Once upon a time, getting published meant printing out an excerpt from your manuscript and sending this out along with a compelling query letter and a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) if you want to get a reply and your sample manuscript back. It used to mean the world to a writer to be published. There are those who had taken the route of self-publication, but it meant investing a lot of time and money in having their book printed and then getting bookstores to sell copies.
Why Publishing Your Own Book?
If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, you probably know the answer to this question. There are a lot of different ways that publishing your own book can turn into additional revenues for your business; and I’m not talking just about the revenues from the actual book sales, but rather, the revenues that are associated with becoming a published author. One of the obvious consequences of becoming an author is your increased credibility.
When people purchase and read your book, assuming that your book has decent and relevant content, you’re viewed as an expert in your field. Your authoritative value increases which in turn will lead your readers into buying your services. You’re now more trustworthy than your competitors and they are more willing to partner with you for their new ventures.
Kindle Direct Publishing
These days, however, with the advent of the e-book and the e-reader, particularly Kindle, getting published has become child’s play. Or so you’d think.
While it’s true enough that more and more people are realizing their dream of being published authors through Kindle publishing – and a good chunk of this published set would strike the literate crowd as unworthy – there are still plenty of writers who fail to take advantage of this seemingly easy option.
Book publishing on Kindle makes it easier for people to get their written work on the market. Perhaps too easy. In some cases, it made publication possible at all as no self-respecting editor and publisher back in the day would have touched some of the published stuff available today. The process clearly does away with the need for an agent, a proof reader, an editor, etc. All it requires is the ability to follow instructions. The result, of course, is the proliferation of really inferior work in the list of electronically published books.
And yet there you are with a well-written piece of literature that remains unpublished. Unfortunately, many legitimate writers do not want to deal with the technical details and intricacies of publishing on Kindle. The process mainly involves entering your title information, uploading and previewing your work, confirming publishing rights, and finally entering pricing and royalty information. This may seem straightforward, but these steps can be very intimidating, especially to perfectionists as many good writers are.
If you’re curious about how Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) works, you can visit Amazon’s own “Help” section dedicated to this service.
You may trounce the other writers with your literary prowess or even just with your reasonable grasp of good grammar (there really are many poorly written e-books out there), but if they got you beat in terms of resolve and chutzpah, your masterpiece will remain unpublished while their work will continue to earn money from soon-to-be-dismayed readers who will never see their 99 cents back.
Many pseudo-writers have been earning a veritable living from the steady trickle of these cents. It can be argued that they deserve it; after all, they managed to accomplish self-publication. You’re convinced you offer something so much better, though – something that’s definitely more deserving of publication. If you want to get your work out there without having to worry about the nitty-gritty of the entire process, you can choose to engage a service that will do it all – correctly and expertly – for you. This way, you can rest assured that your e-book will rise above the flotsam and jetsam of electronic publication.
Again, book publishing and authorship –when done right- is a great way to grow your business. You can also use your books as anchors to capture new leads. Combined with the power of Amazon’s own marketing power, you can potentially reach out to an audience of millions of shoppers and readers that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
Thank you for reading. Until next time, this is Manuel Gil del Real (MGR)
