Do This Before You Self Publish

There is one step in preparing to become a self-published author that if avoided can end up costing you book sales, fans and credibility in the publishing industry. In fact, failure to take this step led to one author sharing her book title with that of an Essence bestselling author—and losing tons of sales in the process. This one step takes less than five minutes to perform and can save you from heartache and pain: Make sure that your book does not share a title with anyone else.

In order to research your title, it is a good idea to start with amazon.com. Type in the title you are thinking of using and see what other books come up in your search with that same title. If your book will be sharing the name of another book, you may want to consider revising the title or changing it all together. You can also do a Google search, by typing in the title you are thinking of using.

It may be difficult to find a title that no one is using, but if you are so in love with a title and your book will be sharing its name with too many other books, you are playing Russian roulette with your book sales.

• If you are thinking of using a pen name, research that as well. You don’t want to be stealing someone else’s spotlight or find yourself having to share yours.

This step is referred to as an overlooked step because it is not one that you will hear about often. While it is important to research your titles and pen names, it is also imperative that you also research your character’s occupations and actual events that occur in your story to be sure that it is accurate. Otherwise, your book will not be believable and that will defeat the purpose of writing a book in the first place. The latter of the research may take a bit longer to do, but hey, isn’t your book and your good name as an author worth every minute?

The bottom line: research is the key to success not only in the publishing industry, but in any industry. Make sure that you are putting your best foot forward. You know what they say: you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure you are doing everything right the first time around and there will be no need for a second.

Be sure to get your copy of 'Foolish', the ebook from Sandra Peoples for your Nook, Pc or other reading device. (Also available for Kindle)

 

Want more information about the self publishing process? Get your copy of 'The Truth About Self Publishing Manual' for your Nook, PC, Kindle or other reading device.