How to Self Publish a Book
Many writers have ideas and can put them down on paper, but their greatest fear is if they will be able to reach the intended audience. They find submitting their work to a publisher to be costly and their only viable route is to self publish. This blog will share ways on how to self publish your work and get your story to the populace.
How to maximise through self publishing
1. Write a book that captures the mind of the reader.
A reader will be hooked up to your book only when they can relate to your story, so make sure the story triggers emotions in the soul of the reader. Write a book that you want to read yourself. You can even give it to a friend to get their thoughts, for they will be honest with their feedback. Use their feedback to make corrections and come up with a story that resonates well with the reader.
2. Take advantage of the power of social media.
Nearly everyone is on social media and this gives you a real platform to share your story with the world through your social media accounts. If you have a website you can share the link on your social accounts. Also you can share on the Facebook groups, Twitter spaces etc. You will reach millions of people and get much higher reviews from all and sundry. Give your readers on social media power to share your book and this can help you reach more people.
3. Design a good book cover which is eye catchy.
The design is what makes the reader want to buy your book. A good cover design will keep the readers eyes fixed on your book and triggers a powerful feeling of belonging. Human being feels attached due to physical things the eyes see and that will give you a kind of a leverage you need to pass your message across. Hire a professional book cover designer to design the cover for you, this way you will get the best design to the reader.
4. Market your book.
Marketing is not easy, in fact it is the hardest part in trying to build your profile. One way of approaching clients is through advertising through media. Also you can send a one pager sales sheet together with your book to bookstores. The sales sheet tells everything about your book i.e. the title, synopsis, publisher, and more. This will give a preview of your work and help in marketing your book. You can join writers communities where you can share about your book and get much needed guidance from those who have self published before.
5. Work on the recommendations from readers.
Those who read your work will give you a feedback on the true state of your book and what their thoughts are. As a writer who wants to self publish, it is good to put yourself in the perspective of the reader and understand their feelings. When readers or editors give recommendations, its good to work on them and take corrective measures on your article or story. Feedback is important because it makes your work more fine as it captures the feelings of readers who do not know you personally but only through your written thoughts.
6. Choose a Publishing platform.
There are many companies out there you can self publish with. The different kinds of companies will give you different services. You can use a print on demand method to print only a physical copy when the reader requests rather than printing many copies and stocking them. Also you can publish your book on sites like Amazon using their Kindle Direct Publishing(KDP), which is self publishing platform with a wide market reach. The books are printed on demand and once they are sold you get to retain a percentage of the royalty.
7. Know your Genre.
To earn well from the market you have to write a book that is unique from the rest in the market. So first understand your genre and research on the writers from your genre. Read their books and understand about their creativity. From this you will be able to know what the readers want and what kind of stories fetch good prices out their. Now when the time comes for you to write your book, you have to write what is missing. This way your book will be unique and gain entry into the market quickly.
8. Do not stop after Publishing.
Many self publishers stop when they publish their work online. But to reach more people requires constant marketing and building new networks. Every chance you get you have to market your book. Even the best selling authors still market their books because they know they should reach more people. So after publishing, then the real work begins of finding new ways to get your story to every reader.
9. Find an influencer.
The influencer has a good following on their platforms and you can leverage on that. Since it won’t be free, you need to agree on how much you will pay. They will then use their platform on market your book for you and help jumpstart your writing career. Influencers are used everyday by big companies to market their products, and you can do the same. When you find a good influencer then you can get the best services and your book will be in the hands of the reader in a short time.
Conclusion
Self publishing has many merits. As a writer you get to make decisions yourself. Secondly, you don’t have to pay for copies upfront the way traditional publishers do. Thirdly, you get to retain all the royalties that comes with the selling of your book. Finally, you are in control of your creativity.
Self publishing is the way to go when one has budgetary constraints as it saves on time and costs. If you to publish today as a writer, then do not procrastinate, self publishing will still get your book to the reader. So make that decision today and publish your book.