Self-Publishing & Book Promotion Confidential
An insider’s guide to being a successful independent author
Bob Baker
© copyright 2007, 2009 by Bob Baker
Thanks for your interest in reading the enclosed confidential report on self-publishing. I’ve been actively involved with writing and publishing for many years. And over the past four years in particular, I've made a good living exclusively from the sales of my self-published books, reports, audio programs and more. It’s how I plan to spend the rest of my days, as I truly feel I’ve found my right livelihood.
I know first-hand the sense of personal satisfaction that comes with putting out your own book. I also understand the deep sense of purpose and meaning a book can give you when it touches people’s lives in ways you never imagined. I’ve benefited greatly from my pursuit of do-it-yourself book publishing, and now I’m on a mission to empower others to enjoy the same thrills as I have.
I hope the following pages inform and inspire you to breathe life into your own book ideas and allow you to share your thoughts and stories with the world.
To your publishing success!
-Bob
Visit the web sites above for details on my new book, "55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet"
The 4 Debilitating Myths That Hold Back Most Self-Publishers
I unapologetically believe that most of the obstacles creative people encounter are self-imposed. Call me a delusional optimist, but I’ve found that most of the grim, foreboding “realities” of the book industry we authors often hear about are merely perceptions that exist in people’s minds. And like all thoughts that bounce around in our craniums, we have a choice to accept or reject them — or, better yet, to replace them with more empowering perceptions.
With that in mind, here’s my list of the top myths that authors and publishers cling to — even though there are plenty of real-life examples around to disprove them all.
Warning: Read the rest of this report only if you’re prepared to do away with the comfortable excuses that have kept you from actively pursuing your book idea. Removing obstacles can be painful, but it’s the kind of discomfort that can lead to great accomplishments.
Myth #1 – Printing Books Is Prohibitively Expensive
Maybe five or ten years ago, this was true. But not any more. If you’ve been paying attention to advancements in new technologies such as short-run digital printing and print-on-demand (POD), you should know that producing a high-quality, bookstore-worthy book is well within anyone’s grasp — without spending half of your life’s savings.
Sure, if you need help with editing, page design and preparing your files for printing (and you don’t have a close friend or relative who can help you in these areas), you may have to pay for those services. But when it comes to getting your book printed, the costs can be extremely low.
Case in point: I recently used a print-on-demand service for one of my books. I paid a one-time fee of about $80 to get my digital files set up in the company’s system. After that, my cost per book was just under four dollars. Whether I printed one book or 100, it cost me only four bucks per book (plus shipping and a small processing fee per order).
Would you consider those dollar figures to be prohibitively expensive? Scratch one excuse off your list.
Myth #2 – Self-Published Books Aren’t Taken Seriously
I written about this self-publishing inferiority complex before. I don’t mind bringing it up again, because getting over this mental hurdle is vitally important. Here’s the bottom line: Self-publishing your own book isn’t superior or inferior to traditional publishing. Either path holds great potential for exposure, sales and success ... or disappointment and wallowing in obscurity. No matter what route you take, it all comes down to what you make of it.
When it comes to how your book will be perceived by others … Sure, there are certain people and institutions within the “book industry” who snub their noses at self-published books. But what difference does that make? Why should you care? The only people whose opinions really matter are readers and book buyers. And they are rarely concerned with how a book was produced. All that matters to them is how they benefit from it.
Have you ever heard someone ask, “Have you read the latest book from Random House?” or “Hey, is that the new Simon & Schuster book?” Not likely. Quick, tell me what company published the latest book by J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown or Janet Evanovich? How about Malcolm Gladwell, Suze Orman or Mitch Albom? Chances are, you don’t know. And neither do your readers. Book lovers don’t buy books based on who produced them. They buy because they are drawn to the author or the title, or because of a personal recommendation or a positive mention in the media.
As long as it looks good and delivers the written-word goods, your book will be taken seriously by the only people who matter: readers and book buyers. Take another excuse off your list of myths.
Myth #3 – Self-Publishing Is Small Potatoes
Another aspect of the self-publishing inferiority complex is the fear that you’ll always pale in comparison to the big-time operations of the major players. Don’t get trapped in this “theirs will always be bigger than mine” mentality. Small is good when it comes to publishing your own book. As a small-time operator, you can target and serve your audience better than most lumbering corporations can. Doing it yourself does not mean you have to settle for insignificance.
