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How To Self-Publish Better Than Any Publisher Could

By on October 20, 2017
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When every author finishes their book, they are faced with the same dilemma. Is it better to send off their books to agents and publishers and see if they can get their writing published traditionally, or do they go it alone and decide to self-publish their book?

There are, of course, pros and cons to each. But one of the things holding an author back from deciding to self-publish is feeling as though they don’t have the first clue how to promote and market their book.

However, there are ways to make your self-published book a raging success. How? Do what publishers do, but do it better than them!

While this might seem daunting, even impossible to novice authors, there is no reason why you can’t follow the same path and take the same steps as a publisher would If you really put the research and the work into each stage, there is also no reason why your book won’t do just as well as if it had been published traditionally.

So what exactly do you have to do?

Edit your book

When it comes to editing your book, there are several stages you should go through. Editing your book yourself is great, but once you have done this as thoroughly as possible, you need to choose a professional, reputable editor to look over it as well. You will have to pay for this service, but it will make all the difference to the standard of your book.

Get a great cover

Think just as a publisher would do and create a cover that’s eye-catching and clear. Your cover should reveal what the book is about, look totally professional and draw the reader in.

Physically publish your book.

When it comes to publishing your book, you will have to make many decisions. Are you just going to sell it digitally or have physical copies too? Get lots of advice and look into the different services and avenues there are to sell your book. Try to get it onto as many platforms as possible. Don’t just think Amazon, think bookshops, libraries, getting it accepted by the trade and so on.

Gain some media attention

For your book to sell well, you need to create some buzz about it. Send out a press release, get people talking about it on social media, advertise it however and wherever you can.

Have a fantastic website

Your website is your author platform so make this as professional and interesting as possible. Keep a relevant and interesting blog, have sample chapters of your book (with links to buy it of course), link in your social media accounts and make sure you keep it up to date.

Create an amazing book launch

If you book launch goes well, it could create a snowball effect where more and more people will become interested in buying your book. Make sure the right people know when you intend to release your book, invite any useful contacts to your book launch as well as the press. Make it an event worth talking about and the book sales will follow!

If a publisher were to accept your novel these are the routine steps they would take to get the book onto the marketplace. By following these and doing them as best, you can, you can launch your book safe in the knowledge that at that moment you have done just as good, or an even better job than any publisher could.

We’re not saying that’s the be all and end-all, of course, you need to continue to promote and market your book to gain a readership and see sales increase - but then so does a publisher!

So next time you are debating whether or not to self-publish your book, just dare to believe for a moment that you can do as good a job as any publisher could and that nothing is holding you back!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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