Get Your Book Self-Published [Infographic]

Getting your book a name in self-publishing industry is your smartest decision to profit from your book in short time. You’ve got to retain all that revenues while keeping the pace in book publishing’s high competition.

Benefits of self-publishing

First, you’ve got the control of everything: from the costs, to whom you are partnering with for a high level of publication, up to the kinds of marketing platforms for the marketing of your books. Second, you keep 100% of the gross profit from book sales compared to percentages acquired when you do the traditional way of publishing. Further, you’ve got that online shelf for your book forever. Yes; unlike the traditional way in publishing a book, going to self publishing means your book is published online and so long as you want it; it stays there forever rather than be taken out of the shelf after four months the way traditional publishing would go.

It does not stop there. Self-publishing would enable you to get hold of a global distribution of your e-book on day one. For instance, your book can be listed in 100 countries and that is how the business of Kindle Direct Publishing goes. In addition, you can obtain more profits when your book can get attention from international publishers, because you are not sharing any revenues with any traditional publisher. You can also go all the way and sell your books in huge organizations unlike the limited ways of traditional publishers who can only sell your book only to re-sellers.
What’s most important of them all? You’ve got no boss to follow—because you do things by yourself and grab options offered by publishing companies…by yourself.

Choosing the Right Publisher: The Weighing Scale

In real world of self-publishing industry, authors do not have the luxury of picking more than one book publishing and marketing service so that publishing their books can be perfect. Yet, depending on the kind of the quality of services that can furnish their books, authors do take risk as well—just to get that name dreamed by every aspiring writer.

So, where do you start in that weighing scale to single out the right publisher?

Quality of service

Everything starts with the quality of the service and ends with the quality of service: any other bits and pieces in between are just the seasoning of it. So, before jumping to which publisher might offer the best services for your books, consider first whether that certain publisher’s tactics in making a publicity campaign, the kind of marketing support, the quantity of physical distribution of marketing campaign materials, and the pricing strategy it implements. Compare all these features with the other publishers and surely at the end of the day, it will help you decide whether you will be getting good value in the deal.

Do research about the publishers that are on your list of preference. Most of their book publishing and marketing services are comparable based on the quality, popularity and prices—and they are all found online. Bookwhirl publisher’s Full Color book publishing service for instance starts at $699 while the Refresh publishing package at Author Solutions starts at $999.

Define your target audience

When you have time and money to invest, it is always safe to assume your enthusiasm about your self-publishing is on the highest level. And, when you’ve got that high level of fervor to self-publish your book, then you know your direction or at least, you know what you really want for your book. Your goals for your books will always be based on what kind of genre you have for your book. For instance, when you have children’s book, you should target children to be your right audience. So get those finest services from that publisher who can help you furnish your book the best way that it should appeal to child readers.

Most publishing companies have specific book publishing and marketing service designed for each genre of a book. Let’s take a look at Bookwhirl.com’s new launched Ingram Catalogs service. The company has specific catalog service for children’s books and these can be distributed to 10,700 booksellers, librarians, and international accounts.

Meanwhile, Smith Publicity has also a specific marketing and publicity campaign for children’s books. The company enables the campaign to work out using media (magazines, and newspapers), broadcast, and the Internet.

Consider the publisher’s track record in the business

Like any other company, every publisher has its own highs and lows. No matter how excellent and great the services seem to most of the authors based on their experiences working with the company, there are really some who do not see any satisfaction with the service. They start to post bad reviews online and worse, some who have not even tried to experience the service for real, do also criticize the company.

In some point, some online criticism, especially when reviews are coming from those who have personal experience with the company, do help authors to decide which company is really reliable and not. It is just important to take note whether the person posting reviews online has really experienced the service by himself so as to turn your researching time and energy worthwhile.

There are publishers who have been in the business for quite a long time and that makes them worth to be called established firms. Yet, there are also some firms who are just starting the business but are really fast-growing industries, by which they are reaching the level of those established ones and giving the same level of service quality that established companies have been offering ever since self-publishing world evolved.

At the end of the day, the verdict is all yours. What matters most is that you are right there and ready to get published. Research more and opt for the right publisher for the kind of book you have on hand.

