Writers should be Lifelong Learners

Why should writers be lifelong learners?

First, writing is an ever-changing business. Yes, writing is a business just like any other business that requires flexibility in the businessperson to adapt to changes.

Many changes have occurred in publishing, and publishing changes almost daily. This requires you to keep up with these changes, even if you plan to self publish your book.

Publishing has changed so much that even household named authors are opting for self-publishing. Do think they do their homework with regard to the publishing business? More than likely, the answer is yes.

After working hard on your story, the last thing you need is, not having an author platform plus a marketing and promo plan. Guess what; even traditional publishing houses require a marketing and promo plan plus what you’re willing to do in marketing your book.

As part of your writing business, the time to begin marketing your book is before it’s completed. Companies offer preorders for upcoming products as part of their marketing. Your book is a coming attraction that needs marketing and promotion just like all upcoming items to build interest. If potential purchasers aren’t aware of your book, will they know you’re writing it, or when to begin looking for it online or bookstore shelves?

Second, without building a following, how will readers know about you? The Internet is today’s Yellow Pages. More people search online to find what they’re looking for.

Without a platform, how are readers to know you exist? You have to learn how to build and maintain your platform. For people to find your platform it must be dynamic, not static to achieve search engine ranking.

Writers, it’s up to you to learn what’s necessary to engage your readers, and build a following.

 Followers are your readers, and readers properly engaged are book buyers.

Continue to learn about your craft, publishing, and your business. 

About the author:

Robert Medak is a retired Communications Technician turned freelance writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, and reviewer learning marketing.

He was born in southern California, and lived in Kansas until moving to southern West Virginia with his wife and their cats and dogs. While in California, he and his wife Connie ran an animal rescue where Robert wrote job descriptions, flyers, and was treasurer.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher

By Peter Bowerman

Given the state of today’s publishing industry, and the number of books being published yearly, have you considered self-publishing as an alternative to the mainstream publishers? While there are many self-published books in today’s market, the problem with many is the poor quality of the writing (lack of editing) and physical design (especially book covers). In this comprehensive book, Peter explains about what it takes to be a successful self-publisher. Incidentally, he doesn’t consider POD self-publishing, but offers up several scenarios where POD makes sense for certain books/authors.

In TWFSP, you will find information on why self-publishing might make sense, getting comfortable with the sales and marketing process, building a book, targeting buyers and building demand, building a book website, distribution, Amazon, maximizing mainstream media, article writing, radio shows, the ins and outs of live appearances, creating multiple stream of income from your book, and much more. The appendices contain self-publishing resources, info on a valuable companion marketing e-kit, a self-publishing time line, and a section of foreign rights.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a complete manual for a business as a self-publisher. In today’s publishing environment, finding an agent, then waiting and hoping that your book will get published, can be a dead end. This book shows you how to do it yourself and still get your book on bookstore shelves.

Items discussed in TWFSP are the cover, how to make your self-published book compete with the mainstream publishers’ books in look, feel, and quality (books that don’t compare to those coming out of publishing houses will be hard to promote to reviewers, wholesalers, distributors, and bookstores). Especially useful is a chapter explain and demystifying the concepts of “Sales & Marketing” that terrify many authors today, but which they’ll have to learn and use to get their book into the hands of readers.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a roadmap to self-publishing and getting your book into the hands of readers. This book, filled with information about the publishing industry and what authors need to accomplish in order to become a published author, is delivered in a conversational tone from someone who’s successfully self-published his books (over 50,000 copies of his first two books are in print). Check out The Well-Fed Self-Publisher “Biz-in-a-Box” Teaser in the back of the book.

This reviewer gives this book a five-star rating. If you are considering self-publishing, read this book and find out what self-publishing is about.

Interviews

If you can get interviews on blog radio or on a blog as a promotion of your writing or your book, my all means look for opportunities to do so.

Use networking to find the opportunities. Offer to do some free writing. It has worked for me. I have an interview on a BlogTalk Radio show and also on a blog, Writers in Business.

Web 2.0 is a marvelous way to become known and letting people learn more about you.

Network marketing is more than just buzz words, it is a way to further your sales and influence on the internet. Network marketing is more than just trying to sell things, it is about creating relationships with people. These relationships will help you more than you may realize.

Authors today need to be smart marketers and business people at the same time.