1. How to Publish A Book
A Guide for Business Professionals, Consultants, Doctors, and Other Nonliterary
Types
Abstract: Most professionals know that a book is a key element to building a reputation as
an expert, but what they don’t know is how to write and publish a book. This
guide explores the elements of a book proposal, ghost writing, other editorial
services, understanding your publishing options, and how to determine which
option is best for you.
Intro: A book is by far the best and most effective way for an expert to share his or her
knowledge with others. A book is a resource, an uninterrupted communication
tool, and an effective way to sell the expert as a superior thought leader in his or
her field. A book is also a jumping off point from which to create other ancillary
materials such as workbooks, audio, eBooks, and other items that enhance a
professional’s career. Unfortunately, actually publishing and distributing a book
is a daunting task and many professionals don’t know where to start.
Where To Start
Before you can approach the idea of developing a book proposal, you need to
know what it is you want your book to be about. Start by organizing your
thoughts and honing your message. Pull your thoughts together, and identify
your key message, sub topics, talking points, and supporting evidence.
The first thing you need is your key message. What is the big idea you want
someone to take away from your book? Is it to eat healthier, be more frugal,
become more organized, or some other idea? Your key message is the end goal
and the umbrella under which all of your efforts will fall. For example, let’s say
you are a physician specializing in integrated medicine—your key message
might be something like “treating the whole person and not just the symptoms”
or “complete wellness.”
Next you need to brainstorm sub topics. Sub topics are the next level, or
hierarchy under which you will organize the information, strategies, and tips you
will share to help achieve your key message. Often these are represented as
chapter or section headings. Using the integrated medicine example above,
under the key message “complete wellness,” we can establish the following sub
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2. topics:
1. Pitfalls of Traditional Medicine
2. Overview of Alternative Medicine
3. Integrating Traditional and Alternative Medicine
4. Listening to Your Body
5. Achieving Total Wellness
After your subtopics are established, you want to list the talking points that you
will discuss under each subheading. Examples, case studies, strategies, and
other evidence support the talking points. Using our outline above, we will fill out
the talking points for #1, Pitfalls of Traditional Medicine:
1. Pitfalls of Traditional Medicine
a. Band-aid Solutions: Focus on symptoms, rather than the
cause
b. Overmedicated: Pros and cons of modern
pharmaceuticals
i. Statistics on the number of medicines on the
market
ii. Statistics on the number of lawsuits or claims from
side effects
iii. Numbers on the reduction of serious diseases
through vaccines and monitored treatment
c. Increasing Expense: Rising cost of healthcare
i. Prevention over treatment
2. Overview of Alternative Medicine
3. Integrating Traditional and Alternative Medicine
4. Listening to Your Body
5. Achieving Total Wellness
As you can see, we have already started to form an outline. This outline is what
the author will use to create the book proposal, which will also be used to
develop the book. Be sure to include statistics, anecdotes, graphs, case
studies, and other important information that will help support your points, as
these items are key selling points for your proposal.
Elements of a Book Proposal
Unlike fiction, where an author must have a completed manuscript ready before
they approach a publisher or agent, a nonfiction author only needs to develop a
proposal to submit to publishers and/or agents. The proposal should answer the
following questions:
1. Content: What is the book about?
2. Market: Who would be interested in this idea?
3. Competitive Titles: What other books already exist on this topic
and how does this one differ?
4. Platform: Who is the author, why is the author the best person to
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3. produce this book, and what are they doing to engage with
potential readers?
Content: What is the Book About?
This section of the proposal is usually 1-3 pages, unless you include a sample
chapter which can range anywhere from 5-20 pages. Length is not as big of a
concern as the quality of what’s included.
If you completed the steps in the section titled “Where to Start,” you should
already have an outline for the information you want to cover in your book.
Based on that information, you want to come up with a brief, one sentence pitch
that captures the soul of your idea. For example: “Affordable and complete
wellness.” This is the hook of your book—the key message we discussed
earlier.
