8/10/2021 0 Comments What is Book Coaching?Do you need book coaching? Is publishing a book on your bucket list? Always wanted to publish a book but feel overwhelmed by the electronic publishing process? Are you also afraid of rejection resulting from submitting your book to a publishing house? Yet, you have a dream to write and experience the exhilaration of becoming a published author. Enter print on demand publishing. This is a form of independent publishing which can make your book available for sales online through Amazon Books. This process is less expensive and time consuming that applying to a traditional publishing house—which is quite a gamble of your resources unless you are famous. Print on demand has changed everything in publishing. Digital printing makes publishing a book doable and affordable for regular people. In fact, with some clever social media support, many people are circumventing the traditional publishing process and becoming best selling authors on their own. Technicalities of Digital Publishing Unless you have already worked in the printing or publishing industry, the technicalities and processes of publishing a book can be overwhelming for the average person. So, this is where book coaching comes in. A good book coach can walk you through the process, guiding and providing services necessary to create an accurate and printable book file. Book coaching will teach you how to navigate through the print on demand systems and the construction of a book in proper order. Book Coach and Book BlueprintPublish Your Book Blueprint in a Week, authored by Deborah S. Nelson, Book Coach, gives you the steps to construct a book. First and foremost, a book includes the manuscript body. However, you will also need other elements such as the front and back matter. Front matter encompasses title pages, copyright pages, dedication, acknowledgements, Table of Contents, and more. One of the most important tools in book coaching is the aforementioned Publish Your Book Blueprint in a Week. This workbook helps build the construction of your book and includes all front and back matter descriptions and foundations. The back matter includes the index, resources, endnotes, ads for your services, about the author, and more. Establish a clear understanding of all pieces involved in publishing a book aside from your manuscript body. Book Coaching Overcomes Obstacles Publishing a book on your own is a big undertaking. I compare it to doing a house remodel or having a baby. This is a long, complicated process and you will likely need to hire subcontractors. A good book coach will teach and guide you. Furthermore, if your time is limited, a book coach can do the publishing for you—called ghost publishing. However, you will need to make decisions all along the way to make the best book possible. If you use book coaching you can avoid costly mistakes such as the frustration of redoing digital files over and over again. A good book coach can save you the same amount of money that you paid them at least—as well as get the job done right.
0 Comments
If you are considering self-publishing a book, be prepared. The reality is different from what the “free” self-publishing companies listed online would lead you to believe. Before you dive in, understand the real obstacles these companies are not talking about. As a self-publishing coach for the past decade, I have coached multiple first-time writers to become self-published authors. This article explores common obstacles you might encounter to help decide if you will be successful in self-publishing a book. Obstacle Number 1—Digital Savvy Required for Self-PublishingThese days, the fastest, easiest, and least expensive way to self-publish a book, is to use print on demand. Print on demand requires a detailed digital file of the book cover and layout, and is a system that prints just one book at a time. If unfamiliar with digital files, digital art, Drobox for sending big graphic files, and general digital terminology, this will be a huge frustration for you. If this is the case hire a good book coach or professional ghost publisher. Obstacle Number 2—Self-Publishing Takes TimeSelf-publishing a book can take from three months to three years. This of course, depends on the complexity and size of the book project. The time from start to finish also depends on how often you can work on the project. Throughout the many phases of book publishing, you will need to devote time and attention to various processes. These include creating an ISBN number, bar code, copyrighting the book, creating the front and back matter to complete your manuscript, plus designing a front and back cover. Obstacle Number 3—Self-Publishing Editorial ProcessThis one phase is perhaps the most expensive and time-consuming aspect of publishing a book—aside from the writing phase. Mostly likely you will want to hire a professional editor. A writer is not able be effective with self-editing because of “word immunity”—a term coined by myself. This describes the situation where after writing, and re-writing, the author forms an immunity to errors. This is because the focus has been on content. A good copy editor and proofreader are also important. Many self-published books contain thousands of errors due to the lack of professional editorial staff who complete the book. Although, costly and time-consuming, do not skip this editorial process or your book will scream “self-published.” Obstacle Number 4—Author Branding to Stimulate Book SalesOnce your book is published, you will need to build an author brand. This actually starts during the publishing process. In order to sell your book, you will need to create a few well-crafted basics. First, you will need headshots of the author, longer and shorter versions of an author bio, and a well-written sales synopsis for the back of the book. Indeed, the marketing and branding phase also requires an author website, as well as social media accounts such as Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more. Think of self-publishing a book as a part-time or full-time job. You will need to set up your title on Amazon Books or other online book sales networks. This will require 3D book covers, and descriptions with keywords, to encourage books sales. Obstacle Number 5—PerfectionismIf you tend towards perfectionism you will need to overcome this obstacle in order to self-publish your book. Many of my authors have been frightened to actually publish, even though writing a book has been a lifetime dream. The fear of bearing your soul in print to the entire world is terrifying to many. However, if you want everything perfect, the book will most likely never be published. I have seen this happen with a few of my clients and a close-call with many of my clients. Do not let perfectionism keep you from your dream to publish. You can always republish with updates at a later date. Are You a Candidate for Self-Publishing a Book?If you find that you are weak in three or more of these areas you are likely to be unsuccessful with self-publishing a book. Hire a good book coach, to teach you, or to ghost publish for you. Go to Publishing SOLO Magazine to learn all the aspects of how to publish a book. For more information, explore Self-Publishing in 2021: A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing Success by Angelica Hartgers as well as What is Ghostwriting?—Part 1 and 7 Payoffs of Becoming a Published Author by Deborah S. Nelson.
3/26/2021 0 Comments SELF-PUBLISHING FOR DUMMIES—PART 2It seems we are all dummies when it comes to self-publishing. Two decades ago I was a key player in a small traditional publishing house. When I discovered print on demand, I resigned. Knowing the pitfalls of traditional publishing, I was excited by the implications of print on demand publishing. I understood a new day had arrived in the book publishing world! Self-publishing had always been snubbed by the academic world and traditional publishing. The strong bond between traditional publishing and academia assured the success of scholarly writers of a certain social standing. Now, because of print-on-demand publishing, so called normal people may circumvent the traditional publishing route. The new bond between self-publishing and print-on-demand has given rise to democracy in publishing. This means, self-publishing is doable and affordable for other types of writers aside from scholars and celebrities. Another decade later, I am a publishing coach, a new profession that helps multitudes to write and publish their books using print on demand and other methods. As digital publishing matures, more of my clients arrive from the academic world. Subject to the law of the land, “publish or perish;” where self-publishing was previously embarrassing; scholars are now jumping on the digital publishing bandwagon. What are the Benefits of Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing? Consider the following positive aspects of self-publishing versus traditional publishing.
What are the Steps to Self-Publish a Book?
How Can I Sell My Self-Published Books? Selling self-published books includes:
What is a Book Coach? Save thousands of dollars and hours of time by hiring a good publishing coach who understands the chronological order of the process of publishing a book. Book publishing is a full-time job for months or years, depending on the size of the manuscript. Picture a publishing coach who is similar to a general contractor who builds a structure. Without a publishing coach, you will fill the role of a general contractor for your book project. Your book coach coordinates, schedules, and budgets all services and activities to construct your book. However, most people cannot do these technical tasks and often hire notice works which may result in major delays and complications. Instead, hire specialists who are experiences in the world of book publishing. Remember, your book coach is already connected with a network of book service experts. Notably, print on demand makes publishing a book inexpensive. Since this process is technologically challenging, consider hiring a book coach to help you create professional and accurate files for your printer. For more information on self-publishing, read Wikipedia's article on the subject.
|
ArchivesCategories |