Archive for January, 2008

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Thursday, January 24th, 2008
self publishing
Christopher Kyalo asked:


When it comes to selecting lucrative affiliate schemes, self-publishing writers have several advantages over non-writers. Probably the biggest one, even if it is not obvious to most writers, is the fact that a self-publishing writer already has the most lethal and effective marketing weapon known to the online world already in their possession. Others have to pay dearly to have access to this powerful online asset.

Writing and self-publishing or posting articles on the World Wide Web is one of the most effective online marketing tools anywhere. Self-publishing writers have the advantage of being able to do their own writing and in as much quantity as is necessary to be a success. Non-writers who wisely choose to use online self-publishing to market are usually forced to pay another online writer to do their writing for them.

Unfortunately this advantage is not fully appreciated by most self-publishing writers and many do not even believe that well written articles are such a powerful online marketing tool.

Although more and more writers are making serious money online from various affiliate programs, the vast majorities remain frustrated and unable to sell their services let alone make any money online from affiliate programs. Yet, make no mistake about it, affiliate programs offer the best opportunity for self-publishing writers to make a regular five or even six figure incomes. The truth of the matter is that it is much simpler for a writer to make serious cash from an affiliate program or two than it is for them to do so just from their writing. More so when you take into consideration the usual rates in the market for online writing.

So how does a self-publishing writer identify the right affiliate programs to join?

The Self-publishing Writer Should Go Where They Will Make The Best Use Of Their Skills

There are dozens of lucrative-looking affiliate programs that are bound to be competing for your attention at any one time. You may even know people who have already made it big with one affiliate program or other. Still a golden rule is that you should never join an affiliate scheme where you cannot make use of your special talents and skills. This is a rule that applies to anybody planning to join any affiliate scheme.

Everybody was born with some special talent. The purpose of that special talent was to get us through this journey called life. Yet most of us have chosen to ignore our talents and have instead preferred to imitate what others are doing as closely as possible. Be warned, doing this is the same as a Lion admiring the way a Cheetah hunts for food, using its’ sheer speed to race across the jungles of Africa to catch a speeding Antelope. Imagine what would happen if the King of the jungle would choose to start hunting like that? The lion is much slower than the Cheetah and has to get very close to it’s intended prey before it shows itself, and races across a shorter distance to catch its’ prey. Still it has the advantage of much more strength and power. A single swipe from its’ front paws can break the neck of most antelopes.

My point here is that we should always look to use our “assets”. The Lion knows better than to try and hunt like a Cheetah, because it would fail miserably. And that is precisely the reason why most folks fail at the affiliate programs they join.

A self-publishing writer is bound to be a very skilled or talented writer. So why not join an affiliate program where you can make use of this advantage? Why waste your time joining an affiliate program where you have to send out your ads to hundreds of safe lists or do some other unfamiliar online chores to succeed when you can write?

One Affiliate Program Where Self-publishing Writers Are Making A Fortune

The Google Adsense Program is an example of a popular affiliate program where self-publishing writers are already making a killing. Make no mistake about it, it is not easy to make money from Adsense, but self-publishing writers have a huge advantage over non-writers.

When I first joined the Adsense program I was bitterly disappointed at what I was earning. But then I soon noted that I was doing very little writing and spending all my time trying to find some magic formula to instantly start earning thousands of dollars. Although I acknowledged that I had a lot to learn, I decided to make use of what I already had - writing skills. So I started writing like crazy. It worked. I created many pages within my blogs and sure enough my earnings started rising steadily as I continued to learn and put my knowledge into practice.

You will not make instant wealth from Adsense, but it represents one of the best and most viable long-term Affiliate programs for any self-publishing writer to consistently make a regular five or six figure income. Especially those prepared to use their writing skills to the maximum even as they learn about the right keywords to use to maximize on earnings.

Actually to be totally honest, Adsense is one of the easiest affiliate programs to start making money from quickly. Other programs (apart from writing ones) have taken me months to earn a pittance. With Adsense, the first few cents were flowing in within a few days.

Self-publishing Writers Should Look For Affiliate Programs For Writers

There are not many affiliate programs for writers around yet, but a few good ones exist. And before I recommend one, let us make sure that we understand and fully appreciate the full value of an affiliate program specifically for self-publishing writers.

