Invest in your book

Not too long ago, books were written by professional writers who signed traditional publishing contracts and were paid advances against royalties for their work. The publishers did their best to market those books so everyone made money.

Authors wrote and publishers did the rest.

My, how things have changed.

Today, authors need to be good at everything involved in getting books to readers:

1. Book writing
2. Book publishing
3. Book promotion

It can be overwhelming if you don’t get help.

1. Book writing

The reality today is that because there are so many ways to self-publish now, authors aren’t necessarily “writers” anymore. Even so, while you might have a good story to tell, you have to learn how to tell it in an engaging way and without spelling, grammar, and structure errors. Nobody has the time to read anything that isn’t well-written.

If you’re not a professional writer, invest in your book by taking a writing course online or in-person at a community college. As a writer, you always need feedback that helps you see your strengths and weaknesses  and improve how you communicate.

2. Book publishing

Many authors are also self-publishing now in one form or another. You’re either paying a company to “manufacture” your book or you’re  partnering with a publisher that isn’t paying you an advance, but isn’t charging you publishing fees, either. With so many publishing options available, you want to investigate all models before selecting one.

Research the publishing companies you’re considering before signing a contract. Pay an attorney to review and explain the contract to you. The inter-web is littered with sad stories from authors who didn’t understand what they were getting when they signed their contracts.

3. Book promotion

Understand that regardless of the publishing model you use, you have to be your own book promoter. This applies to authors with advances from traditional book publishers, too. All publishers expect and need their authors to publicize and promote their books.

This is where I can help. I’m teaching three “Book Publicity 101” courses online during four weeks in October. The three options are specialized for:

• Nonfiction authors who are traditionally published
• Nonfiction authors who are self-published
• Fiction authors with traditional publishers or who have self-published

There’s a lot to learn about book promotion, from getting news media publicity to hosting a book contest, figuring out how to really sell on Amazon, using social media effectively, planning and leveraging virtual book tours (author blog tours), and speaking to sell books. These three courses cover all of this and much more. The self-published nonfiction course gives special attention to book launches while the fiction course has specialized content addressing the unique challenges novelists face.

Learn how to buzz your book

Each “Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz” Premium E-course runs October 7 to November 1, 2013. During those four weeks of intense online instruction, you’ll benefit not only from the depth and breadth of the course content, but from personalized feedback on your weekly homework assignments and access to me for all of your questions. It’s like having a private book marketing coach — but it’s much more affordable, especially since I’m holding the course registration fee for this session to $199 (it will increase in 2014). Those who have taken the course say it’s a steal — read comments from many of them on the course description pages:

• Traditionally published nonfiction
• Self-published nonfiction
• Fiction published both ways 

It’s time to make an investment in your book.  Learn how to write, publish, and promote. And let me help you with that last part. You won’t be disappointed.

How have you invested in your book this year?