The Secret of El Barto: Getting a Book Deal as a Self-Published Author

When Steven Keslowitz was an undergraduate at City University of New York in Brooklyn, just about every class paper he wrote used The Simpsons as the foundation for his thesis.

Keslowitz, at 19, then turned to Wheatmark to publish his first book The Simpsons and Society: An Independent Analysis of Our Favorite TV Family and Its Influence in Contemporary Society based on a compilation of those papers.

With chapters entitle things like "To Speak or Not to Speak: Maggie Simpson vs. Stewie Griffin" and "Bart the Genius: And the Value of Standardized Tests," Keslowitz took the concept of "Everything I know I learned from my ..." posters a step further and used the iconic cartoon family as a way to explore many perceptions from real life.

The Simpsons and Society quickly sold enough copies to qualify for our Great Expectations program.

One of the few self-published authors to get his book shelf space at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Keslowitz famously wouldn't take no for an answer. As the oral history around Wheatmark tells it, he focused all his energy on Barnes and Noble. Calling individual stores in an ever-increasing radius from his college residence, and never giving up until they took a book or two, The Simpsons and Society gained ground simply through its author's tenacity.

When he entered the Great Expectations program, it was decided that Wheatmark would do several things to help the book. The first was to do a revision that would include additional chapters and a more thorough editing job. The second thing that was done was some legal work. Because The Simpsons is a trademarked sitcom, there were some questions about using some of the material. Wheatmark hired a well-known lawyer, Jonathan Kirsch, on behalf of the author to comb through the book and make sure it was legally tight for continued publication.

After selling nearly 3,000 (2,929 to be exact) copies of his book, Keslowitz was offered a book deal through the largest independent book publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

Over the years, Keslowitz's book has continued to sell and has even been used as a classroom text book at Tufts University and Carnegie Melon. Harvard may not be far behind (just kidding ... maybe).

His resume now includes having been featured on cnn.com and being listed on Ingrams Hot 100 book list.

Kewlowitz's story is not necessarily the norm. However, his inability to give up wasn't really the norm either.

It does show that by self-publishing you are helping make yourself a viable commodity in the book-buying world.

Never give up!

You can purchase your own copy of the current version of Keslowitz's book on Amazon.com

Writing a Press Release

How can you get your press release noticed in a pile of leftover papers by the TV station's fax machine or in a busy reporter's inbox? By creating a great press release! You can actually help media outlets instead of fill their recycling bin with a useful press release. Here we'll look at exactly what you should include and how to position your press release. (For a sample press release format, download our free book marketing guide and swing by page 84.)

Here's what you need:

• a place to send it
  
• a hook
• a fact sheet
  
• high-resolution images
  
• short headline concept
  
• easily editable release content
  
• quotes
  
• contact information

Where to send your press release

First of all, it is a good idea to understand what happens in a newsroom. At most newspapers and magazines there is a publisher, a head editor, and then middle editors--usually called section editors--that are responsible for overseeing the content that the reporters create for sports, lifestyle features, and news. For TV news and radio, those middle editors are called producers. But they essentially have the same function: ferret out stories the reporters might have missed and also approve story content the reporters present.

Those middle editors and producers are really who you want to send things to. They help control the flow of stories around a media outlet and best know when to snag something and who to filter it to.

The only time this isn't efficient is if you already have a contact at the media outlet. In that case you should send it to both the section editor and your contact.

The next thing to understand about media outlets is that they have needs.

A Hook

Most media outlets have to create content for multiple days a week. It can be tough on content deciders to plan for all of these days. One of the things they like to do to help structure their plans is to use themes. For example, how many times have you seen a bunch of Mother's Day stories grouped together in the Sunday paper on May 10th? That's called a package. Wouldn't it be fabulous if your book about surviving motherhood was featured on that page? Of course it would!

You have to tailor your book's message to help promote it as a potential theme for the media outlet to hook into. Whether it's a holiday, a national awareness month, a local news story everyone has been following, or an anniversary of something, by giving your press release a REASON, you better your chances for a little attention.

One of the common mistakes with press releases is to write about your book in a way that positions your book as important for simply existing. That's an express bus route to the recyling bin. By making your book relate to something a media outlet's audience will be interested--instead of relating it to yourself and your book's existence--your chances are far better. The question every audience member asks about information is, "How is this important to me?"

