Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales

Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales vectorstock_878775

 

First, do no harm.

 

Or…sell a terrible book.

 

Okay, I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. However, I am an author and I’d love it if every author (no matter HOW you’re published) took this oath.

 

Why? There’s so much negativity out there surrounding self-published authors (which I am), why add to the ammunition? I typically don’t write ‘author’ kind of blogs, but a reader suggested I address this so I am. I’ve written before how product is the most important part of your platform, but I’d like to break it down further.

 

How does one write and produce a ‘not-terrible’ book? By writing and producing a great one! Is it that simple? Nope.

 

Let’s deconstruct.

 

1)   Writing. I’ve written three books and am in the midst of writing number four and researching for number five. I’ve loved writing since age ten. I’ve written since age ten, throughout my life (internships and journaling), and professionally since 2008. My point: writing takes time. For me.

 

Many people will disagree and that’s fine – I know one author who writes one book per week and releases a new book every two to three months and she makes a good living. No offense to her, but that doesn’t work for me.

 

I love the luxury of working through my thoughts, words, and phrases. As a (primarily) nonfiction writer, it takes me some time to address some of my experiences and share them in a way that evokes an emotion for the reader.

 

Without getting too much into my ‘process,’ I will tell you that my first draft is like the Hemingway quote about writing as bleeding. I just sit down and get it out. As author Karen Kondazian says, a first draft should be ‘emotional vomit.’ Just get it out. It took her 27 drafts and six years to finally be ready to pitch her award-winning book The Whip (and it’s wonderful, by the way) and she was signed right away.

 

So my point here is: take your time. Make it amazing. It took me about nine months to complete Broken Pieces and I’ve gotten the best reviews of my career.

 

Share your work with other writers you trust with your baby. Then share it with more people. Then, when you finally feel like if you see it once more, you’ll hurl, it’s time to pay someone to edit it for you.

 

2)   Editing. I never knew this until I hired a professional (the extraordinarily talented Jessica Swift Eldridge): there are really three types of editing and a book needs all three. They are:

 

  • Substantive: (also called content or structural) edit, where they dissect the book, look at the structure, and many times suggest major changes.
  • Line edit: more intense than basic proofreading, they do exactly what it sounds like: review a book line by line for errors and suggest fixes.
  • Proofreading: basic proofing for grammar and spelling errors. Proofreaders often read words and sentences backward, a skill most authors do not possess.

 

Much of the complaints people make about self-published books is in the editing (poor grammar, misspelled words, clichéd writing, etc.). Hiring someone who knows what the hell they’re doing can prevent all of these mistakes. Your high school English teacher may be a nice lady, but does she know the Chicago Manual of Style inside and out?

 

Yes, editing costs money. So, start saving for it while you’re writing. Stop going to Starbucks and out to sushi (gasp). Put money toward making your book amazing and you’ll make up the editing fees plus more in sales on the backend.

 

 

3)   Betareading. What does beta mean? Basically, it’s a test version. For authors, it’s the first shared version to send to readers, reviewers, etc. This is where you get feedback from many others (I sent Broken Pieces to about thirty people – readers, fans, other authors and reviewers I respect). They all gave me wonderful feedback and I made several changes. Some I didn’t.

 

Betas are also important from a marketing standpoint: many will write reviews for you. There is not guarantee they will, of course, or that they will be positive. But if you send to your readers (I suggest tweeting it out and sharing that you’re looking for betas), many people will be happy to post a review after your upload the book to Amazon or wherever.

 

4)   Graphic Design. We all judge a book by its cover. Sorry, but it’s true. So you need a great cover. Eye-catching – using colors that draw the eye in, like red (notice red is on all my covers). Unless you are also a graphic designer, I suggest hiring someone who does this for a living. Why? BrokenPieces-FINAL2 (2)

 

Well, no doubt you’ve seen some truly horrible book covers. I know I have. Horrible covers rarely sell thousands of books. I’ve paid anywhere from $150 to $500 for my covers, every penny well spent. Don’t skimp.

