Amazon Publishing System?

15 years ago

Michelle -Check out Amazon's Create Space community. There's a ton of information there. I haven't published yet, but plan to in the future.

Jackie

PS- I'm really sorry to hear about your job.

[ 1 ] Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756422].message }}

shermancox

15 years ago

To get on amazon all you need is an ISBN.

Lightningsource has a way to go straight into Amazon. Check out the book "Aiming at Amazon." by Shepherd and/or check out his blog....

or you can use Amazon's own system which is CreateSpace.

Or you could use Lulu and purchase an ISBN.

Please note that all of these are going to require at least some money to purchase an ISBN which is required to get into Amazon...

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

Signature

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756434].message }}

Dave d 15 years ago

Originally Posted by Razer Rage

The total upfront cost for createspace is only a few dollars.

You do not need to pay any upfront fees to create space.

Dave d
- [ 1 ] Thanks
Signature
"UNBELIEVABLE" - CPA PROFITS IN 24 HOURS - $$ FREE TRAFFIC $$

HOT!! Make $$$ Monthly with Dropshipping Stores - Full Done For You $$$
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756457].message }}

CDarklock

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Anyway, I'd LOVE to learn the system but the price of the WSO is $50. I was literally planning on buying today but now that I'm unemployed (I just lost my job today), I need to conserve my cash.

Amazon's CreateSpace is honestly not that hard to figure out.

That said, there's more than that in the WSOs - whether you go with Jessica Kale's, Teresa Miller's, or Tanner Hansson's. The added info is worth the cost.

But if all you really want to do is get your physical book out there, Jackie's got the right idea: head over to the CreateSpace community.

Moving on from there, you've basically got different focus areas for each WSO. Jessica's (which I don't yet have) is focused on selling your book for residual income. Teresa's is focused on flipping the book rights for a fast return. Tanner's is focused on improving the quality of your book.

I know that Teresa's WSO fits excellently with Tanner's, and I'm pretty sure that Jessica's will fit just as well with it. And the crossover looks to be pretty low, so I'll probably end up getting Jessica's in the near future... the three-way combo looks like a pretty great deal.

[ 4 ] Thanks
1 reply

Signature

"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756504].message }}

charlieboy61

14 years ago

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Amazon's CreateSpace is honestly not that hard to figure out.

That said, there's more than that in the WSOs - whether you go with Jessica Kale's, Teresa Miller's, or Tanner Hansson's. The added info is worth the cost.

But if all you really want to do is get your physical book out there, Jackie's got the right idea: head over to the CreateSpace community.

Moving on from there, you've basically got different focus areas for each WSO. Jessica's (which I don't yet have) is focused on selling your book for residual income. Teresa's is focused on flipping the book rights for a fast return. Tanner's is focused on improving the quality of your book.

I know that Teresa's WSO fits excellently with Tanner's, and I'm pretty sure that Jessica's will fit just as well with it. And the crossover looks to be pretty low, so I'll probably end up getting Jessica's in the near future... the three-way combo looks like a pretty great deal.

And actually interested to purchase WSO on Amazon but not sure which one is better. Since I cant create a new thread yet, I hope that those of you who have bought any wso on amazon system can post here

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

charles

Life Lessons From My Autistic Child

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2278139].message }}

CDarklock 14 years ago

Originally Posted by charlieboy61

And actually interested to purchase WSO on Amazon but not sure which one is better.

Definitely Teresa's. If I had to pick just one, that's the one.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
Signature

"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2278176].message }}
- JayPeete 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by CDarklock
  
  Definitely Teresa's. If I had to pick just one, that's the one.
  
  I have hers too, it is excellent!
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  What Misunderstood Traffic Source SUCKS In
  3 Million Visitors Daily and Spits Out
  $560.81 Per Day In Commissions?
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2281567].message }}

imon32red

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Hi Warriors,

Like a lot of others here, I've been reading AP's thread on offline marketing. I noticed he mentioned publishing your own book and referenced a WSO called the "Amazon Publishing System" (or something like it) which taught you how to publish a physical book for about $5 or so a copy in one day. If I understand it correctly, it would be a POD (print-on-demand) system.

Anyway, I'd LOVE to learn the system but the price of the WSO is $50. I was literally planning on buying today but now that I'm unemployed (I just lost my job today), I need to conserve my cash.

