- Do your homework. What other books are out there that are similar to yours? What makes yours different? People must have a good reason to buy your book rather than the next one.
- Have your book professionally produced. Your friend who is good in Word might be able to make great Christmas cards, but that doesn’t mean they can typeset a book. And proper editing and proofreading are essential if you are planning to sell your book.
- Don’t print more than you expect to sell. It can be tempting to print more copies because the more you print the cheaper it is per copy. But if you don’t sell them, this turns out to be the most expensive option. You can always print more if it takes off.
- Use a specialist book printer. Your local print shop might offer book printing, but they won’t do as good a job as a specialist book printer.
- Prepare a publicity plan for your book. Send review copies to blogs, radio programs and journalists who you think might be interested. Also send a copy to your local paper, focusing on the fact that your book is self-published and you’re a local author.
- Don’t give away lots of free copies to family and friends. They should be happy to support your self-publishing venture by purchasing copies.
- An ebook can be a great way to test interest in your idea. You can see how it sells without paying print costs.
- Be prepared for the effort required. If you self-publish you are taking on text and cover design, editing and proofreading, printing, marketing, distribution and more.
- Create a publishing company for your book. This will give it a more professional look.
- Take advantage of the resources available for self-publishers. There are lots of organisations and pages and pages of info on the internet dedicated to self-publishing. Take advantage of it!
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