Book Publishing and Marketing Services: Which one is Your Pick?

Self-published authors are now turning a glimpse of different publishing and marketing services provided by different publishers around the world. For some, self-publishing doesn’t work on their ways because they lack to strike it toughly. Yet, self-publishing has proven to be strategically smart decision for most authors nowadays, especially with those who are eagerly responding to its every vital plunge.

Self-publishing companies on competition

The evolution of self-published authors gives havoc among publishers and book agents trying to find ways so as to respond to their every book publishing and marketing need. Publishing companies are on high competition of offering fast and inexpensive ways to get authors’ books off their computer screens into their readers’ hands.

Through effective publishing and marketing tools, huge publishing companies like Bookwhirl, Outskirts press, lulu.com, and Author Solutions (ASI) have always topped on self-published authors’ list of which they can choose which one to partner with in the process.

Similar book services differ in some angles

While all of these publishing companies have offered authors almost the same publishing and marketing services, the latter can still be comparable in some stances.

Prior to self-publishing a book, an author can have all the options of furnishing it from text editing to designs from all these companies offering such services. Professional copyediting and design services are offered by all publishers for a set price.

Copyediting services

Outskirts Press offers high-quality copyediting services for books by which price depends on manuscripts’ length. While the company requires a payment deposit that varies the length of the manuscript, the completion of the service usually takes four weeks in general. Under the Ala Carte Services of BookWhirl is the publisher’s copyediting service which sets specific price range for specific length of words starting at $0.0069 for 120,001 words, up to $0.0089 for 10,000-60,000 words.

Author Solutions (ASI) on the other hand, charges $0.022 per word on its copyediting service and requires a 5,000-word minimum to begin with two-three weeks timeframe. Like ASI, Lulu.com charges $0.023 per word and requires the same minimum number of words before the service can be started.

Usually, the game for the said service in all these companies revolves around “per length of word” approach. Now, let’s proceed how these companies differ in the real world of publishing.

Publishing services

Publishing packages make a distinction with their features from one publisher to another. Bookwhirl has two general classifications of its publishing packages: Black & White and the Full Color; by which each has sub categories. There is specific publishing package that suits every book theme such as Dreamer, Adventurer, Sensation, and more. Publishing package service for the company starts at $699. Meanwhile, Outskirts Press has “one-click” classifications for their publishing packages: One-click publishing for fiction, for coaches and speakers, and for children’s books. Whatever the price set for each publishing package; the publisher requires $35 for down payment before they can start using the service.

Book publishing services of Author Solutions Inc. have been varied through its partnership with other different publishers like Iuniverse, Trafford, and Xlibris. With Iuniverse for instance, book publishing packages’ rates start at $899 with the basic book publishing features including but are not limited to book stubs, copyright registration and digital formatting. The company’s Book Launch Premier Pro package, which costs $ 4,449, has the most comprehensive features like book signing kit, and promotional materials.

Concurrently, Lulu has set its publishing packages separately for e-books, and photo books. The publisher has classic/classic color, debut/inspired color, and blitz/artful color publishing packages by which price rates start at $999. Through the $3,999-artful publishing package, features included on top of the basics are five paperback copies and a free hardcover copy for free, author website, eligibility for Lulu social promotion, and more promotional materials.

Book marketing services

Outskirts Press has four main book marketing packages: Book Blast, Global Book Tour, Promotional Materials, and the Elite e-book Package. While the company assures 25% on five popular marketing services for book blast, it also offers one discounted book for four books set for global events. The publisher’s 2000 promotional items include bookmarks and postcards while for the elite package, books can be featured at Amazon kindle, B&N Nook, and Apple iPad ebook editions with 25% discount on the set $829 set amount for the service.

On the other hand, book marketing services of Bookwhirl includes Newswire service, Web Design, Email Advertisement Campaign, and Specialty Marketing. The Newswire Service features a 400-word press release article that will be sent to over 17,500 media outlets all over United States. Moreover, Web Design service is initiated in a way to be SEO friendly while authors can freely write any articles and stories to its blog page included on the design.

While publisher’s EAC program is considered to be a distinctive technique to reach a massive audience through electronic mail ads, Bookwhirl’s Specialty Marketing service includes the features like Book Exhibit Service, Radio Interview report, book trailer and more.