The answer about your book to them better not be, "Because I wrote it."

A Fact Sheet

Before you get into the long-winded body content of your press release, consider having a simple fact sheet on top. Most media content deciders are scanners. They give information a cursory glance before passing it on to someone else. If you provide a simple bulleted fact sheet, you help them process the important information quickly. Also, you provide easy access to the main information you want to share so it can be used as a televised graphic, a calendar entry for events, or as a short blurb on a page (and any coverage is good coverage).

An example of excellent fact sheet fodder is the following:

WHY: Mother's Day is May 10th!

WHAT:"Surviving the Battlefield of Motherhood" written by local author Posie Buttons

WHY: A hilarious look into the rough-and-tumble world of mothers. The perfect read for mothers, children of mothers, fathers, and those on their way to motherhood status.

QUOTE: "I used to chronicle the funnier or more difficult motherhood moments in a diary for my children while stationed in Iraq, but when I'd filled up too many notebooks, I realized it was time to put it into a book to share with others," said Posie Buttons, local author and former U.S. Marine, about her new book, Surviving the Battlefield of Motherhood.

EVENT: Buttons will be reading from her new book at Hastings Books on 16th Street on Saturday, May 9th from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Free.

CONTACT: For more information, contact Buttons at pbuttons@notrealemail.com

This gives them content, a sound bite, and a hook. And they didn't have to call you on the phone! (Perfect for when those other stories didn't come through at the last minute.)

High-resolution images

Newspapers always need quick stories of local interest that they don't have to spend a lot of time on that MOST IMPORTANTLY have a full-color high resolution image they can run with it. Next time you meet a newspaper reporter, ask them if the story they are working on has "art." Watch their face crumple a bit. Good art is hard to find and is really important for page designs. YOU have amazing art. You have a book cover and probably an author photo. You are already headed for gold! The best art gets the best play.

TV and radio have a similar need. TV needs something they can make into a graphic. Radio needs something they can post on their website along with the show's online feed.

A Short Headline

One of the most difficult jobs for media outlets is coming up with headlines that are short enough for the audience to get through but that still have the correct information. (Here's one way to see this at work: You often see headlines that use the word "dead" instead of killed, murdered, or homicide. This is because those words actually have different legal connotations. In order to get it right without getting in trouble with lawyers, line lengths, and syllables, they use "dead." Just a little insider trick!)

You can help get your message out correctly by providing a short headline option on your fact sheet and on your press release.

Instead of writing:

"Local author and former Marine pens book about the trials and tribulations of motherhood"

Try something more wieldy:

"Ex-Marine pens book on motherhood"

The Press Release
Now the press release! Your press release should include a city and dateline and then go right on into the body copy. Again, a sample press release format is available in our free book marketing guide.

The content of your release should be tailored to the angle of the story you want to present. In our example above, the author is a local one, a former U.S. Marine, and she has written a book about motherhood. The book is what the author is selling and why the media outlet is interested in her. What makes her interesting to the audience (and why the media outlet might contact her for an interview) is that she is local and a former Marine.

You don't want to structure your press release content to simply celebrate your ability to publish a book. With modern technology, lots of people are doing it. Your press release should highlight why you are different and why your particular book will be of interest to their audience. Again, "Because I wrote it" just won't cut it.

Keep your press release article short. If a media outlet is interested, they'll most likely rewrite it anyway using the facts you present as their jumping point.

Quotes

One thing that will help get you into an article is providing quotes in the press release. Feel weird inserting your own quotes into your own press release? Think of it like acting. You are acting as a reporter. You aren't writing about "I" your are writing about "an author" who happens to be you.

By including quotes you'll give the reporter the extra flavor they need to write a great story, again, without even having to call you on the phone. If they DO call you, they'll have better questions for you to help futher your book's cause because they'll already have some background on you!

Contact information

Make sure that your contact information is on your fact sheet, your press release, your email signature, and on your cover letters. Do not let anything stand to chance. Don't think, "I'll tell them about my website when they call." More likely your website will get them to call. Make sure any number is made available to them where you would like to be reached: cell numbers, home numbers, email, websites, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Most media outlets are on deadline. If they can't reach you on their schedule, they may just pass you by.

