As the print industry struggles to stay afloat, traditional publishing companies have been taking safe bets with established authors which makes it increasingly difficult for new authors to break into the business. However, digital-publishing and online distribution has created an avenue of opportunity for writers.
Amanda Hocking is a self-publisher that has made waves on the internet for being one of the best-selling digital authors on Amazon. Specializing in paranormal and vampire stories, she came from a modest beginning but currently lives the million dollar dream. Heralded as the savior of little-guy publishing, she makes sure to inform her followers to not demonize corporate book publishers.
“Publishers have done really great things for a really long time. They aren’t some big bad evil entity trying to kill literature or writers. They are companies, trying to make money in a bad economy with a lot of top-heavy business practices.”
Logistics
So you’ve decided to take the leap into publishing your book. Chances are it’s already a labor of love, and that’s a good start. Something else Amanda stresses is copy editing and proofing. After having it proofed multiple times by various people, copy errors are still discovered. This is obviously essential to polishing a professional piece.
You’re ready to distribute. Kindle Direct Publishing by Amazon provides a free and user-friendly opportunity to do just that. Here you also have the option of using the 70% royalty option where publishers can receive 70% of the list price minus delivery expenses.
Once your book is ready to go live, an author should go in with tempered expectations. That said, it is not uncommon for sales to immediately appear the day it is published.
The work is far from over, though. All time, focus and energy you put into writing has to be directed towards marketing and self-promotion. Social media channels on the internet through blogging, Twitter and Facebook should be a continual process. Even linking out in forum signatures you frequent can be a good idea to get eyes on your book.
Something to be considered is obtaining an SSL Certificate for consumer confidence when making transactions for your product. These are safety verifications like VeriSign you may have seen when making online purchases.
Of course, the more books and work you have up, the more chances of success are present to strike. If you find yourself successful, do not forget the importance of keeping professional public relations. Jacqueline Howett became a cautionary tale when she displayed some knee-jerk reactions to some negative reviews of her work.
So authors, are you ready to dive into the world of self-publishing?