Next you want to create a short summary paragraph that goes into slightly more
detail about how the book will achieve your hook. For example:
This book is a guide for achieving complete wellness in an affordable and
holistic way. It explores the pitfalls of the modern health care system and
identifies ways to integrate alternative medicine techniques into
traditional medical practices. The book educates the reader on current
practices and arms them with new resources and techniques to achieve
total wellness.
If you have a startling statistic that stresses the importance of this message, by
all means use it here. That information will help sell the importance of your topic
to the prospective agent or publisher.
Once your opening summary is developed, you will follow it with your outline.
Your outline identifies the chapters and the key topics they will address. Identify
any compelling facts, strategies, case studies, or information you will use to
support the ideas in each chapter. You may include a sample chapter if you
choose. Some publishers and agents require one, but many don’t. It really
depends on whether you will be the one actually writing the book (we will
discuss ghost writing later), and on the agent or publisher’s requirements.
Market: Who Would Be Interested?
This section can be anywhere from 1/2 of a page to 2 pages. Here you identify
the market for your book both in qualitative and quantitative terms. To determine
who your audience is in qualitative terms, ask yourself the following questions:
• Who would be interested in your topic?
• Where do they live?
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4. • What kind of work do they do?
• What are their hobbies?
• How do they get their information? And so on.
The key is to be as specific as possible. It’s not enough to say your book is
geared toward “men” or “businessmen.” For example, this paper is not geared
to all professionals. This paper is for professionals who are considering
publishing a book, but who may not necessarily be writers. Instead of
“businessmen,” one could say “middle managers of Fortune 500 companies” or
“solopreneurs in the retail sector.” Not only does this help you identify marketing
opportunities for your book, but understanding your market helps the publishing
team cultivate your content so that it speaks to and meets the needs of your
audience.
Quantitative information is a bit more time consuming to locate, but can be
valuable in determining the strength and validity of your topic/idea. If there are a
large number of potential readers, publishers will consider a project. Specialty or
niche topics that appeal to a smaller group are more difficult to place with a
publishing house and are even more difficult to distribute nationally. To help you,
here are some resources for locating numbers on specific groups:
1. Go to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics at
www.bls.gov. There you can locate demographic information including
numbers and geographical saturation.
2. Contact organizations that cater to your market and ask for data on the
number of members and their demographics.
3. Identify the top magazines your audience reads. Go to their advertisers
page. Often, there is an advertisers kit that includes demographics and
audience size.
Competitive Titles: What Other Titles Exist on the Market and How Does This One Differ?
In your proposal, it is important to note the top 2-3 related titles and how your
project is different from them. Not only does this help identify the potential sales
numbers for your book, but it also helps the publisher identify exactly where you
fit into the market. There are several ways you can locate this information:
1. Go to the bookstore and talk to a bookseller responsible for the section
your competitors are shelved in. Ask them which titles are “evergreens”
and which titles have a good sales history. Though local trends can vary,
it’s a good place to start.
2. See which relevant titles are listed on the New York Times and Wall
Street Journal bestseller lists.
3. Nielsen provides a service called Bookscan. It lists the sales for each
book title, including each edition of every title. Publishers pay to have a
subscription, but individuals can purchase sales history on individual
titles for $85.
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5. After you have identified the top 2-3 titles, compare them with your project. How
are you different? It’s extremely important that your book be different in at least
some way. Readers do not want a rehashing of existing information. They want
something new and fresh. You can set yourself apart in a number of ways:
1. Do you challenge any of the assumptions or strategies those authors
make?
2. Do you have a fresh approach or new information to add to the
discussion?
3. Do you have a more engaging voice?
4. Do you have more credibility or experience?
5. Are you more specialized, or more comprehensive?
Knowing the answers to the questions above will also help you to further hone
your message and develop your marketing strategy.
Platform: How Will You Sell Books?
What is an author platform? Essentially, it’s the base of people who have a built-
in interest in your book and who would regard you as an authority in your field.
