As the author of 7 books I receive questions about tips for writing and publishing.
Here are a few things that I have learned about self publishing books over the years. This is only my opinion and you can take what applies to you, of course.
1. I usually try be in a meditative state when writing the books so that the writing is smooth, deep, wise, easy and fast.
2. I wouldn’t overdo the editing because it takes so much effort and doesn’t have to be perfect, however having someone else edit is helpful, and also reading the text out loud reveals mistakes easily.
3. E-books are getting to be more popular than printed books in most genres. Making your book into an e-book on Amazon kindle is easy. Or you can sell your own PDF as an e-book.
4. If appropriate to do so, read your book and record an Audio-book option as well. Or ask someone else to do it if you don’t want to use your own voice.
5. Make a beautiful cover. I sometimes use my own art or Amazon’s cover creator (or a combination of the two). There are also many royalty free images available online.
6. If you’re bilingual, making your book in several languages can increase your global appeal.
7. If sales are important to you, research your audience and test a few books out on people. Ask yourself if you buy books like this. And what appeals to you as a consumer?
8. Promote and advertise your book on social media, at events and lectures that you give, etc. I have a Facebook group called I am Rumi, Where is My Shams, named after one of my bestselling books. People are constantly joining the group (its up to 3000 members this week), and when I post a picture of my book, a meme with a quote from the book, or when I offer a discounted promotion, I inevitably get some book sales as a result.
9. Make a YouTube video for your book launch. Read the beginning of the book, or tell the back story of what inspired you to write it. I recently did this for my short story book, The Early Morning Princess about a girl who learns to wake up to meditate before sunrise.
10. Research comparable books in your genre to see what has been done already and to get ideas.
11. If you are interested in product sales think of companion items for your book such as journals, card decks, or CDs/MP3s related to the original text that you wrote.
12. Leave room for a sequel or part 2 if you like.
13. Personal, touching stories teach well through examples, and can increase sales. So include stories of your own struggles or lessons, or those of friends or clients in the text, or in the advertising surrounding how the text came into being.
I hope these helped! I love to see people tap into their creative energies and product beautiful works that inspire others! May the muses of inspiration be always with you.
For a list of Dr. Beckwith’s books and courses please visit: https://drrahmanbeckwith.wordpress.com/booksandcourses/
Dr. Rahman Beckwith integrates Positive Psychology and spirituality to create unique approaches to wellness. A graduate of Princeton University, she is a global speaker and author of many books available on Amazon.com and her website www.DrRahmanBeckwith.wordpress.com. Follow her Facebook page Holistic Therapy with Dr. Rahman and her Instagram, Dr.RahmanBeckwith, for more updates!
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