5 Reasons Why You should Self-Publish
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and what you don’t know is costing you.”- Dr. Fred Jones, 2018
More than 200 million Americans aspire to author their own novel, story or life experience. However, the lack of education about publishing and writing discourages them from pursuing this dream.
Are you one of these people hungry for the literary limelight, but unsure how to proceed? Discover how self-publishing can make you an authentic book author.
Five Reasons to choose Self-Publishing
The path that many of today’s best-selling writers choose in order to become published authors is self-publishing. It takes courage to bypass traditional publishing and to publish your own book. However, the experiences of many best-selling authors indicate that their decision to self publish was an excellent one. Let me share with you five (5) reasons why you, too, should consider self-publishing.
-
Earnings
The obvious way a published author makes money is through book sales. Typically, the author receives a percentage of the book’s retail price – a royalty. In traditional publishing, you could expect to receive a royalty of 8-15 %, depending on your status as an author or the status of the publisher or the market.
When you self-publish your book, however, you can earn much more in royalties. The royalty rates are established by the self publishing platform you use and depend on what it costs to produce and distribute the book. These royalties typically range from 35-70 %. Amazon has a self publishing platform that offers the world the works of unique authors. Amazon’s digital platform is a major resource for authors who want to self publish. For example, 485,538,000 ebook units were sold on Amazon in 2016. As a self-published author, you could receive a royalty once a month for every book sold on Amazon.
In addition to royalties earned from a distributor such as Amazon, another way to make money as a self publisher is to set a price and sell your book directly to the public. Many self publishers utilize book signings, book fairs and other community events to sell their book.
Finally, if you have an entrepreneurial bent, you can monetize your book by creating a coaching or speaking business around the content and ideas of the book. I interact with a number of individuals who have used their self-published book to build a six to seven-figure business.
-
Control
In traditional publishing, you work with a publishing company. The company may give you an upfront payment that gives them control of your book. In other words, you relinquish control over key decisions regarding your book. The publishing company decides what to do with your book in terms of editing, promotion and marketing.
In self publishing, you, the author, assume the role of the publisher. You are the ultimate decision-maker. You control all of the aspects related to the book: the content, the design, the book cover, the price, the channel for distribution. As a self-published author, you are not restricted by the latest trends and or by a publisher’s demands. At anytime you want, you can begin writing and publishing. You decide how the book will look and how it will reach the global market. Furthermore, if you choose to build a business around your book, you don’t need permission or approval from anyone else regarding your use of the book’s content or ideas. You are the CEO of your book business.
-
Immediacy
In traditional publishing, there is a wait time before a book is published. You submit your manuscript to the publisher and wait for confirmation of its publication – often a year or more from the date of submission.
Self-publishing, on the other hand, eliminates the waiting time – you can have your book published in an instant. Furthermore, when you self-publish, you achieve instant global reach; your book is available for sale to anyone in the world. This instant global reach is impossible to achieve with traditional publishing.
-
Ease and Simplicity
It is easy to physically create a book for self publishing. For example, you can type your manuscript using MS Word, editing font and page size at will. You can create an appealing book cover using Photoshop. When all is done, you can turn your Word file into a PDF file and upload it to Amazon or some other self-publishing digital platform.
It is simple to edit a self-published book, even after publication. In traditional publishing, once your book is on the shelves, you cannot make further edits unless you are willing to cover the expense of removing the book and printing another version. In self-publishing, however, you can remove your book from the Amazon platform for a week or two. You can alter the interior text and/or cover and then upload the revised version for sale. Easy and simple!
-
Accessibility
In traditional publishing, publishers prioritize authors who have already created niche; aspiring, unknown authors are made to wait in line. Self-publishing is appealing because no one is excluded; anyone has the potential to become a best-selling author. If you have good material, you can publish your own book.
Self publication is particularly appealing to writers who are worried about the rejection of traditional publishers. If you are concerned that your book, for some reason, might not make it to the marketplace (e.g., it deals with controversial content), then you should opt to self-publish.
Publish your book now!
Are you a high achieving individual?
Are you interested in publishing your book and becoming a best-selling author?
Are you a woman of faith who wants to write a book and build a business based on it?
I’m Dr. Fred Jones, a multiple best-selling author, U.S. Supreme Court attorney and former business law and ethics professor. As a book coach, I have assisted more than 1,000 writers, speakers and authors across the United States to write their worth and monetize their books.
Get to know more about self-publishing by joining me at Publish Me Now University.
I’ll help you get it right!