One of the other golden rules for making serious money from an affiliate scheme is to join a program dealing in a product or service that has a high and rising demand. There is a huge and rising demand for online writing. This demand is set to grow for many years to come. So any affiliate program for writers that allows a writer to refer other writers and earn revenue from this is very valuable because it means that a self-publishing writer can cash in on the demand for online writing by earning an income from other people’s writing. If that affiliate program also sells articles on behalf of writers and also allows writers with blogs or sites to refer webmasters looking to purchase content to that site then we are in serious business.



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Self Published Book Challenges the General Public on the Media’s Discreet Advocacy of Homosexuality

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


A communications professor with an expertise on public relations and the media, Bruce Joffe authored and downplayed his recent explorations between the sexual agenda and the media in his Xlibris published book, A Hint of Homosexuality?: ‘Gay’ and Homoerotic Imagery In American Print Advertising.

He pointed out more than 200 print ads of major retailers and managed to convince his readers that each of these ads happens to have at least the slightest insinuation of homosexuality present.

Saying “Sex Sells” could be an aberration when Joffe hits back with a “which sex?” Although he is a renowned expert in the field seeing that he makes up the entire creative team behind multinational corporations’ promotional campaigns, Bruce Joffe conciliates by making his self-published book more comprehensible to readers who are not as sophisticated as he.

Joffe has managed to take his readers back to old style print ads dating back from 1905 without even moving any step backward. Readers may be scandalized by revelations, which they may have not known were present until Joffe exposed them with a Freudian candor that seems to validate every claim he makes.

Readers of A Hint of Homosexuality? who balk at the malfeasance of the media are encouraged to be open-minded about homosexuals being part of a commercial society and be educated that their contribution also reaps the best results.

About Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit the book publisher’s website, e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.



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Best Book Marketing Tips Help Self Publishers

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
self publishing
Helen Hecker asked:


In today’s publishing marketplace, the success of a book depends greatly on a strong marketing plan. This article will provide you with easy, free, and cheap book marketing, promotion and publicity tips to get you headed in the right direction. You can have the best book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it; publicity, promotion, marketing and a focus on selling more books should now be a big part of your focus every day.

Make sure you have at least one good AP style press release, which you can send out for the lifetime of your book. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. When picked up by the wire services, a press release can easily end up generating hundreds of mentions for your book.

Invest in press release submitting software, or at least set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories. Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks. Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and again and again after you publish; you can never send too many.

Don’t underestimate the value of a good press release for making book sales. Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases.

Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount just above book production costs.

Arrange to speak at local, regional and national events that relate to your book topic; bring books along and have an associate sell them at the back of the room for you. Be your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book’s genre and to book review magazines.

I’ve seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don’t advise it in the beginning or sometimes at all — get your feet wet first so you know what you’re doing.

Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a video or DVD copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. It’s important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you’ll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website.

Make sure your sales letter or flier is first rate; this is the formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer. You can give away a copy of your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition. Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book.

Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already there. Make at least five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book.

If your book solves a problem, focus on this in your marketing. Every day it’s important to focus on a wide variety of marketing approaches.

If you apply yourself every day and you promote your book like crazy, you can achieve that ultimate goal of selling thousands of copies of your book; many self publishers have done it. Make sure to do some serious marketing and promotion every single day. Use your book promotion and book marketing dollars wisely; go after all the free and cheap resources daily too.



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Secrets To Selling More Self Published Books Cheaply

Friday, January 18th, 2008
self publishing
Helen Hecker asked:


These tips will provide you with easy, free, and cheap book marketing, promotion and publicity tips to get you going in the right direction if you’re having trouble keeping up financially or otherwise. You can have the best book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it; publicity, promotion, marketing and a focus on selling more books should now be a big part of your daily life.

Assuming you’re a self publisher or book publisher and you’ve already published your book, you need to immediately implement a strong, no-holds barred, book marketing and promotion strategy to sell your books fast and in the cheapest way possible.

Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style that you can send out for the lifetime of your book. Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your book topic field over and over again; you can use the same release every time. Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases.

When picked up by wire services, a press release can easily end up generating hundreds of mentions for your book. Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’ Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks.

Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords.

Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment. Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers or friends; use them on your fliers and the back cover of your books.

Become your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book’s genre and to book review magazines. Give away your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition. Women buy more books then men; see how you can fit your book into the women’s market.