Now you are armed and ready to get started on your next press release. Remember, as you gain great clips for your book, you can include them in your burgeoning press kit for media outlets to draw on. Not only does it give them something to quote, but it shows how in demand you are!

Thinking About Self-Publishing? Check Out Our Free Mini-Course!

The Wheatmarkians have created a great new tool for authors who are considering self-publishing, but who may not be ready to bite the bullet, or, who aren't sure if they have enough information to get started.

That's where the 7 Steps to Self-Publishing Success mini-course comes in. The mini-course is a great way to ease into the process without any commitment (swear).

It's really simple. Established to fill a client demand for more information (and we do mostly whatever we can to make our clients happy -- well, short of anything illegal ... I think) about the process while they were working on their manuscripts, the Mighty 7 is a great way to begin thinking about your project from the marketing side and to better educate yourself on what the project will need to be a real success.

With ZERO OBLIGATION (I love writing the spam talk!), you can enroll and see if it is helpful to you. The course is based on our own Grael Norton's experiences and has some incredibly helpful insights into the pitfalls you may find when self-publishing. PLUS! There is an entry that includes some threat of peril (step 3) and you know you HAVE to read about the peril you may not know about, right? Of course you do.

Here's the link to the page where you can sign up for The 7 Steps to Self-Publishing Success mini-course brought to you by Wheatmark, Inc. And again, there is no obligation, no salesman will visit you, we never sell your information to anyone, and you WILL be warned of peril.

Used with our free book marketing workbook, which you will also be getting with the mini-course, you are going to be ready to hit the ground running with your next self-published project (and you still won't have paid a cent!)

You can't miss it! Well, you can ... but don't! It's free, so there is no reason to!

Best Series Tip No. 7: Review Amazon Products

The Best Series is based on a presentation by Wheatmark author James D. Best, author of The Shopkeeper, The Shut Mouth Society, and the upcoming release Leadville. Best has offered 10 tips on how to use Amazon to sell your book and we'll look at each tip in depth in a series of blog posts.

Tip No. 7: Review Amazon Products

• Product reviews


• Listmania


• Customers who bought this item also bought
  

Selling books on Amazon is a popularity contest. Fortunately in the virtual world, you don't have to worry about being the fastest or best-looking. Well, a little bit, but since kickball isn't in the mix, it's a lot less athletic. It is important, though, to be well-liked and to be EVERYWHERE.

What does that mean on Amazon? It means to be actively involved in the sale of your book and other quality items for sale there. Find a great toaster on Amazon? Tell people about it. Slowly you'll have a bit of a following as a good guy on Amazon.

Besides reviewing other products (particularly books), using Listmania, and also use the "also bought" function.

Best offers a few rules to abide by while becoming a prolific Amazon user:

1. Never review something you haven't read, used, or watched.
   
2. Never knock a competitor
   

It can be time consuming being Amazon Popular, but in the end you'll reap the rewards of being out and about ... and thought to be a nice, informative community member!

Next up: Tip No. 8 is Drive Demand ... to Amazon

Can You Sell Books As a Self-published Author?

I was on Facebook blathering on about something unrelated to books, and saw this little publisher ad off to the right. I clicked on it.

It was for a hybrid publisher. Not sure about it, I poked around on their site. It made me cranky.

Self-publishing authors need to be wary of publishers who promise their project will be respected like the "old guard" imprints and scare you with phrases like "debilitating stigma of self-published books."

Yes, it is more difficult to sell books as a self-published author. It is difficult to sell books as a traditionally published author. It is difficult to sell books. Period. Doesn't matter if you publish with Random House or through Lulu. It can be an uphill battle if you aren't already famous. And even if you are famous ... it is still work.

From our many authors, we have a lot of titles that we consider successful.

The keys to the self-publishing success bus? A professional-caliber book and marketing.

Wheatmark offers all the services you need (and want, we don't force you to have copyediting if you don't want it ... but trust me, you need it) to have a quality book. Proofreading, copyediting, developmental edits, even book doctoring are all things we can do for you. We also offer custom cover design (you can see some of our best on flickr) and publicity kits to help you get the word out.

Our motto is: The independent author's most powerful ally.

We work everyday to give our authors the best possible experience. On our site we have several author resources links that include tips on all parts of the writing and publishing process and they are open to anyone to check out.

