My own experience with writing has made me believe that everyone should write at least one book in their lifetime. To me, it seems as though you’re putting a message in a bottle, then throwing it into the ocean—and seeing where it takes you.
Before the internet and print-on-demand technology came along, it was much harder and expensive to publish a book. Thankfully, today, self-publishing is a great route to take, and the process just keeps getting easier.
So, first off, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of being a self-published author.
Benefits of Being A Published Author
#1 Instant credibility
One of the fastest ways to gain credibility in your profession is to write and publish a book. Authors are perceived as experts in their niche. While most people might throw away your business card, they’re rarely going to throw away a book. Having a book with your name on it gives you instant credibility and positions you near the top of your field of expertise. As most folks see it, you must be an expert, a guru in your niche, because you have a book published in your name, right?
#2 Personal branding
As I’ve already said, having a book published with your name on it positions you as the go-to expert in your field. Suddenly, you become instantly recognizable among those in the know—and sometimes even gain celebrity status.
In my experience, personal branding is about attracting the right people into your network. I mean individuals with whom your message resonates and, therefore, are interested in what you have to say and will follow and admire you. This lends you the power to be a person who can influence the thoughts of your audience.
#3 Promotional opportunities
A book opens up opportunities to be featured on local media outlets. Whether the interviews are published in magazines, radio, TV, or even blogs, the exposure you’ll enjoy often opens up opportunities that may not have been open otherwise. For instance, you could get invites to speak at local and international conferences.
Plus, don’t forget, you can also raise your public profile by getting additional visibility from the hundreds of book reviewers who review your book.
#4 Attract qualified leads
As I’ve already pointed out, many people have a published book with the explicit intention of positioning themselves as an expert in their niche. But the biggest benefit you’ll enjoy as a published author is in attracting the right leads for your business.
Those readers who have read your book, who understand and like the message that resonates with them, are the same people who will become your pre-qualified leads. They’re the ones who are going to keep supporting you and looking to you for valuable insights that will improve their lives as your career progresses.
#5 New revenue streams
Of course, there are likely to be financial benefits to becoming a published author. Many authors go on to earn a healthy income as public speakers, trainers, consultants, and advisors.
Benefits of Self-Publishing
Speed: It’s the fastest way to get your book published: a self-published book can be out in the marketplace in less than six months.
Full control: You’re free to choose your own creative style and content, to decide how you want to market, distribute, or if you like, give away your books for free.
No need for an agent: Agents are notoriously busy people, and it can sometimes take months or even years to find one interested and willing to take you on as a client. Skip that by self-publishing.
Higher royalties: You keep 100% of book royalties, which sounds good in comparison to the standard 4% to 10% if you publish through a traditional publisher.
You own the rights and content: The author owns 100% of the intellectual property, and can repurpose it any way they want.
How Do You Become a Self-Published Author? Here’s a quick guide:
Step 1: Write the Book
If you want to publish a book, you’ve got to first write it. If you haven’t started writing your book yet, or are struggling to finish one, please purchase and read our writing guide specifically written for first-time authors.
If you don’t want to write a book yourself, there are easier ways to tackle the task. For example, you can speak your content into a voice recorder, which most modern phones have. Just talk through each chapter. Several authors I know have perfected the trick of preparing a PowerPoint presentation for each chapter, which they then talk through as if they’re giving a presentation to a live audience. This is an especially helpful technique for non-fiction authors, as it gives them the chance to refine things as they go along. Once you’ve recorded your chapters, the next step is to find a transcriptionist to transcribe your audio into text. You can hire one of our transcriptionists at reasonable rates here.
Once a transcriptionist has converted your audio to text, you can hire a specialist book writer to rewrite the text into a book format. We provide this service, so why not check out our service here.
Step 2: Editing and Proofreading
Copy editing to check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation is more important than you might think. It can make a huge difference in how your book is received. For instance, even in best-sellers, I’ve found numerous typos and errors, which can be very off-putting. We consider this to be so important that we recommend doing at least three rounds of editing before publication. This is because, while it’s impossible to eliminate all human error, the accepted industry standard is a 1% error rate. Good editors aim for an error rate below the industry average. Our specialist editing and proofreading service have lots of experience in helping authors with these aspects, and you can order this service here.
Step 3: Typesetting
No one wants to read a book where the type isn’t set out on the page correctly—it’s off-putting. Correct typesetting creates the uniformity that you need in the layout of your book, once the editing is complete. A good designer who specializes in typesetting for the print industry creates an interior file for you and ensures that your text looks good on the page and makes it easy to read. Check out our typesetting services, where our professionals will do this for you.
Step 4: Book Cover
Could this be the most exciting part of getting published—choosing your cover? There are two options: you can either use an existing template or have a book designer design one for you. You can use our cover design services to make sure that you get a cover that sells your book.
Step 5: Set-Up Distribution Channels
There are various platforms where you can distribute your self-published book. Kindle Direct publishing is perhaps the best known and is very popular. It’s a self-publishing and distribution platform that makes your print and e-books available on Amazon, in bookstores, and with online retailers. Here’s a step-by-step guide that shows you how to publish your book on Kindle.
We’ve got a wealth of experience in all the processes involved in getting books published, so why not get in touch with us by filling up the form below? One of our publishing consultants will contact you to give you all the practical help and guidance you’ll need to get your book out into the marketplace and available to readers.
