Ally Nathaniel's Blog, page 3

Learn how to create a killer support team that will lead you to success!

Congratulations on deciding to self-publish your book! It’s a big decision and I’m so happy to welcome you to the fun-filled world of self-publishing.

Contrary to popular belief, “self” publishing doesn’t mean that you’ll have to do everything by yourself. In fact, one of the first things you need to do when you start the process is to find the right people to work with.

Yep, you get to create your own team! How fun is that? Below is a list of the most important players that you’ll need to put in place to make your book a success.

You will need an editor to help you make your manuscript even better. The right editor for you will make you feel like your writing flies off the page, and that your intention behind your words comes through loud and clear. When selecting your editor, it’s a good idea to give them a short piece of your writing, and asking them what they would do with it. They should do this for free, as a courtesy to earn your business. Your self-publishing coach will probably have a few editors they can recommend for you.

 

You will need a cover designer: people do judge a book by its cover. Once again, your self-publishing coach should be able to recommend a few designers for you to review. As you’re looking to narrow down your search on designers, make sure you review the designers’ past works and that you speak with them over the phone before you decide. You’ll want to make sure he or she understands what you’re looking for, and that he or she is knowledgeable about what helps a book sell.
You may need a ghostwriter – if you have a great idea, but not a clue how to turn it into a book, a ghost writer is the right person. Using a ghostwriter is very common in today’s self-publishing world. Ghostwriters are easy to find, and you’ll want to ask them for a sample test, just as you will do for your editor. Ghostwriters are a great solution for the busy self-publishing author, as well as for those who have the plot, idea and story in mind, but aren’t sure how to get the words out.

An illustrator – if you write children’s books or need other kind of illustrations. Illustrations can add a lot of character and depth to your story, even if you’re not writing a children’s book. Small illustrations at the beginning of each chapter can pull your reader deeper into your story. For those who are looking into a children’s book, your illustrator will be as important as your editor, as the illustrations are critical to telling the story. Work with your self-publishing coach to audition, narrow down and ultimately choose your illustrator.

And viola! You have a team in place to support your self-publishing journey. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a few tries to find the right people for your support team. Creating this team will be crucial to your success. And just think, you get to tell people you have a team!

Happy writing!

 

I invite you to contact me:

Ally@AllyNathaniel.com

973-826-2020

 

5 things you may not know about traditional publishers…

 

Do you have some preconceived notions about self-publishing? To tell you the truth, most people are still wary of self-publishing because they have the wrong impression about self-publishing and what it really entails.

In addition, most people may not know a few things about traditional publishers, and the first point is the most important, because without that, the other four don’t even come into play:

It is almost impossible to get a deal from a publisher. Unless you’re a well-known figure. In order to get a book deal, you’ll need to get their attention. Most publishers want an outline of the book, a great cover letter and then a sample of your first chapter. After all of that work, 99% of the proposals received end up in the garbage.

It’s an incredible amount of time-consuming work, and almost always leads to a dead end.

If you are one of the 1% that gets through the first several rounds of approval, you need to be aware that a traditional publisher will:

…keep the rights for your book. You may want to read that again: Publishers keep all the rights for your book. Yep, that’s right. You write it, they own it. And it’s near impossible for you to get those rights back.
…control your editorial voice. A traditional publisher has the right to change, delete and rearrange any or all of your work. They will have a vision in mind for your book, and you will find it very difficult to deviate from their
…not do any marketing for you. You are responsible for all of your marketing. Publishers will have connections to larger distributors, and they’ll use them, but only for a short period of time (see #5 below).
…give you 3 months to prove your book can sell. After that all copies will go back to the printer and you won’t be able to sell your book under your terms going forward.

Self-publishing allows you get to keep control of your work, your rights and you are responsible for your marketing. The need for traditional publishing is diminishing given all of the tools and access to distribution we have today: Amazon.com, speaking engagements, websites and blogs and work of mouth give you access to potential readers who rarely look in retails stores for their next good read.

Have a great idea for a book but don’t know where to go from here?

Contact me today for a 20 minutes complimentary phone call; 973-826-2020, Ally@AllyNathaniel.com

The 9 Questions every Want-To-Be a Published Author Should Ask Themselves

Think you’re ready to publish your book? Take this quiz to find out…

For many of my clients, publishing a book has been a dream they’ve held in the back of their minds for a long time. There are many reasons that people don’t follow up on their dream: they feel pressed for time; they don’t believe they’re disciplined enough to get a book written and published; some are worried about writing skills and messaging; some are scared to share their thoughts with the world.

