Writing and publishing a book is very similar to developing and launching a new product.  The process requires a considerable amount of time, thought, tweaking and in some cases a complete redo.

I reworked the draft three times and the first edit resulted in over 80% of the pages being deleted.

Gutting the book was painful.  But I knew it had to be done to write the book I wanted to publish.  I also learned that you must write what you want to say, not what you believe others think you should be writing.

Wrestling with the book, I reached a critical turning point in the process – idea validation.   The book found its grove, and I knew we were finally moving in the right direction.

After speaking with multiple vanity presses and publishing coaches, I selected to use Create Space (a subsidiary of Amazon) to create the book’s cover and layout.  The process would take between six to eight weeks.

On March 25th, I uploaded the manuscript to Create Space, and on April 25th it was published on Amazon.  The whole process took only 30 days. I was surprised, and asked the representative why the process took less time to complete.   She said most individuals conduct multiple edits after they submit their manuscript which causes delays.

She added that authors can save time by completing their bio, book description and determining their category while Create Space works on the layout.  Her comment made me think about Seth Godin’s blog post about understanding critical path and learning to focus on what matters most.

Complete the Follow Action Items – Before Submitting Your Manuscript

Hire a Good Voice / Flow Editor and Grammar Editor

Voice editor is different from a Grammar editor.  Voice helps you organize your idea into a workable manuscript.  Even though your idea may sound good in your mind, it can be a different story when you put the idea on paper.

I worked with Julie Richie who is an author and editor.   We worked to define the book’s purpose, target market and content.   My initial draft included content for three different books, and she helped to determine which information would be used for You Posted What!?.

Grammar editor is a must.  Even if you were a straight A Honors English student, hiring a grammar editor to review your manuscript is worth the money.  Solicit family and friends to review your manuscript for content, flow and grammar.  Having multiple set of eyes will help you write a better book.

Spend the money and hire both editors.   I also used Grammarly to double check my edits to make sure I did not miss any errors.

The final part of the editing process was reading the manuscript out loud word-for-word.  I was taught in high school the most effective way to edit was to read your draft out loud.

Double Check and Recheck Sources

Check and recheck your sources especially if you are quoting other writers and bloggers.  I doubled checked all my quotes and writers to make sure they were using creditable sources.

I printed the articles referenced in the book.  Computers can crash and digital files can be erased. Should there be a question in the future, I have a historical printed copy of the information that is contained in the book.

Book Recommendations and Back Cover Quotes

Obtain your book recommendations and back cover quotes before you submit your manuscript. The quotes I used for the book cover are from multiple presentations that I gave last year on the growing influence of our digital profiles.

I contacted each person and obtained a written confirmation to use their Tweet and name on the book cover. This information is also saved in a file folder with the manuscript.

Submit Only a Final Draft of the Manuscript

If you are still on the fence and believe you need make more edits, and then do so before you submit the manuscript.  My goal was to have the edits completed before uploading to Create Space.

I made a few corrections on the first printed proof and none on the second, which enabled me to publish the sooner than anticipated.

Using Simple Effective Book Covers

Another time saver was creating a simple and effective book cover.   If you plan to write multiple books, use this time to create a book cover template that can used for future books.  Unless I change my mind, I plan to use the same template for the three entrepreneurship books I am currently writing.

Book Title

One of the important lessons I learned was not to focus on finding a book title while writing and editing the manuscript.   I felt that I needed a book title to define the book’s direction and purpose; however, I discovered this create problems and can limit you as a writer.

The manuscript had two previous names Digital Metamorphosis and Beyond the Four Walls.   The old titles feel out place, they also reflect the transformation that occurring during the writing process.  Naming a book is similar to naming a product or company, it either works or it doesn’t!

You Posted What!? was originally a chapter heading until Julie said to “No! This is your book title”.

Respond to the Request Immediately

When you receive action items or request from either Create Space or Ingram[http://www.ingramcontent.com/pages/home.aspx], answers and complete the tasks as quickly as possible to keep the process moving.  Also, make sure the book description and your bio is completed and edited before you upload the manuscript.

Book Announcement Spreadsheet

Create a book announcement contact list in Excel, MailChimp or Google Docs.  Make sure everyone on the list is someone you have met and exchanged contact information (spam rules).  I have been sending out personalized emails that include a brief note about the book and link to Amazon.   I am also using this time to follow up with former co-workers, classmates and business partners.

Overall I was pleased with the service from Create Space and now have a better understanding of the process.