Your platform is your audience; your publicity plans and other promotional
activities will be targeted at them.
The author platform is essential because it is what sets you apart from every
other author in your genre. Publishers and media always look at the author
platform, sometimes even before they look to the content of the book itself. Just
like a physical platform, an author platform raises you above the crowd. The
platform is what will cut through all of the millions of advertising and media
messages and carry your book to readers, and in turn drive sales. If your
platform is not strong, active, and growing, publishers and media will move on
to the next author who does have one.
You don’t want to wait until you have a book to start building your platform. You
need to start right away, so you can have a built-in readership and momentum
to build upon with more platform-building activities after the book is published.
There are many ways to connect with your potential readers so you can build a
platform. The best platform strategy integrates several if not all of these
elements:
• A website: You need to have a well-designed, content rich
website both for you and your book.
• Blogs: Blogging lets you create current, fresh content on a regular
basis. Pull content from your book and use it to develop brief
blog posts. Comment on current events, news items, or trending
topics. Answer questions or pose questions to generate
interaction with your followers.
• Social Media: Outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and
others let you promote your media efforts, blog, and book, and
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6. enable you to stay connected with your audience. Applications
such as Spredfast and Twitterfeed let you easily manage your
social media without spending a great deal of time or money.
• Speaking/Teaching/Appearances: Authors are viewed as experts,
and experts share their knowledge with others. Speaking on
topics related to your platform, teaching others the skills you
either used to develop your book or that you illustrate in your
book, and making appearances on television and radio shows
related to your topic all help you engage your audience.
• Organizational involvement: Being involved in writers and trade
groups, charities, and local organizations lets you keep in touch
with the people you want to connect with. If you are involved not
only will they be more interested in what you have to say, you will
also learn more about your audience and what they are looking
for (here is where you get ideas for blogs, new books, and media
appearances).
• Articles and sourcing: Authors write articles on their subject and
often serve as expert sources for journalists. This helps build the
author’s credibility as an authority figure and trusted source,
which, in turn, helps drive book sales.
There is no limit to the types or number of activities authors can engage in to
build their platforms. However, in order to successfully grow your platform, each
of these activities needs to be cohesive and relevant to the overall topic and
consistent with your message. They also need to be content rich and provide
value. Purely promotional talk or advertising does not engage readers. In fact, it
does the opposite and turns them off completely to your message.
Developing a book proposal is essential, regardless of which publishing option
you choose to use. For more information on how to write a book proposal,
check out the following resources:
• How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen: A literary agent
shares his tips on how to write an attractive book proposal.
• Book Proposals that Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed your Success by
W. Terry Whalin: Offers key tips on developing a proposal, an
outline for a strategic marketing plan, and insider knowledge on
why editors reject some proposals.
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7. Writing and Editing Services
You’re a busy professional. The time and energy it takes to write a book may
seem incredibly daunting, despite the benefits. You may not even consider
yourself a writer, but you know that you have something of value to share with
the market. Plus, you have a business to run, clients to manage, and other tasks
that demand your attention. With these considerations in mind, how can you
write a book?
Luckily, nonfiction does not demand that the author be a literary genius. In fact,
the author does not need to write at all. Many publishers provide writing and
editing services and there are also a plethora of freelance editors and writers
available through vetted sources. So long as you have your talking points and
ideas developed, someone else can help you craft them into a logical, well
thought-out, and informative book.
To get a sense of what kind of assistance you need, you first need to
understand how writing and editing services are packaged. Writing and editorial
services are divided up into these categories:
• Ghost Writing: A writer is commissioned to write the entire book
under the professional’s name. The writer works closely with the
professional to match the professional’s tone and to clearly
weave together the professional’s expertise into a cohesive book.
• Developmental Editing: Also known as a “high-level directional
edit,” this is for a manuscript already developed by the author.