Submit articles to online article directories that focus on the topic of your book to drive customers to your website. Make sure your sales letter or flier is first class; this is your formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer. Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book.

I’ve not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; it’s better to spend it elsewhere. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches.

Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed. Also it’s important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you’ll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse.

If your book solves a problem, focus on this in your marketing. Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions.

I hope you’ve found some helpful tips here to accelerate your book marketing and book promotion efforts. You can market and promote your book on a shoestring budget; you want to be careful about your marketing dollars. Don’t delay another day if your marketing has fallen by the wayside; make sure to focus on promoting, selling and marketing your book each and every day.



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How to Become a Self-published Author

Sunday, January 13th, 2008
self publishing
Deji asked:


Self publishing means publishing your book by yourself.That means you do not go through the traditional route of taking your manuscript to a publisher to have your book published.

Why should you not take this route?Because most publishers only publish books written by well known authors.

That is not to however say that as a beginning author,your book cannot be published by a major publisher.However,your chances could be slim.

There are other reasons why traditional publishing may not be your best route as a beginning author.But I’ll save that for some other article.

Does this mean that as a person that wants to write her own book and sell it,there is no hope?No!This is where self publishing comes in.With the advent of computers,you can now write your own books by yourself and sell them online.”How?”,you ask?

It’s easy.You’ll basically create what is called an eBook which is just a digital book which can be read on a computer.Just follow the following steps and you’ll be cranking out your own books

in no time.

1.Find out what the market wants:You don’t just come up with an idea and then start writing.You have to find out what the market wants and who your target readers will be.Some places where you can get this information include forums and discussion boards.

You register and then read questions that are been asked by other members.Answer questions that you know and use that to demonstrate your expertise and advertise your website or blog(you have one by now,don’t you?)in line with the forums rules.

If you see many people asking a particular question,then that could be a potential topic for you to write about.

2.Determine what the the title of the eBook will be.Although this is not too important at this point,if you can come up with it,all the better.Make sure the title is appealing.It must make your prospect want to know more.

3.Carry out your research:This can be done through search engines.You can also visit article directories and announcement lists to see articles written by others which contain information relevant to your topic.Never swipe words from another persons article-always put them in your own words.

4.Determine what the title of each chapter will be:Come up with chapter titles for each chapter and expand on them with the information you got when you were carrying out your research.

5.Start writing:Devote as much time as is possible everyday to your writing.Alternatively,to avoid procrasination,you could determine from the get go that you’ll finish writing the eBook in a week.Then all you have to do is determine how much you will have to write in a day to finish in one week.

For instance,if you want to write a 50 page eBook,you will need to type 7 pages per day.You could also determine to devote a specific amount of time everyday,say 2 hours,to the typing.

So if for instance you’re a fast “typer” and you type 100 words per minute,then in 1 hour,you would have typed 6000 words and 12000 in two hours.

The objective of doing this is to ensure that you don’t take forever to write the ebook.

Also,at this stage,all you’re doing is writing.No editing or correction of mistyped words as this slows you down and you could also lose your flow of thoughts

6.Keep adding to chapters that you have written as you come across more useful information as you go along.This should provide more value for your readers.

7.Editing:Once you’ve finished typing,read the eBook from beginning to end,editing and correcting mistakes such as mistyped words and grammatical errors.Having mistakes in your eBook will make you look unprofessional and could spoil your chances in the future.Also,give your eBook to some friends to read so that it can be reviewed by other eyes.Tell them to give you their honest feedback,to point out any mistakes and if possible give you some ideas which you can add for improvement.

8.Once you’re through with the editing process,you can now convert your eBook to PDF.All along,you’ve been typing using your word processor which could be Microsoft Word,Open Office,e.t.c.Now you have to convert it to a PDF.

Why is this necessary?Because that is the default standard for selling eBooks online.There are other formats such as the EXE and Microsoft Reader which I will however not go into in this article.

To convert to PDF,you will need Adobe Acrobat which retails for $299.If you’re a rookie just starting out on a shoe-string budget,you may not be able to afford this.But not to worry-there are free PDF converters.

One of them is Primo PDF.Download it from www.primopdf.com and install the software.To convert the eBook to PDF,simply click on View(I’m assuming you’re using Microsoft Word)from within the eBook you want to convert and then Print.Choose Primo PDF as your printer and follow the instructions.You can’t miss it.Your eBook will instantly be converted.