Like BookWhirl.com, ASI has similar features in its book marketing campaigns such as press releases, traditional publicists, and review services under its Publicity package. The publisher has also other marketing service packages such as Online, Multimedia, and Events. Social Media Setup and web design services are under their online package; whereas the publisher’s Multimedia package features its marketing kits, print advertising, and author videos and book trailers. ASI also caters book fairs and book signings though its Events package.

Lastly, Lulu publishing categorizes its book marketing services into main packages such as Publicity service, Book fairs, and Promotional services. The publisher’s Publicity Service package includes features such as newsmaker publicity campaign, online newsmaker publicity campaign, video newsmaker, and social publicist. Under the publisher’s Book Fairs package, books have the chance to be featured in book exhibits whether regional, national, or international events. In addition, its Promotional Services package let authors benefit the service’ features including the creation of an author’s website, business cards, and bookselling promotional materials.

Book and self mastery

No matter what service and which publisher has the various range of services, authors will always have the last say which company to choose and what service that best fits their books. Publishers and publishing companies might have the same range of services but they always differ in prices and online connections which always matter to authors in weighing and making their best preference. More importantly, authors weigh these services from different publishers based on their specific knowledge about themselves as authors and knowledge on what their books are all about.

A Beginner’s Guide to Publishing

Great writers in the world started being like any other aspiring writers. They had looked for help and used all available resources just to finish an article or a book. Not all people are gifted with writing skills and so if you have already started writing; that’s the good beginning of your writing journey. Soon, you will be praised like gods in literature.

To be great is to have your book keep going; continuously and timelessly giving interest to the readers. This is where publishing evolves. Here are some of publishing tips for you to mull on.

Eliminate your fears

Award-winning writers in the world have landed the literary grand’s peak because they choose to be there. They conquer their fears and they are proud of what they are doing. Some authors love to write but are less confident with their work; making them hesitant to let others know about what they’ve got.

Before moving further, it is necessary that your mind is set to aiming the summit of writing success fearlessly. You should not be hindered by any possible failures in the middle of the way from writing up to publishing your book. To get rid of fear is to free yourself from any worries whether your book can draw interests in the reading public or not; and whether your piece can lead you to success you have been dreaming of. What matters most is that you are on that stage and are willing to take more steps upwards.

Publish with the right tools

It is not enough that you have written a book. If your goal is to succeed; then never hesitate to take the risks, chances, and options towards making your goal possible. Do something about it because writing success can never be a destiny—it takes action.

Publish your book. Since self-publishing is the new trend today among the authors; you have all the power to make your book get heard in the market with all your effort.

Chances will be the fact that along the process of publishing your book comes a variety of options you can take advantage. Most publishers are offering effective publishing tools to give your book an edge in the market. Some of them, such as BookWhirl, are giving FREE publishing guides to authors to help them out along the way. Not all publishers are giving help for free; so if you find one, grab that opportunity without a second thought.

Keep Moving

You can start little actions by spreading good news about your book to your families and friends. Persuade them to spend some of their free time reading the book and ask for their comments or critiques after they will do so. Be willing to accept anything worse they can say because it will help you along the way—to keep you do more to perfect your work. Most publishers have all the access of professionals who can help furnish your book with proficient layout and design. BookWhirl, for instance, has a circle of book experts who cater free consultation regarding your book publishing and marketing plans. You simply need to set off your own ideas and get help when needed. After all, you know your book better than others do.

Be more resourceful

Don’t limit yourself to two or three ways that you can get yourself a name in publishing your book. Take risks if possible just to go out beyond the standards. Using the social media is also among the many effective means you can try these days. Say something on your wall about your book. Make sure you are creative in making your own advertisement on it so that it can easily draw the readers’ attention.

Also, it is more fascinating if you can give a social implication of what you have written. When the readers find a social significance of your book by which the story can easily let everyone relate with reality, that’s already a plus. You can expect that readers themselves will spread the book’s theme to others. Don’t quit on finding ways how to make your book known to others. If one doesn’t work, try looking for something else. Welcome every help from your friends or from other authors. Communicate with the other authors in any ways—that will surely help.