If anyone here knows how to self-publish a physical book for a low, upfront cost and put it on Amazon, I'd love to learn. Please note: I'm NOT whining or complaining or asking for a free copy of the WSO product. I'd just really appreciate it if someone here knows how to do it, I would love it if they'd share it with me.

I'm VERY serious about self-publishing my own book and if it's feasible for me to do it, I WILL do it.

Thanks so much for your help.

Sincerely,
Michelle

I have self published several books with createspace. At one time I spent several weeks researching createspace's competitors. That was about a year ago and the only reason that I went with createspace was ts user friendly interface.

With createspace you have to format your own books. Its fairly simple to do, but very time consuming and frustrating the first time through. I would go to the createspace forum and search formatting.

When you publish through createspace you have to pay for your first book and shipping. This will set you back about $10. You can pay for their add-ons, but I usually don't anymore. Once you accept their promotional copy it will automatically be placed in the Amazon Store. I receive royalties through direct deposit once a month.

Basically once you approve your book you receive a monthly payment for the sales, and never have to do anything again. You have to love passive income.

The positives to using createspace:

1. Easy to use interface
2. They provide an ISBN for free
3. It is automaticlly placed in the Amazon Store
4. Once a month direct deposit

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

Signature

I'm not selling anything.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756520].message }}

Nightengale

15 years ago

Thanks for thr tips!

Jessica Kale's WSO is the one I was referencing.

I don't really plan on making money from my book. I plan on pursuing the offline market with online marketing services and I want it for credibility -- to get my foot in the door with business owners, conference planners (as a speaker), etc.

If I actually make any money from the book, great, but that's not my goal.

I'm a copywriter turned IMer. Writing is hard work and takes a lot of time. Jessica Kale is saying she can teach you to write a book in a day. Ha! Well, theoretically it's possible. Probably by simply dictating your book into a recorder, having it transcribed and then edited.

Actually, that sounds like an easy, fun way to write! MUCH easier than the traditional way. Even so, it would take me more than a day. But I'm tempted to launch off on my own without the direction of such instructions.

But I feel at a loss as how to handle the actual process of actually publishing the book. Writing it is one thing. Publishing an actual physical book that looks decent is something else entirely! And that's where I fall down.

Thanks for the tips on CreateSpace. I will check them out in the next day or two.

Michelle

Thanks
2 replies

Signature

"You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756581].message }}

rob54

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Thanks for thr tips!

Jessica Kale's WSO is the one I was referencing.

I don't really plan on making money from my book. I plan on pursuing the offline market with online marketing services and I want it for credibility -- to get my foot in the door with business owners, conference planners (as a speaker), etc.

If I actually make any money from the book, great, but that's not my goal.

I'm a copywriter turned IMer. Writing is hard work and takes a lot of time. Jessica Kale is saying she can teach you to write a book in a day. Ha! Well, theoretically it's possible. Probably by simply dictating your book into a recorder, having it transcribed and then edited.

Actually, that sounds like an easy, fun way to write! MUCH easier than the traditional way. Even so, it would take me more than a day. But I'm tempted to launch off on my own without the direction of such instructions.

But I feel at a loss as how to handle the actual process of actually publishing the book. Writing it is one thing. Publishing an actual physical book that looks decent is something else entirely! And that's where I fall down.

Thanks for the tips on CreateSpace. I will check them out in the next day or two.

Michelle

Hi Nightengale,

As a buyer of both Amazon Book writing WSOs, I may be able to add something of value. Jessica's WSO focuses on a certain "type" of book to write one per day. This is the "secret sauce" of her system. However if your writing aspirations does not include this one type of writing model, I think you will be disappointed with your purchase. Based on what your say your aim in writing a book is for, I would pass on Jessica's system. Its a great concept system, but not a fit for all writing outcomes.

Tanner's new WSO on writing a book for publishing on Amazon is more in line with what you are looking for I think. And its currently only $27. One of his goals is to be a "published author" for the sake of increasing his credibility working with offline prospects and clients also.

One last idea. I can't personally vouch for this system as I have not used it. However it has a lot of good testimonials and claims over 6,000 users of the system. Google "Steve Manning write a book in 14 days" and a ton of links will pop up. I doubt its a less than $50 solution, but it may be worth looking into anyway if you want to explore all options in publishing a book to wow prospects you meet for offline consultation business.

Good Luck!

[ 2 ] Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1756765].message }}

CDarklock 15 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Jessica Kale's WSO is the one I was referencing.