One of our greatest resources is our free book marketing workbook, Book Marketecture, which is a thorough look into how to plan a marketing campaign so you can reach your goals.

Beware of publishers that make it sound like publishing is a cake walk. It isn't. It requires dedication and enthusiasm throughout the process and the intended shelf life of your book.

Wheatmark is here to help. If you have a book you want to publish and you are ready to do the work, don't get duped by companies that aren't up front about their business practices.

There are lots of companies to choose from. Obviously, we would like to work with you--but do your research to make sure you find the right place for you and your work!

Font on your face ...

Recently I was part of a brief discussion on Twitter, the social networking site, about the right types of fonts to use in books.

Fonts are important. They influence how easy your book is to read, but they also influence the mood of your book. For example, if your book is a drag-out bloodbath of a book that includes murder and, well blood baths, and maybe snarling dog teeth, you probably don't want to use a frilly cursive font for your chapter title or dropcap fonts.

Fonts are so important that one of our book editors included in her profile bio on Twitter: "Ask me why you shouldn't use Times New Roman."

Fonts can do a lot for a book.

If you are looking to keep your book as short as possible, let your book designer know. There are beautiful body fonts available that have just a slightly more narrow kerning (the space between the characters) that can save you pages in a really long book.

If you want your book to be padded just a wee bit, there are fonts that can add some pages by just having a more open p or o!

We have, in the past, been asked to create books that have very, very fancy and overused cough cough papyrus cough cough fonts as the body font. We strongly urge our authors to rethink this.

Cool fonts that stand out from the pack are super for drawing the eye on the book page to a chapter title or header. We don't recommend them for the main font throughout though as these fancy "display" fonts are hard on the reader eyes and patience.

As you look around you, every sign -- big or small -- has used a font. Even if the signmaker chose a piece of notebook paper and a marker, that was a design choice that was born from the need to communicate quickly.

Talk with your book designer about what you'd like to see and they will often offer you samples of pages in different fonts to help you decide what will work the best for your book!

Getting reviews for your self-published book

There's a great article up by Self-Publishing Review: How to Get Self-Published Book Reviews. If you have a book in print, are getting a book into print, or are thinking about getting a book into print, you need to read this.

Among the tips:

• Make sure the book is professionally designed. Reviewers who have reservations about dealing with self-published books may not notice how the book got published if it looks professional.
  
  
• Include a press pack with your book.
  
  
• Choose reviewers who are more likely to be receptive. There are a number of sites that happily review books from small and self-publishers, and newspapers often like to write about local authors.
  
  
• Try to get Amazon reviews. Don't underestimate the impact of an ordinary reader's opinion.

Again, read the whole article for specific and very useful details. One good book review doesn't guarantee massive sales, but it can lend a whole lot of credibility to your own marketing efforts.

Why You Should Start a Blog Today

One of the essential ingredients to a successful book marketing plan is a blog.

A blog will allow you to post “journal” entries about your process during the book writing stage, to post entries about your publishing timeline, to write about your published book, and to write about everything else you are interested in in between.

On the Wheatmark web site we have a blog post that includes step-by-step instructions on how to start a blog using Blogger – one of the free blogging sites available.

How does blogging for book marketing work?

It works by establishing a home base for your marketing efforts. As you read other people’s blogs, you can comment from your blog identity allowing them to follow back to your blog. When you use Twitter, you can put up tweets about new blog posts and also put the link to your blog in your profile so Twitter users can read more about you. This will drive traffic to your blog site.

On your blog site, make sure to add a link to where prospective readers can buy your book.

Why does blogging for book marketing work?

It works because it creates a virtual world where you can be the expert on your book’s topic and allows people with similar interests to interact with you. The more you gain readers to your blog, the more readers you are likely to gain for your book! By allowing readers to be a part of your journey as an author, from first inspiration to the exciting book launch, you can form a community of people invested in your project and your success!

It can be difficult getting going. So here is a list of topic types to get you started

List of 5 ideas or thoughts – numbered lists are always winners. It helps the blog reader understand what they are going to be reading and helps them get to the end. This works in a blog about business very easily. You can write about one of your chapters, offer tips, etc. But it could also work for fiction! Say you are writing a young adult fiction book about a battling a demon. Your numbered list could be “Things You Need to Battle a Demon.” It’s entertaining and it brings people into your book.

