Publishing for Maximum Profit
by
Fred Gleeck
Copyright 2001 & 2011 by Fred Gleeck
Smashwords Edition
* * * * *
Contents
About the author
A guarantee with no reservations
Why write?
Why people (YOU) don’t get started
What are your goals?
Your publishing options
Benefits of self-publishing
Who shouldn’t self-publish?
How is this approach different/better?
Chapter 1: Establishing Your Publishing Empire
Naming your publishing company
Establishing your publishing company
Setting up your bank account
Accepting credit cards is mandatory
Setting up a Web-based marketing system
Associations in the publishing industry
Chapter 2: Researching Your Book
What should you write about?
Internet
Interviews
Books and magazines
Keep a large binder
Write it: Let me count the ways
Editing your book
Interior design:What is it?
The book cover
Peer reviews/testimonials
Chapter 4: Forms and Other Necessities
ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
SAN (Standard Address Number)
LCCN (Library of Congress Catalog Number)
ABI (Advanced Book Information)
CIP (Cataloging in Publication) Data Bank
Bar Codes
Copyright (Form TX)
Traditional short-run printers
The Docutech alternative
Publishing quick and dirty
Book size
Typefaces
Art/Illustrations/Pictures
Paper
Spine/Binding choices
Shrink-wrapping
Chapter 6: Promoting, Marketing, and Selling
Forms of payment
Book pricing
Traditional book selling
The new model — Sell it yourself
Your Web site
Do you want fries with that?
Web Marketing Magic can do that
Choices in ordering
Free methods
Speaking engagements
Writing for Ezines
Trade journals
Unattended database entries
Low-cost marketing methods
Bounce-back offers
Online bookstores
Using affiliates for added profit
Fulfillment
Return handling
Reverse shoplifting
Bookstores
Miscellaneous marketing techniques
Chapter 7: Maximize Profit with Your Book
Fill the funnel
Don’t give away your shoes
Autoresponders
Creating a product line
Chapter 8: Your Next Book and Beyond
In conclusion
Appendix I – Additional Resources
Special Offer
WEB MARKETING MAGIC. COM (The Details)
Appendix II – Rolodex and Sample Forms
Million Dollar Rolodex
Sample Seminar Evaluation
Sample Checklist for Seminars
Sample Hotline Message
Sample Speaker Release Form
Sample Boot Camp Schedule
Sample Individual Speaker Evaluations
Sample Boot Camp Evaluation
Sample Registration Information
Sample Seminar Registration Form
Sample Product Pitch
Sample Guest Speaker Agreement
Sample Seminar Welcome Letter
If you have ever had the desire to write successfully and market your book, maximizing your profits, this book is for you. The fact is that only one out of every 100 authors earns more than $50,000 per year; most are living hand to mouth. The publishing business is rapidly changing and many of the books on the market contain outdated and incorrect information. I created this system to help you maximize your revenue for best results. You will learn how to set up your own publishing company, including the following important skills and tasks:
•Tips on setting your goals to increase your chances for success
•Three simple and effective ways to get your book written
•The biggest obstacle to completing your book
•Systems to write, print, and sell your book
•The differences among self-publishing, vanity publishing, and traditional publishing
•How to design your front and back covers for maximum effectiveness
•The vital importance of your title and subtitle and how to create them
•Effective systems for setting up and selling books via your Web site
•Where to get your book printed and in what quantities
•Why you must understand the “funnel system” if you are to make REALLY BIG MONEY
and much, much, more.
About the author
I am the son of an American diplomat, born in Japan, raised in the Philippines, not coming to the United States until I entered college. After completing graduate school I moved to New York City where five major Fortune 500 companies fired me in succession. I finally reached the conclusion that I was not meant to be an employee, but self-employed, and everyone involved was in complete agreement.