Just bought it. Wouldn't spend my last $50 on it, but I'd spend a spare $50 on it. Much happier with the other two I mentioned earlier, but still satisfied with the value on this one.
- [ 1 ] Thanks
Signature

"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1761195].message }}

jacktackett

15 years ago

I'll second Rob54's recommendation as I've purchased all the WSOs mentioned here. In additional to just researching CreateSpace's site - also check out the local library and see if they have a copy of Dan Poynter's Self Publishing manual. It will help out a lot as well.
Good luck,
--Jack

[ 2 ] Thanks

Signature

Let's get Tim the kidney he needs!HELP Tim

Mega Monster WSO for KimW http://ow.ly/4JdHm

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1757244].message }}

ArticlePrince

15 years ago

No more call center fun for you? Good luck with the self publishing, if you are consistent with it you can make great passive income. It also helps your website's authority if you have some books published, on matter how it's done.

[ 1 ] Thanks

Signature

FREE 500 word articles, PM me for yours!
(4 days only!)

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1757251].message }}

Money on the Side

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Hi Warriors,

Like a lot of others here, I've been reading AP's thread on offline marketing. I noticed he mentioned publishing your own book and referenced a WSO called the "Amazon Publishing System" (or something like it) which taught you how to publish a physical book for about $5 or so a copy in one day. If I understand it correctly, it would be a POD (print-on-demand) system.

Anyway, I'd LOVE to learn the system but the price of the WSO is $50. I was literally planning on buying today but now that I'm unemployed (I just lost my job today), I need to conserve my cash.

If anyone here knows how to self-publish a physical book for a low, upfront cost and put it on Amazon, I'd love to learn. Please note: I'm NOT whining or complaining or asking for a free copy of the WSO product. I'd just really appreciate it if someone here knows how to do it, I would love it if they'd share it with me.

I'm VERY serious about self-publishing my own book and if it's feasible for me to do it, I WILL do it.

Thanks so much for your help.

Sincerely,
Michelle

Self publishing is easy to do through CreateSpace (com). If you know photoshop, then it won't cost you anything except for a few bucks for the proof they make you order. They put it up on Amazon for you and take about 40-50%.

The hard part for my is layout and cover design. I end up outsourcing this, so it does cost some money. If you know photoshop, then you'll be able to make decent covers on your own. I have a few books up on Amazon and they work great for sending them to clients (and you can buy hard copies of your book through createspace for $2-$3).

Don't skimp on cover design. If you don't have a big name, buyers will judge you on your cover. I pay anywhere between $100 to $300 for professional cover design and layout.

Hope this helps.

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1757278].message }}

Alan Petersen

15 years ago

Originally Posted by killercopy

Self publishing is easy to do through CreateSpace (com). If you know photoshop, then it won't cost you anything except for a few bucks for the proof they make you order.

I just need to jump in here, you do not need to know or own photoshop at all, so don't let that scare you away! I don't use Photoshop. Don't know how to use it. Don't like it.

I use Open Office which is 100% free. I create the book covers using CreateSpace's cover wizard. I've also used CreateSpace's cover template and I use GIMP which is a free graphic editor and Pixelmator which is a lot cheaper and easier to use than Photoshop since I'm not graphically inclined.

CreateSpace's cover wizzard makes it very easy. I use a high quality image from iStock but you don't even need that if you want to keep the cost down.

My latest book cost me less than $20. I paid $12 for the iStock image you see on the cover and a little over $4 to have the proof copy mailed to me. That's it. CreateSpace takes care of the ISBN, Bar Code, and all that other good stuff.

Here is that book on Amazon:

Amazon.com: 101 Frequently Asked Questions About...
This other book only cost me the price of the proof copy which was around $4 since I used an image from a PLR product I already had for the cover:

Amazon.com: Buying And Selling Domain Names 101:...
Those are both selling on Amazon. Both books combined cost around $20 to publish. I use the CreateSpace cover wizzard and OpenOffice. Both are selling already.

So yes it's easy and cheap. I'm just talking about the creating your manuscript and publishing it. Not writing, marketing, or any of the other good stuff.

But just to reiterate Michelle, you don't need Photoshop!

I also setup an account with Lightning Source after reading "Aiming at Amazon" but you have to supply your own ISBN numbers which cost around $300 for a block of 10. So CreateSpace is the best way to go on the cheap so to speak.