Publish a list of links – Can’t think of anything to write? Someone else has written it already and better? Post a link to the articles on your blog. They’ll appreciate the favor and also your blog readers won’t feel like you’ve abandoned your blog for the day!

Take a recent experience and share it – Maybe it is obvious, but writing about something that made you have an emotion is always good fodder for a blog. It lets other people into your world and also allows them to share their own experiences in the comments forum. It may even inspire you!

5 Tips for the Short Story Writer

• Know what constitutes a short story. A short story is about 10,000 words. Much longer and it becomes a different animal. You may be asking, “How many page is that?” The answer is, use your word count. When your story goes to layout, it could be just about any amount of page numbers depending on the interior layout style.
  
  
• Limit your scope of time or character. A short story is not a lazy novel. In fact, a short story is often harder to write because it is a small package that must remain within its own confines. You shouldn’t try to tell someone’s life story in a short story unless it is about a fruitfly.
  
  
• Try to keep your short story time frame as a snippet. Need some back story? Great! But make sure it doesn’t go on and on and on. Another way to limit your scope is through character selection. If you have too many characters actively involved in the story, you may want to reconsider whether you are writing a short story or a novel written in character sections that intertwine.
  
  
• Cut the fat. Again. A short story is not a lazy novel. It requires a deliberateness and sparity of language. Make sure you ruthlessly edit your sentences to distill them down to the most important of words that still grab the essence of the character. This doesn’t mean you need to write simplistic sentences fit for a young reader. It means you need to be selective. Ask yourself, “Does this sentence further the story or give some sense of character or plot?” Because if the answer is no, then cut it. If you find yourself explaining every gesture and action of your character, your writing needs tightening up. Recently I read a story that involved tons of dialogue. In each phrase the speaking character said the name of the character they were talking to. It read something like this (names have been changed):

“Jeffrey, will you take the garbage under the sink in the kitchen up to the Dumpster at the top of the hill?”

“Yes, Kathryn, I will take the garbage under the sink in the kitchen up to the Dumpster at the top of the hill?"

Snore! Not only does it take up a ton of space, it is really boring and makes your characters sound like they have been taken over by an alien robot race that has become self-aware.

• Point of view. Authors often try to switch voices within novels. It doesn’t work well there. It definitely won’t work in a short story. Keep your point of view (or POV for the cool kids) limited to one. Either a narrator or a character. It keeps the story clean, the reader focused, and the story easier to tell.

• Is it a short story? As you write, you may find out that your short story is kind of long. With potential to be even longer. Revisit points 1-4 and if you find that your writing is tight, your time frame is fair, and you’ve written excellent deliberate sentences then what you have on your hands is not a short story. It’s a novel. So you the writer needs to make a decision. Fish or cut bait. If you are committed to the short form, rework the story so that it is an excerpt that can stand alone as a short story. You can always expand on it later. Or, go for it. Write that blasted novel you’ve been thinking about!

The Reason for Writing

I recently read a post by Cliff Burns entitled "The Ever-evolving World of Indie."

The points made in the post were excellent about the future of independent publishing and some of the realities of it.

One of the points he makes is that you are not likely to get rich as an independent author, but by not going with a "trad" you get to keep your integrity.

Do we need or care about the integrity? The short answer is yes. The long answer follows below.

In the last several weeks, talking to some of our authors, I kept hearing a recurring theme, "The book isn't making any money and I'm disappointed. So for my next book I'm going to try to find a traditional publisher."

I thought of this theme while reading Burns' blog post. Why do we write? I think it is a point to reflect on seriously before embarking on your next project.

Are you writing to support your claim of expertise in an area such as business, science, or some other niche area? Are you writing to tell a story to share with your family and friends? Are you writing to share a personal outlook? Are you writing because you simply cannot not write? Or are you hoping to quit your day job based on the income from your written work?

Often, the goal is the latter. (Even if the author hastily demures, "Oh, no. I'll probably only have my friends and family read this." Often the disappointment of only selling their book to family and friends is when they finally are honest about the actual goal.)

