Session 6: Entrepreneur ~The Long and Winding Road~ LLA 0104, Our Last Class PIY in Review Questions and Answers Project Interviews The Road Ahead

We said to start with the end in mind. What’s your end? Something I’ve written. You love to write. To be a published author. To be the author of a successful series of books loved by millions. To be able to say, “You know, some day, I’m going to write a book about ….” You’re sure you would love to have written. To run a publishing business. You’re not sure at all. Author? Publisher? Entrepreneur? LLA 0104,

Your motivation to take this class You carefully read the course description and this is exactly what you are looking for. You read the course description but you’re not quite sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for. If you knew what you wanted, you wouldn’t have signed up for a class like this. You had nothing else going this evening. LLA 0104,

The PIY Workshop, or Six Weeks to Self-Publishing 1.To Publish, or Not to Publish 2.Author I: Writing a Book 3.Author II: Editor – Every Author Needs One 4.Publisher I: Production, Promotion, Profit 5.Publisher II: Marketeer – The Launch 6.Entrepreneur: Selling Books in the Digital Age Our text: APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book, by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch LLA 0104,

About Self-Publishing An esteemed tradition The result of a revolution o Esoteric to ubiquitous o Analog to digital o Incredibly slow to incredibly fast o Who you know to Who knows you What this means for you o Control o Ownership o More earnings…maybe…some day. o Not enduring the slings and arrows…as much. o A happier you! LLA 0104,

Self-Publishing Tools Computer Word processing software: Word, Scrivener Blog: WordPress is much preferred for general use. Gmail account: I’m neutral on this. Amazon account: At least all the free bits. CreateSpace/Kindle Direct Publishing accounts. LLA 0104,

On Writing Books Why Is It So Hard? Or, Is It? o Vision for the story o Organization o Getting it done. Editing Production Marketing 7LLA 0104,

Editing Grammar: Who Needs It? What do editors do, exactly? Your turn: Three editing exercises. Editing resources Where do you find a good editor? How do you know she/he is good? 8

Omit Needless Words "Buy it, study it, enjoy it. It's as timeless as a book can be in our age of volubility." — The New York Times "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume." — The Boston Globe "White is one of the best stylists and most lucid minds in this country. What he says and his way of saying it are equally rewarding." — The Wall Street Journal "The book remains a nonpareil: direct, correct, and delightful." — The New Yorker 9

Being the Publisher: Production Self-publishing is a assuming several roles as you journey along to publication. Here are five decisions to make that will get you started down the best path for you. 1.What’s the creative vision for your project? 2.Who’s going to produce my book? (Amazon exclusivity?) 3.Will I publish a bound book, e-book, or blog? 4.Format: Straight (re-flowable) text or fixed format? 5.Who and where is my audience? Now that that’s settled, get started! 10

Why Amazon? LLA 0104, %: The proportion of all books sold in the U.S. that are Kindle titles. E-books now make up around 30% of all book sales, and Amazon has a 65% share within that category. Publisher: Keeping It Simple

Promoting Your Book Level I marketing: what comes with the deal. o Title, description, categories and key words o Channels o Kindle Select, DRM, Amazon store, Author Central, etc. Level II marketing: o Your author platform Website, blog, other people’s blogs Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Web advertising: SEM and digital ads. o Your other author platform Level III marketing o Getting help from professional marketeers o Getting on board the publisher train 12

10 Ways to Promote Your Book 1.Tell people and get them talking. 2.Do a press release. 3.Mix it up on LinkedIn. 4.Do a book tour. 5.Flog your blog. Make friends with bloggers. 6.Build a Facebook page. 7.Twitter, G+, Tumblr, other social media. 8.Get your friends to write reviews. 9.Test some ads. 10.Get interviewed by a podcaster. 13

The 3 Questions 1.Who am I? 1.A, P, or E? 2.Why am I doing this? 2.Who is my audience? 1.News Flash! Not everyone will buy your book. 2.Fiction lovers? 3.Fact finders? 4.A niche market? 3.How will I spell success? 1.Fame? 2.Fortune? 3.Influence? 4.I’ll fulfill my creative destiny. 14

The Long Tail is Where We Live 15

Marketing Tools Title Description Author bio Your pitch Cover art Categories Key Words Trailers Social and other media Website Reviews Publicity: get people talking Interviews Amazon fine tuning Advertising Blurbs Mail Search Get engaged. Cross-promotion 16

Where to Lurk on LinkedIn IBPA Self-Publishing and Book Marketing Book Publishing Professionals Digital Publishing Network Authors, Writers, etc. Publishing Today Ebooks, Ebook Readers, Digital Books, etc. Books and Writers LLA 0104, Publishing Executive Magazine Publishing Business B2B Publishers Book Marketing The Writer’s Network etc.

Use Social Media Twitter Facebook Google+ Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn 18

Which social media channels work best? 19

Questions & Answers My only question: Where are you going from here? Your questions: 20

Wrapping It Up 1.Who do you want to be? Author? Publisher? Entrepreneur? 2.What kind of an author do you want to be? o A published author? o A self-sustaining author? o A famous author? 3.What do you need to know and do to achieve 1 and 2? 21

It’s Been a Pleasure …and a privilege to pass along some information and perspective that will maybe help you become self-published. Let me know when your book is ready to buy! Let’s stay in touch. o o o

Publish-It-Yourself Workshop Mike McCandless, Instructor Harper College Continuing Education, LLA 0104 Spring