Terms Defined
In my previous posts, I mentioned that I am self-publishing and self-marketing. These are two terms that people interpret many different ways, so I am going to define exactly what I mean when I use them.
1. Self-Publishing
When I declare that I am self-publishing, I am saying that I have chosen to select a company. This company does not own my material. It does not have any right to change anything without my permission. In essence, I am the publisher, and I have hired a company to make books. My work is published independently of an established publishing house. I am responsible for the whole process from design, formats, price, marketing and so on. Now, I may hire someone to design the cover, but it’s still my decision what gets put on that cover. There are many reasons why I have chosen this route, which I will cover in a later post because I have so much to say on that subject.
2. Self-Marketing
I’m not a marketer. Marketing sounds to me a lot like selling, and I am definitely not a salesman...woman. I tried it once with one of those party companies. I didn’t do horrible, but I’m just not the kind of person to push a sale. If someone wants it, great! If not, well, I never know what to say. I hate being pressured, and I hate being talked into a buy. With that said, I am marketing my book on my own. Yikes. Nevertheless, as I have done research, I have come to see marketing different than sales. It’s letting more people know about my book whether online or through a personal contact. I don’t have to push the sale, I don’t have to talk anyone into it, but I do have let as many people as I can know that my book is available. So when I say I’m self-marketing, that means that I have researched marketing thoroughly and am doing everything I possibly can do to spread the word.I may contract people to do certain things for me, but my budget is not huge. My plan is to do as much as I can on very little money and do it day by day so that I can continue writing.
Now that I’ve somewhat cleared up the terms, let me continue by saying that I’m going to lay my journey out for you. There will be no secrets. If something works, I’ll let you know how I did it. If something blows up in my face, I’ll let you know what not to do. This is not a blog about how to write a good book. If you are reading this, that step is over. If your book isn’t at its best, then perhaps you’re jumping ahead of yourself by reading this blog. Go polish up your novel and then come back.
This blog is for the author who has gone through the first wave of friends and family purchases, only to watch the sales slowly diminish until almost a standstill. This is for the person who wonders how to get the news out that their book is a great book. This is for the writer who is ready to watch their book sales rocket to unimaginable heights. This is for the author that wonders “Now what?” This blog is for you.
1. Self-Publishing
When I declare that I am self-publishing, I am saying that I have chosen to select a company. This company does not own my material. It does not have any right to change anything without my permission. In essence, I am the publisher, and I have hired a company to make books. My work is published independently of an established publishing house. I am responsible for the whole process from design, formats, price, marketing and so on. Now, I may hire someone to design the cover, but it’s still my decision what gets put on that cover. There are many reasons why I have chosen this route, which I will cover in a later post because I have so much to say on that subject.
2. Self-Marketing
I’m not a marketer. Marketing sounds to me a lot like selling, and I am definitely not a salesman...woman. I tried it once with one of those party companies. I didn’t do horrible, but I’m just not the kind of person to push a sale. If someone wants it, great! If not, well, I never know what to say. I hate being pressured, and I hate being talked into a buy. With that said, I am marketing my book on my own. Yikes. Nevertheless, as I have done research, I have come to see marketing different than sales. It’s letting more people know about my book whether online or through a personal contact. I don’t have to push the sale, I don’t have to talk anyone into it, but I do have let as many people as I can know that my book is available. So when I say I’m self-marketing, that means that I have researched marketing thoroughly and am doing everything I possibly can do to spread the word.I may contract people to do certain things for me, but my budget is not huge. My plan is to do as much as I can on very little money and do it day by day so that I can continue writing.
Now that I’ve somewhat cleared up the terms, let me continue by saying that I’m going to lay my journey out for you. There will be no secrets. If something works, I’ll let you know how I did it. If something blows up in my face, I’ll let you know what not to do. This is not a blog about how to write a good book. If you are reading this, that step is over. If your book isn’t at its best, then perhaps you’re jumping ahead of yourself by reading this blog. Go polish up your novel and then come back.
This blog is for the author who has gone through the first wave of friends and family purchases, only to watch the sales slowly diminish until almost a standstill. This is for the person who wonders how to get the news out that their book is a great book. This is for the writer who is ready to watch their book sales rocket to unimaginable heights. This is for the author that wonders “Now what?” This blog is for you.
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