Publishing tip

When Self-Publishing Makes the Most Sense for an Author 

It hit me forcefully just how much publishing has changed as I reflected on my recent interactions with a major publisher over a client's potential book. 

As I mentioned in one of my Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminars, there are three paths of publishing one can take. 

1. You publish just because your life dream is to have a published book. The book is really all you care about. 

You can go either the self-publishing route (faster, possible to get published if you have the money), or you can take the longer, more uncertain route of trying to get a publisher to publish you. If you do go the traditional publishing route, you will need  

time, tenacity, and the willingness to create an author platform. 

2. The second path is to publish a book as an adjunct, an asset to an existing business. (My Special Report, "14 Ways a Book Will Boost Your Business," outlines just how a book can be used in this way.)  

Usually self-publishing is the best route for such an author. You don't want to wait forever for someone to decide to publish you, you want control--especially control over how the book interacts with the rest of your business. 

3. The third is to build a whole brand and career out of information products, with a book as just one "spoke" in the whole wheel of your message. This usually comes after a book is published, but can come before--as you'll see. 

My client in question had really already built a brand. He had a line of products, but no book. We knew a book was that necessary "spoke" because it gives the most credibility. (Virtually every person interviewed in the major media has a print book. It's your ticket to media exposure.) 

The publisher, one of the major players in the traditional publishing arena, was interested in the book. We talked for several weeks. 

However, the publisher wanted us, essentially, to put all the information that was in the larger home study course--which included DVDs, adios, and a Manual to fully explain the program--into the book. 

I put it succinctly to the publisher: "You mean you want my client to put the material they currently get hundreds of dollars for, into a book from which they will glean $1.50 per book?" (It actually would have been half that.) 

All the publisher could say was, "Well, self-publishing might be the best route." They wouldn't budge on the content they wanted, we wouldn't budge on the economics.  

Something very telling was also said: "If the brand were not already established, we would be more interested." That is, if the publisher could have helped establish the brand, they would have been able to benefit more from the brand themselves. (As in, they would have retained the rights to audio, video etc., giving the author the pittance that has traditionally been offered.) 

The traditional publisher also mentioned that they could not get the trade interested in the book if it was "too commercial," i.e., mentioned that there are other products.  

We decided to publish with Intermedia. The authors will own all the rights, we have total control over content and title, and yet will still get professional design, copy editing/proofreading services, and exceptional distribution (one of the distinctives of Intermedia compared to most other companies like it). For more about them, listen to my interview with Terry Whalin at www.askaboutpublishing.com. You may even ask a question there. 

Listen, if you, like my client, have a "large message," then it's perfectly legitimate for a book to be an "introduction" to your content. As I said in one of my articles, your book should be the beginning of a person's relationship with you.  

In fact, that's one of the things that can help you distinguish which publishing path is right for you. If you have one message that can be summed up in a book, then go for it! Get your book out there. 

If your message is complex with many pieces, Path #2 or #3 will be your best bet. If you have the platform and the time, you can try to capture a traditional publisher's attention. If they capture your vision, they might help you create your brand.  

Note that if you go this way, though, you have to be very careful not to lose control of what can bring you the most income--"backend products" that are higher ticket and more profitable. 

Those who have let publishers build big brands have often regretted not going the self-publishing route. (I don't feel right naming names without permission, but I could tell you some of the best-known authors have gone through legal means to try to wrest control of their brands.) 

The bottom line? Hiring out publishing services with a place like Intermedia is more and more what I recommend. You will have the most control over timing, content, and your future profits. 

So start saving your money. Consider it an investment in your own business, which is what exactly what it is. (For more about what it takes to become a successful author, sign up for your Author Success Plan at www.authorsuccessplan.com.)