Thanks

Signature

The Asset - My CIA Thriller Fiction Book For Your Kindle
Fictive Universe - Internet Marketing for Fiction Writers

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1774373].message }}

Doiron

15 years ago

Someone mentioned the book Aiming at Amazon by Aaron Shepard. It's a very good book and has a lot of usable information. If you check out Amazon.com and search for self-publishing you'll get pages of results including books by Poynter and Bowerman. There are also the Dummies and Idiots Guides. Most of these are under $15 plus shipping.

If money is very tight you can always check out Aaron Shepard's website at
*Self Publishing* AARON SHEPARD'S PUBLISHING PAGE *Online Book Marketing on Amazon, Print on Demand by Lightning Source, Do-It-Yourself Book Design, POD Publishing, Publish Your Books* (not an affiliate link). You can sign up there for his free newsletter.

If you scroll down on the page you'll find a link to his blog. Find the blog post for July 22 and you'll be able to download a free draft of Aiming at Amazon. There have been many changes made to the book since the draft so I strongly recommend you buy the completed book when you have the money, but this may be a stopgap measure for you.

He has two other very valuable books out there as well, POD For Profit, and Perfect Pages. They all complement each other.

[ 3 ] Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1758144].message }}

batchos

15 years ago

Nightengale,

I just sent you a PM.

Thanks

Signature

*Be Veg, Make Peace!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1773600].message }}

DennisM

15 years ago

Hi Michelle,

This book was highly recommended on the CreateSpace forum....

Amazon.com: Book Publishing Diy: The Do It Yourself Guide To Self-Publishing Using Lulu And Createspace (9781440459221): Tony Loton: Books (NO Aff. link)

This book shows how to self publish on both CreateSpace and LuLu. This will be the best $14 you'll spend and will save you hours of research.

Good luck!
Dennis

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1774469].message }}

Bish

14 years ago

What about Lulu.com, think they offer the same POD service only cheaper (not too sure though)

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2278289].message }}

eaglechick

14 years ago

Hi Nightingale

Here is a link that can help - apparently createaspace is now booksurge - but still from Amazon Self-Publish Your Book with BookSurge Others please correct me if I'm wrong.

I was going to recommend Alan Peterson (not used his stuff) but I know him through some friends and he come highly recommended - I think it would really be worthwhile to invest a few dollors (very little) in his WSO. The template is done and you don't need photoshop and it will save you a LOT of frustration.

I'm extremely interested in publishing my own book and we're looking for info - then just another thing I would really take CDarklock's recommendations seriously because he's also into "words:.

Really sorry to hear that you've lost your job - please keep us up to date with your endeavours. Don't panic and just invest a little bit to ease the process and go from there.

Best of luck and success!

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2278651].message }}

JohnMcCabe

14 years ago

Originally Posted by eaglechick

Hi Nightingale

Here is a link that can help - apparently createaspace is now booksurge - but still from Amazon Self-Publish Your Book with BookSurge Others please correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually, if you follow that link, the header says the exact opposite...

Booksurge is now Createspace.

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2279553].message }}

edlewis

14 years ago

It depends on what you are looking for. I thought several of the CreateSpace WSO's didn't live up to the hype.

I've done a ton of research on CreateSpace and Amazon of late and I actually see some people's products who've obviously bought these WSO's...and they aren't making any sales.

Despite what seems to be popular opinion, you can't just slap a bunch of CRAP up on CreateSpace and expect to make sales. It's not going to happen. If you do get lucky and trick people into buying your crap, it won't last long because Amazon's review system can be brutal. Some of the reviews I see for CreateSpace "experts" aren't good...

As for other methods, again maybe you're able to make some money by creating a CreateSpace book out of PLR and then "flipping" it to some poor, unsuspecting sucker for a couple hundred bucks along with a minisite built from a template...however, that's not really a business model I'd be very comfortable with - selling someone a book and site that you know probably won't make any sales. Not exactly what I'm looking to do.

The main point here is not to sell crap....I mean some of it is so bad, it's bascially print-on-demand SPAM.

A small tip that may help some people - About 2 months ago, I started buying ISBN's so CreateSpace wouldn't show up as my Publisher on Amazon. It's been more than worth it in terms of sales.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Write Like a Maniac!
Book Cover Secrets & Shortcuts: Book Cover Design for Everyone
Penniless Publishing

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2279882].message }}

imon32red

14 years ago

Originally Posted by edlewis

Despite what seems to be popular opinion, you can't just slap a bunch of CRAP up on CreateSpace and expect to make sales. It's not going to happen. If you do get lucky and trick people into buying your crap, it won't last long because Amazon's review system can be brutal. Some of the reviews I see for CreateSpace "experts" aren't good...

