"DO YOU WANNA RIDE?"

                                 CREATION, PUBLICATION, AND DISTRIBUTION

ARE YOU ADVENTUROUS? LIKE WILD RIDES? WELL WRITING IS A LOT LIKE THAT. FROM CONCEPTION OF A STORY, YOU EMBARK UPON A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS VENTURE. HOWEVER, AS WE KNOW ALL THINGS DO COME TO AN END, HOPEFULLY, A HAPPY ONE.

“PHASE ONE” CONSISTS OF STORY CREATION.

WHERE A STORY BEGINS, WE SELDOM THINK OF THE PROCESS. BUT THERE IS ONE, AND SOMETIMES LENGTHY. KEEP IN MIND IT DOESN’T END WHEN YOU FINISH WRITING THE BOOK.  

SO MANY HOURS, DAYS, AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS GO INTO THE PRODUCTION OF A BOOK.

SEASONED WRITERS ARE AWARE OF THIS BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE JUST STARTING OUT I’D LIKE TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE STEPS.

NOW THE TRADITIONAL PROCESS GOES A LITTLE LIKE THIS: YOU WRITE, SUBMIT, AND WAIT FOR THE PUBLISHER TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE FOR YOU.

SUPER SIMPLE RIGHT?

NOT SO MUCH FOR THE DIY/SELF PUBLISHER, NOT TO DISCOURAGE BUT THERE ARE A FEW MORE STEPS INVOLVED.

THE BEGINNING IS THE SAME AS FAR AS WRITING BUT THEN COMES THE REST. SUCH AS EDITING, AS WRITERS WE ALL, KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, AS WELL PROOFREADING. UNEDITED WORK CAN STOP THE PROCESS DEAD IN ITS TRACKS.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE ON EVERY LEVEL. WE MUST TAKE PRIDE IN OUR WORK AND NOT BE WILLING TO SIDE-STEP QUALITY BECAUSE WE’RE IN A RUSH TO SEE OUR BOOK IN PRINT.

SELF-PUBLISHERS ARE ENTREPRENEURS IN A SENSE; WE OWN THE COMPANY THEREFORE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY DETAIL FROM BEGINNING TO END.

WHAT WE PRODUCE HAS TO BE PERFECT, WE ARE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD BECAUSE WE MADE THE DECISION TO TAKE MATTERS INTO OUR OWN HANDS.

ALTHOUGH THERE IS ROOM FOR ERROR, WE SHOULD KEEP IT AT A MINIMUM.

WE ARE OUR OWN BILLBOARD FOR SUCCESS; EVERYTHING WE DO IS SCRUTINIZED BECAUSE WE LACK THE BENEFIT OF A MAJOR OR LESSER PUBLISHING COMPANY BACKING US.

SO YOU’VE WRITTEN A GREAT STORY AND NOW NEED A WAY TO GET IT EDITED, PRINTED AND IN THE HANDS OF MILLIONS.

THE NEXT STEP, OR “PHASE TWO” IS PUBLICATION. THIS IS WHERE RESEARCH COMES INTO PLAY.

NON-TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS, THERE ARE TONS OF THEM LET ME TELL YOU. BUT THEY ARE NOT ALL ALIKE. JUST A LITTLE ADVICE; STAY AWAY FROM VANITY PUBLISHERS. ALL THEY WANT IS TO MAKE MONEY AND DON’T REALLY CARE IF ALL IS IN ORDER ARE NOT, HENCE THE WORD VANITY, NO NEED TO ELABORATE.

YOU MUST BE DILIGENT AND OPTIMISTIC TO FIND THE RIGHT PUBLISHER WHO WILL CATER TO YOUR NEEDS FIRST AND NOT JUST YOUR DOLLARS.

NEVERTHELESS, ONCE YOU’VE FOUND A PUBLISHER SUITABLE TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS, YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS.