The real truth is that even most traditionally published books don't make the author money. Often, after purchasing an author's work, trads change and tweak the project until, sometimes, it isn't even recognizable. Then, when produced you still have to do a lot of the marketing. You are not excused from that part of the book selling fun.

So why do it at all?

Because humans are communicators. We have information and stories to share and a need to express ourselves. We write because we need to write. Some of us have the desire to share these ideas with others through books, blogs, or other virtual avenues.

The published book in recent times has been used as a widget. A piece produced by a company to generate income. The writer was simply the factory worker who churned out the widget. (Now a lot of the big boy publishers are feeling the pinch for this m.o. because really, books are not really a super excellent way to buy your own island.)

The great thing about independent publishing (shameless plug: with Wheatmark) is that you, the author, is the focus. Sure, indie pubbers are in business to make money, but we want you, the author, to also benefit from the process.

Indie publishing makes it possible for your message to be heard. It is a level playing field. There are no big payouts based on treatments. But, aside from some really hateful or potentially illegal topics, we're not going to slow your desire to paper the universe with your ideas.

Yes, in order to sell your book, you're going to need to do some (actually, a lot) of marketing. As more and more people find open channels to speak their mind, it becomes more and more difficult to leap above the crowd. You have to get your flag high and wave it mightily.

It is the passion you bring to the project (and eventually your dedication to the promotion of your project) that will make you a successful author. Maybe not always financially, but (queue the violins) your soulful experience of getting your message, your story out is one reward that has no monetary guarantee.

Write because you need to share. Because you are passionate. (Not because you need to put a kid through college or want a Lexus.) And that passion and need to share will hopefully lead you to strong marketing campaign and returns on your investment. Or not. But you wrote a book. And that is pretty amazing stuff.

Why Self-publishing Is a Good Idea (When You Do It Right)

I recently stumbled across an essay about self-publishing on a blog called Creative Writing Corner. Specifically, the post is about why writers shouldn't bother. Says writer Blair Hurley:

The ease of internet publishing has made self-publishing all the more attractive for a lot of writers out there tired of rejection. After all, it seems like a lovely idea -- to have total control over what your book looks like, who sees it, and what the final edit is. It can take years to find an agent and then to find a publisher for your work, and years more until it is finally released. Why not just distribute it your own way?

The problem is that self-publishing is no picnic. I'm going to tell my readers some hard facts about self-publishing, that I was told by representatives of real publishing companies and serious publishing professionals. It might not be pretty, but it's important to hear.

The "hard facts" she presents, in order:

1. You'll never make a profit.
   
2. It takes an absolutely massive investment of time to promote a book.
   
3. It is extraordinarily difficult to get wide bookstore distribution.
   
4. No one will review your book.
   
5. It's not good for your credentials.
   

Though Hurley raises some points that you should absolutely be aware of, I disagree with her conclusions. Let's take them one at a time ...

1. You'll never make a profit.

Well, that depends on a couple of things.

First, have you written something that people will want to read? Will you spend a lot of time carefully revising your book after completing your first draft? Will you get feedback from people who are capable of being brutally honest? After getting the content into shape, are you planning to have it professionally copyedited?

Second, if your book does have an audience, are you willing to do what it takes to find that audience?

This brings us to the article's next argument:

2. It takes an absolutely massive investment of time to promote a book.

Yes. Yes it does. If you believe that all you need to do after publishing is sit back and wait for the orders to roll in, you're going to be disappointed. There's a lot of effort involved, and even if you traditionally publish or hire someone to help you with marketing, much of that effort will need to be yours.

Fortunately, you aren't afraid of hard work. If you found the time to write your book, you can find the time to sell your book. And if you have no idea where to begin, there are resources that can help you.

3. It is extraordinarily difficult to get wide bookstore distribution.

It's true: while you might be able to work something out with a local bookstore or two, the odds of getting your self-published book into Borders or Barnes and Noble are slim to none. But that doesn't mean you can't sell your book. It means that you need to focus your efforts on online sales (BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, etc.) and special sales (outlets that don't specialize in book retail, like gift stores, pet stores, etc.).

4. No one will review your book.

Depends where you submit it. The New York Times will almost certainly not review your book. You may, however, get some attention from your local newspaper. The Midwest Book Review gives priority to small publishers and self-published authors. You can also try the blogosphere. A positive review from an independent online reviewer may not carry the weight of a major newspaper or magazine's, but it makes for great word-of-mouth.