With this,you’re now ready to start selling your eBook.Of course,there are other things you still need to do such as getting testimonials,writing the salesletter,recruiting affiliates(if you want to),e.t.c but as far as the eBook itself is concerned,you’re through.

I hope you put this to work!



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Self Publishing is Self Fulfilling

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
self publishing
Michelle Jaminet asked:


Have you ever visited your local bookstore and been unable to find the book for which you were searching? But did you ever react by writing one? I did. When I couldn’t find the perfect memory book to document my beloved dog’s life, my entrepreneurial spirit kicked-in and I took the biggest, yet calculated, risk of my business life – I created and self-published It’s My Dog’s Life - Your personalized puppy memory book. A year-long project that garnered a commendation from the consummate businessman himself, Donald Trump!

It all started a few years ago while I was packing my belongings to move to a new home. I kept finding mementos from my dog Clicquot’s first few months with me – adoption papers, photos and even a lock of hair from his first haircut. I decided to organize all of this memorabilia in an album, similar to a “baby book” to document significant occasions in his life. Furthermore, if I were this interested in documenting my four-legged best friend’s life others would be too and this could be a profitable little “hobby.”

What started out as a hobby soon became a full-time job requiring me to terminate current client agreements so I could spend every waking hour on my book. I spent six months researching everything from the pet industry to self-publishing to color trends. I enlisted the help of friends and colleagues, including veterinarians, English professors, and a retail storeowner who could help me create and market the ideal puppy memory book. I visited marketing executives at Nestle-Purina. I met with the former CEO of Blockbuster, who kindly offered his venture capital company’s services pro bono to help me develop my business plan and budgets. I interviewed many self publishing companies but in the end I determined I had the academic background, the business experience in marketing, advertising, and public relations and, maybe most important of all, the fortitude to not only to create the book, but to form a publishing company to market and sell the book myself.

During the process, I found similar products, but they seemed to have various design flaws. Most books I found lacked imagination and color. One book was very nice but it was printed on coated paper stock and you couldn’t write on the pages! Imagine that – a journal you can’t write in! Another book was only 6″ x 8″ and therefore, couldn’t accommodate photos larger than 4″ x 6″ or 8 ½” x 11″ documents. And while another book was very cute, it’s perfect binding wouldn’t allow it to expand with the insertion of photos and memorabilia.

Having gone to college for graphic design I knew exactly what the color palette and graphics I wanted. However, having gone to college so many years ago, I wasn’t technically equipped to produce the print-ready art myself, so I hired graphic artist, but he was dragging his feet, couldn’t see my vision and would try to get me to change my mind. He repeatedly would say “I’m hoping to convince you,” but my mind was made up. So I contacted a graphics company one of my clients recommended and immediately realized a synergy with the artist. In less than two weeks after our initial meeting she had incorporated my color scheme, understood my graphic direction and produced the first draft. In fairness to her, not only did she integrate my ideas, she added a lot of pizzazz to the book making it all the better. It was an affable collaboration that produced an awesome final product.

Publishing a book may sound like it’ll put you in the diamond lane to financial success, but even with a carefully constructed business plan, it’s an expensive venture. So, after I had depleted my savings account, I had to sell my car to pay for the printing of the book. I truly believed in the project and knew it was worth the sacrifice of my shiny new sports car. Surely the millions of other dog owners would love an all-inclusive album-like book to document their “best friend’s” life, too and would purchase millions of copies. Okay, maybe not millions, but surely thousands.

Once the book was off the press and with my dog in tow, I began going door-to-door selling it to small boutique stores. I completely canvassed South Florida and in less than a month had sold the book to 30 stores generating more than $4,000 in sales. The following six months I participated numerous trade shows, developed direct-mail campaigns, conducted a national media blitz, and created a website. I managed to sell more than 3,000 copies of the book and created a presence in more than 200 stores nationwide.

The price of success isn’t cheap. You do the math: The cost to print 5,000 copies, $25,000; Graphic artists, including the first who was fired, $5,000; Basic business overhead at $1,000 per month for 12 months, $12,000; Miscellaneous business expenses, i.e., website, trade show booths, air fare, hotels, media kits, boxes, bubblewrap, sales brochures, order forms, postage, postage scale, postcards, etc., $22,000. Total first-year costs: $59,000. But what about the income from sales, you ask. I sold 3,000 books at an average wholesale price of $9 each for a total of $27,000 in the first year. That meant a deficit of $32,000 at the end of year one. But I knew that going into the project. The business would not, could not, turn a profit until the second printing and sales of 10,000 books. I should also mention, initially I tried to get investors, but was unsuccessful except for the former Blockbuster CEO whose company loaned me the initial start-up capital for my project.