In 1984 I was fortunate to attend a seminar given by the late Howard Shensen on becoming a speaker and seminar leader. He became my mentor. One of Howard’s many important teachings was to include a book as an “add-on sale” to each of his seminars. He had a book for each of his seminar titles. I learn slowly, sometimes, and have been a little lazy in producing the books to accompany my seminars. Hopefully this book will help you to learn from my mistakes and prevent you from making them yourself.
Although I am a speaker, author, and consultant, I am no longer just one of these. A more correct title in today’s Internet age would be “Information Marketer.”
I speak 80 to 100 times per year and have given over 1,300 one-day seminars during the past 15 years. Many of these engagements are my own self-promoted events in my various niche markets in addition to more “traditional” speaking engagements.
I consult with organizations of all sizes, as well as with entrepreneurs in various areas of business. My areas of expertise include marketing, customer service, leadership, and presentation skills. I have worked with the “big guys” like AT&T, IBM and Chemical Bank, as well as a select group of individuals.
I create and market information products in a number of niche markets. In some of these markets I have created joint venture partnerships with other experts. I have also produced hundreds of audio and videotape programs for numerous niche markets, both for my clients and myself. I have authored three books and have four more on the way. The latest include: Speaking for Millions, Consulting Secrets to Triple Your Income, and Marketing and Promoting Your Own Seminars and Workshops.
In addition to running my own highly successful information marketing business, I also coach other speakers, consultants, and authors. I work with them to maximize their revenue through the creation, marketing, and sale of information products. My work helps people to maximize their chances for personal and financial success.
A guarantee with no reservations
Let me offer you my 100%, Unconditional Guarantee. This is FOOLPROOF! If you are not completely happy with any product or service you buy from me, just give me a call for a complete refund. No “weasel” clauses, no third degree!
How can we do afford to do this? Simple…my materials work!
Why write?
In my own non-scientific surveys at the seminars I’ve conducted over the years, I have found that there are three major reasons people want to become writers. They want to become one or more of the following:
• rich
• famous
• known as an expert
Most certainly you can become rich if you write a book. Following the right road map (my teachings in this book) will certainly get you started in the right direction. Becoming famous is also a distinct possibility if you promote yourself heavily.
If your goal is to be viewed as an expert, there is no better way than with your own book. On one of my many business flights, I was seated next to a gentleman who is a major venture capitalist. The conversation turned to the usual, “What do you do for a living?” I began explaining what I do and he asked for my business card. Wouldn’t it have been impressive to hand him a copy of my book instead of my card?
We, as a society, tend to revere authors and put them up on a pedestal. Therefore, having your own book not only becomes a great source of profit financially, it also becomes a great (maybe your best) piece of promotional literature. Don’t most people believe that if you have authored a book, you are an expert in your field?
Why people (like you) don’t get started
During many years of giving seminars, I’ve encountered thousands of people who said they wanted to write their book. So why aren’t more people actually writing? Again, through my non-scientific surveys, I have determined that there are three major reasons:
•perfectionism
•laziness
•lack of a “blueprint,” some place to begin the writing process
Well, perfectionism is another area in which I am an expert. People want to make it perfect from the very beginning. This reminds me of a saying in the industry, “Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good.” This is why we have second and third editions!
If you insist on having it perfect you’ll never get it written. I encourage you to get it out there, warts and all. If there are errors or problems in the book, put a statement like this one at the beginning of your book:
There are inevitably mistakes in this book. If you find any, typographical or otherwise, and point them out to us, we will give you $1.00 for each mistake you identify.
Now you will have other people helping you perfect your book. Hopefully, you will not have to pay out hundreds of dollars, since you will have done some editing. But even if you did pay $100 to people who find errors in the book, this will make your second edition that much better. By the third edition it will be nearly perfect.
They (and I really don’t know exactly who “they” is) say that the number of books read is actually something under 50% of those purchased. Sad but true! And the number of books actually read completely, cover to cover, is somewhere between 1% and 15%.
So, does your book need to be perfect? A resounding “no!”. Get it out there. Get it working. Perfectionism? Get over it!
