Self Publishing Book - Why Self Publish

I did too. My reasons for self publishing book had nothing to do with being rejected by big name publishers, as most people assume. In fact, I did not consider sending my manuscript to them for consideration.

Why?

I had a vision for my book and I wanted to make sure that every word, both in the book and its marketing copy were in concert with this vision. I wanted complete control over my creation—I wanted to decide how the cover and the layout would look. I want to build my baby from start to finish.

Am I a control freak?

No (well, maybe just a little). For me, though, it was less about control than remaining true to my vision.

Of course I also wanted to remain true to myself. After all, this was my baby. This book contains my philosophy of parenting—why it's essential to raise children to be authentic to themselves. Because I truly believe in my work, I could not entrust its care to some behemoth who might be more concerned with profit than staying true to the book's core idea.

Speaking of profit, this is the other side of the coin. One of the big reasons for self publishing book is that you get to keep a larger percentage of the pie. If you have the savvy, creativity, moxie and the time to promote your book toward commercial success, this wider profit margin can make the difference between working and writing on the side and becoming a full time author.

Self publishing book allows you to keep a much bigger percentage of the profit.

Now that we've examined some important benefits of self publishing book, let's take a look at two of the biggest traditional publishing myths:

• Myth #1: Big name publishers will make my book successful. The truth is that big name publishers will only risk their money on a book they think will be successful (which isn't much of a risk at all.) Understand that what is important here is that this is very different than making a book into a success. Like a self publisher, you will have to hit the road to promote your book. Unfortunately, your publisher is unlikely to pick up the tab.

  In the September 2003 issue of The Writer, Jessica Hatchigan said, "Bestsellers are made, not born." With self publishing, you can fashion your book's success from the very beginning.
  
  

  How?
  
  

  Success comes from doing the research, knowing your market, understanding their problems and offering them practical solutions. (This is why self-published "how-to" books are typically more successful than fiction.) Learn how to fashion your book for success by reading the ebook I followed for self publishing book - it will teach you how to write a book that provides real value to your readers, making it easy and natural for people to buy your book.
  
  

• Myth #2: Big publishers will give me an advance so I'll have money to promote my book. In Jessica Hatchigan's article, she says, “Unfortunately, authors who receive modest advances for their books – and that’s most authors – can expect scandalously little in marketing support from most publishers. (One insider recently told me that many publishing houses today, because their profit margins are so thin, don’t even bother to send out review copies of their newbie authors’ books.)”

  Talk about a myth buster. What a statement on the state of affairs in big publishing. Many big publishers don't even bother to send out review copies of new author's books! How, then, are reviewers supposed to review them?
  
  

  Are you beginning to see the light? If you're going to spend your time and hard earned money promoting your book for a big name publisher and making only $1 or $2 on the sale of each copy, why not do it yourself and make 5-10 times as much?
  
  

  And for just a moment, let's not limit ourselves to talking about money. Think about the value of owning the rights to your work. If you self-publish, you keep those rights. If you go with a big name publisher, you give it all away.

In my estimation, these few reasons are reason enough to learn the book business inside and out and begin the self publishing book process. If you're ready, don't make the mistake of re-inventing the wheel and slowing down the process. Instead, follow my lead and let me guide you through the process. To start, read my recommendations for self publishing resources that work.

About the author: Laura Ramirez is the author of the multiple award-winning parenting book - Keepers of the Children: Native American Wisdom and Parenting. She has self-published a traditional book, an ebook and many special reports.

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Copyright © 2006 by Laura Ramirez. All rights reserved. You may not copy this article in full or in part without the express written permission of the author, however, you may link to it from your web site, blog or forum or share the web address with a friend. Self Publishing Book