What’s common between Stephen King, Marcel Proust…or the more modern authors like Christopher Paolini and E.L. James…?
You must have heard the names but what’s common between them? 🙂
We’ll circle back to this.
If you wish to be an author, this can save you a lot of headache, so hold tight and read on.
Not everyone is capable of writing a book.
It has always been one of the most prestigious roles in the history of humanity.
Books have single-handedly taken humanity forward with ideas that
….have pushed limits of human imagination
….and extended boundaries of our knowledge…
Over time the author of the book becomes the face of the knowledge.
And remains so till eternity.
As an author, you want people to know YOU – the person speaking to them.
You want a direct communication passage between you and your readers.
What can give you that?
But before we answer that question, you must be thinking –
‘What might possibly come between me and my readers?’
Oh yes, there are “parties” that would love to hang out in the middle of you two!
One such, is your traditional publisher.
Your Traditional Publisher
It is natural to feel safe with a traditional publisher whose name everyone knows.
But first to get to a publisher, you need to find a commissioning editor.
You need to fill out the forms on their websites.
And send at least 3 chapters of your book so they can sample your writing.
If the commissioning editor likes your work…
(Yes they can reject it. Even if you are awesome.
J K Rowling’s Harry Potter was rejected 96 times because no commissioning editor thought it was good enough to be published.)
So yes, if they like your work, you go ahead, work hard and write your book.
You submit the manuscript to the commissioning editor again.
If they like your book, they will approach a publisher with it.
If they don’t, you go back to the writing table until they are satisfied.
And no, it does not matter if according to you, the book is great and that is how you want to publish it.
Unless a commissioning editor likes your book, forget about any chance of getting it published.
It no longer remains YOUR book.
Now, comes the publisher in the picture. And a year-long process of publishing your book begins.
Fun Fact: The contract signing process with a traditional publisher takes 3 months.
Or you can go for Automated Publishing
If all of this long publishing process with a publisher sounds tedious, you can kick a publisher to the curb and walk the path yourself.
And when I say yourself, I really mean yourself.
As in, you will have to design your book pages yourself.
You will have to design the cover of your book yourself.
You will need to arrange the ISBN of your book yourself.
You will have to proofread and edit your book yourself.
You will have to market your book yourself.
Who are we kidding?
Automated publishing is an even bigger nightmare than traditional publishing.
A lonely path with no one to advise you, support you.
A path where you have to cut the wood, forage for food, build your hut, sew your clothes. All alone.
Or, you could seek out a community where experts do their job, you do what you’re good at, and together you create wonderful results. 🙂
Rules of the Game Are Changing
The rules of the publishing game are changing.
And boy, does it give you all the power (without all the hard work beyond writing your book)!
After all – it is your voice, your story, your audience, your ideas.
YOUR BOOK.
Every person has a distinct style of creativity and that adds “individuality” to your book.
We know a Harry Potter or a Lord of the Rings book just by reading a few lines.
It’s because the “Individuality” of the author stayed in each book like an invisible hologram.
By self-publishing your books, you get to keep your hologram.
Eyes On the Prize
Let’s look at your goals:
- reaching the right audience
- publishing within the optimum timeline
- have creative control
- have a connection with the audience
To fulfill these goals, let’s see what you need…
You need a system that will let you maintain your hologram, your voice and publish a book that will spread your shine in the world.
If you do go for self publishing, you get the following:
- You are the master of your book
Most traditional publishers have a process they follow, you are needed to fit in their process flow, and give up your way.
- Earn more royalties from your work
You can earn way more in royalties when you self-publish than in traditional setup.
- Get published faster
You would want your book to be in the reader’s hand within weeks.
Now that you know that just the publishing process with a publisher takes nearly a year, ask yourself –
One year later, do you still want to be sitting & waiting for your book to get published, or do you want to see your book already out in the market and making a splash?
- Full Transparency & Control
When you are the architect, you surely know what is being built. You have the details of every process, from pre-publishing, printing to distribution or sales of the book.
And now it’s time to say hello again to Stephen King, Marcel Proust, Christopher Paolini and E.L. James…
These titans are all self-published!
So in case anyone ever scared you that you can’t do marketing or you won’t be noticed without a big publisher behind you?
LOL.
How you can get self-published now
The challenges are many:
- how to design the book,
- how to typeset
- how to illustrate
- how to market
- building your email list
- your book trailer
- how to reach out to your target audience
Frankly, the list is long.
And, finally, this is where we – White Magic Studios – can do wonders for you.
You create the knowledge.
We deliver the experience for your readers.
Tips on how to become a successful published writer
No matter which path you pick, the well-trodden or the self-laid, these few tips will be helpful along the way:
- Get to know booksellers in your area.
- Collect email addresses.
- Stay on the loop with librarians
- Conquer websites like Goodreads
- Join social media readers groups
- Participation in events to increase visibility
Get Started Now
White Magic Studios offer complete self-publishing services.
Connect with us now.