Pros of Self-Publishing and Why Indie Authors Might Disagree
One of the biggest and most profitable advantages of self-publishing your first book is how amazingly fast you can become a published author. To quickly gain influence as an authority (or expert) in your niche and to get you and your business noticed with free media exposure.
Many Indie authors might argue with me on this but Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is unquestionably one of the best and easiest ways to self-publish your book. It’s fast, it’s free to get started and you can reach a lot of people in a short amount of time. Plus, having your book published on the world’s largest online retailer makes you look serious and professional.
There are also a number of self-publishing companies that can guide you through the self-publishing process. But if you want to do it *right* by first launching a pre-sale, followed by the higher priced hardcover (before allowing a paperback and kindle version) than using a reputable third party can be helpful. But it will cost you. You will need to pay them for their time and services as well as all the printing costs upfront.
Unlike KDP where they charge you for paperback printing costs only after you’ve made a sale. Depending on the price point you use to sell your book, the costs involved may vary. Amazon is serious about selling so they reward you by selling your books between $2.99 and $9.99. Paying higher royalties so you will sell more books.
They also offer marketing resources and incentives along with a step by step guide to quickly get your Author’s page set up. The book cover creator is easy to use and uploading your manuscript only takes a few minutes.
So people can start buying your book right away!
In fact, once I committed to writing my first book, I wrote, published and sold my very first copy in only two weeks! With the right resources and system in place that’s how easy you can publish your first book.
What I like to tell my clients is this: “Your first book doesn’t have to be your #1 bestseller or even the book you are remembered for. It just has to be your first.”
Before publishing my first book, I did a ton of research on the pros and cons of self-publishing versus traditional publishing. I spent months doing research and learning the ins and outs of the publishing world.
Initially, I thought I wanted to get published by a reputable publisher. For the prestige and to get help. Since I knew nothing when I first started writing. But after careful research, I determined that self-publishing was my best option.
What I found was that the biggest advantage to self-publishing is how quickly you can gain prestige and the reputation as a published and accredited author.
The Power of a Deadline
Once I decided to become a published author set a strict deadline for myself. I was on a mission to get published by the end of 2017 and nothing was going to stop me.
Since this completely ruled out going with a traditional publisher it became a no-brainer to self-publish my first book. You see, using a traditional publisher to publish your books can take years before your book is available to purchase. This is after your book gets picked up by a publisher. Which doesn’t even count the time it takes to send query letters to literary agents and face possible rejections.
Once I learned that it could take over a year (possibly even two years) to hit store shelves I knew self-publishing was the way to go. At least for my first book. Now let’s see if self-publishing is right for you.
Whether you decide to self-publish or go with a traditional publishing company really depends on your goals, the reason for writing your book and your time frame. If you are desperately trying to grow your business, drive traffic to your website and make a name for yourself than timing will obviously play a big role in your decision.
If you already have powerful connections (who can endorse your book) and have already built a following then getting a publisher to pick up your book will be a lot easier.
It’s even better if you can find a celebrity to write the foreword for your book. Which I’m in the midst of doing for several of my upcoming books. Since getting celebrity endorsements is one of the easiest and fastest ways to actually sell your book.
I’ve written well over a dozen books since my first one. Some of which I will self-publish while others I plan to go with a traditional publisher. Mostly because of the prestige of getting published with a well-known publisher. But also so I can learn from the experience of using a publisher. To learn from people who’ve been in the publishing industry way longer than I have.
You can never stop learning and I pride myself in keeping up with the latest trends and learning only from the best.
Plus, some books are more complicated than others and having written so many, there’s only so much I want to do myself. Making it worth it to me to lose the rights and ownership of some of my books. While others I prefer to keep control over.
In addition to timing, one of the drawbacks of using a traditional publisher is they typically buy the rights to your book. Meaning they keep most of the royalties and they can stop selling your book at any time. Hence cutting into your passive income and retirement fund.
If you self-publish your books you can continue to market and sell your books as long as you want. To create passive income for years to come and even for the heir to your estate. The book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey is currently ranked #3 for best sellers in business and money on Amazon at the time of writing this. Which just goes to show you the power of writing a great book.
The first book I wrote (and self-published) is a weight loss book which I wrote primarily to get interviews in the media. It wasn’t until friends were telling me how my book helped them that I realized the impact of a book.
Obviously, I wanted to help people. But what I really wanted was to promote my blog and business. So I could help even more people. Since I wanted to get it done quickly, I chose a topic I know well and that I could easily teach. I wrote down a system guaranteed to work. I knew it was an effective weight-loss method since I have used it many times to quickly lose weight myself. Now that little 41 page book helps women all over the world. To lose weight and feel happier and more confident.
How to Turn Your Book Into a Business
Now that I have raving testimonials I can turn that little book into a business. By creating a complete weight loss program. If I decide that’s something I want to do.
The coolest thing I discovered after getting published was that it is unquestionably one of the fastest and easiest ways to get into the media. It became easy to land radio and podcast interviews. I started making awesome connections, getting new clients, growing my email list and driving consistent traffic to my blog.
Writing my very first book couldn’t have worked out better!
Within only two months of writing that little book, I became the Health & Fitness Expert on a live radio show with millions of listeners! I was going live every month on the award-winning The Queen Silvy Show sharing health and wellness tips.
That my friend is the power of ONE book. It’s the power of your book. Even if it’s self-published.
In my upcoming book, “One Book Can Change Your Life: How to write and publish your first book” you will learn how to quickly write your first book. Join our tribe of published authors so you can quickly grow your business, land media interviews (to gain instant credibility) and create an impact.
FREE Resource to Help You Start Writing Your Book Today
You can start now by downloading your FREE guide where you will learn how to Write and Publish Your Book in 10 easy steps. Here’s the link to get started now: Start writing your book in 10 easy steps.
