Why Self-Publish?

 Photo by Ahmad Ossayli

If you are a business owner, speaker, educator or entrepreneur, then you probably already know that publishing a book can amplify your message and increase profits.

As a successful professional, you have important information to share and you are an expert in your field. Yet, somehow the work of completing your book comes last.

Here’s what having a book can do for your business: 

• RAISES YOUR PROFILE

Having a published book raises your profile among your competitors because you are instantly seen as the expert in your field.

• GRANTS AUTHORITY

With a published book, consulting gigs, speaking engagements and other unexpected opportunities arrive that add to your reputation and authority.

• CREATES NEW REVENUE CHANNELS

When consulting, speaking or teaching, you discover new markets that lead to new clients and customers and add new revenue streams to your business.

...But success is not guaranteed. Even the most committed authors abandon their publishing efforts because they become overwhelmed by too much information that does not apply to their project. Or they think it’s too expensive to self-publish. Or they simply don’t know where to find help because they’ve never done it before.

It takes faith—and a firm belief in your vision—to put in the effort to reach the end goal. You can take the first step toward that accomplishment by committing yourself to make a plan before you publish. 

FIND YOUR MASSIVE PURPOSE

Before you complete your book manuscript, you need to visualize your goals clearly and focus on your massive purpose for publishing. You need to think beyond general outcomes and results—to more specifically define what success means to you.

Are you an educator, a public speaker, or an expert looking to share your expertise, win a promotion, or to win the respect of your peers? Are you an entrepreneur or business owner looking to sell more of your products and services? Do you crave the admiration of family, friends and colleagues? It’s important to understand your expectations and how you measure success if you want to reap the benefits attached to your hard work.

Check at least five of your primary reasons to self-publish from the following checklist. If you have other motives, add them in!

Your purpose needs to be clear—and strong enough to propel you through all the phases of self-publishing. 

• To share special expertise
• To teach skills to others
• To inspire readers to take action, change, or grow
• To add to professional visibility
• To create a new career avenue
• To earn more income
• To archive a body of work, such as informational products, white papers, key speeches or presentations

• For personal growth or a professional challenge
• For self expression and creativity
• As a legacy for colleagues or family members

Next, realistically assess your skills to determine what tasks you can do yourself and when to find others who can help you successfully self-publish.

A popular statistic shows that 84% of all Americans say they want to write a book one day.What’s the difference between those who dream about it and those who do it? Authors come from every walk of life, yet certain personality types will have a better chance of emerging as successful authors, while others won’t. Writing ability is a given, but what other characteristics factor into making a successful author?

It’s important to look at self-publishing as a project with you as the project manager.How much can you do yourself? When is it a good idea to hire help?

No one writes and publishes a book completely on his or her own—every book is a collaborative effort. Today we have more opportunities than ever to get our work into print, online, and distributed as e-books, yet authors also have to do more to market their own writing, and to get the attention of readers in the marketplace.

If you’re not sure if your book is a good idea, or you don’t have a clear plan, download my FREE GUIDE. 

If you want guidance and help creating a plan, schedule a FREE DISCOVERY CALL with me to see how I can help. 

Plan for Success!

Lindsay