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The Pro's And Con's Of Self-Publishing

By: Annette Graf

The main challenge for today's writer is getting their book noticed by a publisher. There are several good writers in the field looking for book deals. I was one of those writers trying to get my book published and like so many others after receiving rejection letters, I decided to learn about the world of self-publishing.

Self-publishing can be rewarding in order to become a self-published author you have to have motivation and the will to succeed. How do you decide if you should self-publish your book or not? Ask yourself the following questions:

1)Can you be a businessperson as well as a writer? Writing is a quiet occupation, while business demands proficient communication skills.
2)Are you motivated enough? You will need to see your book through from beginning to end, and this can be a lengthy process.
3)Are you willing to take a risk? You can't be afraid to take the plunge, you have to believe in yourself!

Tracy Lyn Moland, the self-published author of Mom Management - Managing
Mom Before Everybody else, states that when she started to write her book, she didn't realize self-publishing was even an option. Tracy Lyn discovered that a well-defined business and marketing plan had to be put into place. There were also different considerations to be made such as learning what market to target your book to, who to hire to design your book cover, layout and editing and how to get the book into bookstores and online. Tracy's favorite part of self-publishing has been the control she was able to maintain over her book.

As a self-publisher you need to be aware of your personal marketing abilities, in order to get your book sold, you have to get out there and sell it. The advantages of publishing your own book can be plentiful.

By choosing to self-publish, you only have yourself to convince. You have the enthusiasm for a book that you have written, and you know that there is a market available for it. You don't have to give anyone else the final say of what you put in your book, how it is to be marketed or any thing else. You have complete and total control when you self-publish. Once you have successfully self-published your book you can always negotiate with a large publisher to produce your book since you have experience in the market.

Your book can be printed in just a few weeks instead of waiting for a large publisher, which usually takes over a year to print and get into bookstores. By that time you could be on your second printing. You can also get distribution for your book through Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com just as easily as any larger publisher can.

You have complete control over your project, right down to the design, without having to deal with a third party. As the sole owner of your material your have complete rights and can set your own price with all profits coming to you. If a large publishing house publishes your book you may only see 5%-15% of your book profits.

Large publishing houses take months to publish material while you can have the process completed in a significantly shorter amount of time. Also, there is not always an interest from large publishing houses in special interest projects you may have written about, such as local history, how to books, or books that appeal to the general public.

Some of the disadvantages in publishing your own book are that you may not see results right away. You are an unknown author and you have to market and sell yourself and your product. Even if you have written an excellent book you need to find ways to get noticed.

Also, there are costs involved. Initially, you will need money to have your books printed from an independent printer. This can cost anywhere from $1-10 per book depending on how many books you have printed, the number of pages, etc. You also need to learn how you would like your book set up. Is it going to be soft cover or hardcover, there are different bindings and other options that will be asked by a printer when you decide to publish a book. There are also costs involved in shipping your books to bookstores and marketing your book.

You will also learn that everyone has an opinion and not all will like what you write no matter if you have self-published your book or a large publisher has decided to add you as one of their writers.

Ellen Parlapiano one of the authors of Mompreneurs Online (published by a larger publishing company) states there are advantages and disadvantages of working with a publisher. "Our books have opened many doors for us...and we always say that although you don't get a lot of money writing books, you do boost your income in other ways. We have done corporate consulting, professional speaking, and spokesperson work for companies--all based on the buzz we have built for our books and ourselves. Simply writing and publishing the book is not enough--you must establish yourself as an expert in your field!"

There is a lot to learn when deciding to self-publish a book. Find out all you can about publishing your own book before deciding to take the plunge. While self-publishing can be rewarding it also is very challenging and you may need more time to market and sell your books which in turn leaves less time for writing. In the long run self-publishing has been very rewarding and profitable for my books. From the beginning point of writing the book to designing the cover, it's well-worth it in the end when you see the final result.

About the Author

Annette is a self-published author and a runs a book and hobby web site. http://www.bookdrawer.com

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