I publish a lot on the Amazon Kindle and a little through Createspace. Whenever someone asks me what you need to do I tell them what you just said. Don't Sell Crap.

You could make 3 or 4 crappy books and publish them and never see a sell. You could also put the same time into 1 good book that will make sales over and over again every month.

To summarize what we both said in three words, Don't Sell Crap.

[ 1 ] Thanks
2 replies

Signature

I'm not selling anything.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2281414].message }}

Nightengale

14 years ago

Gosh, I'm surprised to see someone dug up this thread!

EagleChick,

Here's my update:

Well, I'm still unemployed. I DID land a temp job with the U.S. Census Bureau, but that was just for 8 weeks and I was glad to be rid of it. I could have probably parlayed it into an extended temp job, but I have better things to do.

Since Feb., I qualified for unemployment (it was iffy if I'd get it since I was technically fired) and found out I had a lot more money in my retirement accounts (401K and pension) than I realized. (I'd actually completely forgotten about those accounts since I was taught to buy and hold -- and then forget about it.)

I saw this time as a HUGE opportunity to start the business I'd always wanted to start. I suddenly had the time and funds I'd never had before.

So I decided to live off of the unemployment (not much) and tap my retirement funds to start my business and publish my book. I'm losing money by withdrawing funds, but ultimately, I feel confident enough in my new business to take the risk.

Those funds have allowed me to:

1. Go to my first-ever live event -- a 1-day workshop in TX in April -- to learn a new business model and join an association and mentoring program and start the new business.

2. Put together a team of people to help me publish my book: a publisher, a book editor and a marketing/promotional consultant to help me map out a book promotion plan.

I'm so excited about finding the PERFECT publishing solution: It's actually a hybrid publishing solution: I'm publishing as an imprint under a larger publishing company. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this solution! As an imprint of a larger publishing company, it doesn't LOOK self-published (a critical concern for me) and I'll be full integrated into the book trade (i.e. my book will be available through book wholesalers like Ingram, Baker & Taylor, etc.).

For a fee, my publisher does the cover design and page layout (I'm not a designer or familiar with Photoshop, so this saves a HUGE headache for me), designs a logo for my imprint and other promotional items like bookmarks and coffee mugs, sets me up with ISBN and Library of Congress numbers, lists me with the book trade, initiates and sets up my account with Lightening Source (the POD printer), etc.

(I LOVE the book cover my publisher designed!)

Basically, my publisher does all of the things I'd otherwise have to do myself. Farming all of this out has saved me a tremendous amount of time and huge headaches. Best of all, as an imprint with an established publisher, it doesn't look self-published. The book trade with see my publisher's name and all of the other books she's published as opposed to just my company name with only one book.

Yet, I still have full control as a self-publisher, I keep all royalties, etc. The fee to the publisher is a one-time fee and there are no ongoing fees to pay the publisher. If I need further help negotiating rights sales or anything else, my publisher will help me and act as an agent for a percentage. My only ongoing cost is the cost to print as many books as I need to print which is whatever Lightening Source charges.

I've also been able to hire a professional editor to edit the entire book as well a marketing/promotion specialist to help me design a book promotion plan. This is just a few hours of her time to help me design the plan. Once I'm ready to implement it, I can hire a VA to do the grunt work of contacting media, doing research, etc. at a much lower hourly rate which helps me make much better use of my limited funds.

The book is 12 chapters long and I'm finishing the last chapter as I write this. I've been finishing it for a month though! I had some personal things come up and also ran into a serious case of writer's block. But I think I'm finally on a roll again. It's been a challenge to start a new company and write/publish/promote my first book at the same time. I'm definitely on a learning curve with this!

I'm also engaged to be married. I'm 34 and used to being single, so having someone in my life -- with all of those distractions (ahem) -- while trying to start a business is a challenge.

In fact, our wedding was scheduled for Nov. 6, 2010, but we just decided to postpone it until next year. We got engaged really fast and haven't known each other for very long. As soon as we got engaged, our financial situation completely fell apart. I became unemployed and he became underemployed and so it's been stressful.

Trying to start a new business, write a book and ramp up the promotional campaign for a Sept. 15 pub. date and then get married just 2 months later with no money was just too much. I was beginning to feel the pressure of an impending wedding date that I didn't feel ready for. Something had to go. So we just decided last weekend to postpone our wedding until next year.

