book—and its readers—will benefit by drawing on the experience of those who know and respect the rules of the publishing road.
And that’s what happens in my Clarity to Completion book publishing program. We cut through the noise to remove the overwhelm, craft an expertly designed book and guide our clients to the published author finish line stress-free and ready to share their wisdom with the world.
If that strikes a chord, let’s hop on a call to see if Clarity to Completion is right for you. Find a time that works for you here: Get Clarity
During the call, we’ll discuss why you are writing a book and what it will take to finally hold that book in your hands.
No obligation, and we can chat even if you are still writing. That way, you’ll have a sense of what to expect when the writing is done.
You’ll gain some publishing wisdom, and your book will be better for it.
Photo credit: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
