Audrey Bell-Kearney
Before you decide to take this journey, you must first ask yourself why you want to self-publish in the first place. If you are publishing your book just to see your name in print, then there is really no big fuss at all about your book. With print on demand you can have a book printed and shipped to you in the matter of 5-7 days. If you want to self-publish your own book because you want to make a living from what you do, then you are going to have to take the process more seriously. And yes it is a process.
You must first decide if the topic that you are covering is something that someone would want to know about. There is really no need to write a book that no one wants to read. You will need to have some start up money. Not a whole lot in the beginning, but some. You will need to know how you are going to market this book. When it comes to marketing and you have a very limited budget, you are going to have to be creative, and if you don’t how to be creative you will have to learn.
Self-publishing has its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with the disadvantages. When you decide to do this, you will wear all of the hats. You are the president of the company, you are the publicist for your company, you are the author and you are the marketing exec. Face it, you are everything. The advantages for self-publishing are, you get to keep the majority of the profits, you have 100% creative control of your projects, you get to say when a book is released, you don’t have to wait for someone else to green light your projects, you become an expert, not only in your field, but also in the self-publishing industry.
I like being a self-published author. I’ve been doing this since 1998. I’ve authored 3 books, co-authored 2 and authored 3 booklets. Every time I write a new book and receive it back from the printer, I feel like I have made another huge accomplishment and I am leaving a legacy of knowledge behind so that those that come after me will be able have a blue print for some of the things that they want to accomplish in life.
If self-publishing is something that you are seriously considering, my advice to you is to do your homework and ask a lot of questions. Don’t stop at the first company that sounds good. Know exactly what you want to do, and there are companies out there who will be able to accommodate you and make your publishing journey a smooth one. Write something that you can be proud of and that will help others.
- For more information about self-publishing you can contact Audrey by emailing her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
