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Face it, writing and printing your self-published book are relatively easy tasks compared to all the other requirements to market it successfully. The selling process isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s so vital to the whole process that you first need to make sure you’re cut out to be a self-publisher.

Most importantly, ask yourself: honestly, what is your real reason for publishing a book? Is it to make a lot of money, or for public recognition, ego gratification, the need to communicate an important message?

Identifying your motivation in advance can discourage you from taking the plunge or make you even more determined to succeed. The emotional and creative satisfaction of producing your own book can be exceptionally satisfying, as long as you realize what the process entails beforehand.

Expect it to involve five serious factors:

1. commitment

2. time

3.money

4. sell

5. persistence

Any self-publisher who simply walks into a neighborhood print shop with a manuscript in hand to produce a book is in for a long and arduous experience. Thus, the hapless author must be prepared to do virtually everything himself; all the design, editing and review before, as well as the sales promotion after.

A slightly easier route is through the more well-known print-on-demand service companies like Palibrio and FirstBooks, or the 100’s of other online POD publishing service companies. Even they are not technically publishers yet; being in reality only printers, producers and distributors of works of writers. It is your own author-clients who still have to go through each of the necessary steps that a conventional publisher provides to its authors.

Marketing a self-published book is such a long and complicated process that it can practically take over an author’s entire life for a while, so it requires a very strong commitment. You will be solely responsible for each step: print quality control, purchasing prints, inventory, stocking, advertising, selling, order processing, accounting, packing, shipping, mailing, returns handling, billing and invoice collection. . Phew! Not surprisingly, many author-publishers commonly set 80-hour workweeks.

As for the hopes of making big bucks, the brutal fact is that very few, if any, first-time author-publishers even break even. And all the hyped dreams of easily getting big book sales on the internet with minimal effort are just that: dreams. Putting up a website and sending out a bunch of emails is not enough.

Unless you’re a “name” author, significant royalty earnings from self-published print books are no more likely to occur on websites than in physical stores. It is even reported that a major POD player like Xlibris never surpassed sales of 2000 copies for any title. Sending emails rarely helps much. You have to go out and meet potential book buyers in person, then SELL, eye to eye.

So since it’s all up to you, modesty has no place in a self-publisher’s style. Blatant advertising and aggressive promotion are vital to the success of his book. Out of necessity, you’ll soon learn to honk your own horn, mainly because no one else will do it for you. Study the type of people your most likely potential readers are and the tagline advertising that appeals to them.

Work your way up by writing short half-page press releases about your masterpiece and distribute them to the appropriate outlets. Offer to speak on radio shows and try to organize readings at local bookstores and libraries. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at your own ingenuity and the receptiveness of the people you approach for free publicity.

For other helpful tips on low-cost promotion, read John Kremer’s excellent “1001 Ways to Market Your Books” or Jay Conrad Levinson’s “Guerrilla Marketing” series.

However, direct selling in person is the only reliable method you have of getting your books on store shelves. Which means making personal sales calls at bookstores. First of all, you need to understand that bookstores do not buy books, they simply borrow them for a few months, without paying on consignment, and then return the copies that have not been moved from their shelves. And be aware in advance that many bookstores have an inherent reluctance to accept any self-published title, without viewing it, regardless of content or quality of writing.

But take heart in remembering how many now-famous authors were repeatedly rejected before gaining final recognition. For example, now best-selling author John Grisham began selling copies of his first self-published novel out of the trunk of his car. Be equally determined and imaginative.

Keep up your personal selling efforts, no matter what. Persistence is the quality that every author needs more than anything else. It’s what completes the manuscript in the first place, and perseverance is still the only thing that builds the ultimate success of your self-published book.

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