 

5) Formatting. Just like the above, I suggest paying someone to format for you, unless you’ve learned and love doing it and get paid for it also. To me, it’s like math. I don’t want to do it mostly because I’ve rather spend those hours writing or marketing. The last thing you want is a terrific book that’s formatted poorly. Again, it’s worth the investment in you.

 

So there you have it. I’ll discuss more about writing next time, and plan to have some successful writers visit as well to share their processes and secrets. For now, focus on making your writing the best you possibly can and start looking around for the best help you can afford.

 

I welcome your comments and questions!

 

Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to my blog and you’ll never miss my weekly posts! Just enter your email address over on the right hand side of this page >>>>. It’s easy, and I won’t share your email address with anyone. Redhead’s honor. 

Need personalized help? Check out my BadRedheadMedia.com services page.

 

 

 

 

52 Comments

  1. Lori Hedgpeth on April 12, 2013 at 11:16 am

    Thank you so much for the shout out.

    Have a great Friday!

    ~Lori

  2. RachelintheOC (@YAPromoCentral) on April 12, 2013 at 11:34 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/bA75XmJLai Importance of hiring a pro editor, proofreader, graphic artist & formatter

  3. Sandy Appleyard (@SandyAppleyard) on April 12, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/hFV6BMZhTl via @BadRedheadMedia

  4. (D) Kai Wilson-Viola (@Kaiberie) on April 12, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/5uf4ZrU71S via @BadRedheadMedia

  5. Sandra de Helen (@dehelen) on April 12, 2013 at 2:36 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/T1DzpnyBZw via @BadRedheadMedia

  6. MAJK (@Safireblade) on April 12, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/6p0ivh8Y7p via @BadRedheadMedia

  7. Rebecca T Dickson (@rebeccatdickson) on April 12, 2013 at 4:13 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/S6ShHLw40X via @BadRedheadMedia

  8. Simon Hay (@SimonHayHealer) on April 12, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/s2XbMvjHyJ via @BadRedheadMedia

  9. Toby Neal (@tobywneal) on April 12, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/y5FBKzGQvd via @BadRedheadMedia

  10. Toni Rakestraw (@ToniRakestraw) on April 12, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/3cew9YTlZr via @BadRedheadMedia

  11. Cindy Brown (@hiyacynthia) on April 12, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/dmWkzoEVR2 via @BadRedheadMedia

  12. Becky Gaylord (@BeckyGaylord) on April 12, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/XExhB64M6p via @BadRedheadMedia

  13. Benjamin Wallace (@BenMWallace) on April 12, 2013 at 11:41 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/MmETP3MHBy via @BadRedheadMedia

  14. Amber JeromeNorrgard (@AmberNorrgard) on April 12, 2013 at 11:42 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/7LdTFhmqLR via @BadRedheadMedia

  15. Jocelyn (@grandbabycake) on April 13, 2013 at 1:30 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/72PQ78Ndcp via @BadRedheadMedia

  16. Saint Jude Retreats (@StJudeRetreat) on April 13, 2013 at 2:38 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/Aa3QQFCvZM via @BadRedheadMedia

  17. @LyssaAnn42 on April 13, 2013 at 3:28 am

    @mcmillendc: Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/lugPSymffI via @BadRedheadMedia

  18. Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) on April 13, 2013 at 6:35 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/AfTLgMdm4H via @BadRedheadMedia

  19. @KennethCarnesi on April 13, 2013 at 7:01 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/Tki1d4DMMT via @RachelintheOC

  20. Bri Clark (@Bri_Clark) on April 13, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/FRAOR6oBKd via @BadRedheadMedia

  21. Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) on April 13, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/RWT38yC79e Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right. Produce a GREAT product!

  22. Dianne Solberg (@Wxmouse) on April 13, 2013 at 10:24 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/1AvKGsYfKO via @BadRedheadMedia

  23. Rachel Thompson (@RachelintheOC) on April 14, 2013 at 9:25 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/03yramyyhQ Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right. Produce a GREAT product!