AS WRITERS AND AUTHORS, OUR WORK IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO US AS ANY TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED ARTIST. WE DESIRE AND SHOULD EXPECT THE SAME REPRESENTATION.

YOU NEED A PUBLISHER WHO WILL FOLLOW THE SAME PROCESS AND TAKE YOU THROUGH THE NECESSARY PACES TO INSURE YOUR BOOK MEETS THE REQUIRED STANDARDS.  

NOT ONLY IS THIS A WIN FOR YOU BUT THEM TOO. YOU ARE THEIR GATEWAY TO SUCCESS; THEIR NEXT CUSTOMER IS BASED ON YOUR SATISFACTION.

KEEP IN MIND DIY PUBLISHERS; YOU HAVE MORE CONTROL IN WHAT YOU DESIRE, OVER THE TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED ARTIST. SUCH AS THE EXTERIOR OF THE BOOK FOR EXAMPLE. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BOOK COVER DESIGN COMPANIES JUST WAITING TO GET THEIR HANDS ON YOUR IDEAS. THIS ENCOMPASSES PRE-MADE AND ORDER ON DEMAND. THE PRICES ARE QUITE AFFORDABLE AND RANGE ANYWHERE FROM FORTY TO EIGHTY DOLLARS, SOME MAY BE A LITTLE HIGHER. AT LEAST THE ONE’S I’VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING.

IN MY EXPERIENCE, I FOUND WORKING IN THE NON-MAINSTREAM OR TRADITIONAL WAY OF PUBLISHING IS BOTH SATISFYING AND REWARDING.

NOW IF SEEKING PUBLICATION THROUGH THIS AVENUE IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO ABSORB, THEN THERE ARE A FEW OTHER OPTIONS SUCH AS CREATE SPACE OR KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING ON AMAZON.

KEEP IN MIND THEY DON’T OFFER EDITING, THIS IS FOR THE AUTHOR WHO HAS ALREADY COMPLETED EVERY AREA EXCEPT PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION.

I REPEAT, EDITING IS CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BOOK IT COMPLETES THE PACKAGE.    

ON TO “PHASE THREE” DISTRIBUTION OR AS, I LIKE TO CALL IT “THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE.”

OKAY WE’VE COMPLETED THE FIRST TWO CRITICAL STEPS, NOW COMES THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL.

HOW DO WE GET OUR BOOKS TO THE PUBLIC? WELL, THE MOST COMMON WAY IS BY ONLINE DISTRIBUTORS IE… AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, APPLE, AND INGRAM SPARK. THEY ARE THE PORTAL OR CLEARINGHOUSE FOR BRICK AND MORTAR ENTITIES.

THIS IS WHY I LOVE SELF-PUBLISHING BECAUSE IT ALLOWS US THE SAME AVENUES TO PRESENT OUR WORK TO MILLIONS OF READERS. ALONG WITH DISTRIBUTION, WE MUST CONSIDER ADVERTISING. IF NO ONE KNOWS WHO WE ARE OR WHAT WE’RE SELLING THEN OUR BOOKS WILL SIT ON THE SHELF AND COLLECT DUST.

WE DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN, SO WE HAVE TO GET THE WORD OUT THROUGH DIFFERENT MEDIUMS. WEBSITES, EMAIL AND LET'S NOT FORGET SOCIAL MEDIA IS KEY. ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND HAVE A GOOD FOLLOWING OF FANS.

THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ONES TO TAP INTO; OF COURSE, MY FAVORITES ARE FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, AND INSTAGRAM. THEY ALLOW YOU TO ADVERTISE AND PROMOTE YOUR WORK FREE. ALTHOUGH YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE TO DO THE LEGWORK FOR YOU, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL OF REACHING MUCH MORE READERS THAN THE ONES I MENTIONED.  

EITHER WAY, THIS ENDS THE PROCESS, UNTIL YOU START WORK ON THE NEXT PROJECT AND HOP ON THE EXCITING RIDE OF BEING AN AUTHOR.