Through my efforts I have sold more than 4,500 books to date; had articles about the book published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines, AND received a congratulatory letter from Donald Trump applauding my “ingenuity and business acumen.”

I’m still paying off my book project debt, but not regretting a single moment of my experience. You simply cannot imagine the adrenaline rush and sense of accomplishment when walking past a storefront window where your book is displayed! You want to stop everyone on the street and shout, “that’s my book!”

When I begin reflecting on my book project it makes me anxious to produce another book. Perhaps something more mainstream … maybe something about the trials and tribulations of self-publishing!



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How Self-publishing Your Own Book Will Build Your Business in a Lagging Economy

Monday, January 7th, 2008
self publishing
Robert Skrob asked:


The field of information marketing has opened doors to limitless opportunities for lucrative online, home-based businesses even as the global economy takes a nosedive. Now, more than ever mindful entrepreneurs are finding ways to package their expertise of information into convenient forms such as DVDs, books, e-books, CDs, magazines, Web sites, teleseminars, webinars, coaching programs, seminars and conferences.

Best of all getting started in self-publishing and information marketing couldn’t be any easier. Here’s why.

1. The information marketing business does not require fancy offices, furniture or multiple computers.

2. It doesn’t require special licenses (in most cases).

3. And, it doesn’t require special education or degrees.

4. Success comes for beginners and seasoned experts alike from all age groups, and with minimal start-up costs.

Just ask Jordan McAuley, author of Contact Any Celebrity, and one of the 12 info-marketing experts recently selected by the Information Marketing Association (IMA) as contributors to a new book that helps newcomers in the industry successfully negotiate the nuts and bolts for starting an info-business. Start Your Own Information Marketing Business is an easy-to-follow manual that gives the steps to building a successful info-business from the ground up. In this new information marketing how-to guide, Jordan shares the secrets to his success, which he says started with a self-published book.

Why Information Marketer Jordan McAuley Loves Self-Publishing

1. The credibility that is attached to authorship is astounding. Jordan’s book established him as an expert in his field, which in turn, made him a reputable source for journalists. He has since received generous exposure through national media outlets like USA Today, CNN and Entrepreneur Magazine.

2. Getting published is easy. Gone are the days when authors have to jump through hoops to publish books with major publishing houses. Today, authoring books that are accessible to consumers via major booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble is easier than ever. No wonder successful info-marketers routinely go from zero to $10,000 to $100,000 a month (and more) in just a matter of a few months.

3. It gave Jordan the stepping stone that he needed to create a 7-figure home based business.

How Jordan Built a7-Figure Income Business Starting with His Self-Published Book, “Contact Any Celebrity”

Jordan self-published his book and sold it for $55.00. Jordan’s book provides contact information for celebrities. It’s useful for authors who want positive quotes from celebrities to put on their book covers, fans seeking autographs and charities seeking celebrity endorsements.

But he didn’t stop there. The truth is self-publishing a book opens the door to hundreds of other business opportunities. Jordan created a membership Web site with data that wouldn’t fit into the finished book. Jordan includes publicist information, additional phone numbers and charities the celebrity already supports. He charges a monthly membership fee and promotes this option throughout his book.

The key is to diversify your info-marketing business by creating additional products associated with your info-product. For Jordan, the revenue from his membership site is many times higher than anything he has received from his book alone.

Instead of selling his book and getting paid once, Jordan receives recurring revenue from individuals who want constant access to more extensive and constantly updated information. Like Jordan, many info-marketers are learning how to turn their self-published books and other info-products into money-generating tools that drive million-dollar home businesses.

To get started in self publishing, get the Information Marketing Association’s new book, “Start Your Own Information Marketing Business” where Jordan reveals step-by-step information as well as publishing and writing resources. This book is now available in bookstores.