Some people are just plain lazy. (Since you’re reading this book you are probably not one of these.) For those people, I really have no answer. I just can’t tell them what to do. Maybe their goals are not strong or important enough to get them going.
Many people don’t get their book written or published due to a lack of a good blueprint. Without a plan, publishing your book can seem a bit overwhelming. If you’re one of those people, keep reading. The steps we discuss throughout this book will clear up some of the mystery. It’s OK to be cautious, but don’t let caution stop you cold. Even if you don’t understand the terminology or maybe why you need to take some of the steps we’ll discuss in this book, jump in! Do it! It will become clearer as you experience it. The blueprint is what this book is all about. Keep reading and then start doing.
What are your goals?
What do you want to accomplish in writing your book? You must clearly define the goals you want to achieve. How much money do you want to earn? How soon do you want to earn it? Remember those three reasons for writing that we discussed earlier — money, fame and positioning? If you don’t know where you are going, you will surely get there. Even if you don’t know where “there” is! So, you decide how much you want to earn and how soon you want to earn it. That way, when you get there, you’ll know where “there” is.
Be specific. Exactly how much time do you want to invest? How much money do you want to earn for the time you invest? This is the goal that will get you started and keep you going throughout your plan.
Write your goals. Keep them in front of you. And keep reading this book.
Your publishing options
There are three primary options in publishing:
•Traditional or royalty publishing houses
•Vanity publishing houses
•Self publishing
In the traditional or royalty publishing house you, the author, usually receive an advance payment. This is an advance against future royalties. Let’s see how this works…
Let’s say you write a book on martial arts. The publisher gives you an advance of $5,000. Your book is going to sell for $20.00 each. After all of the expenses and fees charged to you by the publisher, you may net in your pocket $.50 per book. These figures are approximate and I am told fairly representative of the royalty publishing industry.
Now, you have to sell 10,000 copies just to earn the advance that was provided up front by the publisher. After recovering the advance, you start earning a whopping $.50 per book that is sold through traditional channels. Even if the figure were $.75 per book, I still believe it’s highway robbery. To add insult to injury, you usually have to wait six to nine months for the checks to arrive.
In addition, it probably took you several trips to the publisher where you no doubt needed to beg, cajole and plead just to get them to read your manuscript. They probably wouldn’t even talk directly to you, so you had to hire an agent. Of course, the agent wasn’t free. So, out of the tremendous $.50 per book you are earning, you now have to pay an additional 10-15% off the top to your agent.
Oh, did I mention that after the agent has finally convinced the publisher to read your manuscript and all is in agreement that they will publish your book, it can still take one to two years before it will actually be printed and distributed?
For most of us, going through the traditional publishing gauntlet is unacceptable.
Even more unacceptable than the traditional publishing houses are something called vanity publishers. There are a number of them out there. I’m sure you have seen their ads. “Authors Wanted.” When you see these words it is a dead give-away that this is a vanity publisher.
The scam is to get you to submit your manuscript to them. Lo and behold, as soon as you do submit your manuscript, they send you a letter back a letter saying…Guess what?…you’ve been accepted!
You’ve been accepted to pay 300% more than what you would have to pay if you published it yourself and we will do no marketing for you.
Basically, these folks are in the book printing business. Vanity publishers make their money printing several copies of your book and selling them to you at 300% more than you would have paid if you had published it yourself. Unacceptable.
This leads us to the third and best option: publish it yourself! I suspect that’s why you picked up this book in the first place!
Benefits of self-publishing
The benefits of self-publishing are:
•You make the profits
•It can be done fast
•You are in control
Or, put slightly differently: You do the work, you take the risks, and you reap the rewards.
Let’s say, for example, you produce the martial arts book yourself and that you sell it for $20 per copy. Now, if you print enough of them you can get the costs down to $2 per book. If you print even more you can lower your costs to about $1 per copy. That is a lot different income scenario from the measly $.50 per book you can expect to get through the traditional royalty publishing houses.
