Saturday 14 July 2012

Print a Book. Be a Published Author. Reap the Reward!

By Brennan McMahon


Have you ever wanted to print a book? Be a published author? Be a celebrated writer cruising the talk show network scene, rubbing shoulders with celebs who beg to write the foreward to your next book? If so...slow down, kiddo. One step at at time. It is a great goal to shoot for- and completely attainable - but you gotta first write something worthy of publication because the big, mean publishing houses don't take kindly to first-timers. Which is a bit of a mystery it seems because was not everyone a first-timer at one point?

It's the same old thing: "I can't get work because no one will hire me without experience, but I can't get experience if no one will hire me." Ever been there? Not a fun place to be. And it's perhaps for this reason among many that thousands of writers have taken to the streets in protest...ha, not really.

They have actually decided to go one of two alternative routes. The first one being "pay-to-play" boutique publishers who take about 95% of whatever is submitted - because let's be honest, you pay them up front regardless of the success of your book. But they're the ones slated to market the thing, but where - after already being paid - is their incentive to push your book? That leads us to the other option...

The self-publishing route. Print a book. Your own personal book! You heard that right. You will find several companies available which will format, set and print your book to meet your requirements. No marketing or spreading the news of your new literary masterpiece. Nope. Everything falls you, which is exactly how you should want it.

The rise or fall of your book rests soley on your shoulders. You book the interviews. You set up the signings. You sell the books...out of the trunk of your car? Sure. Maybe. If it works, right?

The benefits of going the "self publish" way are when your book lands on the bestseller list, you don't have to split the pot with anyone. All the money goes in your pocket.

A traditional publisher assumes all the risk up front and only ever offers you a thin slice of the action. Ever.

A boutique publisher often takes a large chunk from you in the beginning - for edits, formatting, print runs, etc - and then will take smaller bites of your wallet as you find the need for second, third and fourth runs. And remember, they don't have a pressing need to push your book. They have dozens of other clients who may be ready to pay them for a sequel.

The only surefire way to measure if you and your book are what the people want is to market the thing yourself. Yea, it's harder and may require a lot more sleepless nights, but in the end, if you're successful, how awesome will that feeling be when you have some A-List celeb knocking down your door because they love your series so much that they wanna make a movie of it? Dream big.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment