The best part of self-publishing is that you select your own team of First-Time Self-Publishing Authors in editors, designers, and proofreaders while you get to keep all the royalties. If you think about it – you will find that self-publication is a sweet spot to be in.
However, there are some major things that first-time self-publishing authors don’t know, but they should know before getting into this.
So, if you are considering self-publishing a book, especially a non-fiction book, then you are here at the right place.
You Won’t Be Able to DIY
The first thing you should know is that you will never be able to DIY the entire process. On the other hand, if you want to publish a book successfully, you won’t be able to rely on everyone else to do things for you.
There are many professionals who work on a book before you can publish it. The best part about self-publishing is that you have full control over your book, which means that you don’t get shoved into a cover that you don’t like.
For instance, if you are writing a Christian book, you can work closely with one of the best Christian book cover designers and ensure that the cover matches the content, matches what you had in your mind when writing your book, and pops out on bookshelves and captures the attention of your ideal readers.
However, there are still big parts of the entire book-writing and book-publishing books that you must be doing instead of relying on others. Writing a book is only one part of the entire process. Even if you are hiring a ghostwriter to help you write – the book still needs you.
Team Sport is Part of the Book Publication
Book publishing and book launching is a team sport. If you care about creating something great – you won’t be able to do it on your own. But – someone else doing the project cannot do it successfully without you either.
So, understand that you will need to trust others while everyone participates in their best position. The best thing you can do is to trust each other and support each other when working on publishing your book and getting it out in the hands of your ideal readers.
Your Reader is Not a Demographic
If you think that your book is for women between the ages of fifty to sixty- who have retired and seen the world – then you got it all wrong. You see – the thing about publishing a book is that you can not define the demographic of your readers to write and market the book to them.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What problem does your book solve?
- What experience does your book offer to the reader?
- How will the life of your ideal reader be different after they have read your book?
We humans have a lot in common, but we all look to solve our problems and achieve our goals in different ways. So, you cannot define your ideal by their demographic – on the other hand – you can define your readers by the problem that they are trying to solve and how you can help them solve that problem differently than other authors.
A Great Book is No Guarantee of Success
Another mistake to avoid as a self-publishing author is to believe that merely because you have written a great book. If you are an aspiring author, there is a great chance that you might read hundreds of incredible stories every day.
You probably have a great story to tell, too – but – a great story is not enough to be a bestseller. In fact, in order to make your book a bestseller, you should know that the story itself barely reaches the equation.
Of course, the luck element is involved, too, which is why some books get lucky. But – we cannot stress enough on the fact that most bestsellers are created by a lot of marketing work. What does this mean – you might ask yourself.
Well, here is the thing: before the book comes out and after it has been published – there is so much happening in the background, such as the following:
- Networking
- Platform building
- Consistency
- Great content
You get the point – there is no such thing as overnight success. You can not form false expectations and believe that your book will start selling and making headlines without any work.
Think about it yourself: if a book launches, and nobody talks about it – who would like to buy that book? Of course, no one. People need to know about your book even before it is published. Your ideal reader should be anticipating your book so that it can sell in the markets and become a bestselling book.
Don’t Depend On Friends for Advice
We understand the value of feedback and criticism. But – your friends and family are not the best people to ask for advice and feedback on your book. Of course, they know you well and they know the behind-the-scenes where you have been toiling to come up with the book.
But – they know you, which is the same reason they aren’t the ones that will give you the best advice. They might tell you that they are unbiased – but – sometimes they will be too harsh, and sometimes they will praise and hold back from criticism.
They might try to protect you from embarrassment or whatever they might fear in their own life. And, more often than not, they will be too soft because they wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings.
Think of the End Result
Now, what do you think the end result will be? Of course, the end result will be bad advice. Even what is more important is that your friends and family aren’t experts on the subject matter. Also, they aren’t your ideal reader, and they aren’t professionals in the publishing industry.
This aspect indicates that the advice of your loved ones doesn’t have the value that you need in order to write a successful book that actually sells to the point of becoming a best-selling book. If you depend on bad advice, your heart will be broken as bad advice will kill your book that could otherwise have been great.
