Putting Your Money Where Your Manuscript Is

Only blank pages don’t require editing! If you are going to self publish, do it right, and get the right advice, otherwise you might as well tear your money up. 

1. Remember that publishing is a business

Self-publishing or independent publishing should be treated as a business. Would you open a retail store or create a product without doing some competitive research, a business plan, or a marketing plan? Know your market and how to get your book out there.

2. Know your goals

Have a clear set of goals in mind when you start and how you plan to achieve them. You need to understand why you’re writing this book, who it is for, how you will reach your readers, what your budget is, and what you want to get out of this journey.

3. Don’t rush

Take the time to understand why you’re publishing, and work with your team to achieve your goals. Produce a book that you’ll be proud of and that is worth your reader’s time and money.

4. Develop relationships

The most important relationship in the book business is between you and your reader. Through Limelight Publishing and Lulu, distribution service makes your book widely available, now you need to find the readers, connect and network with them.

5. Pre-order, pre-sell

Utilise trade publishing’s best practice sales secret—set a pre-publication date and release your book as a pre-order with an ‘On Sale Date’ from your website. Pre-orders are one of the most powerful merchandising tools for new book releases. It enables advance marketing of the title and special visibility advantage on the day of release, as well as getting in front of book buyers and readers.

6. Remember it’s not set in stone

Do authors and publishers make mistakes? Absolutely. Limit this by inviting beta readers to view your book and to grow your author platform, as you perfect it. Utilise the services of an editor—only blank pages don’t require editing. Once published, if there are changes, errors or improvements—don’t despair. Limelight Services allow you to publish, sell, remove, improve, revise, replenish and re-publish in absolutely no time.