Self Publishing
by Carmen Leal

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Dreams are important because dreams, well articulated, become goals, and no book was ever written without a goal. Many writers spend more time dreaming than writing. If that happens, the dreams will remain that; just dreams.

However, even when we write, sometimes our dream of seeing our name on the spine of a book still remains a dream. Even when the subject matter is of interest to many, and well written, it can still be difficult to go successfully through mainstream publishers.

Traditionally, having a book published meant that the publisher paid for all costs of producing the book as well as the major share of marketing. With the trend towards signing mega seller authors and publishing houses either going out of business or merging with other companies, how does a writer become a published author?

In the past, people often turned to vanity publishing. The author paid all production costs to a company, who produced the book, but retained the right to keep the majority of the books. The author had little to show for an investment of often thousands of dollars. Little attention went into editing, and vanity publishers spent minimal money on marketing because they'd already made money from the author.

An alternative to royalty and vanity publishing is self-publishing, which is simply contracting with a book packager or a printing company to actually produce the book. The author retains all rights and profits to the book and, of course, they are liable for any financial losses. Marketing and distribution of the finished product is also the responsibility of the author.

There is still a stigma attached to self-publishing, but as more and more success stories are heard, the stigma is becoming less. The premiere magazine for writing professionals, Writer's Digest, sponsors an annual self-publishing contest and devotes an issue a year to this topic. Click here for self-publishing success stories.

Self-publishing can be an incredibly rewarding experience on many levels. It can also be time - consuming and financially risky. If your goal in becoming a self-published author is getting rich, think again. The majority of self-published works sell less than a thousand copies. There are other reasons to self-publish besides money.

More than simply putting out a book, self-publishing means you're actually starting and operating your own business. As with any new business venture, it's important to develop a well thought-out business plan. Also, make sure to seek appropriate state, local, and federal tax and legal advice.

Successful self-publishers, need to be focused, have a passion about their subject, be good organizers, planners, decision-makers, and remember the real work begins after the finished book is off the press. Here is a list of books that should help you as you begin your self-publishing business.

Self-Publishing Tips
These are a few tips that might help as you begin the journey to successful self-publishing. There are excellent books on the subject so before you begin, educate yourself.

- Study the competition.
- Write what other people want to read.
- Write where there is a void in the market.
- Think "marketing" from the very beginning.
- Get professional editing.
- Create a memorable, easy title.
- Have a fabulous cover. Four color is preferable, but using screens and tints are no extra in cost, and can make a two color cover look like three colors or more.
- Give attention to the inside pages. Make the book clean, and easy to read.
- Use a book manufacturer for printing versus the local printer.
- Order Extra Covers at press time. The cost is minimal while the cover is on the press. Distributors need covers, and they can also be sent out as part of the press kit and for advertising. Also print oversized postcards at the same time to use as direct mail pieces. Bookmarks and rack cards can be printed as well. You can print the copy on the pre-printed cards later.
- Rather than send out review copies to every prospect, send out a book cover along with front matters, sample chapters, illustrations, charts, or other important book components. This is called a "Blad."
- One word. Internet. You can create a home page to sell your book even before the book is in your hands. You may also offer free chapters of your book on-line, join electronic mailing lists related to your topic, and link your book site to other related sites.
- Draw up a list of friends, family, business associates, and others who already have an interest in you and your work. Use those post cards you printed to announce the book.

Carmen Leal is the author of two successful self published books. She is also the author of WriterSpeaker.com, an Internet research and marketing guide for writers and speakers. For more information on self publishing, marketing and other writing topics, visit http://www.writerspeaker.com .

***Teens4Jesus/Christian Scoop would like to thank Carmen Leal of Living Hope, Inc. for permission to use this article. Please check out Living Hope, Inc at http://www.writerspeaker.com/LivingHope.html . ***