Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re going to \u201cbegin with the end in mind\u201d and \u201csharpen the saw\u201d before you invest time, money and effort into anything that doesn\u2019t generate profitable clients and opportunities, increased visibility, and unbridled enthusiasm about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use this article as your trusted guide and introduction to the self-publishing world. I\u2019ve done a ton of research for you and have included names and links to the most trusted resources for experts, like you, who are considering self-publishing a book.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The key to this guide is to use the time that you are preparing to write and writing your book to also start priming your marketing pump,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The launch and marketing portion of publishing a book can get overwhelming if you don\u2019t start gathering contacts and information early, keeping your audience and community informed and then simply scheduling appearances once the book is ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the top 5 reasons writing a book can help your business<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of writing and self-publishing your book as a product development project. That will require a simple business plan or marketing plan outline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first part of this marketing plan<\/a><\/span> is your vision and mission for the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [optin-monster-shortcode id=”rbmksumo33arysuomul1″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key to the marketing of your book is actually working your marketing plan alongside your writing, editing and designing of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you\u2019ll need to build a community of people who will read, review and post about your book, so it\u2019s a good idea to start solidifying those relationships, make a list of who will get an early copy of the book and keep those people updated about your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an indie author you can price your book however you like! But, the time to think about how you will price your book is before<\/span> you write it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your book has a \u201cjob to do\u201d and that is to make you more money by building your brand and attracting highly profitable clients. Ultimately, your book is a promotional marketing asset that will do your credibility building and selling for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get more ideas on how to make money from your book<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Start with your financial goals.<\/span> First decide whether you want to make as much money as possible or reach as many people as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While these may seem similar, they are not. Also, think about your overall objective.. For example, do you want the book to drive more paid speaking engagements, more clients or to build your brand?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do a thorough competitive analysis to see where your book needs to be<\/span>. While your book may be a unique take on a topic, don\u2019t forget to research the similar books that are out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easy way to do this is to go over to Amazon and search on the keyword phrase that best represents your topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t You\u2019ll see a list of popular books and prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put yourself in your reader\u2019s shoes and search all different topics and books. Make some general notes about each book and note the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll want to price similarly to the alternative books. If you price too low, the audience might think there\u2019s not enough meat in the book. But if you price too high, your potential readers may pass over the book altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best price point for most Amazon ebooks is between<\/p>\n\n\n\n (source: Scribe<\/a><\/span>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget about the marketing costs you have to cover such as graphic design, editing, your website, emails, images, advertising, any other help that you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, you\u2019re required to sell the book for the same price at all retailers. That means, you can\u2019t charge less for the book on iBooks and more on Amazon. All retailers get the same price no matter what your royalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a couple book pricing calculators you can use to help you:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Collect information for Copyright, ISBN. Kindle (Barnes and Noble, etc)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research editors and designers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Credible resources to read, follow and engage with to learn about the self-publishing industry<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers. She’s the editor of The Hot Sheet<\/a><\/span>, the essential industry newsletter for authors, and has previously worked for F+W Media and the Virginia Quarterly Review. In 2019, Jane was awarded Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can tell that Friedman has earned her stripes in the publishing world. Her explanations and advice are even-handed and written with the inexperienced sel-publisher in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I love the most is that she pulls no punches and shares insider tips and service providers freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jane Friedman\u2019s Resource Recommendations<\/a><\/span>:<\/span> This list has been updated for 2020 and has been carefully curated. Definitely start your research here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a list of articles and resources you may want to start with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not skimp on this phase of your self-publishing journey. Make sure you understand exactly what you\u2019re going to do and how you\u2019re going to use your self-published book as a marketing tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the big decisions made, you\u2019re ready to make a decision on which of three self-publishing options you\u2019re going to choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The self publishing process has evolved over the years to include three levels of independent publishing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/span> You get to control every element of the process; and you get to keep all the royalties from book sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/span> You can lose a lot of time and money if you\u2019ve never been through the process before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros: <\/span>You don\u2019t have to be familiar with the self-publishing industry. Just write the check and they will do the rest. Great choice if you have more money than time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/span> Lots of companies to choose from and some can take advantage of your inexperience. Cost for a good full-service self-publishing company can run as high as $20,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of good assisted services include Matador, Radius Book Group, Scribe Media, and Girl Friday Productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For