These numbers are estimates, but I believe they are pretty close to accurate. You do the bulk of the work. You earn the greater profit.
Now, let’s look at another advantage: time. Following the methods I’ll be teaching in this book, you can produce your book, from idea to finished and printed copies, in three months. That’s fast!
If that’s too fast for you, it’s OK to slow it down a bit, because you are in control of the process.
When you give your book to a traditional publisher, you relinquish virtually all control. They decide on the title, how many pages, the front and back covers, and much, much more. You might find yourself saying, “Whose book is this, anyway?” Do you want someone else controlling your book?
Who shouldn’t self-publish?
Clearly, some people should not self-publish. Who are they? They are people that do not enjoy selling and promoting themselves. If you are not detail-oriented and organized you may either not wish to self-publish or hire a consultant or coach to keep you on track, coaching and advising.
Many details of the publishing process will be explained throughout this book. If, however, you may need some additional help, contact me. I can offer consulting and coaching services to help you through the writing and publishing process.
How is this approach different/better?
What is different or better about my approach? My approach is exclusively about maximizing dollars. It’s not about producing the “perfect book.” I’m not in the business of teaching you how to produce a perfect work of art.
This book is to teach you how to make books that make money. Now, I’m not suggesting that you produce a shoddy product; that’s not in your best interest in any event.
This program is not about creating an image or increasing your prestige. My approach is to teach you how to maximize your earnings.
It’s about money!
Establishing Your Publishing Empire
Naming your publishing company
There are many factors to consider in naming your publishing company. The first and most important thing to do is consult with, believe it or not, a search engine specialist. I have given you information on Kimberly Judd in the Million-Dollar Rolodex at the back of this book.
The way the search engine lists you and the proper positioning of your publishing company are crucial to your long-term success. This has a lot to do with how you name your company, so that issue deserves the proper consultation and research.
A search engine specialist will offer a wealth of information on choosing the name that will give you the best positioning. The right name will optimize the number of people who will be able to locate you easily when they search on the Web. In turn, the number of books you sell will be much greater. So, first things first…consult an expert before coming up with your name.
By the way, never (and I mean never!) use your own name in the name of your publishing company. Why? If you use your own name, “Gleeck Publishing,” it reeks of self-production. Admittedly, we are self-producing and self-publishing; however, we do not want to present that image to the consumer. We do not want to appear to the consumer picking up our book, say, in a bookstore, to be the author and the publisher and everything else. So, we create a publishing company.
For example, my most recent endeavor is “Fast Forward Press.” That does not have my name in it, although it will be revised in the near future, after consulting with my search engine specialist. I have learned that numbers in front of the name can provide better positioning. Therefore, 1 Fast Forward Press would provide better positioning according to the specialist.
Check it out. Go to Yahoo and conduct a search. Examine the search results and you will see that their listing is in alphabetical order. And, if there are numbers in the title, they will be at the beginning of the listing. That is where you want your publishing company to be listed…at the top!
The name you choose should not be limiting. The more generic the name, the more variety of subject matter you can publish under it. If you named your company Martial Arts Press or Karate Press, the name limits you to publishing authors who write in that field. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that you may have to form additional companies to create opportunities to publish in other topic areas.
Establishing your publishing company
Consider how you wish to create your company, financially. It is important to know the differences among:
•sole proprietor
•partnership
•corporation
•Limited Liability Corporation (LLC)
Each has its own set of rules and tax advantages and disadvantages. The only way to know the best solution is to ask an expert. If you don’t already have an accountant, I strongly suggest you establish a relationship with one you trust. I have included the name of Chris Trinka in our Million-Dollar Rolodex. Chris and I have worked together and he has assisted many of the students I coach.
Legal advice can be invaluable when deciding how to set up your company. Again, if you do not already have legal counsel that you trust, I have included the name of Steve Soden in the Million-Dollar Rolodex. I always say it is better to spend $100 learning how to avoid mistakes than to make a mistake that can cost you $10,000 or more.