Listen, I know that writing a book can feel really scary and daunting. Our thoughts are out there for the world to see, to criticize or to love. It takes courage to type out our stories, to share our dreams and then let the world have its way with our freshly printed “baby”.

If you’re reading this, chances are, you’ve held out the dream of publishing, but you haven’t started the process just yet. Maybe you think you can’t really do it, or perhaps you think that while you have a great idea, you have no idea where to start. That’s where I can help you with your process. This is do-able. Writing your book is not a pipe dream. We can make it a reality.

But before we go any further, I’d like you to take a minute and really take stock of where you are now and how willing you are to fulfill this dream you’ve had for so long. Below is a very short quiz that will help you figure out just how ready you really are…

Please place a  next to each sentence that is true for you:

I have an idea or story that I want to share with the world.
I want what I say and create to make a difference for others.
I know that my life experiences, and everything I’ve learned, can benefit other people.
I’m ready to do what I want to do and invest in my dreams.
I’m ready to work on fulfilling my dreams. I’ll take it easy later.
I know that if I put my mind to it, I can create a schedule that will work to help me prioritize my dreams.
The idea of sharing my thoughts scares me, but I’m ready to get over my fear.
When I’m held accountable for my work schedule, I stay on track.
I’m aware that as humans, we rarely regret the things we do and almost always regret the things we don’t do.

See! That wasn’t so hard, right? You’re on your way!

Look back at the quiz and see how many checkmarks you have. If you’ve checked off three or more of the sentences above, then you’re ready to move on and start working on your book!

So now it is up to you to take the first step and schedule a free consultation with me, and we’ll set you on your path!

973-826-2020

Ally@AllyNathaniel.com

www.AllyNathaniel.com

3 Proven Ways to Get Over the Crush and Move Towards Publishing

Do you feel overwhelmed by all the information and options you have when it comes to publishing your book? It’s great to have so much control, as a self-published author, but all the unanswered questions can crush your progress too. The worst decision you can make is to avoid or to put off thinking about it. It’s better to do the ground-work and apply yourself to a plan. In the end, it boils down to these three big decisions:

1) Decide the Best Publishing Route(s)

Self-publishing or traditional publishing? Ask yourself if you would like to keep all the rights for your work and if you want to publish your book as soon as possible. If the answer to both question is yes, self-publishing is the route for you. What kind of versions interests you? Do you need a print version in either paperback or hardcover? If digital publishing is the priority, what are your distribution options? Do you want an audio version? How do you plan to market your work, and are there things you can do now to set things up, so it will be easier to sell your book down the road?

2) Choose What to Outsource

Are you the DIY kind of person? If so, you can do most things yourself or with a little help and guidance. If not, you can hire someone to get your book published (www.allynathaniel.com) or to do select tasks, like editing, formatting, book cover design or promotion. Outsourcing is one of the keys of business in any industry. It allows you to focus on what you really do best and on the creative aspect of your writing.

Remember, professional authors don’t do everything themselves either. Examine your strengths, weaknesses and preferences and follow your passion. If you have a professionally produced product, it will be more marketable, and it’s worth it to have an expert on-staff. Self-publishing doesn’t automatically mean doing everything all by yourself.

3) Budget for Your Project

Once you decide which tasks to delegate, and what really deserves your personal attention, you need to research and budget for those tasks. How much will you invest in the process? There are many options out there to explore, from doing everything yourself, to making a minor investment to get help. Learn how to hire the right people, where to find them, what questions to ask and safe ways to protect your investment. Ask writers in your network for advice, recommendations and referrals to connect with reasonably priced talent.

If you are creative and prolific, the best use of your money is to find someone to teach you how to self-publish and to invest in your future, so you can publish as many books as you want.

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Self-Published Authors Enjoy More

Self-published authors are happier authors. Of course, there are pros and cons to every method, but there are so many choices open to you when you don’t have a traditional publishing house hanging over you. It’s more about the process of writing and publishing, then just the final product.

When you think about it, writing itself often has a bad reputation when it comes to job satisfaction because it can be lonely, obsessing and let’s face it, a lot of hard work without a guaranteed return on investment. But you have to focus on the positives and remember that there are certain things that self-publishing brings to the table that no one else can compete with:

1) You Keep the Rights

Rights are important. You don’t want to fall into the trap of your book being out-of-print, but you can’t take it elsewhere. Create different print, audio and digital versions, and no one is going to place limitations on you, based on projections for profitability or discrimination against new authors or your genre. You can change your mind any time about what you distribute and where. Be exclusive with one distributor because there are advantages to that, or try different ones to see what works best.

2) You Have More Control

You always decide who you work with and you have complete approval. You even set the price, and it’s open to experimentation. Don’t worry about rejection. The only person who can get in your way is you.