information and reviews of full service self-publishing companies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros<\/span>: You get to be \u201cpublished\u201d by a reputable publishing house. They will produce and print your book as well as do some marketing. They share the risk for the success of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/span> You pay for all of the costs to produce the book and the hybrid publisher (or co-publisher) gets a cut of the royalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read more about hybrid publishers<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your book marketing plan should start before you even start writing your book. Don\u2019t miss out on a great opportunity to engage your community and build relationships with fans who will ultimately buy your book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another benefit of building up a fan base is that it will keep you on track and moving through the writing process. Almost every author wants to quit because the process can be gruelling. So, having a community who is involved in your process will not only give you a support group, but will keep you motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as you start writing you can start sharing and engaging. People will want to know how you\u2019re doing and it will keep you on schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia McCoy, CEO of Express Writers has written several books. She provides a great example of pre-marketing a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t Notice that her personal Facebook page has a promotional image and a call to action for her latest book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019s been notifying people about the progress of her book over the last year on her personal Facebook page. She\u2019s shared her ups and downs, asked advice and engaged with her audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t In this video, she talks about some of her challenges<\/a><\/span> and shares some good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t But here\u2019s the really great result of her pre-publish marketing efforts — her community sharing her book — BEFORE IT\u2019S PUBLISHED.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t Another big benefit of including your audience in your writer\u2019s journey is the ability to ask for and get help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll cover a lot of resources here to get you started, but getting recommendations from your friends and colleagues is truly priceless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be overwhelming to think about writing an entire book on your own. As with most big projects, your best bet is to break everything into much smaller parts and work on it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several authors use this method to get their book written:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of whether you will write your book yourself or use a ghostwriter, having this type of outline will be immeasurably helpful and keep your whole team focused on the scope of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re feeling stuck or can\u2019t seem to move forward, you can use a ghostwriter to write your book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is a ghostwriter?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n A ghostwriter is a freelance writer who specializes in writing books for other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How much does it cost to hire a ghostwriter?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n You will definitely need to have more money than time to hire a ghostwriter. Like any professional, expect to pay between $60-$100 per hour for a decent ghostwriter. To put it another way, for a typical book of about 250 pages, expect to pay no less than $5,000 for a ghostwriter with little experience. The more experienced and popular writers can command rates as high as $100,000 or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, you can also do a hybrid of DIY and a ghostwriter. The more you have flushed out and completed, the less work there is to do for the writer and the more you\u2019ll get for your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding a ghostwriter has as much to do with chemistry as skill. Because you want this person to write in your voice, it\u2019s very important that the two of you have good chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any professional writer is going to need some guidelines and specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make a wish list: <\/span>Before you begin your search, make a list of what you\u2019re looking for. Imagine that you\u2019ve found the perfect person to complete the perfect project and describe it on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find a ghostwriter:<\/span>\u00a0Ghostwriters are not always easy to find. \u00a0Reedsy<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is one of the most trusted ghostwriter marketplaces\u00a0that you can check out. \u00a0Another great resources is to go to your network of professionals and experts and ask for referrals<\/a>. \u00a0If you have people in your network who have written a book and hired an editor, ask to speak to their editor and shee who they might recommend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read samples of their work:<\/span> WIth a list of recommended writers, ask for and take time to read their work before you schedule a meeting with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Create a list of questions:<\/span> Create a list of questions that you want to ask and ask each writer the same questions. This will give you an easy way to compare one writer over another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have a chat with several ghostwriters:<\/span> Remember, this is about finding someone who writes like you and thinks like you. So make sure you speak with the person directly. Be sure to have your project laid out and ask for a proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review proposals:<\/span> Review each of the proposals and if you have more questions, this is the time to get those answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose a ghostwriter:<\/span> By this stage, you should have a good idea of which ghostwriter will work best with your project,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get interviewed:<\/span> The ghostwriter will interview you. This would take place over a few days and those interviews will be recorded and transcribed. From those interviews, the ghostwriter will pull together a book outline which you can revise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phase 2 Interviews:<\/span> The next phase is a deeper dive into the outline with more interviews from which the writer will create an expanded outline of 15-50 pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Book Draft: <\/span>This is when the writer goes away and starts writing the book. Ultimately they will come back with a working draft of the book. For a basic book, this can take about three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editing and publishing:<\/span> After the final draft is complete, the manuscript goes through editing and publishing. That\u2019s a whole post in itself, so I\u2019ll stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Revisions by author:<\/span> This is the fun part. It\u2019s where you get to make the book truly your own. You can add stores or specific elements that will put your personal touch on the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point you will have a completed draft of the final book product that you can now take to an editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not skip the step of hiring an editor!