Trust me! You can make a lot of mistakes setting up your company. Wouldn’t it be more practical and cost-effective to invest some time and money doing it right the first time?
Just let me say this about partnerships. Fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. Many, many more than 50 percent of partnerships end in “divorce.” So, unless you have something extraordinarily special and rare, be very careful with whom you set up a partnership relationship.
Consult with your legal and financial advisors and then create the company that will best meet your needs today, with an eye on tomorrow.
Setting up your bank account
In establishing your business account it might be nice to have a friendly banker helping you make some money decisions. Use the bank that you have your personal accounts with. You already have a relationship and history with this institution. Let it work for you now.
There will be some up front costs getting the accounts set up. Using your existing bank may reduce or eliminate some of the set up costs. Doing this after you have consulted with your accountant and attorney will help the banker in deciding which accounts will be best for your business. And yes, it is absolutely necessary to keep the company account completely separate from your personal bank accounts.
Accepting credit cards is mandatory
Accepting credit cards is a mandatory service. It is not something you might do, it is an absolute must. Once again, your local bank is the best place to begin. Since you have established your business account with them, the natural next step is to let them handle your merchant account as well. It is a very simple process and your bank will usually be very accommodating.
Many other companies will provide merchant accounts, however. Fees vary. Start where you are already known and investigate the others later. If you cannot get a merchant account through your bank, E-Commerce Exchange is another valuable alternative. The number is in our Million-Dollar Rolodex. If you use my name, you may receive a discount or they may waive some or all of your fees. I suggest you consider maintaining a merchant account with E-Commerce Exchange in addition to your local bank.
Having a shopping cart program for Web-based transactions is vital to your success. I use and recommend a superb program called Web Marketing Magic. (See the Million-Dollar Rolodex.) There will be more fees to create this account. However, without it, you will not be able to take online orders, which will significantly alter your income potential.
Setting up a Web-based marketing system
Your Web site should be set up differently from the way most Web consultants would normally advise. We will discuss this in much greater detail in Chapter in the section titled “Your Web site”). For now, let me say that your Web site is the backbone of your publishing company’s marketing program. Your site will need several features, including:
•Order taking
•Auto responding
•Auto tracking
•Automatic compilation of your customer database
•Affiliate programs management
•A broadcast module
•An ad tracker module
•An up sell module
•An eBook module
All of these items will be discussed more thoroughly in later chapters of this book And all of these services are available with Web Marketing Magic. All these features provide a great deal of automation based on a proven model that works.
Associations in the publishing industry
There are many associations throughout the publishing industry. Most are terribly traditional in their approach and advocate bookstore selling and the use of usual marketing channels. Some usable advice is available through these associations and joining for a year may be of benefit.
I maintain that these things are not essential. If you follow my system, step by step, you will have everything you need for your success.
Researching Your Book
For your book to be successful it must contain current, immediately usable information. To be most effective your information must be well-researched. People won’t tolerate 10-year-old information.
Periodic updating may be necessary. How often to update depends upon your subject matter. In the Martial Arts example, given earlier, the information does not change as rapidly as Internet information. A book on Martial Arts may need to be updated every three to five years, whereas a book on the Internet may need to be updated every six months or, at the very least, once per year.
Currently updated, immediately usable information, and specific how-to details are critical to encouraging people to buy additional products and services after purchasing your book. Having current information reduces return rates as well, thus maximizing your income.
What should you write about?
Start with the things that you know. Write about your business, personal and family history or background, or a subject of special study. I’ve had people say to me, “Fred, I want to write a book about basket weaving.” I ask them, “Do you have a background in basket weaving? Do you have a degree in it?”
If they tell me they do not, I want to know why they have chosen this particular subject. Usually they have chosen this subject because they know a little something about it and they feel it will make them rich or famous if they write a book on the subject.
My advice is to write about a topic that you have a strong interest in and a good deal of knowledge about. I would begin with a subject that 13
you already know and have in your head. If you want to write about basket weaving as your third, fourth or fifth book, fine.