It was still a hard decision to make though and I wrestled with it for over a month (and didn't get much work done during that month!).

I feel a huge relief about that, but the uncertainty of starting a business while unemployed is stressful. My unemployment benefits won't last forever and neither will my retirement funds. I'd rather NOT get a job, but I might have to. After having a day job for several years though, I don't relish getting another one. Sounds crazy, but I have so many things I want to do and found I really resent the time and flexibility that a day job takes from me. (Plus, I have some health issues that make having a day job outside of the home difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.)

Maybe that sounds crazy, but I mean it. I'm not being flippant. So I'm working like crazy to get this all up and running ASAP.

Well, I'd better get back to work!

Michelle

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

"You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2281598].message }}

charlieboy61

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Gosh, I'm surprised to see someone dug up this thread!

EagleChick,

Here's my update:

Well, I'm still unemployed. I DID land a temp job with the U.S. Census Bureau, but that was just for 8 weeks and I was glad to be rid of it. I could have probably parlayed it into an extended temp job, but I have better things to do.

Since Feb., I qualified for unemployment (it was iffy if I'd get it since I was technically fired) and found out I had a lot more money in my retirement accounts (401K and pension) than I realized. (I'd actually completely forgotten about those accounts since I was taught to buy and hold -- and then forget about it.)

I saw this time as a HUGE opportunity to start the business I'd always wanted to start. I suddenly had the time and funds I'd never had before.

So I decided to live off of the unemployment (not much) and tap my retirement funds to start my business and publish my book. I'm losing money by withdrawing funds, but ultimately, I feel confident enough in my new business to take the risk.

Those funds have allowed me to:

1. Go to my first-ever live event -- a 1-day workshop in TX in April -- to learn a new business model and join an association and mentoring program and start the new business.

2. Put together a team of people to help me publish my book: a publisher, a book editor and a marketing/promotional consultant to help me map out a book promotion plan.

I'm so excited about finding the PERFECT publishing solution: It's actually a hybrid publishing solution: I'm publishing as an imprint under a larger publishing company. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this solution! As an imprint of a larger publishing company, it doesn't LOOK self-published (a critical concern for me) and I'll be full integrated into the book trade (i.e. my book will be available through book wholesalers like Ingram, Baker & Taylor, etc.).

For a fee, my publisher does the cover design and page layout (I'm not a designer or familiar with Photoshop, so this saves a HUGE headache for me), designs a logo for my imprint and other promotional items like bookmarks and coffee mugs, sets me up with ISBN and Library of Congress numbers, lists me with the book trade, initiates and sets up my account with Lightening Source (the POD printer), etc.

(I LOVE the book cover my publisher designed!)

Basically, my publisher does all of the things I'd otherwise have to do myself. Farming all of this out has saved me a tremendous amount of time and huge headaches. Best of all, as an imprint with an established publisher, it doesn't look self-published. The book trade with see my publisher's name and all of the other books she's published as opposed to just my company name with only one book.

Yet, I still have full control as a self-publisher, I keep all royalties, etc. The fee to the publisher is a one-time fee and there are no ongoing fees to pay the publisher. If I need further help negotiating rights sales or anything else, my publisher will help me and act as an agent for a percentage. My only ongoing cost is the cost to print as many books as I need to print which is whatever Lightening Source charges.

I've also been able to hire a professional editor to edit the entire book as well a marketing/promotion specialist to help me design a book promotion plan. This is just a few hours of her time to help me design the plan. Once I'm ready to implement it, I can hire a VA to do the grunt work of contacting media, doing research, etc. at a much lower hourly rate which helps me make much better use of my limited funds.

The book is 12 chapters long and I'm finishing the last chapter as I write this. I've been finishing it for a month though! I had some personal things come up and also ran into a serious case of writer's block. But I think I'm finally on a roll again. It's been a challenge to start a new company and write/publish/promote my first book at the same time. I'm definitely on a learning curve with this!

I'm also engaged to be married. I'm 34 and used to being single, so having someone in my life -- with all of those distractions (ahem) -- while trying to start a business is a challenge.

In fact, our wedding was scheduled for Nov. 6, 2010, but we just decided to postpone it until next year. We got engaged really fast and haven't known each other for very long. As soon as we got engaged, our financial situation completely fell apart. I became unemployed and he became underemployed and so it's been stressful.