Under this type of editing, an editor will work to determine a clear
focus for the book, reorganize content to improve flow and
cohesion, and develop areas that are weak. The editor may also
work to improve the content’s market appeal so that it better
meets the needs of the reader.
• Substantive Editing: This type of editing usually involves heavy,
line-by-line changes with the occasional restructuring of content.
The editor will improve the quality of the prose and style and
make corrections to grammar, punctuation, and usage. The
editor may also include some rewrites if they are deemed
necessary.
• Copyediting: At this level of editing, the author’s basic style is not
altered. Instead, the editor focuses on addressing issues of basic
style, grammar, usage, and punctuation. If necessary, some
heavier editing may occur to improve areas of the text that are
confusing or unclear.
• Proofreading: This is a basic edit for grammar, punctuation, and
spelling errors.
• Indexing: Editors create an index for the book, which makes it
easy for readers to quickly identify key topics of interest and their
location inside the book.
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8. The services you need will depend on how much time you have to dedicate to
writing, your writing skills, and the publisher you choose to work with. Most
freelance editors specialize in only one area, which means that if you require a
high-level edit, you will also need to hire an additional editor for copyediting
and/or proofreading. Keep this in mind when pricing out freelance projects.
Publishing Options
Once you have your project outlined and your proposal ready, it’s time to
approach a publisher. There are several different options available to
professionals. Which one is best for you depends on your career goals, topic,
potential market, and resources. This section will address the pros and cons of
each option. In the next section we provide a self-analysis that helps you identify
which option is best for you.
Option One: Traditional Publishing
The first option is to sell publication rights to a traditional publishing house in
exchange for an advance and royalties.
How this process works:
Most traditional publishers do not accept proposals directly from authors.
Instead, the author must first secure a literary agent to represent them. An
author secures an agent by sending them a query. If the agent is interested, they
will ask to look at a proposal. Then, if they like the project, they will offer the
author representation in exchange for 10-15% of the author’s royalties. This
process can take several months.
Unfortunately, securing an agent does not guarantee publication. Although the
agent has access to the publishers, the agent must query and court the
publisher in the same manner that the author queried the agent. This adds
additional time, up to several months, to the total process.
There are several reasons for choosing a traditional publisher:
1. Credibility: Traditional publishers have established a solid
reputation, which gives authors—especially new authors—
automatic credibility in the market.
2. Distribution: Traditional publishers have strong relationships with
wholesalers and retailers nationally. Furthermore, the agent can
sell foreign and language rights, getting the author distribution in
additional geographic and language markets.
3. Small Up-front Costs: Traditional publishing requires the fewest
up-front costs. Usually, the only costs attributed to the author are
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9. marketing, though some are encouraged to hire an outside editor
or ghostwriter.
4. Quality: Traditional publishers screen potential projects, making
sure only the best content makes it to the market.
There are also several downfalls to traditional publishing:
1. Lack of Brand Control: The author has little to no say in the
design and packaging of their project.
2. Low Royalties and Advances: First time authors usually receive
advances of $2,000 to $20,000. Once the advance is earned
back, the author begins receiving royalties, which range
anywhere from 5-7% for paperback and 10-15% for hardcover
(**remember—the agent is also skimming 10-15% off the top of
the royalties the author receives). Unfortunately, many authors do
not earn back their advances, which in turn may hurt their
chances for publishing a second book.
3. Slow Time-to-Market: It can take as long as two years to secure
an agent and a publisher, and another year for a book to reach
the market.
4. Ownership: Under this model, authors sell the right to publish
their work for a defined period of time. Since the authors sold
their publication rights, they have little say in the direction,
distribution, or amount of time their book spends in the market. If
for any reason the author is dissatisfied, they must either buy
back their rights before the agreement ends, or wait for the book
to go out of print (at which time rights revert back to them), before
they can take it elsewhere.
