Getting the attention of potential readers is key to selling books. While great writing and an excellent story hooks and holds the reader’s attention, a book cover is the first thing that will entice a reader to even pick a book up in the first place.

For those who are self publishing, knowing how to publish a book and what gets a reader’s attention might feel like attempting to decipher a foreign language. But without a crash course from the larger book publishers in getting readers’ attention with book covers, a self publishing writer can learn, through the following steps, what gets readers to pick up a book and what doesn’t.

* Look at What’s On the Shelves

There’s no better lesson in what sells than to walk along the aisles at a large bookstore and see what catches your eye. Look at the covers of bestsellers to get an idea of what attracts readers to a book.

* The Name Game

Another important step in having your book noticed by readers is the name. The title of a book should be interesting and inviting. It doesn’t need to be long or ridiculous to be eye-catching. Play around with different names and ask friends and family to give you feedback on what they like.

* Don’t Forget Color

The color scheme of the outside of a book tells a lot about the story inside. If your novel is a comedy or something light, have a cover with cheery, fun colors. If the novel is more serious and/or dark, use somber colors.

You don’t have to be an expert in book publishing to figure out how to make your book visually stand out for readers. Having an eye-catching book cover and title will pull readers in your book’s direction and give you the opportunity to have your words read.

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This just in: “The Shack,” a book that began as a self publishing venture by a relatively unknown writer, is burning up bestseller lists.

Who says that you have to wait an eternity for traditional book publishers to respond to queries? Who says that you have to be rejected a hundred times before you finally decide to give up your dream of publishing?

“The Shack,” which addresses spiritual issues, might have been summarily dismissed by many publishers as “too polarizing.” But readers have spoken, and with about $300 in their marketing budget, the author and the two pastors who formed Windblown Media outside of Los Angeles have a hit on their hands.

The success of “The Shack” is largely credited to word of mouth – it’s just one of those books that people are reading, and then buying multiple copies to give to others. Because of this phenomena, this self publishing work has found its way into the big time booksellers like Borders and Barnes and Noble, who ordinarily balk at books that are not printed by the big book publishers.

In fact, Hachette Book Group USA, one of the mega-names in book publishing, formed a partnership with Windblown Media to continue to print the book. Naturally, the marketing budget has increased significantly, and advertising for the book can be found in print and TV across the country.

The moral of this story: don’t count a book out of the bestseller list just because it is a result of self publishing. “The Shack” popped onto the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list on June 8th and has maintained that status, even outselling the latest Oprah book club offering.

If you are researching how to publish a book, the success of “The Shack” is not common, but it is inspiring. You never know when an idea that might have been rejected by any number of book publishers can still strike a chord with readers — and become a huge success.

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In our last post, we talked about finishing that first draft of a manuscript and wondering what to do next. You may be considering self publishing, but you need to be sure that the final draft of your book is as good as it gets. That’s where editing comes in. Once you’ve taken a break from the manuscript for a few weeks at least, you need to sit down and read the thing.

When you’ve read through once, you can start the real editing process. Editing is the key phrase here – most first drafts have more words than necessary, and many, many, many can be cut. A great writer once said “don’t be afraid to kill your darlings.” This means cutting unnecessary characters, scenes, even whole chapters, no matter how much you love them.

In short, do whatever it takes to make your manuscript stronger. Sometimes this may mean sending your manuscript to trusted individuals who will give you honest feedback. Words of wisdom: don’t send it to your mom, who will love whatever you write, and don’t send it to the sibling who will hate anything you write. Find a friend or two willing to critique the manuscript and include a short questionnaire of points you’d like them to address. Include questions like “What were the strongest chapters?” “Was there anything that you found confusing?” “Was there anything that you found unbelievable?” and of course “any suggestions for improvement?”

These are straightforward questions that will hopefully garner straightforward answers. Of course, just because suggestions for change have been made, that doesn’t mean you have to follow through. You are the final critic of your manuscript before it enters the book publishing market. You want it to do well, so be sure that you take the time to make your manuscript as close to perfect as possible.

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You may be a writer with a completed first draft and you may have been encouraged by peers, family members and friends to try self publishing. But the first thing you want to do before you go down the self publishing path or submit to traditional book publishers, is this – write a second draft.

No matter how you get your work published, you certainly want it to be the best possible version of your story, whether fiction or non-fiction, possible. With this in mind, you might want a few pointers for attacking the revision of your manuscript. So sit back and read, then prepare to write and re-write.