Trying to start a new business, write a book and ramp up the promotional campaign for a Sept. 15 pub. date and then get married just 2 months later with no money was just too much. I was beginning to feel the pressure of an impending wedding date that I didn't feel ready for. Something had to go. So we just decided last weekend to postpone our wedding until next year.

It was still a hard decision to make though and I wrestled with it for over a month (and didn't get much work done during that month!).

I feel a huge relief about that, but the uncertainty of starting a business while unemployed is stressful. My unemployment benefits won't last forever and neither will my retirement funds. I'd rather NOT get a job, but I might have to. After having a day job for several years though, I don't relish getting another one. Sounds crazy, but I have so many things I want to do and found I really resent the time and flexibility that a day job takes from me. (Plus, I have some health issues that make having a day job outside of the home difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.)

Maybe that sounds crazy, but I mean it. I'm not being flippant. So I'm working like crazy to get this all up and running ASAP.

Well, I'd better get back to work!

Michelle

Can i know how much is this one time fee? I am from Malaysia, will this work for me as well?

Charles

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

charles

Life Lessons From My Autistic Child

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2301906].message }}

Nightengale

14 years ago

Hi Charles,

The one-time fee to publish as an imprint with this publisher is $2,495. This does not include layout of the interior pages. I chose to have my publisher also layout the pages, so the fee for that was $1,600, based on an estimated 200 pages.

So the total fee to publish my book with this publisher is $4,095.

I also chose to to hire an independent editor to edit the book for $1,500. I want the book to be of the highest quality, on a par with any other book out there. Hiring an editor to edit your book isn't vanity; it's a sound business decision. If you're a non-native English speaker, then I'd recommend even more strongly hiring an editor to edit your book.

This project has been overwhelming to me and it's taken me a lot longer to write the book than I thought it should. There have been times when it's all I could do just to write the rough draft. I've been so focused on giving lots of good information and being as thorough as possible that I couldn't do more than write the rough draft. By the time I got through the research and the rough draft, I was sick of looking at it and had no idea if the chapters sounded good, flowed nicely, made sense, etc. I quickly decided I needed an editor if I wanted the best possible book.

I also hired a PR/promotions person to help me map out the launch of the book for $850. It's consulting only, so if I want help implementing it, I'll probably hire a VA, which is an added expense.

So my total investment/commitment so far is $6,445.

If this is too much, you can choose how much you want to spend. You might forego an editor or a PR person, for example. It all depends on how much you have to spend, your goals, your level of commitment, etc.

Both the publisher and editor gave me payment plans. However, these payments are tied to completion of the project; they're not monthly payments. Once the project is done, all payments are due. I paid the PR person up front.

I'm sure you can publish with this publisher, even if you're in Malaysia. I believe you'd have to set up a U.S.-based company first though. I'm not a lawyer or familiar with the requirements for setting up a U.S. company by a foreign national though. If you're interested, you can double-check with the publisher. (If you want the name and contact info of the publisher, PM me and I'll send it to you.)

Keep in mind that the publisher and editor are just to get the book into print. It doesn't include any promotion at all. If you want your book to be a success, then you're going to have to invest time and money in promoting it.

Before you (or anyone) jumps off the deep end with publishing a book, I strongly recommend that you study book publishing and promotion first. The two best books for this are Dan Poynter's The Self-Publishing Manual and John Kremer's 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. If you want to publish and promote in the U.S., I'd recommend even more strongly that you study book publishing/promotion in the U.S. before deciding to publish.

My best advice, before choosing any publishing solution, is to 1) decide what your goal is with publishing a book and 2) determine if your finances and goals justify the cost of this type of publishing solution. You might be better served by going with a cheaper solution like Create Space. It all depends on your goals and resources. YOU determine what success means to you when it comes to publishing a book.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success with your book publishing efforts.

Michelle

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

"You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2303561].message }}

charlieboy61

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Nightengale

Hi Charles,

The one-time fee to publish as an imprint with this publisher is $2,495. This does not include layout of the interior pages. I chose to have my publisher also layout the pages, so the fee for that was $1,600, based on an estimated 200 pages.

So the total fee to publish my book with this publisher is $4,095.

I also chose to to hire an independent editor to edit the book for $1,500. I want the book to be of the highest quality, on a par with any other book out there. Hiring an editor to edit your book isn't vanity; it's a sound business decision. If you're a non-native English speaker, then I'd recommend even more strongly hiring an editor to edit your book.

