Learning outcomes include:
- A clear understanding of the above bulleted list
- Understand the process of self-publishing for both print media and online ebooks
- What you need to know about getting your message out there and how to market it
- A ‘how to’ seminar to learn how three independent experts across popular industries have self-published their passion
- Take home strategies for you to implement your ideas immediately
Did you know that between 400,000 and 600,000 books are self-published each year?
If you’re a writer, self-publishing is now a proven, credible, and viable path towards publication.
Tara Alemany reports that as early as 2009, The New York Times reported that the financial crisis had battered an already-bruised publishing industry and was helping to create a tidal wave of self-publishing that was unlikely to recede anytime soon. The dashed dreams of countless would-be authors who had come before were now being realized by a new generation. Today’s self-made scribes have harnessed technology and ingenuity to bring their ideas to life, without the middleman of a publisher to serve as gatekeeper.
Self-publishing is here to stay – and that’s music to the ears of budding authors. Talented, hardworking authors are not only creating, but marketing, self-published books without any help – or maybe just a little from our event! Self-publishing is more about the author than it is about the reader, when it comes right down to it, unless the author continually puts their reader first. Sooner, rather than later, readers will demand some form of quality measurements to be put in place, even for self-published material – we are here to help you provide quality product.
The self-publishing industry must continue to evolve and improve upon itself if it’s going to remain viable. It should view the rise and decline of traditional publishing as a cautionary tale. Self-publishing grew out of the needs of new authors, but its relevance can only be assured by satisfied readers.
The Top Ten Reasons to Self Publish
Content and design control. Self-publishers can control what’s in a book, how long it is, and how it looks. They only answer to themselves for most aspects of their books
Time to market. Self-publishers can get their book to market in less than a week once it’s copyedited. Traditional publishers take six to nine months to get a printed book to market, and they will not release the ebook version earlier than the printed version
Longevity. Self-publishers can keep their book in print forever—or at least as long as it takes for readers to discover it. Traditional publishers stop marketing a book once sales decline
Revisions. Self-publishers can revise books immediately with online ebook resellers and printers that are working “on demand.” Traditional publishers can take months to fix errors because they print revisions after they’ve sold off current inventory
Higher royalty. Self-publishers can make more money. Amazon pays a 35 percent or 70 percent royalty to ebook self-publishers. On a $2.99 ebook, most authors make approximately $2.00
Price control. Self-publishers can change the price of their book at will. For example, they can set a lower price to try to sell more copies or set a higher price to communicate higher quality
Global distribution. Self-publishers can achieve global distribution of their ebook on day one. For example, Kindle Direct Publishing will list an ebook in one hundred countries. Apple’s iBookstore reaches fifty countries
Control of foreign rights. Self-publishers determine who buys foreign rights and for how much. They can make more money because they are not sharing foreign-rights revenues with a traditional publisher
Analytics. Self-publishers can receive real-time or near real-time sales results. Traditional publishers provide twice-a-year royalty statements—imagine running a business with two sales reports a year
Deal flexibility. Self-publishers can cut any kind of deal with any kind of organization. Traditional publishers only sell to resellers except for bulk sales of printed books to large organizations