Next Steps
If you decide to take this option, the first thing you need to do is start querying
literary agents who represent your genre. You can find an agent through the
following resources:
• Association of Author Representatives (AAR): This organization
requires that all members follow a strict ethical code, which is
important considering the fact that agents should only make
money when you do. Any agent who asks for a reading fee or
money up front is not included in this organization.
http://aaronline.org/
• Guile to Literary Agents (GLA): This resource is available as both
a book and a daily blog. This blog is sponsored by Writer’s Digest
and features a different literary agent every day. The blog
discusses the types of work the agent represents and their
submission guidelines. You can search by genre to locate agents
who will represent your work.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/
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10. You may also want to read the following books to acquaint yourself with the
agent process:
• How to Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Business of Getting a
Book Published by Richard Curtis: Written by an agent, this book
explains the agent process, contracts, and how to retain creative
control over your work.
• Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch A Literary Agent’s Eye by
Katherine Sands: Shares tips and pointers from various agents
and includes a section on how to do a live and in person pitch.
• How to Get a Literary Agent by Michael Larsen: Discusses how to
make yourself attractive to agents and how to be a stellar client.
• The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters by Wendy Burt-
Thomas: Discusses the elements of query letters and how to craft
one specifically for your genre.
The agent will know which publishing houses to submit your work to. Most
often, agents will focus on traditional houses, also known as the Big Six, which
include Hachette, Harper Collins, MacMillan, Random House, Penguin, and
Simon & Schuster. Each house owns several imprints, each specializing in a
different genre or genres. The agent will query the acquisitions editor for the
appropriate imprint. During this time you will want to continue to build your
platform so you can demonstrate your ability to perform in the market.
Option Two: Vanity Publishing
Vanity publishers will publish any book, regardless of the quality of the content,
for a fee. The author pays a large up-front fee to produce the book, and also
gives the vanity publisher a 50-75% stake in the sales.
Although a vanity publisher guarantees publication (for a fee), there are many
disadvantages:
1. Poor Quality: Vanity publishing is known for producing poor
quality both in content and in packaging. As a result, most
retailers will not carry books published through a vanity house.
2. High Up-front Costs and Low Return: Most vanity publishers
charge incredibly large sums, especially considering the quality of
the work. Also, since they make most of their money up front,
vanity publishers have no incentive to insure the success of the
book.
3. Little to No Distribution: Because of the poor quality both in terms
of content and packaging, very few retailers will carry books
published by a vanity press.
4. Bad Reputation: Again, because of poor quality, books published
through vanity presses are automatically labeled with a stigma,
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11. making it difficult to get media attention and retail placement.
Next Steps
If you decide this option works for you, the next step is to locate a vanity
publisher who can produce the quality of work that fits your needs under terms
you are comfortable with. Examples of vanity publishers include PublishAmerica,
LuLu, and others.
Option Three: New Technology Publishing
New technology publishing, including eBooks and print-on-demand (POD),
provides authors with additional options. Still, like any options, new technology
comes with both pros and cons. First, lets take a look at eBooks:
• Many eBook publishers accept works just like vanity publishers—
with little to no criteria. As a result, there is no quality control
governing the content published through eBooks.
• Although eBook sales are growing, they still represent only a
sliver of the total book market. Thus, eBooks are not viable as the
sole method of production for most books.
• Because it is affordable to convert books into eBook format and
because there is a steadily increasing demand for this format,
many traditional and independent publishers are offering this
option in conjunction with their pre-existing publishing services.
While eBooks are available only online or through a reading device, POD
materials are created with the intent that they will be published and printed
when someone is ready to buy them. Special note—there is a difference
between POD publishers and POD Printers. Printers merely print the file, while
publishers actually handle the entire process of editorial, layout, and design.
Here are a few things to consider before selecting a POD publisher:
• POD publishers are known for accepting works regardless of
quality, which automatically gives POD books a negative stigma
among media and distributors.
• POD products are not stocked in major retail outlets. Customers
have to order POD titles. Unfortunately, very few consumers are
willing to special order a title. They would prefer to order a book
already in stock or purchase one through an online retailer such
as Amazon.