The first thing you need to do after you finish your first draft is to know that it is not the final draft. If a writer tells you that their first draft is their final draft, they are either lying or genius on the level of William Shakespeare (and he probably revised too). Don’t think that your job is done when you’ve finished the last chapter – the work is only beginning – only now you have a distinct advantage. Now you know your characters, you know your plot inside and out, and you know where changes need to be made.

But before you make those changes, many writers suggest taking a break – some for a month, some for a week – but whatever you do, when you are taking this break, don’t stop writing. Even if you jot down notes for a new novel, or journal, or whatever, don’t put down your pen. After you’ve taken this necessary time off, print out your novel on crisp white paper, find a cozy spot, and here is where the revision truly begins.

Read through your manuscript once without making any edits. This may drive you crazy, so keep your red pen handy for obvious faux pas, mark them and move on. During this first read-through, try to be just a reader. Once you’ve finished, read through again with your red pen and mark the text up mercilessly. Here you become editor. In our next post, we’ll discuss more tips for successful revisions that will help make your self publishing efforts a success.

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Following are more tips for promoting your non-fiction self published books.

* Write Articles

One of the most important things an author of a non-fiction book can do is to prove themselves as an expert in the field written about. Writing articles for newspapers and magazines is a great way to show your expertise as well as draw attention to your book.

* Create a Website

Putting together a website has never been easier than it is today. Overnight you can put together a website that can promote both you and your book. A site is a perfect way to advertise your self publishing efforts by giving readers a peak at a chapter and also news on upcoming book signings and/or future books you’ll be releasing.

* Giveaways

If you have a website, consider giving away some items for free. Have people sign up for a newsletter to get a mug with the name of your book, give away book markers with your name or even have a contest with one of your books as the prize.

* Teach a Class

Contact your local community college to offer to teach a continuing education class on whatever subject you’re an expert in. Not only can you get some experience teaching but you’ll also have a whole new set of people who will be interested in buying your book.

Use a few of these suggestions or a combination of suggestions to find what works best for you. The main thing is to circulate the word about your book. Book publishers are usually very good about doing this but as a novice to the book publishing field, you’ll have to learn what works and what doesn’t.

Self publishing is a great way to get your work in front of a mass of people—with the right marketing.

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Non-fiction books are popular items to self publish. Whether you’re writing about finding happiness, how to plant an herb garden or ways to make money from home, most non-fiction books have a large audience to address. The key is to find that audience and make them aware of your book.

Following are some suggestions for putting your book out in front of your audience so your self publishing efforts can be recognized.

* Throw a Book Party

What better way to kick off the launch of your book than by having a book party? If you know anything about how to publish a book, you know that a successful launch will help set the course of a book in a positive direction. Even if your launch party consists of friends and family, your book will be seen by people who can then spread the word about it to others.

* Give an Interview

Contact your local newspaper, radio stations and news stations to give an interview. Most media outlets will be happy to interview you and you’ll benefit from the free publicity.

* Give a Speech

Like media outlets, clubs and organizations are always looking for people to give talks at meetings. Look for groups that would benefit from reading your book and then offer to speak at one of their meetings. While you will not be paid for your appearance (most likely), you will gain some free publicity and a chance to promote and sell your book.

These are three ideas for selling your non-fiction book. In part two of this article, most tips will be explored for turning your self publishing effort into a success.

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As we discussed in our last post, self publishing is an exciting new option for authors – and a great way to get their books into print. Self publishing is not without its critics – and one reason that people look down on books that have not been published by traditional book publishers is because of obvious mistakes that the authors make.

A simple solution to these errors? Be aware and take steps to avoid them before you make them. Our first tips in the last post involved being a careful writer – editing your material carefully and including reliable facts. The next mistakes NOT to make involve your book from a marketing standpoint. Pay close attention to these possible stumbling blocks and go out of your way to avoid them:

Self publishing a book with an unpolished layout, cover and design. While it may not be wise to judge a book by its cover – we do it nonetheless. So do yourself a favor, and turn to a professional. Just as it is a good idea to hire a professional editor to proofread and critique your manuscript, find a graphic artist or designer who can make your cover look amazing and eye-catching. Come up with a fantastic and memorable title that will hook your potential reader and make them open up that book.

Forgetting about your audience. You may have the best idea for a book, ever, but if you write it, design it and market it to the wrong audience you might as well give up your plan of becoming a successful self publishing author. For an obvious example, if you are writing a book full of simple decorating tips for your home, don’t fill your book with technical drawings and lingo. Chances are your audience will be homeowners or apartment dwellers who want to see photographs and read simple how-to instructions. Writing, designing and selling to the wrong audience could mean a quick death for your book.

Self publishing is a great way to get in print – but it can be tricky. Do your research and take every step possible to make your venture into book publishing as smooth and successful as possible.

