Self-Publishing - 3 Tips to Help You Avoid the ‘I Want It Now Syndrome’ (What’s a ‘Wannabe’ Author to Do?)

By Karen Cioffi

Self-publishing is a ship everyone wants to sail on. And, for good reason. This publishing avenue is quick and cheap.

Yes, self-publishing is fast. There’s no more submitting to a publisher or multiple publishers and waiting for (possibly) months for a response. Will they accept your manuscript that you’ve been working on for months, maybe years? Or, will they send you a generic standard rejection letter? Either way, the time waiting for an acceptance or rejection isn’t fun. With self-publishing, as soon as your manuscript is ready to go, it goes.

There are lots and lots of places to publish an ebook. And, you can publish with more than one service. And, you can sell that ebook right from your own site. That’s pretty convenient.

In addition to being a quick process, ebooks are cheap to create and publish. If you do everything yourself (aside from editing), it will cost nothing. In the event you need help, services like Fiverr have people who will help you for a very, very reasonable price.

But . . .

While it’s obvious to see the benefits to self-publishing, these benefits have one drawback in particular: everyone thinks they can write a book and self-publish it, whether or not they have the skills to write a book and whether or not it’s a quality product.

Part of the problem, possibly the main problem, is the 'I want it now' syndrome that self-publishing lends itself to. New authors don't want to take the longer 'proven' road of learning the craft of writing and having their manuscript edited before publishing.

This ‘problem’ does all authors a disservice. It lessens the validity of self-published books as a whole. Readers (buyers) never know if the book they’re buying was done professionally or if it was carelessly slapped together.

So, what’s the solution?

Well, there are three basic strategies to use when thinking of writing a book and self-publishing:

1. Learn the craft of writing.

The first thing a ‘wannabe’ author needs to do is learn the craft of writing. This isn’t to say you must get a MFA, but you should take writing courses and belong to writing groups.

2. Join a critique group.

The second thing is for the author to join a genre appropriate critique group. Having your manuscript critiqued by others helps with grammar, clarity, storyline, characters . . . you get the idea. Critique groups help you write your book. Those extra eyes will catch things in your manuscript that you glaze over.

3. Hire an editor.

The third thing the author should do, after the manuscript is as ‘good’ as she can get it, is to find a reputable editor and have it edited. It’s easy for an author to think she’s found all the errors in her manuscript, but in actuality, this is almost impossible to do. As the author, you’re much too close to the work to see it fresh and with unbiased eyes.

Self-publishing is an amazing opportunity for authors, but it needs to be done responsibly. Authors need to take the readers and the industry into consideration when venturing into it.

4. Bonus Tip: Hire a professional illustrator or graphic designer for the cover.

What’s the first thing a reader will see when looking at your book? Yep, the cover. The cover can be the determining factor as to whether that person will pick the book up to look at the back cover and/or buy it.

There’s almost nothing worse in self-publishing than having an amateurish, cheap looking book cover. If you have to cut corners, do it elsewhere - invest in a quality cover.

Summing it Up

Instead of being one of the “I want it now” authors, be one of the ‘I want it, but am willing to work toward it’ authors.

And, keep in mind that for content marketing this is even more important. While writing your own book or ebook is a savvy marketing strategy, you will need to create a quality product if it's to do its job of building your authority and credibility. Always do it right.


MORE ON BOOK MARKETING AND WRITING

What is Social Media Proof? Is It Important? How Do You Get It?
Self-Promoters Take a Page from Taylor Swift’s Book
Deliberate Practice and the Writer

 Want more followers? Want more subscribers? Want more sales?

Then you have to check out my new BLOGGING SMART VIDEO WORKSHOP through the Working Writers Club.

This hour long workshop will show you how to get more website visitors, more authority, and more sales. And, there are 3 bonus lessons . . . and, it's only $20. You can't go wrong.

Do you have an eReader?

If not, you might want to buy one. Or win an eReader, like I did!

Last year, I won a Kindle Fire. I love it! I’m still learning about all the things it can do, but mostly, I use it to read books. I have many books on my eReader, and have read some of them. They are about various subjects such as writing, business, health, home improvement, and money. I also have some novels and children’s books.