• The author pays for the formatting and layout, but does not retain
the rights to those files. If for any reason the author chooses to
take their project elsewhere they will have to pay to have those
files reformatted.
As we mentioned earlier, POD printers typically do not offer design, editorial, or
other services. Still, POD printers can be of value, especially for those authors
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12. who wish to print titles with unknown or limited sales potential. The largest and
best know POD printer is Lightning Source. Owned by Ingram, the publishing
industry’s largest wholesaler, Lightning Source has the ability to make every one
of its titles available for special order through bookstores and online. They are
an excellent choice for short print runs or for turning around a limited number of
copies in a short amount of time. Still, there are a few things to consider;
• If you are planning on a national release and you expect to sell
more than a thousand copies, a traditional offset printer will
provide you with the lowest cost per unit.
• POD printers are limited in their design and layout options.
Traditional printers have more choices.
Just like with eBooks, most traditional and independent publishers have POD
technology services available for their authors.
Next Steps
If you are interested in eBook or POD technology, you may either discuss this
with your traditional or independent publisher, or you can contact a POD
publisher or printer directly. Examples of POD publishers include Outskirts
Press, Lulu, Xlibris, and others. POD printers include Lightning Source, A&A
Printing, and more. Be sure you do your research to find a service provider with
the distribution, design, and reputation standards you need to meet your goals
at a reasonable price.
Option Four: Self-Publishing
Self-publishing is growing in popularity, despite the negative stigma sometimes
attached to it. Self-publishing, like every other option, comes with its own mix of
pros and cons. On the upside, self-publishing gives the author complete
ownership and control over content, design, and time-to-market. The author
also keeps the total return on the full cover price of all books sold. Still, there are
many fallbacks to self-publishing:
• Self-publishers do not have access to a full editorial team and
must coordinate all editorial work themselves.
• Designers who work with self-publishers often lack the
knowledge to design and format a product that meets strict
industry standards, which can hurt distribution.
• Self-publishers do not receive the volume discounts on printing
that established publishers do.
• Lack of brand recognition also hurts distribution. Self-publishers
can work with a distributor, but again they must do their research
carefully to find one that can meet their needs.
• The self-publisher must coordinate the entire project from start to
finish as well as handle all marketing and distribution. For the
busy professional trying to build a brand, this can be a huge
undertaking.
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13. Again, because anyone with the means can produce a book regardless of
quality, self-publishing is viewed as poor quality by media and book retailers.
Strong sales as a self-publisher can lead to a deal with a traditional publishing
house, but too often it is difficult to break the stigma associated with self-
publishing. Before pursuing this option, you must decide if retail distribution and
media coverage is important to you.
Next Steps
Before pursuing the self-publishing option, you will want to familiarize yourself
with the publishing process. Here are a few resources to help you do that:
• The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom and Marilyn Ross:
This book surveys the entire process from writing to publishing
and promoting a book.
• The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter: This book covers all
of the basics, including technical specifications and vendors.
• Self-Publishing for Dummies by Jason Rich: In the spirit of the For
Dummies series, this book is a simple introduction to the
business of self-publishing, complete with standout graphics.
Next, you will want to identify vendors, editors, and distributors to help you meet
your goals. Many are identified in these books and include Amazon
CreateSpace, Authorhouse, Lulu, and others.
Option Five: Independent and Hybrid Publishers
The last option available to authors is known as either an independent or a
hybrid publisher. These publishers combine the benefits of self-publishing with
the distribution power and quality of a traditional publisher. Most independent
publishers offer:
• A higher royalty structure of anywhere from 20-35% of the cover
price for books distributed through a retailer and 100% of the
cover price for books sold directly by the author. This is a good
option for authors considering back-of-room sales or including a
book in a seminar or speaking package in addition to traditional
retail distribution.
• Ownership over the creative process including packaging,
branding, and all publication rights including foreign, language,
and film.
