I believe that most of us that write and publish books are after two main things:
1. Some amount of financial return for the hard work we put into creating and publishing our books; and,
2. Critical acclaim for ourselves and for our books, from our peers, co-workers, readers, family, etc.
This graphic shows you some of the most common mistakes, missteps, and errors that can slow you down from achieving these two goals.
But with hard work and research, some honest assessment of your own writing and book, and forcing yourself to make some hard decisions about your book, you can fix any of these problems.
And by doing so, you will be well on your way to creating a successful book that can help you achieve your personal and financial goals.
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How I Gathered This Information
These survey results are based on my discussions with 47 authors who have written and published at least two non-fiction books. Their answers were based on their own personal experiences, their knowledge of the book publishing industry, and their own discussions with other non-fiction authors.
For many of us, the overall definition of success means achieving “financial success” and “critical-acclaim” at the same time. And in order to build long-term sustainable success and happiness, these two usually need to go hand-in-hand. Each one by itself is typically not enough to help us achieve all of our personal goals.
Synopsis Do we write books for profit alone, or to gain favorable approval from others? Or is it a combination of both? Is money more important than fame? Does fame guarantee a stream of income? These questions are a good place to start to understand why we do what we do, and how we can, or should, be defining our own success as self-publishers.
What You Will Learn In This Post
1. You will learn to look at how you define what success means to you as a self-publisher.
2. You will learn what the difference is between “financial success” and “critical acclaim”.
3. You will learn how and why you can have both at the same time. Continue reading →
This is a very short screencast video of me creating the book cover for my new book titled “The Sell Sheet”. I have received some positive feedback about the design of this cover. So, I made this video as a fun way to give a little insight into how I created it.
I use Adobe Illustrator to create the cover, and then at the end I covert it into a pdf using Adobe Acrobat. Please give it a thumbs-up if you liked it. Thx.
Synopsis In order for a book foreword to give a book a substantial strategic advantage over all the other books competing for the same audience, it must be written by someone with a high level of believable credibility. And this credibility must be backed-up by a combination of objective and subjective characteristics at the same time.
What You Will Learn In This Post
1. You will learn how and why objective and subjective characteristics help a person’s credibility.
2. You will learn about some of these characteristics.
3. You will learn some of the most important traits of a good foreword author. Continue reading →
Synopsis Here is an explanation of the differences between the two main types of paperback books: mass-market paperbacks and trade paperbacks. As a self-publisher, these are the two formats that you’ll be typically dealing with most often. Therefore, you need to be familiar with and understand the similarities and differences between them. So, here is a quick discussion and explanation of mass-market paperbacks and trade paperbacks.
What You Will Learn In This Post
1. You will learn the significant characteristics of mass-market paperback books and a trade paperback books.
2. You will learn how each type of these paperbacks are similar and different.
3. You will learn how British paperback books compare to America’s paperbacks. Continue reading →
Synopsis Testimonials are a very effective way to get more clients and customers, and sell more books. As a business person, self-publisher, and author, you must understand what characteristics make up a great testimonial. So here I give you a list of five ingredients, and six examples, that can help you make a great testimonial, which will help get you more clients and customers, and sell more books.
What You Will Learn In This Post
1. You will learn about the five essential ingredients that go into making a great testimonial.
2. You will learn what these ingredients might look like when used in an actual testimonial.
3. You will learn that you don’t need a lot of testimonials in order to get new business. Continue reading →
Synopsis To be a successful book marketer, you must never miss an opportunity to reach out and make a connection with the reader. Whether your book’s dedication is only a few sentences or an entire paragraph, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity to give the reader a small look into your life’s story. Here are a variety of book dedications that will help you to start to formulate your own.
What You Will Learn In This Post
1. You will learn that a book dedication can become a marketing opportunity when written properly.
2. You will learn that the dedication has the ability to reach out and make an emotional connection with the reader.
3. You will learn that a powerful dedication is not difficult to formulate, and if written with some forethought, can very quickly set you and your book apart from many others. Continue reading →
Synopsis Here is a list of important questions that you should think about to help you make sure that you have written a full and complete foreword. Not all questions here will apply to your foreword. But, these 26 questions should help you to take a critical look at what you have written, and help you fine-tune your foreword.
“This article will act as a review for seasoned writers. For those writing their first foreword, it is a must. I plan to give this (article) to any expert I ask to write a foreword in the future.”
What You Will Learn In This Post
1. You will learn what questions you should be asking yourself before writing a book’s foreword.
2. You will learn that the reader’s wants and needs come first – before your need for self-promotion.
3. You will learn what the basic format of a book’s foreword should look like. Continue reading →