So, if you produce your own book, you’ll be best served by not being embarrassed by that fact. Don’t apologize or explain yourself. Just say, “Here’s my book and here is how you can benefit from it.”
Another cool thing about self-publishing is that, by doing so, you’ll be in great company. Take a look at John Kremer’s Self-Publishing Hall of Fame web page at www.bookmarket.com/selfpublish.html. It’s filled with countless success stories about self-published authors, including Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Leo Tolstoi, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville and Benjamin Franklin.
A short list of books that were originally self-published by their authors include:
· Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson’s The One-Minute Manager
· James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy
· Robert Ringer’s Winning Through Intimidation
· Ken Keyes’ The Handbook of Higher Consciousness
· John Javna’s 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
· Richard Paul Evans’ The Christmas Box
· Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way
· Richard N. Bolles’ What Color Is Your Parachute
Still think self-publishing is small potatoes? Cross one more excuse off the list.
Myth #4 – Effective Marketing Requires a Big Budget
This is another misguided perception that seems to paralyze so many aspiring authors. Of course, if you had a huge wad of cash to blow, you could easily find many ways to spend tens of thousands of dollars on book promotion “opportunities.” Salespeople will line up to take your money. You could buy print ads, a glitzy trade show display, a custom designed book tour van, billboard ads, space in coop mailings and more.
But if you don’t have a budget for marketing, you are not out of luck. There are oodles of ways you can use creativity instead of cash and brains instead of your brawny bank account to get the word out and generate sales.
In the first chapter of Shel Horowitz’s book Grassroots Marketing, he briefly describes a $10 marketing budget. That’s right, a mere ten bucks! It includes using free e-mail and web site space; a series of e-mailed, locally faxed and hand-delivered press releases; appearances on radio and TV shows; a well-designed and compellingly written flier; and articles written by you that appear in online and print trade publications.
All of the marketing tactics on Horowitz’s list cost little or no money. And with some creative thought applied, all of them can be effective at making people aware of you and your book. I can confirm this, because during the first couple years of my own publishing journey I spent $30 to $40 a month total on self-promotion (and most of that was for basic Internet access and web site hosting). And now, several years later, I’m a full-time author. Marketing does not require a big-time bankroll.
Now take out a big red pen and enthusiastically scratch this final excuse off your list. All you have left to do now is get busy preparing your book for the world to see.
Four Ways to Attract More Readers (and Buyers) Faster
Attracting new fans. Admit it, that’s what having a book published is all about — getting more people to read your words, know about you, and buy your books. And hopefully, getting a LOT more people to do those things.
Why else do you work so hard to craft chapters, paragraphs, sentences -- even individual word choices? For what other reason do you fight off sleep so you can finish just one more section before you call it a night? I don’t believe you go through these things to amuse yourself and hone your grammar skills in obscurity. You work hard because you know you have something of value to offer ... and you want to reach as many people as possible with your ideas.
Marketing is the thing that helps you reach that goal. But marketing is also a subject that confuses a lot of writers. Whether they write fiction or nonfiction, are self-published or traditionally published, writers the world over know they need to promote themselves. But many don’t know where to start, much less how to continue marketing effectively.
Does this describe you? If so, consider the following scenario:
Let’s say you went to an average U.S. city and rounded up 1,000 people and gathered them in a giant VFW hall. These 1,000 folks would be randomly chosen and made up of people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. Next, you’d distribute information about your book, talk to these people, and even let them read sample chapters.
After this direct exposure, what are the chances that one person out of those thousand would be attracted to your ideas and personal identity enough to buy your book? Most writers, regardless of how obscure their subject matter is, should feel pretty confident about being able to win over at least one new fan from this group of 1,000. That’s a one-tenth of one percent conversion rate.
Now let’s multiply that reasonable formula by the entire U.S. population of 300 million people. One-tenth of one percent would be 300,000 people. That would be enough fans to make you a bonafide bestselling author. Right?
So how do you find and connect with those one-in-a-thousand buyers (without the use of VFW halls across the country)? Most likely, you can’t afford the massive advertising budget of major companies. These corporations spray their marketing message over the masses, knowing that it’ll only stick to a small percentage of the population.
The solution: You must find creative, low-cost ways to go directly to those fans who make up that one-tenth of one percent. Don’t waste your time and money promoting yourself to people who will most likely never embrace your words.
Here are four steps to take to reach those new fans:
1) Define Your Distinct Identity