Fundamental Rules to gain Success in Self-Publishing

Fact says that in 2012 alone, the number of self-published authors earning more than a million in their books gradually increased. This rapid success shows that more self-published authors are seeing incredible sensation in self-publishing. Let’s discuss what essential rules that winning self-published authors take to hit success in self-publishing ground.

The Attitude

Successful self-published author would first find triumph in himself as a person before pursuing something else. First question should an author ask himself is whether he has the mindset of writing, publishing, and marketing his book. Because you, as an author need to be the project manager in self-publishing your book, there is a need to have a business mindset. You may need to think about hiring professional editors, layout artists, and cover designers in the process. Further, you need to understand the deal with self-publishing and book marketing business so that you can st ep-up and take that huge responsibility of being independent book publisher.

Write

When your mind is set and you know what you want to do; then start doing it. Without a book, there is no where to start in getting yourself involved in the publishing industry. Start jotting down your words and ideas and make it your outshined masterpiece.

This is the time you may need to look at your life and find out the way your personality, hobbies, and career will help you in the process. Your own astuteness learned in life always comes first; then your reliable researching skills follow. Look forward to create something that has worth to be talked about and use your expertise in such genre.

Get out of the standard way

You believe you are a good writer but not all people know who you are. You need to self-publish your book. That’s the main reason why there is such thing called publishing and marketing a book. This is the right beginning of getting exposure of your book to the readers; so make the best out of it. Get out of the customary way and start self-publishing your book. Today, every author has all the options to stand out among the others by going outside the box of traditional publishing. Self-publishing a book has often been considered more rapid option nowadays. Once you’ve done writing your book; you need not to contact publishing houses that cater the specific genre of your book anymore. You can pretty much just go ahead and publish it at will, without having to go through the process of waiting for publishing houses to decide whether or not your book has equaled their standards. You may take advantage of professional skills offered worldwide by publishers such as BookWhirl.

Hire Professionals

A book is said to be self-published when you decide to become a publisher of your own book; or take the option to hire a self-publishing company, and pay them for publishing and sometimes do the marketing of your book.

As mentioned earlier, you may need to think about hiring professional editors, layout artists, and cover designers in the process because that’s how the business of self-publishing goes. If you believe you have what it takes to be a successful book self-publisher, you would not need a second thought of taking the risks and the challenges in the business. With the augment of self-publishing, authors have become more powerful than ever before; making all publishers, agents and professional layout artists and designers scuttling to figure out what do authors need in every step they take.

There are several self-publishing companies that you can partner with; and that include BookWhirl. With its professional publishing and marketing services offered, it is simpler for you to reach your desired audience. While it is true that hundreds of publishers are offering self-publishing services; at the end of the day, it is essential that you choose a reputable one. Pick something like BookWhirl that helps and guides the writer in all angles, from writing, publishing, up to marketing his book. When you have the mindset of becoming successful in self-publishing your book; start stepping up through these significant rules that bring you towards where you dream to be found.

Pros and Cons in Publishing a Book

More authors nowadays are embracing the deal in self-publishing a book and leaving the traditional ways of getting their books heard behind. However, the account of book publishing doesn’t just stop there. Whether it is the traditional way or self-publishing, pros and cons are always along its course.

Traditional vs. Digital

These terms speak for themselves. It’s called traditional because it used to be the standard for authors to follow certain rules of publishers before their books get the right to be heard in the public. Digital however has always been associated with the evolution of online publishing of books using high technology.

Plus and flaws

Traditional book publishing follows standard process before your book gets published. First, you have to look for publishers that would cater your book’s genre. Next, you would correspond with them from time to time and would carefully follow their instructions so your book could at least equal with their standards that would lead it to be published. Should an author meet with the high standard of the conventional way, the chance of a novel to be available in bookstores is greater. The publisher also takes the responsibility of the editing and the arts of your book’s cover. Some have become successful in such ways; but it is also true that most authors are inclining themselves into the modern way of publishing their book called self-publishing.

In self-publishing, an author doesn’t need any publisher to get his word get known in the reading public because he is the publisher. With that, an author has the full control over the content and presentation, including the cover, editing, formatting, and book marketing. However, an author has the option to partner with a publisher to lessen such responsibility in the most funneled ways.