It was exciting to see my book on Amazon.  Being a published author has been a dream of mine since junior high.  I’m currently working on three books that focus on entrepreneurship and the Digital Revolution.

Since junior high I have been writing poetry, short stories and articles for local community papers.   I started blogging three years ago about startups, concept development and digital technology.

My goal is to complete “You Posted What! How to Help Your Teen Use Social Media For Future Career Success” by May of 2014.

The Internet provides a unique freedom for creative individuals; we can develop and share ideas with others around the world. I am grateful for this freedom and opportunity.

Deciding to self-publish was a no-brainer since my chances of securing a publisher were slim. Secondly, my goal is to write more books in the future and knowing how to self-publish early in the process would save time and money later.

In the past six months, I’ve discovered that writing the actual book is the easier part of the process. Learning the intricacies of self-publishing has become a daunting task.  Lack of consistency in information from “how-to” books and marketers has not helped either. Several friends have recently published books and were generous with advice and recommendations.

In May, I was reading about Kickstarter and begin to toss around the idea of launching a Kickstarter campaign to pre-sell the book. I’m curious about Kickstarter and would like to be part of the experience.

What I Have Learned So Far–

Writing the Actual Book

“Word” is the program of choice for many reasons, it is the most popular, easy to use and your files can be sent to editors and publishers with ease.

PressBooks is a new platform that offers the ability to write and publish an eBook using the WordPress platform.  For individuals who are bloggers and already use WordPress, this is an easy program to use.

I created an account to test drive PressBooks.  What I like best about platform is that you can visually see what your eBook will look like when it’s published.

Being a visual learner and thinker “seeing” the book in a digital format helped establish a visual image of the book I was writing.

Secondly, you can cut and paste from Word which is a nice feature. The down side to PressBooks is that you have been online to add content to your book. The information is stored in the cloud; therefore, you must be connected to the Internet to work on your book. There are times when I write on a notepad, scrap paper or on the laptop away from the office. Writing is a process and I always print a hard copy to edit.

Just like WordPress, you can select your book theme from a template or you can create a custom theme.

Publishers

Hyperink provides publishing services to well-known bloggers and business experts.  Brad Feld and Penelope Truck have published eBooks using Hyperink’s platform.  The down side is that you must be an expert or high profile blogger for Hyperink to publish your book.

Secondly, most of the book themes are very similar which makes it hard to differentiate the subject matter and the company requests that you complete your book in six weeks.

BookBaby is a unique publisher; the company was started by artists, writers and musicians as an alternative way to sell their art.  When I visited with the BookBaby representative she was helpful and happy to answer my questions.

However, she was unable to provide specific information about Amazon’s policies. I thought the pricing was reasonable for the services which included registering the ISBN number and book distribution.

Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch wrote “APE – Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book” for first time authors.  Guy offered free copies via Google+ following the release date. The book is worth reading if you are first time author, I found some of the sections useful and skimmed through the rest of the book.

EBooks Thumbnails Matter 

Two bits of advice that I heard multiple times is to budget money for a good graphic artist and editor.

For eBooks, a strong thumbnail book cover will differentiate your book from the thousands of other listed on Amazon.  Second, the cover is used to market and sell your book.

Edit, Edit, Edit and Then Edit Some More 

You may be an excellent writer; however, having a second set of eyes is worth the money. Behind every successful author there is a really good editor. I have written this advice twice because good grammar is crucial. I spend hours editing my blog posts and know there is still room for improvement.

Make sure you include a good editor and graphic artist in your budget. After you have spent hours working on your book, why skimp and sell your book short.

One more thought on editing, ask your business associates, family and friends to read your draft and provide honest feedback for improvements For book reviews, ask several business associates and thought leaders in your industry to review your book.   These reviews will be used on the book’s Amazon profile page and in your marketing materials.

Funding – Kickstarter

Kickstarter offers a unique platform to pre-sell your book. Writers at all levels have used this platform to generate interest and sell their books. The money raised from the campaign depends on the topic matter and public interest.

Right now, I am planning on launching a Kickstarter campaign in September to pre-sell both the book.  I am excited about the potential of the Kickstarter campaign and understand that I will need to market the campaign to ensure success.

Market Your Book Now

Start marketing your book before the initial draft is finished. Start building your community now. Establishing an audience early is important and will help sell your book when it published. The general consensus is to market the book about year prior to the published date.

Currently, I am in the process of securing a graphic artist to create a poster and eBook cover for the Kickstarter campaign.   I will continue to share the information I learned as I work my way through the self-publishing process.