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the three biggest reasons you\u2019ll need a professional editor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find affordable editors on the Freelance Writer\u2019s Den job board<\/a><\/span>, social media groups for self-publishers, and online platforms like Upwork<\/a><\/span>, or Reedsy<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three basic categories or types of book editing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n How much does it cost to hire an editor?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your best resource for book editing rates is the Editorial Freelancers Association rates page<\/a><\/span>. This will give you a basic benchmark for rates. The rates listed are self-reported by the organization\u2019s members who take a rates survey. The rates are broken up into categories for type of work that include everything from different types of editing to fact checking, indexing, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, the EFA lists basic copyediting of 5\u201310 pages per hour at a cost of $30\u2013$40 per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some more book editing cost ideas as laid out in The Write Life<\/a><\/span>, a great resource for self-published authors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a 70,000-word book, your editing costs could be:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a 120,000-word book, your editing costs could be:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The title, cover and back cover and table of contents are the top three things that most influence a reader about your book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good book title can mean the difference between a flop and a best seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are dozens of examples of books that started out with one title and dismal sales and finished with another title and flourishing sales. Here are just a few:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few tips and tricks on crafting the perfect book title that sells your expertise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be specific:<\/span> You\u2019re not Stephen King or Brian Tracy (at least not yet), so it\u2019s a good idea to use your topic keyword in the title. In other words, tell your audience exactly what the book is about. Here are a few examples of best selling titles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice how all of these book titles are descriptive enough to give you a good idea of what the book is about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep them short:<\/span> The basic formula is a one-three word title with an expanded description. So, when I say keep it short, I mean keep them short enough so that you can get the whole title into a social media post such as a Tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make it easy to remember<\/span>: Since a lot of your marketing and promotion will be word-of-mouth, you want to make your book title relatively easy to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Play around with common phrases<\/span>: A fun place to start with common phrases is an idiom dictionary.<\/a><\/span> Explore existing phrases and play around with changing them around just enough to create a fun and memorable book title. Also consider common quotes or sayings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tease the audience:<\/span> Play around with the idea of grabbing the audience\u2019s attention with your title. One of my favorite examples is a Ryan Holiday book called Trust Me, I\u2019m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator<\/span>. The \u201cTrust me, I\u2019m Lying\u201d part of the title combines two opposites while \u201cconfessions of a media manipulator\u201d begs a ton of questions like; what are you going to confess? How did you manipulate the media? Did I fall for it? I want to know more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re ready to play around with some titles, check out the Reedsy, book title generator<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next to having a killer title, the next most important element of your book is the cover design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t underestimate how critical it is to hire a professional to design your book cover. At the same time, you don\u2019t have to spend a small fortune on a book cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to save yourself some money on book cover design is to do some preparation work ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out these additional book cover design resources<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve been cultivating a community all the way down the line, then launching your book will be a natural extension of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your book will need an online place to live. You can create a website dedicated to your book or, you can add a book section to your existing site. Which you choose will depend on your personal brand and your Marketing Benefits of Self-Publishing a Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Create Your Book Marketing Plan<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Marketing Plan for Writing A Book<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\nPricing Your Book For Profit<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\nResearch Resources and Information About Self-Publishing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Most Trusted Resources and Experts on Self-Publishing<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t
![\"Jane](\"http:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/181266d4-6199-4d68-89a2-51c93e0213f4_Screen20Shot202020-01-2720at2010.13.2120AM.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\nJane Friedman: <\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Reedsy<\/a><\/span> (List of Best Self-Publishing Companies<\/a><\/span>)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\nChoose a Self-Publishing Option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
DIY Self-Publishing:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Full Service Self-Publishing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Hybrid:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Building Interest and Engagement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\nHow to Start Writing Your Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Writing Your Book Yourself<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Using a Ghostwriter<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The ghostwriting process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Editing Your Book<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Where to find an editor for your book?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Craft a Book Title That People Want to Read<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Design the Cover for Your Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Launch Your Self-Published Book Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Create a website for your book<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n