5. It's not good for your credentials.

Self-publishing a book of short stories may not help you land a job at a newspaper. On the other hand, if you're looking for work as an apiary inspector, you have a shot at impressing fellow beekeepers with your 232-page book about the proper handling of Africanized bees. If you're doing the lecture circuit as a business life coach, your tome about the top-ten qualities of successful entrepreneurs will demonstrate that you have a lot to say on the subject. Readers who don't work in the publishing industry won't stop to ponder whether you're traditionally published or not.

Note that this does NOT mean you can get away with slipshod material. An agent or publisher may not be vetting your self-published work, but you had better believe that the book-buying public is. This brings us back to the first point. You need to do whatever it takes to ensure that your book is well-written and professionally edited.

6. Not all self-publishing companies have your best interests at heart. Some of them will skin you alive.

Blair Hurley didn't bring up this hard fact in her article, but I'm going to do it here, because if you're going to invest in your own work, you need to invest wisely. As you shop around for a publisher, arm yourself with the following questions:

• Do they offer a nonexclusive contract? That is, will you get to keep the rights to your own book?
  
  
• Do they offer returnability? That is, do they allow booksellers to return unused copies of your book? You want them to do this. Said booksellers won't take a chance on your book otherwise.
  
  
• Do they sell your book to booksellers at industry-standard discounts? Again, you want them to do this, for the same reason as above.
  
  
• Do their book designers know what they're doing? Ask for a sample copy of a book in the same genre as yours. If it doesn't look professional, move on.
  
  
• Will they offer you excellent customer service? While you can't necessarily expect a straight answer on this one, see how good they are about returning your calls. If they can't even do this before you give them your business, it's not a good sign.
  

Angela Hoy of BookLocker has an excellent ezine article up about misleading statements that appear on self-publishing companies' websites. Do yourself a favor and read it. It's easy to know what to look for -- and what to avoid -- when you educate yourself.

So, now that we've talked about why self-publishing isn't a bad idea (when you do it right), let's talk about why it's a good idea:

1. You have final say on what the book looks like. If you don't like the cover image or typefaces your designer has chosen, you can ask to see something else.
   

2. You have final say on how the book reads. Though we always recommend that you have your work professionally copyedited, you can choose to ignore a suggestion about the content if you disagree with it.
   

3. You have some control over your book's list price. The minimum undiscounted price is determined by your page count, but you can raise it higher than the minimum if you believe the market will bear it.
   

4. You own the rights to your own work -- your publisher won't option the book and then sit on it indefinitely, not allowing you to shop it around anywhere else.
   

The bottom line: If you're expecting copies of your self-published book to magically fly off the printing press and land on the NYT bestseller list, then perhaps you should rethink self-publishing. But if you're willing to hustle -- to do the hard work you need to do before AND after you get your book in print -- then you have a shot at finding an audience.

Authors Offer 'Four Ingredients' to Self-Publishing Success

Recently, Beyond Hall 8, a blog about the Frankfurt International Rights Fair featured a post on two extremely successful self-publishing authors from Down Under.

Rachael Bermingham and Kim McCosker's cookbook 4 Ingredients has so far sold 820,000 copies, primarily in Australia and New Zealand, where it is the biggest selling book of the past year.

What the authors say about why the book has been such a tremendous success should interest independent authors everywhere:

'One - it's a very marketable [and classicially simple - AW] concept. Two - the book came out at the right time. It's a cookbook for busy people who wish to save time and money in the kitchen so they can get out and do the things they want to do rather than have to do. Three - you have two very driven, very passionate and very energetic women who have remarkable professional skills behind this project. Four - and this is the most important key of all - marketing! Rachael's background is in marketing and it's been invaluable to the success and growth of the '4 Ingredients' books, business and brand.'

For any author considering, or already committed to self-publishing, the take-away lesson from Bermingham and McCosker is clear: to be successful it's vital to be passionate about your project; create the most professional product possible; and--whether it's through your own blood, sweat, and tears, or those of a hired-gun, put everything you can into crafting and executing a targeted marketing plan.

Happy Book Marketing!

(A special thanks to Mike Cane for tweeting a heads-up on this post.)