Internet
The Internet is the greatest research tool available today. One of my favorite search engines is google.com. Give it a try! Put in your subject, such as Martial Arts, and after it completes its search you’ll have a list of some 5,000,853 pages on the topic.
Next, with Google, you can narrow your search by giving it a limiting factor, say New York, and it will re-sort the list. This provides a new list that is smaller, maybe 1,000,219, which is still just a little too big. So, add another limit and search again. You end up with a set of a set of a set. You end up with a manageable list of information that will provide a wealth of assistance in researching your book’s material.
Google.com is just one of hundreds, maybe thousands, of search engines you can use to gather information on just about any subject imaginable. It is fast, easy to use and, usually, free.
Interviews
Once you have compiled a workable list of articles from the Internet, you are ready to contact some of them and gather more information and possibly interview some of the authors.
One of my latest ventures is to create a Web site, www.coachingasabusiness.com. First, I did a search for professional coaches. After narrowing the list to the top 15 to 20 names, I called each one, introduced myself, and told them what I was doing. Then I said to each one that I know they are a professional coach, I saw their Web site, and that I would like to interview them for about an hour. I further explain that I would like to tape the interview and then sell the tapes.
What’s in it for them? They get their name out there. What do I get? I get to talk to the top 15 coaches in their field and sell their tapes. There is no easier way to create what is known as back-end products. I also gain the information for my Web site.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll discuss back end products in a later chapter (see Chapter 6). While conducting the interview, you will learn of other Web sites and other people to interview. You can include all of this information in your book.
Of course, you will have to acknowledge each of your sources and this really becomes the interviewees’ quid pro quo. This is not a bad thing. By giving credit for your sources the contributors are more willing to share information and gain additional exposure for their material.
Some people feel that they have to come up with all new original material. The answer is clearly, NOT! Look at Anthony Robbins, for example. He took an existing technology — neural linguistic programming — massaged it, put his own spin on it, and became both famous and wealthy.
This was not his original idea. There is nothing wrong with using other people’s information; just give credit where credit is due. It is important to get permission to tape the interview, whether you are interviewing in person or on the phone. Your notes will be more complete and you can avert potential legal problems.
Books and magazines
I have made “best friends” of my librarian and I suggest you do the same. Find everything you can on your subject both at the library and in bookstores. Take copious notes. I take notes on every book and magazine I read. Then, when I am writing that chapter I massage the notes together and the notes become the chapter.
Once again, there is nothing wrong with using other people’s material to help you create your book. It is not illegal, immoral or unacceptable as long as you stay clear of plagiarism and copyright violations.
Keep a large binder
In addition to high tech methods of gathering your research, you will want to keep a very large binder. Your binder should be divided with a separate tab for each section of your book. As you come across information that you may want to include in a particular chapter, store it in your binder under the tab for that section of the book. Then, when you are sitting down to write your book, you will have all of your research stored, separated by chapters, ready to be compiled into your own words. This is definitely a real time saver when it comes to organizing your material.
If you’re more technically inclined, use a freeform text database or even a bibliographic database to store this information.
Writing Your Book
Write it: Let me count the ways
Actually, there are only four good ways to write your book:
•Write it yourself
•Record it and have it transcribed from tape
•Use speech recognition software and talk to your computer
•Get a professional to ghost-write your book for you
The actual writing of the material is the hard part for many of us. I much prefer to speak at one of my seminars, tape the session, and then have it transcribed. From the transcription I create the book.
That is how this book was created.
I spend about 60 hours brainstorming my idea, categorizing the information and forming an outline. As I’ve said before, I am a perfectionist and I’ve already covered the downside of perfectionism and book writing. My goal in creating the outline is to make sure that each piece of information is given in the correct section of the book. That way it truly is a step-by-step process for the reader.
I use specific goals in creating one of my books. How many pages are appropriate? How many words? For a non-fiction book, I like to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 pages and about 50,000 words.
