If you\u2019re like many authors, you give your project 100 percent during the writing phase. You eat, sleep and drink your manuscript. You spend hours each week writing, researching and studying. When you finish it, you breathe a sigh of relief. <\/p>\n
You send it to the first pay-to-publish company you connect with and go back to your life. I mean, there are things you\u2019ve neglected these past months while working on the book. It\u2019s about time you gave your garden some attention, not to mention your house and your family. And what about you? You need some pampering after what you\u2019ve been through. Writing a book is an intense, time-consuming, sometimes overwhelming task. Now, after months or even years, you are free to do some reading or even take a trip.<\/p>\n
But what about your book? Aren\u2019t you going to complete your commitment to your project? Don\u2019t you know there is much more to do? Or did you write this book just for family and friends?<\/p>\n
If you expect to sell copies outside of your circle of friends, it\u2019s going to take a whole lot more of your time. Maybe you haven\u2019t heard, writing is the easy part of authorship. If you hope to sell copies of your book, you need to scrape up all of the time, energy and creativity that you can muster. How long will you have to promote your book? Only for as long as you want it to sell. Yes, publishing can be a long-term commitment.<\/p>\n
It takes more than writing the book of your dreams. Here\u2019s my formula for successful authorship:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tStudy the publishing industry so you know exactly what to expect, what your publishing options are, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tWrite a book proposal whether you are writing fiction, a children\u2019s book or a nonfiction book. A book proposal is a business plan for your book. It will help you determine if you actually have a viable book at all\u2014a book with a purpose. You\u2019ll discover if you have an audience and who it is, what the competition for your book is and what you will need to do in order to promote it. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tEstablish and continue building on your platform. This is your following (how well-known are you in your field?) and your way of reaching your particular audience. It\u2019s also your skills, knowledge and expertise within the realm of your topic of genre. <\/p>\n
Build on your platform by doing the following:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tSubmit articles or stories to the publications that your audience reads, so they will become familiar with your work.
\n\u2022\tCreate a website. Don\u2019t rely on your publisher to do that for you. Create your own website and make it easy for people to locate and connect with you.
\n\u2022\tEstablish a blog site and posting regularly.
\n\u2022\tContinue adding to your email addressbook. An email list of several hundred or more readers is gold to an author.<\/p>\n
For a nonfiction book, I advise some authors to design a workshop even before the book is a book and start presenting it locally. You\u2019ll get a clear idea of what works and what doesn\u2019t with your audience. And you\u2019ll get tons of feedback that will help you in writing the book.<\/p>\n
For more detailed information on all of these points and guidance through the extremely competitive and difficult publishing and book promotion processes, order my latest book today: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author<\/em>. Available at Amazon.com and most other online bookstores as well as most downtown bookstores. Or order it from my website: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re like many authors, you give your project 100 percent during the writing phase. You eat, sleep and drink your manuscript. You spend hours each week writing, researching and studying. When you finish it, you breathe a sigh of relief. You send it to the first pay-to-publish company you connect with and go back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t