  24. @360FB on April 14, 2013 at 11:39 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/H6yYtwE9Qd via @BadRedheadMedia

  25. Kate Tilton on April 14, 2013 at 11:55 am

    These are all really important steps. This is one of the reasons I’m glad to be working for BiblioCrunch, we help connect authors to the professionals they need to that they can get the professional cover, the editing, and the formatting they need. Self-publishing IS a business and you have to invest in it before you make good sales. Thanks for sharing about this!

    -Kate Tilton

  26. @BiancaSloane on April 14, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/ORG7v7Hm4B via @badredheadmedia

  27. BestSellingReads (@BestSellingRead) on April 14, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    nvest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/FrC3qC2QwM Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right.

  28. RachelintheOC (@RomPromoCentral) on April 15, 2013 at 12:40 am

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/HIyJKQdhpE Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right.

  29. Monday Blogs (@MondayBlogs) on April 15, 2013 at 1:40 am

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/9buSkpT5PZ Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right.

  30. RachelintheOC (@EroticRomPromo) on April 15, 2013 at 2:40 am

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/98AZedX80R Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right.

  31. @SwiftInkEditor on April 15, 2013 at 4:18 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/j7Q61IcAgn via @RachelintheOC

  32. IndieBookPromos (@indiebookpromos) on April 15, 2013 at 5:40 am

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/PRn9oEXEWX Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right.

  33. Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) on April 15, 2013 at 7:35 am

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/xaElnPyJKG Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right. Product, baby

  34. Sharon Lamb on April 15, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Great article. Happy shout out to Rachel and Jessica Swift Eldridge.

  35. Monday Blogs (@MondayBlogs) on April 15, 2013 at 9:16 am

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/xIE9yK8GMM Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right. Product, baby

  36. @jazzcat007 on April 15, 2013 at 9:50 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/Zqltzw2OWg

  37. @Froze8 on April 15, 2013 at 11:14 am

    MT “@RachelintheOC Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/c60o7yorad Are you #selfpub? Do it right. Produce a GREAT product!”

  38. @Screwpulp on April 15, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/mqULEXtfhB

  39. IndieBookPromos (@indiebookpromos) on April 15, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    #MondayBlogs Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/LzgpXqLBzw Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right. Product, baby

  40. Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) on April 16, 2013 at 5:46 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/L9x4ZDK3aP Are you #selfpublishing? Create a superior product!

  41. IndieBookPromos (@indiebookpromos) on April 16, 2013 at 7:45 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/wDAwrpCZSR Are you #selfpublishing? Create a superior product!

  42. @FED_ebooks on April 16, 2013 at 11:41 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales – http://t.co/MnK8PQzfmg #book #marketing

  43. Rachel Thompson (@RachelintheOC) on April 16, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/97MhxLiIlg Are you #selfpublishing? Do it right. Product, baby

  44. RachelintheOC (@YAPromoCentral) on April 16, 2013 at 4:55 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/5NRlyZfnbv Are you #selfpublishing? Create a superior product!

  45. RachelintheOC (@RomPromoCentral) on April 16, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/UZneAbmj1P Are you #selfpublishing? Create a superior product!

  46. @BizTrends on April 17, 2013 at 5:10 am

    MUST READ – Solid advice for all book authors. http://t.co/CvOhIgzIKP

  47. @KDillabough on April 17, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/MjUlDaoDpd via @RachelintheOC

  48. Ryan Casey (@RyanCaseyBooks) on April 17, 2013 at 9:45 am

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales via @BadRedHeadMedia – http://t.co/CwZ0LIG1rG #writing

  49. @GrahamPublish on April 17, 2013 at 11:12 am

    Invest In Your #Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/ZLjJAca6sZ

  50. Rachel Thompson (@RachelintheOC) on April 17, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales http://t.co/2PNxR1h5BK Are you #selfpublishing? Create a superior product!

  51. […] Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales […]

  52. How To Effectively NOT Sell Your Book on May 24, 2013 at 10:09 pm

    […] Invest In Your Book For Successful Sales […]

Leave a Comment