My Parents Pat & Jack Gatz

What Did I Do Once I had a Completed Manuscript?

• Reached out to my professional network for assistance

• Members from the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) provided me with the information I needed to make an informed decision

What were my Options

• Find an agent

• Find a publishing company

• Self-publish

What did I Decided to do & Why

• I did not elect to find an agent

• I did not elect to seek out a publishing company– Both of these processes could take years and I would lose

control over the creative process

• I elected to become a self-published author– Gave me control over the creative process and allowed me to

bring my book to the market more quickly

The Luck of the Irish

• My New Jersey AWC chapter had a start-up publishing company, Woodpecker Press, that I contracted with

Now what?

Self-Publishing Firm’s Roles

• Work with the author to finalize the manuscript and prepare it in the proper format for printing

• Find a graphic artist to develop book cover

• Find a printer and work with the author to determine the price for the book

• Obtain an ISBN number and file for copyrights for the book

Are the Roles for all Self-Publishing Firms the Same?

NO• Please do your research when selecting a self-

publishing firm.

• For example, learn if you are paid on royalties, whether you own the rights to the book, what services are included in your contract, what does your on-going relationship look like

What is the Author’s Role in a Self-Publishing Approach

• Market, Market, Market your Book

• Do not underestimate the importance of pre-marketing activities:– Sending requests for review

– Getting your website set up

– Collecting names in your network to announce the book

– Getting established on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

– Identify your audience and develop a marketing plan to reach them

– Collect the names of the press that will be interested in your book

As a Self-published Author with a New Book in Hand, What do you do?

• Reality Check: Getting to this point was only 25% of your effort. 75% is the ongoing marketing of your book

• You will need to hire a marketing firm to promote your book

Or

• Market it yourself.

• Either way you will need to get out and talk to people and organizations about your book

Tips for Marketing Your Book

• The internet is your new BFF– Blog, regularly about your accomplishments and the

value of your book– Set up an Events Calendar on Your Website– Set up a book preview link on your website– Open FaceBook and Twitter accounts and provide

regular updates– Develop a monthly newsletter to keep everyone up to

date about what you are doing– Get on “free” book site such as

bookfinder.com,librarything.com, Google Books & Goodreads.com

Tips for Marketing Your Book …continued

• Reach out to your local newspapers

• Reach out to organizations associated with your topic for speaking engagements

• Reach out to independent book stores for Meet the Author Events

• Reach out to your Alma mater to do speaking engagements

• Create a press kit

• Check out CreateSpace.com’s website for free webinars

• Contact library’s for Meet the Author events

Final Thoughts

A final thought from my book,

“Wise Words & Witty Expressions”

You can do anything you put your mind to

Good Luck!