As time changes, so are the ways money is made.

Ten years ago, if you wanted to publish a book, it was an herculean task. First you had to, write a book (the hardest part), contact dozens of publishing houses, send them your manuscript, wait for their reply, start over, light a candle, and hope that someone would finally notice you.

But fortunately, all that has changed. Thanks to technology. With continuous evolving digital technologies, today, anyone can write a book, edit and publish it and make a fortune.

This is called self-publishing and has become very popular in recent years, thanks largely to Amazon and its million electronic readers.

Yes, this is true. You can now have a book published not only in digital version, but also in paper version, thanks to CreateSpace (another product from Amazon).

Sell ebooks online

To reach a wider audience, publish your book in both paper and ebook versions.

How does it work?

Self-publishing consists of publishing a book yourself, without going through a publisher. You write it, reread it (or you have it reread), you put it online and that’s it! Your book is available across the world.

The main advantage is that you no longer have to be accepted by a publishing house. So the biggest brake to be published has just disappeared.

However, not everything is rosy as it reads. Your role will no longer be limited to writing, but you will have to do marketing, talk about your book, create a community on social networks and animate it, all in order to get new readers and try everything possible to get it noticed.

It’s not easy either, but it’s almost entirely up to you. And that’s perfect! Because if you’ve written a great book, and you can get yourself talked about, then no one can stop you from being successful self publisher!

Can you really “succeed” in self-publishing?

Of course. You can get up one morning, decide to write, publish the book on Amazon and work towards making it noticed.
There are numerous examples and Mark Dawson is one classic example. According to Forbes, he’s paid $450,000 a year by Amazon.

Moral of the story is – anyone can succeed in self-publishing.

It isn’t easy. However self-publishing a book has become easier as you no longer have the publishing house barrier. But now you have to compete against tens or hundreds of self-edited authors like yourself.

Quality must therefore be present, more than ever.

A few tips to publish a book in self-publishing… and succeed!

Being a known and recognized author is not only about content. You can write the best short story of all time, but if no one reads you, it won’t have much use… Publishing a book is not your job, but it can be learned.

Choose a subject you know well

If you don’t feel like writing a romance novel, don’t worry. It’s not just these kinds of ebooks that are successful.

Besides, you don’t even have to write a novel. You can write a guide, it works very well too. A lot of people do that. Sometimes to complete a blog. Or sometimes the other way around: they first write a guide and, seeing that it is successful, they then launch their blog.

All subjects are probably suitable for a guide, but there are some subjects that are a little more “trendy” than others: drones, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency…

Keep reader in mind & write

If you decide to write, you need to think about your ideal reader i.e target audience. Expectations and emotions your reader wants to feel when reading your work.

To learn more, you can join Facebook groups of readers, or discussion forums, and submit your ideas to them. Or even parts of your book.

Gathering feedback before finalizing the writing was impossible 10 years ago. But now, thanks to the Internet and social networks, it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t miss anymore.

Create a killer title and cover

How many times you have entered a bookstore and faced with shelves full of books, each one more unknown than the next? However relying on the title and cover of the books plays a significant role during such scenario. An intriguing title will force you to take a longer look at the book.

So, a captivating cover and title can really set you apart from a book that will never be opened or bought.

And if you decide to edit yourself online. Because on Amazon, it’s even more complicated to leaf through a book. As a result, title and coverage are becoming more important.

If you have no idea or creativity to create a nice cover, there are websites dedicated for this purpose or you can also hire a freelancer.

Self-publishing proofreading correction

Don’t forget to reread or have your book reread… Spelling mistakes are a pain!

Read it again or have it read again.

This goes without saying, but you must read your book again before it is published. And if this is a really serious project for you, then don’t hesitate to call on a professional proofreader.

Your spelling can be average, it doesn’t matter. But publishing a book without having read it again or had it proofread, that’s unforgivable!

Don’t let it hide, Market your launch

Just because you don’t go through a publishing house doesn’t mean you have to keep it a secret.

Remember you won’t have the strength of a publishing house, who puts your book directly into all hands, in all bookstores and on all TV sets. But you still have some options in your hand, to make it visible.

For example, Facebook groups or discussion forums will help you make contact with future readers. It is therefore up to you to notify them before the launch and set up a countdown before the publication date.

You can also get in touch with bloggers. Or other self-edited authors like you. Mutual collaboration is very important in these communities.

Of course, you must call on your friends and family to be the first to buy the book on Amazon when it is published (even if it means refunding them the purchase later). They will be able to leave nice reviews that will get you up in the Amazon rankings.

Also think about your pricing strategy. Publishing a book with a call price in the first few days is generally a good idea.

Self-publishing marketing networking

Make full use of social networks, discussion forums and other communities to promote and sell your book.

Ask your readers to talk about you. It’s just a matter of asking your readers, at the end of the book for example, to leave you a review on Amazon.

You can also ask them to leave a review on your Facebook page. Or to talk about the book around them.

Start a second book

Publishing a second e-book often increases the sales of the first book. Either by “inertia” or because you yourself will offer a discounted pack.

Conclusion

You don’t need a publishing house to sell e-books online or to publish a paper book.

So weigh the pros and cons, start writing and you’ll see, with proper efforts, you’ll quickly appear in e-book lists and Amazon bestseller rankings.

Author Bio:

Hi, I am Nikesh Mehta owner and writer of this site.

I’m an analytics professional and also love writing on finance and related industry. I’ve done online course in Financial Markets and Investment Strategy from Indian School of Business.

I can be reached at [email protected]. You may also visit my LinkedIn profile.