For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers
What's Your Biggest Challenge with Your Book?
I'd be interested to learn what authors/publishers on this network think their biggest challenges are with their book. I wonder if there's any common, pervasive challenge we all face.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bill Frank on
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Bobby—
Budgeting time and money to market your book are challenges, indeed. There are great thoughts on how to market your book effectively throughout this forum. We haven't addressed the monetary issue adequately, though.
There are many ways to raise capital to market a book. They include putting it on your credit card, cashing in a 401K, finding "angel" money from a friend or family member or taking out a loan. Most banks won't lend money for a book because there is no tangible asset to collateralize the loan. That doesn't mean there aren't sources for loans, however.
A new source of lending has emerged called peer-to-peer lending. It harkens back to an earlier time when business people raised money by going out to people in the community to borrow part, or all, of the money they needed for their projects. The Internet has made finding a "community" of potential lenders easier to find.
One source of peer-to-peer lending is a web site called Zopa.com. One can borrow any amount from $1,000 to $25,000 from Zopa.com. The benefit of borrowing from Zopa.com is that you can reduce the interest rate charged on your loan by attracting more investors to your loan. It is conceivable to reduce the interest charged to zero if you attract enough investors.
These are unsecured loans, so they do not have the collateral requirements that most bank loans require.
I have not borrowed from Zopa.com, nor do I know anybody who has. It is a relatively new website, at this time, and it is gaining both lenders and borrowers. This is not a specific endorsement for Zopa.com, per se. It is simply a recommendation to check out the site to see if it fits your specific money needs.
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Permalink Reply by carol stanley on
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Bill..I have issues about borrowing money to market one's book..My feelings..if the book is not great will marketing dollars really work????
A thought...Try doing everything you can organically..and if there seems to be good feedback, some sales then proceed...I have been spending lots of time...and little money except for original fee for Morgan James..So I write articles, blog, comment, network, and make calls for speaking engagements ..I call radio stations daily...TUne in ..in a few weeks and I will let you know how I have done...
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The decision to borrow to market a book is an individual one. Each person must decide for him/herself. One key decision criterion is belief in the book and it's salability. Borrowing to invest in marketing requires that one have complete confidence that the book will succeed with additional marketing. By definition, this means the author knows who the target reader is and how to reach that target reader.
Certainty about who the reader is and how to reach them comes from experimentation—testing various methods to reach that reader. Writing articles, blogging, commenting on other blogs, networking and speaking are ways to experiment. These activities are essentially free, and I would exhaust all these methods before committing money to a marketing campaign.
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I agree with you..Because if you are a dedicated writer the words come...Getting the book out there is another issue...I find that about one out of ten things I do seems to work...But it is not always easy finding those ten things..
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So true. Writing—the creative part—is the easy part. It's also a small part of the entire value chain of publishing. Writing and editing represent about 7%-10% of the value in the book publishing value value chain. Marketing and sales represents about 70% of that chain. The market places more value on selling than writing when it comes to book. That's why successful books are called "Best Sellers," not best written.
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Permalink Reply by albertasequeira on
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Bill, I really need some help in directions. I've spoken about my book I'm writing on losing my husband (1985) at 45 years old from alcoholism. It's at the editing stage. The sequel is about the loss of my daughter (2006) at 39 years old from the same. It's completed and needs editing.
I've started talking at private speaking engagements at AA locations about my life and up-coming book. Everyone wants it. When I book sign with my first book (another memoir published in 2006) and they hear about my book that is coming out, people can't wait for it...because they have someone in the family who drinks or has died from it.
I want the book ASAP so I can schedule more speaking engagements at AA locations, schools, Christian Organization, businesses, etc. There are always advantages and disadvantages with which way you go.
Do I:
Self-publish and get it out in 3 months after the editing is done, send it to an agent, or to traditional publishers?
I could go back to my first publisher, PublishAmerica, but they wouldn't work with International distributors and bookstores didn't want my book once they saw it was from them.
A traditional publisher gets books on the shelves faster but takes 1-2 years to publish it the same with an agent.
I'm holding back from scheduling more engagements because there is no book to present. At the other engagements, everyone asked for the book. If it takes two years to publish, the people will forget about my book.
What would you do?
Thanks
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My suggestion is to self-publish. There is no downside. You can get the book to market faster by self-publishing. And, since speed to market is one of your concerns, self-publishing is your best choice. Self-publishing doesn't preclude finding a traditional publisher. In fact, it may help sell your book to an agent and/or publisher. Self-published books have an audience and a sales history; both traits are desirable to a traditional publisher. No publisher interested in making money from a book will turn down a book with a positive sales history simply because it was self-published. The traditional publisher will want to re-edit and re-package the book.
It it was me, this is what I'd do.
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Permalink Reply by Hazel on
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The biggest challenge is writing my thoughts down on paper, and formulating my vision, how the book will and how I want to give a message out to others.
The fir st phase it wanting to write the book, and in asking people at meeting, they in turn saying write about it, it will help others, so now I am moving towards this. This book will be about me and not someone asking me to help them write a book, because the information and research in within me to come out.
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Hazel,
Everyone has a story to tell. Start by naming your book in a document (it can be changed) and write what every event comes to mind. You can always change things. Don't worry if the events jump all over the place. Computers are our friends; deleting, editing, adding and getting info off the internet (cut and copy). Once you get them down (could take months) go back and fill in the complete details on the event. You will find later that you'll be adding more.
I teach Writer's Workshops and offer my binders that cover my whole class on my website; www.ahealingheart.net. It's close to 50 pages and takes you from your thought of a story, to editing, what to be aware of, self-publishing or traditional publishers, agents, promoting and marketing and how to buy books cheaper. I try once a week (usually a Sunday) to add topics on my site from my class.
You just need to start typing. Take a half hour a day to write, and before you know it, your book will come alive.
I hope it helps you.
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Marlena Corcoran on
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I just wanted to send a note of encouragement to you, Hazel. The important thing, as Alberta says, is to put words on the page. Then you will have something concrete to do every day. So much of being a writer is less about being and more about doing. Write, dear Hazel. It is a great antidote to fear and worry. Just put words on the page.
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Permalink Reply by Fata Alic on
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Hello,
MY biggest challenge seems to be that I went with a POD Publisher and wherever I go to market it I get simply ignored. And I am a new author, unknown, so no one seems to be interested in what I have writtne about. Plus, I have a foreign name, an accent, so maybe that is a little turn off as well. :(
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Fata—
What is the subject of your book? These days, there are so many different potential readers interested in such a wide variety of subjects, it's hard to imagine that no readers are interested in your book. To whom are you trying to sell your book? Directly to readers? To distributors? To traditional publishers? To Amazon?
There is room in the marketplace for so many books (part of Chris Anderson's Long Tail theory, from the book of the same name). Keep looking. You'll find your audience.
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