Apparently Dumb and Lost

by Penny
(OKC, OK, USA)

I'm just going to be totally honest here. As downright pathetic and very sad as this is to admit, I am completely lost as to how I should go about self publishing. (I should probably think about picking up a Publishing for Dummies book I suppose) Originally I heard about Amazon's Createspace but then I happened by chance (or divine intervention) to read the article you posted in regards to that particular service, so now I am beginning to question whether I should still pursue that avenue of publishing or not. If not, where do I even start with self publishing? If Amazon has become corrupted as well then is there another self publishing company that could be trusted?

-No idea where to start and most likely headed in the complete wrong direction

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How-To Self Publish and like it!
by: Richard

Penny,

You're definitely not "dumb"...

The publishing industry has just been rigged since the invention of the printing press to keep us writers (better known as storytellers) blind, helpless and in the dark. This setup was cooked-up so that the publishers, distributers and book stores could make 80% of the money while the writer does 80% of the work.

The ability for the writer to self-publish via eBooks has finally started to level the playing field.

And we have Amazon largely to thank for this. My only complaint regarding Amazon is their insistence on charging the writer a percentage (about 30% or more) of the sales price. There is no earthly reason that this fee should be a percentage. Conventional publishers had the excuse that they were investing serious amounts of money in manufacturing a manuscript into a book, then printing thousands and shipping them off to book stores - all in the hopes of selling enough books to cover their costs and hopefully making a profit.

EBooks have changed all that.

Operations like Amazon's eBooks do not have that type nor anywhere near that amount of upfront investment in displaying your eBook on their website. I'm willing for Amazon to make a profit but I feel that a flat fee (say .50 cents to $1 per book sold) would be more than adequate for Amazon and infinitely more fare to writers.

Amazon probably came up with their fee structure based on what conventional publishers had been charging for centuries and just made it a little better. In other words, their thinking was probably along the lines of, "What is the most we can charge and still be a little cheaper for writers and therefore compete with the conventional publishers?" Rather than, "What would be a fair deal for writers?"

So, although Amazon is charging what I feel is more than they should, it's still the best deal currently available for writers.

As far as where to start with self-publishing is concerned...

Follow this link http://bit.ly/ebook-cover to see my presentation about making your own eBook covers.

I'd suggest that any new writer start with publishing their work as an eBook, then Audio Book, then lastly as a Print On Demand book (via Create Space) - in that order for each title. This is the pattern I'm currently following.

I suggest that order because it starts with the simplest method and gradiently moves towards methods that are more complex.

And when you have your story for sale in all three formats you'll have maximized your potential for income through the sales of your work.

There is a good deal one could know about self-publishing but the most important and least understood is the nature of how to sell your book(s) to the reading public.

When one enters the field of self-publishing they've stepped into the Story-Selling Business.

And that starts with a good eBook cover and extends to what Amazon calls the "book description".

There are 11 components to the "eBook cover" - of which the title, graphic and the "book description" are the most important.

These three top elements are also the most underutilized, and screwed up by self-publishers and conventional publishers alike.

One needs to understand how best to create those three components (in fact, all 11 of them) and then one needs a simple software tool for pulling all of them together to create the most effective sales presentation possible - to SELL their book(s).

The good news is that I've created a package that helps aspiring self-publishers accomplish all that and more.

I call it "Power Publishing Secrets".

I'll be releasing it soon and you can get an advanced look at it here.

Power Publishing Secrets will show you how-to...

• Find an attention grabbing graphic for your cover that will catch the eye and demand a closer look... You can get all the graphics you need for free.

• Create a compelling title for your book that will hook their attention and get them to read your "book description"...

• Craft the best "book description" that will demand they read your first few pages...

• All of which is necessary to "sell" the causal book browser on why they MUST buy and Read your book...

• And perhaps most important - I give you a step-by-step, click-by-click tutorial of the tools, and tricks to pull it all together into a first rate eBook cover...

And, as a Bonus, I give you the complete step-by-step "Power Publishing Cheat Sheet" for putting your book up on Amazon.

I call these "Secrets" because self-publishing writers continually make the most basic mistakes in packaging and presenting their books.

What you'll discover in the Power Publishing Secrets about book titles and descriptions alone will make you unstoppable as a writer.

Check out my video presentation to learn more about making your own eBook covers.
http://bit.ly/ebook-cover


Write on...

Richard

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