How to Market Your Book - Day 1 - What is Success?

It's the first day of March, the beginning of Small Press Month. Take a vow with me to make marketing your book a priority this month. Do something every day.

TODAY:  Write down what YOUR definition of success is in publishing.

It's not the same for everyone. Really examine what you are trying to achieve.

Hint:  It is probably not all about selling books!

If you are willing to share, let us know what your definition of success is.  Thanks!

One Small Step for Self Publishers, One Giant Step for the Industry

Readers are not biased against self published books just because they are self published, but most will be turned off if your book looks amateurish. Self published books have had their ups and downs as far as consumer perception. Most of this is due to some authors not paying attention to details such as editing, design, and quality printing. The entire industry hinges on all books that are self published being of a quality that consumers will value so as not to diminish the entire lot.

How do you help the entire industry enhance their image?
- Write a good book (well researched and relevant -- and do you have credentials?)
- Hire a qualified editor and/or indexer (not your mom)
- Hire a trained and talented book designer (not your cousin Vinny)
- Make sure your book meets with publishing standards (ISBN, Library of Congress, etc.)

You will look more credible, and your book will, too. But you'll also be helping everyone else in the independent and self publishing industry. We all need that!

Lisa Pelto, President
Concierge Marketing
and Publishing Services

When it comes to publishing, do it yourself (or at least keep control of your project).

Why do it yourself? I’ll let one of my colleagues make this point: “I should have remembered the horrible experience with John Wiley publishers 20 years earlier, long before self-publishing was even an acceptable option. I ghost wrote a business and health book. We fought with the editors about the title (they won). We fought with the designers about the cover design (it’s still ugly). And we were disappointed when the book didn’t sell. Nobody told us the publisher does so very little to promote it. We were our own best customers. It was ridiculous. We were paying for our books, and the publisher was returning a small share of that back to us in royalties. Dumb me. I was a ‘with’ author on another book 20 years later and ended up on the same path with that publisher.”

In the past decade, the DIY (do it yourself) publishing industry has added Print on Demand (POD) or "Self Publishing" houses to the model of self publishing. You add your book to their listings, you pay them to publish it, and they bring it into their distribution set up. This publishing method is not addressed at length here, but please understand what these companies are and how they work before getting into a deal with them. This type of publishing is a good deal for poetry, memoirs, and fiction, but NOT the best model for nonfiction with authors who have a “platform” on which to speak outside of book signings and other events related to the book alone.

Do it yourself, but hire qualified professionals to help you along the way.