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Self-publishing Without Paying Upfront

Saturday, January 5th, 2008
self publishing
Mandy Singh asked:


It’s long been held by writers that ‘publishers pay you - you don’t pay publishers.’ Unfortunately, there are many vanity presses and near-vanity presses out there (including several of what’s known as ‘print on demand’) that are quite ready to take your cash in exchange for the hope of selling your books to the masses.

First off, is self-publishing worth it? If you have a story idea that would appeal to a lot of readers, or is considered more mainstream or genre (think romance, science fiction, mystery), or if you have a non-fiction story that many people can relate to, then you should try to find a publisher. And an agent.

Finding a publisher (or agent) is admittedly hard for an unpublished author - but it does happen. After all, go back far enough and you’ll find a point where Stephen King and J.K. Rowling were unpublished nobodies. They got their chance and so can you. It’s easy enough to get dispirited when you see the likes of Nichole Ritchie or Madonna getting book deals just because they’re famous - but publishers also like to take chances on unknowns, often because it costs them a lot less to sign.

Having said that, if your book will only appeal to a very small market, or if you have plans to sell it yourself (as an adjunct to lectures, for example, or in conjunction with your crafts), it may make more sense to self-publish.

There are four basic methods to self-publishing your book:

1. Lay out the book yourself, design the cover yourself, and pay a printer to print 200-1,000 copies which you’ll then have to keep on hand while you try to get them stocked in bookstores or sell them yourself.

2. Pay a vanity press a lot of money for them to lay the book out, design the cover, and print a small number of copies. Why a small number? Well, they don’t think you’ll be selling (or giving away) more than a few.

3. Pay a print-on-demand company like iUniverse or Xlibris some money for them to layout the book and design the cover, and have it ready to be printed whenever someone buys a copy (’on demand’).

4. Sell it electronically.

You may not have considered selling an electronic version of your book, but you should. Here’s why:

1. No upfront costs. You can download templates to format your manuscript, and you can also download free software that will convert your word processing document into Adobe PDF (portable document format) files, the most common type of files for ebooks.

2. No worry about printing or reprinting. You can sell as many or as few copies of your ebook without having to figure out how many books to print ahead of time. It simply doesn’t cost anything to duplicate an electronic file.

3. Easy to set up. There’s no need to contract with booksellers or distributors; sell the ebook

yourself on your own Web site or blog, or even your Facebook or MySpace page.

What’s the easiest, fastest way to get started selling your ebooks? CybaSumo (http://www.cybasumo.com).

With CybaSumo, you simply create an account and upload your ebook (all for free). CybaSumo handles the transaction, fulfillment, and billing - leaving you free to work on your writing.

You can sell your ebook wherever you want to with CybaSumo. First, at www.cybasumo.com you’ll find an attractive set of stores you can join with your products. But there’s also the CybaSumo portable store, a Flash widget you can embed on your own Web site, blog, or social networking site (think MySpace or Facebook).

While publishers pay you only a fraction of the cover price, and vanity presses and print-on-demand firms require substantial upfront fees, there’s no fee ever to list your ebook with CybaSumo, and aside from a tiny percentage taken off for administration, you get all the profit from your work.More and more authors are releasing works via ebook, including Stephen King, Cory Doctorow, and Scott Sigler. Join the twenty-first century publishing revolution and sell your ebooks to your fans today - wherever they are. Join CybaSumo!



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Should You Self Publish Your Own Books or Not?

Saturday, January 5th, 2008
self publishing
Ruth Barringham asked:


With the rise in the number of self published authors, there is much debate as to whether it’s better to self publish your own books or whether to still follow the traditional route of trying to find a publisher.

There are many people who say that self published books won’t sell or that no one trusts self published books, but the people saying this are not publishers or published authors. They are simply people who want to be published authors, but their not, so they spend their time trying to discredit the work of self published authors.

But when it comes to selling books, the only opinions that matter are those of the readers. And readers don’t care who has published the book, as long as it’s a good book.

So the only decision you should be making is which type of publishing is best for you and your personality type?

Traditional publishing means that the author has to relinquish all the rights to their own work and some authors don’t want tot do this.

A publisher will control the cost of the book, the interior layout, the cover design, the editing, any changes to the finished manuscript and the publishing date.

If you’re a first-time author a publisher may delay publishing your book for quite a while. So the time between you signing the publishing contract and the time your book is published, can be several years.

It also may take several years before you find a publisher which can mean a lot of writing time lost in sending out query letters and proposals. Even the first “Chick Soup for the Soul” book, which has now sol millions of copies, was originally turned down by over 140 publishers.