To get your book an audience without necessarily trying hard to fit into the standard round hole of the limited number of publishers in the world is the big pro of self-publishing. However, many writers have inclined themselves into it and get their work ripped apart by solid critiques because they are not ready yet to take the leap. Sometimes, authors need professional editors and graphic designers in order for their books to be ready in the publishing and marketing field.

How?

Provided you are a great author of a great book, committed, persuaded for a better change in your publishing career; but you lack time to make everything perfect towards your envisioned way of self-publishing and marketing your book. Still, it makes you stuck. Yet you cannot just sit there and be languorous with your ideas of getting your book be heard. The fact is that there are thousands of publishing companies that offer out of the ordinary publishing and marketing services you may need in that process.

For instance, BookWhirl has sphere of graphic design and formatting tools designed and fitted with every genre of a book. Just like many publishing companies, BookWhirl has professional copy editors who can help save your time expurgating your work into perfectness. In addition to that, you can take advantage of its exceptional and professional layout design and text formatting of your book, making it ready to be out in the market. With BookWhirl, your goal to be a successful author goes beyond book publishing and moves forward to a thriving book marketing.

Choose the right way

What seems to be an effective approach for your book publishing and marketing success may not be efficient for others. No matter which path you choose, publishing your book can either be rewarding and equally complex. Deciding what way has increasingly become more complicated along with publishing’s advantages and disadvantages. Some authors are lucky enough to undergo one way while others’ decisions are influenced with the plus and flaws in book publishing.

Yet what you can only give in the business is yourself. Keep on writing; and weigh well your options. There might be risks but at the end of the day, they can help you decide which publishing way to take so as to succeed.

Exciting Challenges in Publishing Children’s Books

In the process of writing up to publishing a children’s book, it is a must that children’s interest should be captured. It should start with the cover itself and the whole content of the book; because children simply love colorful bits and pieces.

Persuade the little ones’ interests

When you aim to influence the kids through your book, you have to care about what interest them most. Engaging in words and appropriate images that surely interest the kids is quite challenging yet interesting. The bottom line should be COLORS. Children love non-traditional texts and colorful images in any reading materials. Most often, a dislike towards reading can be developed in children if they are not happy during their first reading experience and that dislike can last for a lifetime. Therefore, it is a stipulation for children’s book authors to supplement their works with bright colors and illustrations that can persuade children to read them.

Create Colorful Pictures

A study conducted by Lauren Lowry at www.hanen.org states that certain types of book pictures can make a huge difference to the way children are learning from their reading experiences. Most children have symbolic skills -- the ability to respond to the different symbol types in a reading material context. For instance, children commonly understand a red heart to be a symbol of love. Children easily understand the story of the book they read when there’s a presence of more substantial and simple yet colorful pictures in a book. When you are able to show concern on the kids’ interests; then you will be assured that they will read your books.

Choose the suitable publishing service

When you are set and you believe that your book is ready to influence the young readers; then it is time to choose the right publishing and the most suitable service of your children’s book. First, you have to take into consideration that in the US alone, there are thousands of publishing industries competing and offering almost the same range of publishing services. Choosing the best one is already your verdict; so it is essential that you make inquiries and get hold of more knowledge about your preferred publishing company. As a children’s book author, your next focus is to look for a publishing company that offers a vast range of services for children’s books. Let’s take a look at the book publishing service packages provided by BookWhirl as an example. BookWhirl publishing services have specific highlights on publishing children’s books. Publishing children’s books fall under the World Changer FC publishing package of BookWhirl by which full creative reign on the design and image features are catered in a way not compromising the way authors envision their books.

Understand the financial risk in Publishing

Once you are decided to publish your work, you also have to understand the financial risk in making decisions towards publishing your work. Everything we do is associated with advantages and disadvantages; so focus on what you think can make you happy in the end and what can make your time worthwhile. Spending an amount in book publishing has always been the concern as to why some authors are still hesitant and that should be part of the menace you have to take care of before moving forward. After all, you just have to stop from there if you are not sure about pulling off success as an author.