• Independent publishers maintain a stringent submission process
vetting the best clients and projects so that they only handle
quality projects. They also provide full editorial and ghost writing
services, competitive design, production, and distribution
services.
• The time-to-market is relatively short, usually less than a year.
Plus, independent publishers will keep a book in the market
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14. beyond the standard 3-6 months allowed by traditional
publishers.
• Some independent publishers include marketing packages that
enhance and compliment the author’s own marketing efforts.
Independent publishers vary in terms of up-front costs. For the most part,
because of their adherence to quality and powerful distribution, independent
publishers cost more then vanity and self-publishers. Still, they provide
competitive quality, credibility, and access to national and specialty retailers,
which is a tremendous benefit for those professionals looking to build a national
brand.
Next Steps
If you decide that an independent publisher meets your needs and resources,
you will want to begin by pulling together your book proposal and budget. Next
you will want to research potential publishers to find one that represents your
genre.
Agents do sometimes work with independent and small publishers, though most
independent houses work directly with the author. Some well-known
independent publishers include Greenleaf Book Group (specializes in nonfiction,
primarily business, health, and wellness), Sourcebooks Publishing (specializes in
gift book publishing), Chelsea Green (specializes in socially minded topics and
politics), and many others. You can find independent publishers through the
following resources:
• Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA): A professional
association for independent publishers. They host IBPA
Publishing University prior to Book Expo ever year in New York
City http://www.ibpa-online.org/.
• Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN): Supports
independent and self-publishers http://www.spannet.org/
These websites also offer information on awards and recognition both for
individual titles and for publishers. Such information can help you identify quality
leaders and which genres they represent.
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15. How to Choose Which Option is Best for You
Now that you have a basic understanding of the options available, you need to
evaluate your skills, goals, project, and budget to determine which option is best
for you. The questionnaire below will help:
1. Would you rather:
a. Not spend your own money and get paid up front
b. Pay just to print in exchange for a moderate return
c. Make a reasonable up-front investment for a higher return
2. Would you prefer to:
a. Let someone else handle the entire process
b. Manage the process yourself
c. Retain creative control while working with an experienced team
3. In terms of marketing and sales, are you more comfortable:
a. Handling your marketing, but knowing the publisher’s credibility
will carry you through the distribution chain
b. Handling all of your marketing and forgoing retail distribution
c. Coordinating your marketing efforts with an organized and
strategic campaign through retail and specialty distribution
channels while having the option to sell directly
4. In terms of creating content, are you more comfortable:
a. Writing it yourself, but working with an editor to finalize it
b. Writing and editing it all yourself—I’ll hire an editor if I need one
c. Writing it yourself, but using the help of a ghost writer or an editor
to organize your thoughts and save time
5. When it comes to design, would you rather:
a. Leave it to the pros
b. Do it yourself
c. Have creative control, but work with a skilled designer
6. When it comes to distribution, do you want:
a. Access to a traditional distribution chain
b. To sell them all yourself
c. A combination of traditional distribution and the ability to sell
books on your own in return for the full cover price
Answer Key
Mostly A’s: Traditional publishing is probably the best option for you.
Mostly B’s: Vanity, new technology, or self-publishing may be best for you.
Mostly C’s: An independent/hybrid publisher is likely the best fit.
Regardless of which option you choose to pursue, it is vital that you protect
yourself by doing your homework, taking the time to weigh the pros and cons,
and analyzing the option’s ability to help you meet your short and long-term
goals. Publishing a book is a smart and crucial step toward building your brand.
Take the time to do it right.
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16. This white paper was produced by Greenleaf Book Group. Greenleaf Book Group is an independent
publisher and distributor helping experts with brand building and the development of intellectual
capital. Greenleaf goes beyond the book, providing services in specialty placement, marketing,
distribution, and the publishing of ancillary materials. Greenleaf is more than just a publisher; they also
help professionals build their businesses. To learn more visit www.greenleafbookgroup.com or call
512-891-6100.
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