April 2019 - Ron Kness Writing

4 Things to Outsource When Publishing a Book

If there were ever a Kryptonite for authors, it would be this: trying to do everything yourself. Maybe you think that’s the best way to do it. Maybe you worry that you just don’t have the time to hire and train someone.

But when you insist on doing everything yourself, it takes longer to publish your book. The finished product isn’t as strong as it could be and you struggle to gather readers and find your tribe. It’s much smarter to consider outsourcing in these four key areas…

The Book Cover

This is your almost advertising tool and you want it to be a good one. When you research best-selling books in your niche, pay attention to their covers. Look for patterns you can spot—do all the covers use a certain font or the same basic colors? What elements are common? Which covers stand out?

You can find a book cover designer by asking for recommendations from other authors you know. You can also try looking on a website like Fiverr to find a good graphic artist.

The Formatting

Formatting your book correctly for the various publishing platforms is essential. Nothing is more disappointing for buyers than being unable to read your book because it won’t display correctly on their favorite device.

The Editing

Everyone makes mistakes in their books. Maybe you attributed a quote to the wrong person, misspelled the name of your hometown, or had several embarrassing typos. A good editor can polish your words until they shine.

Sometimes, authors are tempted to skip hiring an editor but if there’s one person you really need on your team, it’s a strong editor. Your book can overcome many flaws but if the content contains too many errors, readers will give review it with a single-star and leave negative comments.

The Marketing

Publishing your eBook is only half the battle. Once it’s up on online, you need to begin marketing it regularly. This involves hosting contests, getting interviewed on podcasts, setting up social media advertisements, guest posting on other blogs, building a street team, crafting press releases, blogging on your own site consistently, attending live events, and more.

Fortunately, you don’t have to manage everything yourself. You can hire a virtual assistant to take some of these tasks off your plate. This frees you up to get back to working on your next book or selling your products.

Outsourcing can be a wonderful experience, if you hire the right professionals. They’ll help to ensure that the writing, publishing, and marketing of your book flows smoothly.

But if you have not yet published a book, but would like to do so yourself, then get my free 4-week ecourse “30 Days To Becoming a Published Author”.

3 Surprising Reasons to Publish a Book on Amazon’s Kindle

When it comes to publishing your book, there’s no shortage of platforms to use. However, one of the most popular is Amazon’s Kindle store. Here’s why you should seriously consider using it…

Amazon makes it easy. Some publishing platforms use too much jargon or have complex steps that take hours to complete. With Amazon, you can have your book published and making you sales within just a few hours. If you run into trouble, you can also post to the Kindle Boards, which are filled with helpful authors who want to give back to other writers.

Amazon makes it free. Years ago if you wanted to self-publish your book, you had to pay a printing service to do it. That fee could range anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousand (or more). Fortunately, Amazon leveled the playing field for everyone when they made their Kindle program free for any author.

Even better, you control the price of your book. You get to decide how much your book is worth and what it sells for. Traditionally published authors don’t get to do this—they have to go with whatever price tag the publishing house decides to set.

Amazon gives you exposure. The truth is that Amazon has one of the best algorithms out there. It’s constantly working to predict what their customers will love next, which means they’re always suggesting new books to readers.

But in order to get Amazon to suggest your book, you’ll need to get a few reviews up. Reach out to 70-100 reviewers that read in your genre or on your subject matter. Offer them a free book in exchange for an honest review.

Not every reviewer will have time to post about your book, but most authors get 10-20 reviews this way. When Amazon sees the reviews begin rolling in, their algorithms will go to work on your book’s behalf.

You can also choose to publish your book exclusively on Amazon’s Kindle platform. If you do that, you’ll get included in their special promotions of books, gaining you more exposure by potential readers. Even better, you can have a special sale or promotion period during this time, which can boost your book’s ranking.

If you haven’t already, consider publishing your book through the Kindle program. Your book will be more visible and you’ll still have all the perks of being a self-published author.

And if you have not yet published a book (but have one in you dying to come out, but are unsure of how to start), then get my free 4-week ecourse “30 Days To Becoming a Published Author”.

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Write Your Book Yourself Or Outsource It?

You want to publish an eBook but you’re not sure how you could go about it. You could write it yourself or you could hand the task off (outsource) to a trusted writer. However, you’re torn between the options and you’re not sure which one is right for you. Here are three quick questions to ask before making your final decision:

Do I Have Time to Write?

Think about how long it takes you to write a blog post or short report. Does it take you all night to write a 2-page blog post or three weeks to churn out a short report? There’s nothing wrong with being a slow writer. But be honest with yourself—how long will the book realistically take you to complete? Can you really write it in a week? Or will it take several months?

Do I Have the Budget to Outsource?

Outsourcing a project can be fun and easy—if you’re working with a professional writer. If you’re dealing with a bad writer, you could spend hours trying to fix their terrible work and wondering why this book is so hard.

However, keep in mind that with a professional writer a professional price tag also comes in the bargain. Be prepared to pay a good wage to a talented writer you trust to complete your book on time.

Do I Enjoy Writing?

Before you make the final decision, consider the writing process. Do you get bogged down when writing blog posts or short reports? Or do you zip through writing content with ease and joy? Is it something that you leave feeling energized or drained?

There’s no wrong or right answer to outsourcing your book. Some marketers love writing and wouldn’t dream of hiring someone else, while others prefer to leave content creation to a ghostwriter.

It is smart to have an outline if you plan to outsource it. This will help the writer you hire see what your vision is and what topics he (or she) should cover in each chapter.

If you have not yet published a book (but have one in you dying to come out), then get my free 4-week ecourse “30 Days To Becoming a Published Author”.

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