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Self publishing your book takes skill, guts and know-how. For many writers, self publishing is the fastest way to get themselves into print – but that doesn’t mean it’s the easiest way. If you want your book to be a success, you’ll need to avoid the mistakes that many self publishing authors make. You’ll want to defy those who think that self publishing is for amateurs. Prove to them that you are as professional as those who go the traditional route through book publishers – and don’t make the following mistakes!

Don’t publish poorly written material. No matter what you write, make sure that it is well written and well edited. Of course, you can proofread your own work, but, being the author, you are so close to the story you’d be well served to hire a professional editor to review your work. An editor can give you advice for editing your story as well as check for grammar and spelling errors. Keep in mind that many authors spend years refining their craft, so don’t expect your first draft to be the final version. Above all, even if your book is not a best-seller in the book publishing world – you will always be able to hold your head up high if it is a carefully crafted work.

Don’t include erroneous facts. Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, if you include facts in your manuscript – it is your responsibility to check and double check those facts. If you are writing a book on Things to Do While Visiting Rome, make sure that the addresses, phone numbers, rates and information are all accurate. On the other hand, if you are writing a fiction novel about World War II, and don’t get the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor correct, your credibility will go down the tubes.

In part two of this post, we will discuss more common mistakes that self publishing authors make – pay close attention and do what you can to avoid them!

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If you are currently learning the ins and outs of how to publish a book via a self publishing printer, you undoubtedly have a manuscript polished and ready to go. Or is it?

Editing, revising, and re-checking copy is the job of every conscientious author. And when you are done with those duties – it is quite possible that you will still need to send your manuscript out to a professional proofreader or editor just to be certain that all the errors have been caught.

Keep in mind that just because your copy is rife with grammatical errors and misspellings – you are not alone. Many an acclaimed writer has been known to be a horrible speller, or simply awful at following the rules of grammar. The key is to do whatever you can to avoid having those errors in your final printed piece. But even then, realize that books produced by the largest book publishers still occasionally have typos or errors, despite going through a rigorous copy editing process.

To get you started on the right path (that is, the path to impeccable grammar), here are a few common grammar errors that should be avoided. Correcting these mistakes in early drafts will save you valuable time in the long run.

Know when to use “their” and when to use “there.” Synonyms can be killers, as any third grader struggling through them can tell you. Using this grammar rule is a matter of strict memorization – there are no magic tricks – you just have to remember that “there” refers to a place, and “their” refers to the possessive plural — referring to belonging to someone or something. In other words, “There is the car” points to the location of the car. “That is their car” explains that the car belongs to them.

Know how to use contractions correctly. This grammatical sin is most commonly committed when using “your” and “you’re” and “it’s” and “its.” The best and easiest way to insure that you are using the proper form of the word is to repeat the word in a sentence without using the contraction. For example, “you’re.”short for “you are.” In the sentence “You’re my brother,” take out the contraction and it will read “you are my brother.” The word “your” on the other hand, is another pesky possessive pronoun, similar to “their” and refers to belonging. “Your brother is annoying,” for example.

Grammar can be a pain for any author, and if the responsibility of copy editor falls on a self publishing author, the pain is increased. Our advice – take your time, and when you are really about to lose it – turn to a professional!

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You’ve written your book and now you’re ready to have it published. Maybe you’ve searched to no avail for book publishers who are interested in your work. Or maybe you’ve had some close calls but nothing that has amounted to anything.

Now you’ve decided to turn to self publishing but you’re in the dark as to how to publish a book through this avenue. What do you even do first? Let’s take a look.

Treat Publishing with a Professional Attitude

Book publishing—whether through traditional routes or self publishing—is a business. Therefore, to have a book published, you need to treat it with a professional attitude and learn all you can about the book publishing business.

Educate Yourself

Learn all the ins and outs of self publishing. The more you know, the greater chance you’ll have to succeed. Read books on self publishing and talk to other writers who have self published to learn everything you need to know to have your book be a success.

Know the Market

To be a hit as a writer, you need to not only understand how to publish a book but also have an idea of what people are reading. While it may go against your creative vision to write for readers, you need to remember that fewer and fewer people are reading therefore a successful writer needs to have the pulse of what’s hot in literature.

Become a Marketing Guru

Self promotion is key to success as an author. Even if you are published by a traditional publisher, you will still need to know how to market your work. Understanding basic marketing concepts and having a marketing plan for how you’ll promote your work will help you reach your audience and make sales.

While there may seem like a lot of work that goes into publishing a book, keep in mind that the end result is worth all the effort. Learning how books are published and marketed are just two more steps writers need to take to find the success they desire.

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