Publishing a book by yourself is very much like putting together a 10,000-piece puzzle. It’s always good to invite a few friends to join you . . . especially if they love puzzles and know quite a bit about how to put them together!
CONTENT: Editors, Proofreaders, Indexers, and more. OH MY!
Your words are all typed out and make sense to you, but will your content attract the interest of new readers, and will they stick around to read your entire book?
Many readers are now buying the e-book version first, just to see if the author really can put two sentences together, knows what they are talking about, and holds the interest of the reader. Quite often, especially with non-fiction, readers will first buy both the e-book and THEN the paperback, IF the author can pass the “e-book” test of readability. My guess is that YOU want a long-term relationship with your reader, so your content needs to be as professional as the brand image you want to portray. Your neighbor’s college journalism student may not be your best choice. Settling for “good enough” and bypassing professional editors and proofreaders to polish your manuscript draft will only eliminate potential readers!
DESIGN: Book Designers, Illustrators, Photographers, and more. OH MY!
Yes, you REALLY CAN tell a book by its cover. What message do you want your cover to shout out to potential readers?
The first question we always ask when it comes to cover design is, “Who is your audience?” You want your book cover to resonate with your potential reader, but (please) do not feel obligated to tell the entire “story” on your cover.
- A college study showed that potential non-fiction readers are FIRST attracted by your cover which invites them to pick up the book in a retail setting or click on a link online.
- If they are intrigued by the cover, their SECOND action will most likely be to turn the book over and read the back cover.
- If still interested in learning more, their THIRD action is to open the book and look at the Table of Contents. It’s when they get to this third step that they are 87% more likely to buy your book.
If your goal is to get them to BUY YOUR BOOK, don’t settle on a less-than professional book cover. CANVA is NOT the solution to reducing your design costs. Let us show you other ways to reduce your investment WITHOUT foregoing professional input.
MARKETING: Websites, Social Media, Best Sellers, and more. OH MY!
Getting your marketing in place BEFORE your book is published is critical. How do you know what to do and in what order?
It doesn’t have to be that complicated, people. There is a proverbial ocean of possibilities out there. It’s OK to admit that you are lost in all the options and not sure what you should be doing. Everyone is in the same boat. Start with a simple website, dabble in social media posts, inquire about Best Seller Campaigns . . . the trick is to have this conversation with us BEFORE your book is published.
THE ONE most important thing to remember is to GO WHERE YOUR READERS ARE.
- Think “LinkedIn” for business-to-business.
- Twitter for younger audiences.
- As a transformational coach or consultant, you may want to consider Facebook, Instagram, or the latest fad, TikTok’s BookTok.
The SECOND most important thing to remember is to DON’T TRY TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE or all by yourself.
Start with the social media you are most familiar with. Invite friends, colleagues—your cheerleaders to follow you and help spread the word about your new book. When you are ready to explore new media, let us introduce you to the key players that you need on your team to help get you all set up!
Are you ready to write that book you’ve been thinking about?
Yep, it’s kinda like that 10,000-piece puzzle. It gets finished much more quickly when you invite someone to help who knows what they are doing.
If you’d like to discuss the possibilities, no matter where you are in the process, you can schedule a Creative Author Conversations call with Cathy HERE.