Being a Published Author

I've been struggling with my 2nd book.  And no, I'm not going into a pity me sob story about what's holding me up.  It's a combination of a couple of things. 

What I am going to do is tell you about my experience with publishing my 1st book.  About how simple the actual process was.  About all the doors it opened for me.  About how my life has changed since I've been able to add "best-selling author" to my bio.  And about why you should think about publishing a book as well.

With all the technology advances and access to things like Amazon, writing a book is a lot more doable today than it ever used to be. Gone are those days of having to find a publisher to pitch your book to and waiting to see whether they'll accept it or reject it. Now, it's just a matter of writing the content - and if you've already been blogging for a while, you have a wealth of content available for repurposing.

Self-publishing is so easy anymore.  You can create an ebook in a few hours.  I know because I've done it.  Don't believe me?  You can check one of mine out for free right here. 

There's just something that screams expert when you can say you're an author. This builds a level of credibility that can't be beat. Think about it: anybody can set up a blog and start sharing their expertise on a topic. Anybody can write articles and submit them to directories or share on other blogs as a guest expert. Anybody can be a guest on a podcast. But not everybody will put in the time and effort to become an author. If you take the time to do this, not only are you building your credibility, but you're also a step ahead of many others in the market. That’s the power of publishing a book.
 

And think about how credible you’ll be when you take books with you to a speaking engagement or in person event, where your dream-coaching client may be. Handing someone a book rather than a business card makes an unforgettable first impression. Or maybe you have a chance to meet with a prospective client who is local - wouldn't you want to be able to hand them a copy of your book? Talk about an extremely powerful way to show your expertise and credibility!

As you can see, writing a book is an excellent way to build your credibility and now is the perfect time to do it.
I mentioned self-publishing. And it is a viable option for getting a book published. There are a couple of drawbacks, however.  It is very difficult to achieve best-seller status with a self-published book. Not because they are not worthwhile reads.  Most writers simply don't have the marketing knowledge to push the book to #1 on their own.  The other drawback is that it is very difficult to get a self-published book into the bookstores.  Most writers just don't have the contacts necessary to make that happen.  But if you are simply wanting to publish a book as a source of some additional income and to share your expertise with your market, then by all means, self-publish!  

If you are searching for an actual publisher, be aware that there are different types.  Based on the type of book you are writing, you will probably be most interested in either a trade book publisher or a hybrid publisher.  I am sure you are familiar with at least one of the big trade book publishers:  Simon and Schuster, Random House, MacMillan, or HarperCollins.  I'm equally willing to bet you can't name one hybrid publisher.  What is a hybrid publisher?  They are somewhere between self-publishing and trade book publishers.  They can be very helpful if you are just starting as a writer.  Just be sure to do your research as the services they offer can vary greatly from one publisher to another.

Being a published author completely changed my business.  Yes, it created an additional stream of income for me.  But that's not the only benefit.  It opened doors to other opportunities like speaking engagements.  It gave me entrance into an entirely new circle of people.  It created instant credibility.  And it gave me the satisfaction of being able to say "I am an author." 

I had something I wanted to share.  My story.  My knowledge and experience.  Do you have a story inside you?  Let's write a book!