How Three Publishing Myths Kill the Author

Agents and publishing houses have their best interests at heart, not the author's. Save yourself from headaches, disappointments, and money down the drain. Become your own independent publisher and produce your book faster and cheaper. All you need is a little help from professionals.

Myth: You need an agent or big publishing house to market your book and make big money.

Since big publishers don't look at unknown authors, now is the time to look at what they can do for you. Dan Poynter, self-publishing guru, says that if a publisher can't sell four times as many books as you can, you're better off selling it yourself. Self-publish first because it acts as a test market for your book. If it sells well (over 10,000 in a year), publishers may be interested in your book.

Traditional publishers and agents accept only 1-2% of authors' submissions, and even if you are one of the "chosen" you may not make much money after printing, bookstore, distributor, wholesaler and other expenses--probably $2 on a $14 book. Yes, you get an advance, but your sales must meet that and more. And after the initial book tour, the trainee marketing person is onto the next new author. Then, your books disappear from the bookstore shelf unless you, personally, devote a lot of time to marketing them.

Book Publishing is a new game today. Think self-publishing where the profits are all yours. Thanks to Dan Poynter of the Self Pulsing Manual for giving us permission to do part of the task ourselves. If you self-publish and decide to print, you need to print only the copies you need (5-500) with the new technology Print on Demand (POD). Even better is Print Quantity Needed (PQN) such as Deharts.com. No more unsold cartons of books in your closets or garage. You print as you go leaving enough cash flow to market your book splendidly.

Myth: To be a respected author, you must invest thousands of hours of time on your full-length book.

The reality is that people today want concise and useful information. You don't have to write a 200-page book to be a real author. Remember The One-Minute Manager and the One- Minute Salesperson? Around one hundred pages. People want information fast and convenient. Create short information products that are between 20 and 99 pages you can sell online, even if you don't have your own Web site.

If you choose to print your book with Print Quantity Needed (PQN), your perfect bound books will look as good as any book on the bookstore shelves.

Myth: Authors must spend a lot of money to publish themselves.

The printing costs for 1500 copies of a 160-page book might cost $3000, about $2 a unit. Small runs cost even more per unit. That's a lot of cash for anyone to put out all at once, and it's not worth it to many of us to use our home equity or life savings to finance our book. The answer is a small run with Print on Demand (POD) where you can print from 100 to 500 for around $2.40 for 160 pages. Without the high inventory, you can maintain a comfortable cash flow to spend on promotion, the most important part of your book adventure.

You save even more money if you don't print your book. Book publishing is going Internet. You can write small books in less time, market them easily and inexpensively on the Web and reap profits sooner. Try an e-book. It can be downloaded, it takes no printing costs because your buyer prints or downloads it. You don't even have to have the whole book finished to sell it. Just include your table of contents at the end of each chapter and present it as an e-serial book.

As a book coach, I am an authors' advocate and want you to make money. Going traditional doesn't work. Give ePublishing a chance.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

---

Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor? Part 1

If you either want to write a book to help... Read More

Becoming a Writer

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some,... Read More

Publish It Now! No Matter What It Is

Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction... Read More

Go With The Flow: Write With Transition Words and Phrases

One of the most common weaknesses I see in day-to-day... Read More

Five Common Errors to Correct Before Submitting a Letter or Report

First impressions count in writing too! So it is always... Read More

Should You Write a Book?

One morning, you open your inbox and find several e-mails... Read More

8 Ways to Improve Your Writing Immediately

Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More

Fight The Fluff!

The first and final rule of quality writing is this:... Read More

A Writers Inner Battle

There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More

7 Secrets For Beating Writers Block

Most people can easily identify with the dreaded "writer's block".... Read More

Gaining Writing Experience

GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More

Sense of Place

What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a... Read More

Learning How To Write

As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think... Read More

Mexican Living: Pasatiempo

It occurred to me one day that I needed something... Read More

A Writers Life

Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More

Getting To Know Your Characters

Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important... Read More

Top Seven Ways to Select a Book Topic That Sells

Authors need to write their book according to their target... Read More

How to Have an Effective Writing Group

The works you've written are numerous, ranging from short stories... Read More

Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 6 of 6

SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More

Do I Have To Be A Good Writer to Market My Own Business?

Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More

Writing Good Dialogue.

There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More

2nd Installment on Autobiography

ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More

Recipe for a Style Guide

Wired Online has recently announced its plans to drop capitalization... Read More

Write For Yourself First

It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More

Effective Collaboration - Working With Your Ghostwriter

Using a ghostwriter to craft your free reprint articles and... Read More

8 Advantages to Writing a Book as an Entrepreneur

As an aspiring or an established entrepreneur, you are an... Read More

Top 10 Common English Goofs by Web Authors

In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I... Read More

Mixing and Mingling: The Door to Publication?

Mixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that... Read More

Writing Business Letters That Get The Job Done

Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today, traditional... Read More

Tell the World About You

You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More

Do You Know What A Plot Is?

Creative Writing Tips ?What a plot is and what a... Read More

8 Tips to Get Publishers to Notice You

If your articles aren't getting published very often, or you... Read More

Writing Press Releases That Get Noticed

Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More