Help Self Publishers

10 Essential Self Publishing Tips

Self publishing is the new vogue for authors.

Gone are the days when you had to write your manuscript and send it out to thousands of publishers in the hope that your work would land on the desk of the right person.

Self publishing a book is easy once you know how. And here are 10 essential tips that you really must follow if you want your published books to be successful.

1. Study your competition
Look at all the books already available on your chosen subject and make sure you're not just rehashing whats already there. Ensure your book is different from the rest so that it really stands out.

2. Always have marketing on your mind
Have a marketing plan before you start writing. Think of who your potential readers are, how you're going to reach them and how you're going to entice them to buy your book. Then pick a publishing date and work towards it. Finish your book well in advance and start promoting it at least 4 months before it's published.

3. Write for your target audience
Be certain you know who you're writing for. Do not pick a topic that only you and a handful of others are interested in. And do not write a book full of personal opinions or tirades about anyone or anything. Keep personal writing for your own journal only.

4. Have a great title
Your books title can be the most important thing, so choose it carefully. Use a subtitle as well if you want to further explain your book to your potential readers.

5. Use a professional editor
Don't ever think that you can edit and proof read your own work. No author can or should. You are always too close to your own work to see its faults so use a professional.

6. Educate yourself.
Self publishing really is a business so you need to approach it in a professional manner. Done properly, self publishing your own books can be extremely lucrative.

7. Set out the interior correctly
Your preliminary pages need to be set out correctly and the rest of the interior of your book needs to be inviting to read. If you're not sure how it should look, just take a look at the interior of some books in your subject/genre to get some general ideas.

8. Do not leave anything out
Make sure your book has all the necessary components including an ISBN, barcode, subject category, etc.

9. Create an impressive cover
People say you should not judge a book by its cover, but we all do. So make sure that your cover is not just impressive, but is also suitable for your book's subject/genre.

10. Market and promote your book all the time
No one loves your book as much as you do so market it as much as you can, as far as you can and as enthusiastically as you can. Use every medium that you can to publicize your book including newspapers, radio, television and the internet. Write articles on your subject and plaster them all over the internet, on as many blogs, article directories and web sites as you can find.

Once your book is written, marketed, published and is producing thousands of sales, then it's time to write your next book.

About The Author: Ruth Barringham is a freelance writer and online marketer and has been writing professionally since 1999. She started her own publishing company in 2007 where she publishes all her books and e-books. She also has an inspirational website for writers at Writeaholics.net.

Keywords: self publishing,essential self publishing,self publishing tips,publishing tips, book writing,

Terms of Reprinting or Republishing: This article is free for you to use and can be republished on your own blog, website, newsletter, etc. But it must not be altered in any way and the authors resource box (see about the author section above) must be included, complete with live, clickable links. Failureto follow these reprint/republishing terms is copyright infringement and will be legally dealt with as such.