3) You Get Higher Royalties

In traditional publishing, the agent and publisher get most of the profit, and they make decisions accordingly, especially for anything that might fall into a niche market. With self-publishing, you decide what kind of cut other people take and if the money is worth it. Book sellers deserve to make a profit too, and of course there are fees for printing, file distribution and things like that, but the rest of the profit is all yours. Research the best options for you or if you want to invest a certain amount in the beginning, as well as what kind of percentage you want to commit to with each purchase. Be aware that there are scammers and dishonest people out there, so if you aren’t sure about something, ask your professional network for advice.

4) You Are a Better Marketer

Don’t trust a publisher to market your book, if you’re unknown, they usually don’t do much, but they’ll fight tooth and nail when they think you’re sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong! It’s also a much faster process because all the focus is on you. If you learn how to network effectively, you can easily compete with established houses.

5) You Have Great Support

More people are getting on the self-publishing band wagon all the time, and there are many communities where authors support each other, which helps them stay on top of everything they need to do to achieve more.

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6 Mistakes That Will Stop Your Publishing Dream

It isn’t easy to predict who will actually be a mega-hit in the publishing business, but certain mistakes definitely increase your chances of failure. Unfortunately, they are really common, especially in newer authors, and they often stop them from moving forward with their project. The good news is that you can learn from their mistakes and make a plan to deal with them before they cause you any problems or stop you from pursuing your publishing dreams, so DON’T:

1) Have Unrealistic Goals

Writing is a commitment. If you want success, you need to design a practical plan and be sincere in your commitment to it. Come up with detailed goals and measurable objectives that make sense with your schedule and other commitments. Keep track of how you are doing and where you are with deadlines and other targets. Regularly check your own performance and build on what seems to work and problem solve around what regularly slows you down.

2) Disconnect Yourself

Connect your family and friends to your writing, and keep up your relationships with other writers in a support group of some kind. Think of this as an actual part of your job as a writer because you will need people around you for encouragement when you hit a bump in the road. Schedule time to make new connections, follow-up on conversations and nurture those all-important ties.

3) Lose Confidence

You are good enough! Keep in mind that every famous author was unknown at one time too. You really can make a difference. Try not to over-edit. This can easily become an excuse to avoid moving forward. It might never feel perfect, polished and finished to you, but don’t let that stop you.

4) Lose Commitment

You have to do whatever it takes to bring your book to the publishing stage. Invest the time and effort it takes to make your dream a priority in your life and don’t let anything get in your way.

5) Doubt Your Uniqueness

It’s easy to feel like someone already said what you want to say, but your voice is special. No one can say or explain things the way you do.

6) Fear Scarcity

Don’t get tied up in the idea that there’s not enough room for you in the market. There are no limitations or restrictions on how many books are published, especially with modern technology and the changes it has brought to the book industry. We are often taught from a young age to fear our world and that there is only so much room at the top, but many times, those are just the people who kept going. You have to visualize a culture of abundance for yourself, that there is actually lots of everything you want, including opportunities, and all you have to do is to reach out and grab it.

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4 Golden Rules to Get Your Book Published

Nothing is lonelier than an empty room with only a blank page in front of you. It is easy to fall into that trap by letting your writing isolate you. You need to recognize that people (and you’re included) need regular contact and support, and your creativity cannot survive in those inhuman, antisocial conditions. It is the number one failure of aspiring authors, who never finish their book.

But, writing doesn’t have to be torture! I have 4 golden rules that can get your book published and make your dreams come true:

1) Tell the World

Be assertive as a writer and find your unique voice. It takes courage to really say what you want and go after your dream, but the louder you are about it, the easier it will be to believe. Sharing your goals builds energy, so don’t make excuses for yourself. It’s okay if you don’t know everything right away. Every job has a learning curve, but you need to start your journey off on the right foot and have confidence in your final destination. You’ll love the reactions you get from people, and it’s surprising how often you run into someone who wants to help.

2) Trust Your Social Circle

Have faith in your family and friends. Believe that they are in favor of what you are doing and want you to succeed. When you need support and someone to lean on, share your feelings. They love you and will be there with a pep talk. Lots of people just love books, or any other creative activity, and are happy to share in the glow. They might not know anything about writing or publishing, specifically, but they will happily read your work and applaud.

3) Surround Yourself with Positive Energy

Say goodbye to dream crushers and the negativity they bring into your life! That sometimes means rethinking your friends and the people surrounding you, but you are bringing a new book-baby into the world and the environmental conditions are really important. You need to nurture yourself to be at your creative best.

