By Colin Knecht – BookMark Self Publishing
#1 – How much should I pay?
#2 – Where will I sell my books?
#3 – I want to get started but I don’t know how?
#4 – What printing options should I choose?
#5 – What if my book starts selling really well?
#6 – What do I plan next ?
These are some of the most popular questions we get from our clients on a daily basis, with the biggest question being asked … How much is the right amount to pay for book publishing? The best answer to that question is to pay the least you need to in order to get a quality book. This doesn’t mean the cheapest book, only the best quality that you can for the money. If you need to pay someone(s) to help you format the file, create illustrations or a cover, that is all part of the process. What you want to avoid is having a poor quality book printed that then is hard or impossible to sell.
Which leads us to #2 – Where to sell your books. This really depends on who the audience is for your book and where they shop. If you have written a book on “Wines of the World” for example, the best place to sell these books are wineries and gift boutiques. Remember, bookstores are not the only place to sell books, there is a whole world of opportunities out there, so much in fact that we are preparing another free e-book to address just this topic, so stay tuned for the announcement.
Where to get started … probably the most common question, and what we say is this, you don’t have to be a printing wizard to produce a book, you only need to associate yourself with people who will help you. The most important thing is the content of your, that is the first thing that needs to be completed before ANYTHING else happens. This is not easy, often the most grueling part of being an author is writing, editing and re-editing that first book, but stick with it, the rewards you reap will be worth your efforts.
The printing options you choose will relate to three things, who your audience is what they will expect to pay for your book, what quality of book you want to produce, and what your budget amount is. You do NOT have to choose hard cover for your book, many people equate books with hard cover, there are millions of excellent soft cover books, don’t over look their value especially for a first time author.
If you book sales “take off”, be sure you have a printer you can rely on for re-printing your book in the quality you want. It will be important to get the books to your readers quickly, and in the quality they expect so look for a printer who will keep store your book files for quick re-printing and timely shipping.
After your first book, you will be so much wiser of the industry you will be flooded with ideas, concepts and plans. At this point this is where you need to throttle back and take stock of what you have learned, avoid previous issues and move forward with another book. Many, many authors don’t stop at just one book, but move forward with sequels or just new books, and why not? They are now familiar with the industry, their topics and their clients, now is the time to apply what they have learned with a brand new project.
