Seven Ways To Sabotage Your Self Publishing Success
The book business is a billion dollar industry; however grabbing
your slice of the pie will require skills far beyond simply
writing well and conveying your message clearly.
So, if you're thinking about becoming a published author read
this before you power up the PC and prepare to pen a masterpiece
because there are a few (17 that I've found) landmines to watch
out for on the road to self publishing success.
Following are seven of the primary reasons many authors fail.
Is your book is positioned to fly or flop?
1. Publishing books with unprofessional covers. Despite
of what your Mom might have told you, people DO judge books by
their covers and if your cover does not look like it was
professionally designed it won't sell as many copies as you'd
hope.
Take the time and do the research on a quality cover designer
who will help you bring your book cover to life professionally
and affordably.
Here's a great way to get a surge of inspiration - even if you
never intend to see your book in the bookstore - go to the
section in the bookstore that your would find your book and get
ideas from the covers that are already there. Jot down the
titles and go online to see which of them are top sellers and
then model their success for our book.
2. Printing in larger quantities then they have proven they
will be able to sell. The book business is more a marketing
and promotion business than it is a publishing business. No
matter how great your book might, you'll face financial
frustration if you blindly print 5000 copies on the "hope" that
they'll sell quickly.
Without advance marketing and pre-sales promotions it's very
easy to overestimate the initial quantity for your first order.
So as soon as you have a quality cover designed you want to use
that visual representation as way to promote your book, generate
buzz and best of all gauge your first print run size.
3. Paying large amounts for services upfront to "save"
money. Many first time authors believe that they will save
money by printing a large quantity of books all at once. In
fact, that is only partly true. If you print 5000 copies of your
book to "save" $1.00 per copy on printing but only sell 1000
copies, you may be loosing more than you save if you haven't
factored in the additional money you need for marketing and
promoting the remaining 4000 copies.
To keep your initial "savings" from actually costing you future
sales, consider working with a Print-on-Demand printer that will
allow you to purchase smaller quantity print runs. While it
might seem like you're paying more per copy the reality is
you're making a more financially sound business move.
4. Working without a coach or mentor. Information is
great, but too much information can actually lead to inactivity.
Have you ever been so blown away by a great idea that you didn't
know where to begin; so you did nothing? It happens to the best
of us. That's why most often it's not more information that will
lead to your success, but a structured plan and accountability
to see it through.
Tiger Woods is arguably the world's best golfer. He has broken
records and sent golfers 20 years older packing. He's focused
and determined to win, and despite all of his success he still
has a coach. His mentor isn't necessarily a better golfer than
he is, but a person who understands the game and can see things
from a different vantage point to offer him tips, advice and
coaching for maximum success.
5. Not testing a title before it's printed. Often when
we have a great idea we can become so attached that we loose
objectivity. When I wrote my book, "Teen Money Tips: Simple
Steps For Banking, Saving & Making Money" my original title
idea was "Get In The Driver's Seat: 7 Keys To Making The Most of
Your Money" it was cute and cleaver but it didn't give the
reader an instant indication of what the book was actually about.
After testing the title with more than 50 potential purchasers
in my target market the results were in overwhelming favor of
"Teen Money Tips," a title that I though was too boring. But I
had to remember it didn't matter what "I liked" if the intended
audience wouldn't buy it.
Boy, am I glad I listened because my market has rewarded me
time and again with a steady stream of book sales!
6. Writing books they think people "should" read. The
famous 12-step program operates on the sole belief that a person
must first admit they have a problem before they will truly work
towards recovery.
If your book addresses an issue that people "should" be
concerned about, but that they don't know about, don't care
about or are to afraid to take action on, then it might not be
the best investment of your time or resources to be the first
one to write the book.
Writing for established markets that have proven to be willing
to pay for information and a solution to their problem will
enrich your life and theirs.
7. Waiting until the book is completed to market it.
I'll admit that writing a book can seem like a single focus
task, and it should be at times. But authors must never loose
sight of the fact that books are written to be sold. If no one
knows about, or anticipates your book's release, then your
initial sales will be low and disappointing, making it difficult
to cover the initial investment and even harder to play catch-up.
Movement encourages success, and very few things guarantee
movement like having advanced marketing for your book. Book
announcements, virtual book tours and bundled book bonus offers
are just a few things that you can do in advance to market your
book and boost your bottom line.
There are many other reasons that first time authors don't
reach their full potential. I've been there so I understand what
it's like to be long on enthusiasm and ideas, but lacking a full
understanding of all the nuances to be successful as an author.
That's why I'm passionate about helping aspiring (and even
previously published) authors write, publish and promote their
way to self publishing success.
By avoiding the "Seven Ways To Sabotage Your Self Publishing
Success," you'll experience the upside of self publishing:
* Controlling your own work
* Pocketing more profit
* Credibility as an Author
* Expert status
And many more benefits much sooner; which is the whole reason
you decided to become a self published author in the first
place!