BE SERIOUS ABOUT BEING AN AUTHOR

 

Gone are the days when only the 'real authors' published books. Anyone other than established authors and University professors could only really be fans and consumers of books.  Back then, most of us knew of someone who had diligently spent a good few years writing (and then editing) their very special book, only to receive dozens of rejection letters from traditional publishers.  Nowadays, of course, seemingly everyone is either already an author or has a "book inside them" and as a result, there are a great deal of very average books stacked up in garages around the world, never having seen the light of day.

This is a shame. Just because we now have access to an affordable book publishing service, doesn't mean that we should all gather various paragraphs of writing stored in folders on our laptops, haphazardly put them together and then send it off to a self publisher, and denying the opportunities for Print On Demand and Ebook distribution services, just because having a few copies in your bookshelf at home is reward enough. If you have decided you want to publish a book, you may as well do it properly. Commit yourself to the project, and accept nothing less than producing a professional quality ebook.  Signing up for manuscript assessments/copy editing/proofreading prior to going to print is crucial, as well as global book and ebook distribution, if you want your book to make an impact on the other side of the world too.

Invest in your author status not just financially, but with your time and energy too.  You don't have to forgo quality for affordable book publishing; however some of the extra activities suggested to you, such as book marketing/publicity, are well worth the initial investment. Committed authors should expect to put money toward the design and image purchase for book cover designs, as well as professional book typesetting services, which most quality self-publishers will offer in-house.

Set goals and stay focussed. It is fair to say that there are a great many unfinished manuscripts on countless computers around the world pushed aside for multiple other pursuits. Without goals and deadlines to keep you accountable, this is where your book will remain.

To stay motivated and passionate, follow other authors who have a similar area of interest to yours. This will give you great ideas in terms of how to promote your book, and it will also inspire you to keep pushing forward. Encourage and accept feedback from your clients, colleagues and peers. If everyone is suggesting you address a certain topic in your book, then it might be worthwhile if you do just that!