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Thursday, June 12, 2014

Info Post
By Sally Delacruz


If you've always wanted to be an author, the best time to start is now. In the past, authors had a very slim chance of getting their work published unless they worked through large publishing companies. Today, things are much easier and the first step is to learn the basics on how to self publish.

Self publishing has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially since it's so easy to sell your work online. For many writers, this is the best route to go. Getting a contract with a publishing house is extremely difficult, especially if you're a new or relatively unknown writer. Publishers also take quite a large chunk of the royalties you'll make and may even retain many of the rights to your work.

If you decide on publishing your book independently, you obviously need to write it first. Ask several people to look at your writing and give you feedback. Then get a professional editor to help you refine the manuscript. Be open to their suggestions, though, and don't take their criticism as a personal attack. Also budget for a good proofreader to give your manuscript a final check. A book full of mistakes creates a bad impression of your abilities as a writer.

Just like product packaging can entice potential buyers or put them off, a book's cover can make or break it. If you're not a trained and talented graphic designer yourself, get one to design a striking cover for you. It's also a good idea to hire a professional to do your lay-out, especially if you're going to use photographs or other illustrations. It creates a professional impression and makes the pages more reader friendly.

Your book will need a unique identity number known as an ISBN. An easy way to obtain one is through online publishers. It's also important to protect yourself and your hard work by getting the copyright and having this on legal record.

An important decision to make is whether to publish your tome as an e-book or as a printed copy. Publishing online is easy and cost-effective. However, many people still prefer actual books, so you may have to get a book printer who will not only print the pages for you but will bind them too. Then you'll have to get these copies distributed to book stores.

The work doesn't stop once the book has been published, In fact, many say this this is when the real work begins. Your target audience needs to know about your book, so you need to spend as much time and money as possible on marketing it and getting publicity. This takes time and some expertise, so you might want to hire a professional marketing company for this aspect.

The secret to successful self publishing is not to try and do everything on your own. There are many people with excellent skills in the different aspects of publishing. However, remember that you get what you pay for, so have a budget that is sufficient to pay these people market-related fees for their work.




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