Book Publishing – Review of ‘The Writers’ & Artists’ Guide To Self-Publishing’

One of the questions I’m often asked is around book publishing:

How do I get my book published?

Now my gut response – especially to those who haven’t yet begun – is to make a start on your book first.

As you need to be clear what you’re writing, who it’s for and what people are going to get from it before you can pitch to a publisher or decide the best way to get published.

My expertise is supporting you with the writing and business development part, and helping you to write a book that will build your business.

And you might not know this… 

As well as writing six of my own books, I’ve also contributed to seven other books, where I’ve been asked to contribute a chapter, a tip or a paragraph as an expert. And this is outside of client books where I’ve had a passing mention.

The latest book that I have contributed to is The Writers’ & Artists’ Guide To Self-Publishing, which was published by Bloomsbury earlier this year. I finally sat down to read the book recently. I thought you might be interested in a precis and an answer to the aforementioned book publishing question.

Book publishing options

When it comes to book publishing, there are three main options – traditional publishing, partnership or hybrid publishing and self-publishing.

For many business authors, self-publishing is the best way forward. Especially if your book is a niche book, designed to build your credibility and expert status.

There are many benefits to this approach.

You retain your intellectual property.

You will get higher royalties.

And when you’re writing a book that’s aligned to your business, then you’re likely to achieve results off the back of your book, so retaining control is crucial.

It’s so much quicker than going down the traditional route, which is great if you don’t want someone else to get in there first.

But the danger of choosing this method to get your book published – if you decide to navigate this alone – is that there are lots of moving parts.

Going through the process, without support, can be daunting.

And if you get it wrong, it may damage your brand or have other devastating consequences.

What I love about The Writers’ & Artists’ Guide To Self-Publishing

What I love about The Writers’ & Artists’ Guide To Self-Publishing is that it breaks down the process of publishing a book into component parts. Editing, book production, distribution and marketing.

It’s the book I wish I’d had back in 2009 when I wrote my first book. It would have saved months of wasted time and frustration.

So why is this?

Well quite frankly, you don’t know what you don’t know.

With my first book, I spent many months seeking a publisher. Actually self-publishing could have been a much better choice.

I had no clue on what to do first, who needed to be on my team or what I needed to know.

For example, this book clarifies the terms that you may hear when you get to the publishing stage and tells you what they mean, and also what needs to happen and when.

So, if someone mentions ISBNs, metadata or ePub, then you will be clued up on the jargon.

And did you know that there are multiple types of editing? Plus multiple things to consider when it gets to publishing your book.

For example, I was recently talking to a colleague who has a friend who is about to publish his book on Amazon. When actually this could have been a really big mistake. But if you don’t know any different and don’t do any research, then this is the obvious approach to take.

Every day I see authors make mistakes, like limiting their reach or formatting their book badly. Because they don’t know what options are available. So it’s good to know what to do and what to avoid.

With multiple authors, this book gives you an unbiased opinion of the different options you can take from experts who know what they’re talking about. Including me!

What the book doesn’t cover

What the book doesn’t cover is the writing part.

If you don’t get this right, then the investment in publishing is going to be futile. That’s why there are people like me who can help you.

And actually, I can give you hints and tips to make sure that when you get to the publishing stage, you’ll be ready to get the best results from your book. Likes sales, business from your book before it’s published, enabling you to invest in the best possible book when you get to the publishing stage.

It also doesn’t tell you the how, and it skims over the process. There are other books I can recommend that go into more detail. Such as my book, Book Marketing Made Simple, which focuses purely on book marketing for non-fiction books and Sam Pearce’s book, Stress-Free Self-Publishing, which takes you step-by-step through the publishing process.

There’s so much involved in the publishing process, and if you want to get a great overview, then I recommend you get a copy. It’ll save me answering questions that have already been answered in the book!

And if you want to have someone to help you instead, let me know, as I can recommend a great team who can support you!