When doing the writing yourself, it is helpful to set daily goals of either number of words or pages that you will complete before you stop for the day. I ask my students to commit to completing four pages per day. At this rate you will have a completed book in less than 60 days. Theoretically in 50 days!
A method of organizing a book is called the 25 X 4 X 2 method. It is one that I have used many times when I am coaching writers. It works like this.
1. First you choose 25 major headings that you want to incorporate into your book. That’s where all of your research and the outline come into play. These headings become the chapter titles.
3. Then, you select four sub-headings for each of the 25. These sub-headings become the meat of each chapter.
4. You write two pages on each of the sub-topics. Voila! You now have a 200-page book.
Another method is equally simple. For example; 101 Ways to ??? There is any number of ways to fill in the question marks.
Following this plan, your major headings are each of the 101 ways to do whatever it is you’ve chosen to write about. Then you brainstorm and write two pages on each of the listed techniques. A good example of this is a recipe book, say, 101 Ways to Prepare Chicken. Every one of the recipes becomes one of the 101 ways. You can come up with many subjects that will fit into this format.
Once again, 101 major headings times two pages each at four pages per day, you have a 202-page book in less than two months. Pretty exciting, isn’t it!
The third method, transcription, is my writing method of choice. Here, you record all of your information on audiotape, either by doing a seminar (my favorite) or recording your thoughts using your outline. Then send it off to a transcriptionist.
The transcriptionist I use is VerbatimIT by Alan Kelley. You will find Alan’s contact information in the Million-Dollar Rolodex. (Are you beginning to see why I call it that?)
Now you might think that this is very expensive, but I have found it to be a savings in the long run. On average it costs about a penny per word if you have a good clean recording. So, our average book of 50,000 words would be about $500. I don’t know about you, but I will gladly pay $500 to have 85 to 90% of my book written.
Whenever I update my seminar I always assemble a small crew to record the session. The benefits are two-fold; I can have it transcribed into an updated book and I can offer the tape as an add-on sale at the end of the seminar. Bonus! This will more than pay for the cost of the transcription.
Oops! I’m getting ahead of myself; we will be discussing this in greater detail in a later chapter.
Here’s a little tip if you are using professional word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, to do your writing. Such software always has a word count feature. You can check the number before you start writing for the day and use that as a guide to how much you need to write that day to meet your goals.
Or else, figure an average of 50,000 words per book; divided by 200 pages; equals 250 words per page; times four pages; equals 1,000 words per day as the bare minimum. This breaks it down into small do-able steps. Forget about perfectionism and you can do it.
Speaking of software, IBM has a program that allows you to speak to your computer. It is called ViaVoice. Some time is needed to learn how to use this program, but it might become another tool to assist you in writing your book. Other brands of voice recognition software on the market have a wide range of prices. Each has its advantages, though none of them are equal to having Alan Kelly transcribe for you.
Ghost writing … can be a wonderful way to have your book written. This is probably the most expensive method, but allows you the freedom to pursue another endeavor (maybe begin researching your next book), while someone else puts your efforts into a readable format. Dan Shafer of Ghostwriting Unlimited (http:://www.gui.com) is the man I refer to for this specialized writing. Dan is an accomplished author, speaker, and well-respected businessman.
I have had the pleasure of working with him and his team of “miracle workers” for some time. Dan and his team of writers will work your material into a professional book in only a few short weeks.
Editing you book
DO NOT DO YOUR OWN EDITING.
There, can I make that any more definite? Find a cheap editor. How do you find a cheap editor? My first suggestion is to go to the local college English department. They will usually have a list of students that offer editing services and they are the cheapest. Regular full time editors charge upwards of $50 to $75 per hour; a cheap editing service will run in the range of $35 to $50 per hour.
Students, on the other hand, will usually work for a few dollars and a hot meal, or something like that. The point I am making is that students are the least costly editors and, if you get the right one, can still be very good.
The people that I recommend change all the time. If you’re in the market for an editor, please call me at 1-800-FGLEECK. I’ll give you the best people I know at that time.