I have apps on my Kindle. Newspapers, travel, organizational, and shopping apps are mostly what are useful to me. I also purchased an app that helps me to categorize my books. I find that is the easiest way to locate what I am looking for. And the layout is attractive and organized.

An eReader can be used to access the internet, making it convenient for on the go. You can check your email and read social media sites. If you don’t want or need to carry around a laptop, an eReader may be what you need.

You can buy digital books on all kinds of subjects. If you have a Kindle, you can get books from Amazon. If you have a Nook, you can get them from Barnes and Noble. There are a number of websites where you can download free eBooks too. You can also borrow them from your library. Some also offer classes on how to borrow books with your eReader. Be sure to check out what your local library has to offer. You might be surprised.

Besides the Kindle and the Nook, there are other eReaders such as the Kobo and the Sony Reader. I recommend researching eReaders to learn which one is best for you.

I still buy, read and borrow regular books. I think I always will. However, I have found the Kindle to be very convenient, easy, and fun to use.

I plan to write about technology in future blog posts, as I learn more about my eReader and contemplate purchasing additional gadgets.

Do you have an eReader? How do you use it or would like to use it? If you don’t have an eReader, do you plan to buy one?

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is working on her first children’s book.

How to Write and Publish Your Own eBooks with Jim Edwards

I'm a big fan of creating your own information products, as long as it's one of your writing goals, or if it can be profitable. And, while simply writing an ebook is pretty easy, to make it become profitable is another story.

I don't recommend products too often, for ONE primary reason: I have to trust the author of the product. Meaning I have to know the individual provides quality information and fulfills his/her promises.

The second reason I limit my recommendations is I need to make sure the price is reasonable (to the majority of us) and what you receive is worth more than what you pay.

I've been following Jim Edwards, reading his content, attending his webinars, and have purchased his products - he delivers on his promises.

So, I'm recommending How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook… in as Little as 7 Days V2.0

Click Here! to see all the information Jim will teach you on writing, publishing, and selling your own ebooks.

And, here's a bit on Jim's qualifications:

You need a proven expert to guide you straight through the process… with no bull. Jim Edwards has helped well over 1,000 authors write, publish and promote their ebooks, print books, and audio books!

Jim is a 10-year veteran newspaper columnist and author whose reputation for writing and promoting ebooks online is legendary!

•    Just one of Jim’s ebook info-products made him $45,000 in only 3 months!
•    Over the last 14 years, Jim has published several best-selling ebooks – including “Selling Your Home Alone”, “The TEN Dirty Little Secrets of Mortgage Financing”, and “Turn Words Into Traffic”.
•    Jim recently made $7,704.37 in one week with a single ebook… and what makes that even more amazing is he didn’t even promote it – someone else did!
•    Authors have paid Jim as much as $6,000 to consult with him about their ebooks and info-products!
•    In fact, an ebook-based information product Jim created went over $90,000 in sales in less than 5 months!
You need step-by-step details spelled out quickly! … by a real-world expert who can teach you the ropes.

Over the last 14 years, Jim has written, created and sold *millions of dollars* in ebooks and info-products online.  He has helped thousands of authors.

ClICK HERE TO CHECK OUT How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook… in as Little as 7 Days V2.0

~~~
While I have my own ebook on 'how to create and sell ebooks,' Jim has lots and lots more information, instructions, and tips to effectively teach you how to quickly and profitably turn out your own best selling ebook through this ground-breaking, completely revised NEW ebook course!

For a more in depth information on what you'll learn and to get your copy now,
CLICK HERE!

This is an introductory offer of $29, and I'm not sure how long it will last. The regular selling price will be $49. So, if you're thinking about it, buy now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
To check out my writing and marketing ebooks go to:

http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/karens-books.html
eBooks on Writing

http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/ebooks-on-marketing.html
eBooks on Marketing

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn about writing and marketing with Karen Cioffi at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. Sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World, and get TWO free site-related e-books for subscribing, and ONE more just for stopping by. For professional and affordable writing services (for businesses and individuals) check out http://dkvwriting4u.com