A publishing contract is also something that needs to be taken into consideration.

A contract will be dozen of pages long and is best looked over by a lawyer who deals with intellectual property law to make sure that all the clauses are fair to the author.

And even when you’ve found a publisher and negotiated a contract, you will still be responsible for marketing your won work because publishers prefer to use their marketing department to work on their best selling books or celebrity biographies.

And after all that, if your book fails to sell at least a few thousand copies quickly, it can be withdrawn in only a few months.

But if you prefer to have a large publishing company publish your book then this is the way for you to go.

On the other hand you may want to retain complete control of your work and this is where self publishing can help you.

Everything about the publishing process is left in your complete control and with the use of modern technology, publishing a book, or a thousand books, can be done from home with only a computer and internet connection.

You can easily set out your book, create a cover of your own choosing and have your book selling internationally within only a week or two.

And you don’t have to worry about the low sales or your book being withdrawn because while a sale of only a couple of thousand copies after publication is bad for a large publishing company, it’s great for a self published author, who, instead of receiving a small royalty from book sales, is making $15 or more per sale.

And you can keep your book “in print” for as long as you want.

With the ease of modern publishing methods, you can now write as many books as you want to, as often as you want to and you can relax in the knowledge that they will all be published.

And once you become a regularly self published author, even if you only sell a few thousand copies a year of each book, you can still achieve a 6-figure income. And if you want to increase your income all you have to do is write and publish more books.

Now isn’t that the kind of life you’ve always dreamed of?



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Friday, January 4th, 2008
self publishing
Christopher Kyalo asked:


Online writing is really self-publishing made easier and potentially much more lucrative with much less cost and investment to be made. But what is self-publishing and what does it have to do with online writing?

Self-publishing is older than America and through the centuries great fortunes have been made by folks who opted to privately produce and market their own writing. Yet all the amazing stories of great success in the past pale when compared to what has happened online already and what is to happen in the days, months and years to come.

The World Wide Web was really made for self-publishing in more ways than one. For example, in the offline days a self-publisher would have to raise hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to produce their book or special report for sale. Then they would need to look for more money to advertise and market their information aggressively in newspapers and opportunity magazines. Finally they would have to ship their information out, usually using the postal service (snail mail).

If Joe Karbo (the greatest self-publisher of all time) were alive today, he would quickly become a billionaire many times over by going online. Today the self-publisher uses blogs to avail their information at a cost of virtually zero. Then there are numerous effective advertising and marketing tools online, including the very blog itself that can be used to market the self-published information. Self-published special reports can be instantly emailed to clients. Not to mention the fact that the self-publishers market is now enormous covering virtually every corner of the globe.

Who Was This Self-publisher Joe Karbo?

Joe Karbo was on the brink of personal bankruptcy when he self-published his classic, Lazy Man’s Way to Riches in 1973. Using his amazing knowledge of human behavior, he created tiny ads to advertise his self-published book available via mail order. His ads remained the same for years and later he graduated to bigger ads in newspapers and magazines from coast to coast.

By the time Karbo died at the age of 55, he was a millionaire many times over and his place in the self-publishing hall of fame was guaranteed. His techniques are still used by mail order self-publishers the world over, many of whom have successfully moved their operations online.

The arrival of the World Wide Web has not changed human nature and this is the reason why Karbo’s techniques and way of thinking have transferred so well to the Internet.

The Huge Advantages Of Online Self-publishing

While it is true that the rules of the game are a little different for the online self-publisher, the truth is that things have never been better. In the old days, the offline publisher had only one source of revenue that came from selling copies of his self-published information. The online self-publisher can still charge for copies of his special report, newsletter or ebook but he or she now has other amazing sources of revenue. They can post ads like Google Adsense ads, not to mention the dizzying choices of high earning affiliate programs he can sign-up for.

What all this means is that an online writer who understands that they are self-publishers capable of making serious money from the information they provide in their blog, email newsletter or special report, will have a distinct advantage. To take advantage of an opportunity, you need to “see” it first.

Let us take a closer look at the various self-publishing opportunities available online for writers.

Blog Power Works Wonders For The Self-publisher

Blogs or web logs as they were originally called is a self-publishers dream come true. The most profitable way to use a blog is to use it to promote a website or product available online.



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