4) Find a Support Group

Build a writing network; from your local library or online, it doesn’t matter, as long as you all share the same type of goals and vision to really make things happen. Encourage each other and share your success and any challenges that are slowing you down. It helps to know you aren’t alone and other people are going through the same thing. That’s why you need to find other writers for support and to solve problems together. They know that writing is a serious job and they’ve probably had their share of struggles too, but they know how to overcome that and keep writing. [contact-form]

5 Proven Ways to Get Your Book Written and Published

Even creative activities like writing need some structure. The right foundation and routine will keep those pages moving and keep you on track to getting published:

1) Make the Time

The key to being a writer is definitely to write. Carve regular time in your weekly schedule for writing. Decide to set aside a specific number of hours, maybe just two in the beginning, and expand from there. Dedication to writing is the same as for any other job. Look at it as non-negotiable, as if you are meeting the president. Take it seriously, and invest in yourself.

2) Make a Plan

Come up with specific targets and concrete deadlines. How many words do you need to write every week to finish your book? It might be easier to start with your book’s final deadline, and work backwards, figuring out exactly how many words you need to type each week or workday, and research typical word-counts for your genre. Chose milestones that are realistic and make sense for you, and stick to them. If you want to really do something, you need a plan, or a roadmap for where you are going. Over time, you will need to add time for other aspects of your career, such as editing, formatting, promotion, social media postings and email.

3) Find an Accountability Partner

Sometimes you need a co-worker, or partner in crime, to keep your plan alive. Writing is a lonely job, and it’s easy to lose progress if no one holds you accountable. Look for someone who has similar goals, and report to each other, at least once a week. This adds a sense of both co-operation and competition to your schedule because you don’t want to be the one not pulling their weight.

4) Find and Maintain a Writers’ Network

If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes one to write a book. Find other writers like yourself, and you’ll hear the same stories about the struggle we all go through to do what we do. This is your support group, and it can take you a long way. Why reinvent the wheel every time you run into a problem? Use the expertise and connections of your group to outsource tasks, so you can focus on your core vision and passion, and do what you really do best. Get feedback on your project, while it’s still in progress for book covers, promotional materials, social media pages and the writing itself.

5) Find a Cheerleading Team or Fan-Base

Professional relationships are obviously important. There are those that excel at finding mistakes and solving problems, but you also need a little encouragement to cheer you on in your darkest moments and find people who can help you get over any discouragement or frustration you might experience along the way. No one wants to disappoint their fans. These are the readers that love everything that you do.

www.AllyNathaniel.com

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Swinging for the Big Leagues: Writing as a Full-Time Job

“It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.” – Robert Benchley

Are you ready to dream big and emotionally invest in yourself as a full-time writer? It might sound impossible, but writing really can be a full-time job. I won’t pretend that it’s easy. It takes real time and commitment, but the potential rewards, both emotional and financial are huge, and if you never try to take it to the next level, you’ll always wonder if you have what it takes to go pro and play in the big leagues.

Taking those first wobbly steps towards a real writing career is a reward in itself because your life will have so much more meaning now that you are doing something that you have a real passion for. Self-published authors like Bella Andre, Cheryl Bradshaw, Denise Grover and Marie Force are right there, showing you everything that is possible for you too. They are also perfect examples of what it takes to be successful. There are three common things that self-published authors like them say:

1. I work for my readers.

Their fans are major driving forces for their work and they are continually looking for ways to connect and expand their readership base. Communication is open and readers actually participate to some degree or at least get a front-row seat on the creative process. Creative writing is only one aspect of their success when it comes to self-publishing. After that comes the boots-on-the-ground marketing and networking tasks, which take their own skill-set and dedication. There is a certain learning curve to it. Experiment, then go with what works and expand on it.

2. I provide what they want.

Readers expect choice and innovation in today’s market. Make your work easily accessible to everyone and stand out from the crowd by publishing different book formats.

3. I invest time and money in my writing business.

Writing professionally is serious business. It takes work every day to get results, be it writing your books or marketing them. Working from home is not an excuse to slack off! You need to have a regular routine with set work hours that work for you. Set goals for yourself and write a business plan. Regularly chart and examine your success so you have tangible evidence of how things are going, what works and what doesn’t, both creatively and in the marketplace.

It isn’t helpful to be too tied up with perfection. What you want to focus on is regular, steady progress every day toward your goals, but you probably are going to be better at some things more than others. Don’t hesitate to bring in a ringer and get help when it comes to some things. That might mean investing money for things like editing, formatting or book cover design. Creating a professional product that is marketable is your goal, but professional writers rarely do everything all on their own. Sometimes it takes a bit of money to make money.