Want to make $5/$10 per book instead of $1.86? Here’s how!

Tonight, we’re working on marketing ideas and improving writing.  We’re talking about joining clubs and going to conferences and how to improve your resume by participating in writer’s clubs at an officer’s level.

We’ve also been discussing authors who self-published before getting discovered.  How about John Grisham who self-published A Time to Kill?  How about James Redfield of The Celestine Prophecy?  How about Joe Vitale of The Secret?   Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust. Ulysses, by James Joyce. The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter.

While you are waiting for your book to be discovered, why not self-publish in an on-demand version tat will cost you as little as $2/copy with full glossy cover and as much as $5-7 for a larger book or a full color.  How to do this?  You can self-publish using an on-demand company like http://www.createpace.com.  Here’s a tip–use the guided self-publishing templates: don’t pay Createspace do it for you.  Cheaper is better, but if you follow their guided instructions, it’s FREE, except for the ISBN and bar code.  Make sure you buy your ISBN and bar code there, because it’s cheaper than buying from Bowker.  You can get the ISBN and bar code for $99 on Createspace.  You can create a cover, use a template of any size to create your book, and there are many helps, if you need help.  When I had problems, I called them, and they helped me at no charge.  if you choose the “expert help” option, you will pay through the nose, and that is unnecessary.

After your book and cover are uploaded, you can then put your book onto Kindle, so your book will sell as both a print book on Amazon and Createspace–and as a Kindle ebook reader or your phone.  (You must transfer it to Kindle, but there are easy instructions about how to do that, too.) By the way, when you promote your book, send as many people as you can to the Createspace store to purchase, because your royalty will be greater!  Yay, right?

Be sure to edit edit edit your book before uploading, because that is the biggest complaint about self-published books, and that is why self-published books are not so well respected.  So, edit edit edit, and prove the world wrong by publishing a perfect manuscript.  Then order a proof to review.  You can do this as a hard copy–or you can use their virtual reviewer online.  The first time, I suggest you order the book to look at it in person first.

Also, make sure you somewhat copy what a typical frontispiece page and copyright page for the front of your book.  Find a book that you like, and make your font pages similar.  Do NOT cut and paste from other people’s books: that’s considered plagiarism and is a no no!

Once you have your own book, then you can order books at cost, and give examples away to important people–or, of course, sell sell sell!

Meantime, you can be sending out your manuscript to traditional publishers, but be forewarned, often traditional publishers do not like to hear you are self-published, unless you have sold many thousands and have a following.  However, that doesn’t mean you can become a local and online author personality with your book and making money with it.  Go for it, guys, and have fun!  We’re doing it in our group!

http://www.creativequills.com  http://www.okwriters.com