Once again, this is not optional! You must have someone other than yourself, do the editing. So, when you are planning your budget, be sure to include the cost of editing as a definite necessary expense.
Interior design: What is it?
Typesetting is no longer needed, thanks to the invention of the computer. It used to be that you typed up the book and then sent it to the typesetter. Now the computer does all of that for you. Interior design is making your book look good between the covers. It is the process of choosing the elements of style for the book, for example:
•Proper margins
•An appropriate and readable typeface (font) and size
•The correct spacing between lines (leading)
•Where to place the chapter headings and sub-headings
•Putting the page numbers in an appropriate place at the top or bottom of the page
•Adding lines or borders, etc.
If you choose to utilize the services of a professional, the costs can be as much as $1,200 to $2,000 for a book this size. Pricing is often figured on a per-page basis and depends upon the complexity of the book. (Textbooks would cost more than a novel, for example.)
You will find that some printers offer this service and will do a nice job for your book. If you’re looking for a professional look and design expertise, I use and recommend TLC Graphics. Their work is beautiful and, in addition to being talented designers, they also have a lot of business sense. Tamara Dever interfaces beautifully with the printer and makes things happen with a bare minimum of my involvement.
Choosing to do your own typesetting is a viable option, but there are a few things to consider before going this route. First, most printers do not accept word processing files. This leaves you the option of either sending them printouts of each page or buying a page layout program. Without getting technical, the former will essentially produce a fancy photocopy of what you send in. The final product will never look better than what you send. Your book will be readable and saleable, however, and many small publishers take this route. The latter option — buying a program such as PageMaker or QuarkXPress — is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, but can be quite rewarding. Both programs have a high learning curve and cost from $500 to $800 or more. Some software training is highly recommended for either program. Even a one-day seminar can give you a big jump on the learning process. If you plan to publish many books and enjoy the creation process, this may be a good investment. There are several typesetting pitfalls to avoid if you’d like to produce a professional-looking book. For details visit the TLC Graphics website at www.TLCGraphics.com and read their article, “Avoiding common novice errors when preparing your manuscript.” In the end, be sure to weigh your costs with your desires before jumping into the typesetting. The cost of hiring a professional may sound steep, but when you add up the cost of buying software, training, and your time (which may be better spent marketing your book), it may just be a good option.
The book cover
What is the goal of your book cover? That’s right, to get it picked up off the bookshelf. It takes an average of only a few seconds for a potential buyer to make the decision to pick up yours or another. Many of you will have your book available through traditional bookstores. Even if you don’t use that method of distribution, you will want your cover design to attract the potential reader. Both the words you choose and how they are arranged can do that. In other words, what you say and how you say it are the key elements in good cover design.
Cover elements
First, the book needs a compelling title. The beginning word should be the key word or focus word of your book. For example; my little book on negotiating is called “Negotiate Everything.” People will remember the word negotiate and that is how they will ask for this book, whether they are in a library or bookstore. They will say, “I am looking for a book on negotiating and I can’t remember the exact title.”
I titled two of my books, “Speaking for Millions,” and “Consulting Secrets to Triple Your Income.” You get the idea. Using the key word in the title helps people find it when they conduct their search.
The subtitle should further explain or tweak the interest of the reader. It should amplify what the title is hinting at. For example, my “Speaking for Millions” title could have a dual meaning. Does it teach tou how to speak in public or how to make millions speaking in public? Its sub-title is “The Inside Secrets on How to Make Really Big Money as a Professional Speaker.” Oh, it’s both! The title gives the impression that inside are the secrets that no one else has revealed until now.
“Negotiate Everything” has a subtitle of “How to Get the Absolute Best Deal on Every Product or Service You Buy.” Doesn’t that just beg you to take it off the shelf? Everyone always wants to get the best deal, right?
These are two of my titles and subtitles and I think you can see how the key word in the title and catch phrase in the subtitle work to get your book picked up from the bookshelf.