Explore Your Book Publishing Options

Now that you’ve written your book, the real work begins. Not that writing and organizing it was easy, but you persevered. You’ve spent time doing research, gathering information, had several pairs of eyes combing over your manuscript to catch typos and awkward grammar. It’s all down on paper or in a special file on your computer, and now you’re ready to go public with it. For some people, especially if they’re experienced bloggers, writing is the easy part. But where do you go from there? It’s time to explore your book publishing options. Writing is one thing; publishing and selling is another matter all together. You have four basic options when it comes to publishing your book, and there are pros and cons to each one.

PDF eBook.

This is the simplest method to publish a book. Once your manuscript is ready as a Word document (PC) or a Pages document (Mac), all that’s required with an ebook is that it’s in PDF format. Click “Save as…” in your Word document and choose “PDF.” On a Mac you would click on “Export” and choose PDF. You can then sell the PDF file on your own website. For example, if you use WordPress, you can download the WooCommerce plugin that allows you to upload your file to your website. You then add your PayPal information. When someone buys your PDF they are able to download it on their end; you don’t have to do anything! Another possibility is to list your book on ClickBank or E-Junkie, or upload it to any number of other ebook marketplaces online.

Ebooks don’t carry the same authority that printed books do, but if you’re on a budget and don’t have the skills to format your book for print, then this can be a viable option to get you off the ground. It’s also a great way to share your book with advance readers to get reviews and testimonials.

Kindle.

Amazon’s Kindle marketplace makes it easy for you to publish. You can have your book on the Amazon website in less than an hour. Amazon has made submitting a book file fairly straight-forward. They offer step-by-step instructions, and as long as you follow them, getting your book uploaded should be quite painless. One of the advantages of having your book on Kindle is that you have the ability to make special offers, such as “free” on certain days or limited time discounts. It’s a great way to create buzz about your book and give it more visibility in the marketplace.

Print on Demand.

For self-published authors, POD is the best choice. Print on Demand is a technology that allows for a single book to be printed. Until just a few years ago, it would cost an indie (independent) author a few thousand dollars to have their book printed. This is because an author was required to print a minimum number of copies, ranging from 100 to 1,000 or more. If the author couldn’t sell all their copies, they would be stuck with a spare bedroom full of their books. Fortunately technology has improved. With POD, buyers order your book from sellers such as Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and the book is printed and shipped within days. Create Space is Amazon’s print on demand business. Ingram Spark is another good choice. POD makes it easy and cost-effective for everyone who wants to become a published author.

Traditional Publisher.

Trying to get your book published through a traditional publishing house is the most difficult and time consuming option. The advantage to getting your book published with a traditional print publisher is that it will get you the most audience and press. It gives an author a lot more credibility and prestige. However; there are many disadvantages as well. To begin with, it’s extremely difficult to get a traditional publishing house to take on a new author, and if you do manage to get the attention of a publisher, your royalties (the amount you earn from your book) will be very small, maybe as little as one or two dollars per book sold. Additionally, you won’t have much control over your book after signing the contract. They will set the price and call the shots. You won’t be able to easily make changes to your book either. Finally, the length of time it takes from manuscript submission to final publication can be years. All that said, a book with a traditional publishing insignia on the spine does carry a bit more weight when it comes to press opportunities than does a self-published book.

Best Option.

Choosing the best option for publishing your book will depend a lot of your purpose. If you consider yourself a business own first and foremost, and your book is primarily to attract new customers or to help your clients, then shopping your manuscript around traditional publishing houses is probably not the best choice. You’ll want to get your book into the hands of your clients as quickly as possible. In this case a PDF eBook or POD is a good way to go.

If you’re an entrepreneur who hopes to move into the writing arena (an “authorpreneur”), then get your feet wet with a PDF eBook or Kindle. It’s quicker and you’ll have the benefit of putting yourself and your writing out there and feeling that sense of accomplishment. It’s too easy to keep putting it off until the “perfect” opportunity or method presents itself, and then having a book published with your name on it becomes nothing more than wishful thinking.

Start small and simple. Many new authors initially choose the ebook format, and then they move to Kindle and lastly print on demand. Given enough buzz sales, and good reviews, traditional publication becomes easier to attain in the future, if that’s what your goal is. The important thing is to get your book written, and then publish where you’re most comfortable. The rest will come in time!

Part 1: 5 Reasons Business Owners, Coaches, and Entrepreneurs Need a Book
Part 2: When You Should Write a Book and When You Should Not
Part 3: Overcoming Hurdles to Writing a Book for Your Business
Part 4: Book Marketing Made Easy: If You Publicize it, They Will Come
Part 5: Four Publishing Options for Your New Book