This project has been overwhelming to me and it's taken me a lot longer to write the book than I thought it should. There have been times when it's all I could do just to write the rough draft. I've been so focused on giving lots of good information and being as thorough as possible that I couldn't do more than write the rough draft. By the time I got through the research and the rough draft, I was sick of looking at it and had no idea if the chapters sounded good, flowed nicely, made sense, etc. I quickly decided I needed an editor if I wanted the best possible book.

I also hired a PR/promotions person to help me map out the launch of the book for $850. It's consulting only, so if I want help implementing it, I'll probably hire a VA, which is an added expense.

So my total investment/commitment so far is $6,445.

If this is too much, you can choose how much you want to spend. You might forego an editor or a PR person, for example. It all depends on how much you have to spend, your goals, your level of commitment, etc.

Both the publisher and editor gave me payment plans. However, these payments are tied to completion of the project; they're not monthly payments. Once the project is done, all payments are due. I paid the PR person up front.

I'm sure you can publish with this publisher, even if you're in Malaysia. I believe you'd have to set up a U.S.-based company first though. I'm not a lawyer or familiar with the requirements for setting up a U.S. company by a foreign national though. If you're interested, you can double-check with the publisher. (If you want the name and contact info of the publisher, PM me and I'll send it to you.)

Keep in mind that the publisher and editor are just to get the book into print. It doesn't include any promotion at all. If you want your book to be a success, then you're going to have to invest time and money in promoting it.

Before you (or anyone) jumps off the deep end with publishing a book, I strongly recommend that you study book publishing and promotion first. The two best books for this are Dan Poynter's The Self-Publishing Manual and John Kremer's 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. If you want to publish and promote in the U.S., I'd recommend even more strongly that you study book publishing/promotion in the U.S. before deciding to publish.

My best advice, before choosing any publishing solution, is to 1) decide what your goal is with publishing a book and 2) determine if your finances and goals justify the cost of this type of publishing solution. You might be better served by going with a cheaper solution like Create Space. It all depends on your goals and resources. YOU determine what success means to you when it comes to publishing a book.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success with your book publishing efforts.

Michelle

Thanks for the info. Looking at the cost involved, I think that I will explore other options. Best of luck on your book.

Charles

Thanks

Signature

charles

Life Lessons From My Autistic Child

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2306346].message }}

edlewis

14 years ago

Originally Posted by imon32red

I publish a lot on the Amazon Kindle and a little through Createspace. Whenever someone asks me what you need to do I tell them what you just said. Don't Sell Crap.

You could make 3 or 4 crappy books and publish them and never see a sell. You could also put the same time into 1 good book that will make sales over and over again every month.

To summarize what we both said in three words, Don't Sell Crap.

I totally agree, it seems to be a business concept that should apply to any business.

Sometimes it actually isn't the fault of the person selling the crap, because often they don't realize it's crap. What I mean is, they've been told how EASY the money is going to be so they think that anything will do. They go ahead and take action without properly understanding the market and/or business and the result is the production of crap.

Thanks

Signature

Write Like a Maniac!
Book Cover Secrets & Shortcuts: Book Cover Design for Everyone
Penniless Publishing

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2282029].message }}

propecon

14 years ago

I've purchased a couple of WSOs and paperbacks about this subject. In each case, there seemed to be a lot left out. I was intrigued by this one, but not expecting much.

OK, I gave in and waited for the disappointment. Boy was I wrong! Tanner really delivers. He gets down to the nitty gritty and really covers the stuff I needed about layout etc., as well as just about all the rest. Fantastic stuff and I haven't even viewed the videos yet!

Some have asked about how much you can make. So many have been weaned on a diet of ridiculously hyped claims that they expect to see an imaginary figure that they can dream about. The truth is, the only limitation on earnings is you. It's really that simple.

Unlike the pie in the sky schemes, that're so frequently offered, there's plenty of proof this works. Go to Amazon and look for books. There's millions of them! If they're good they sell, if not, they don't. This WSO enables you to make good ones and help Amazon to market them for you, the rest is up to you.

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2280049].message }}

CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by propecon

Tanner really delivers.

Tanner's #2 on the list.

See, here's the thing. Where Tanner's WSO falls over is that it simply doesn't contain any clear direction on where the money comes in. The business model is barely sketched in.

But he beats the crap out of "how to make your book look and feel awesome."

The rest are kind of the opposite. They definitely deal with the question of making the money; making the book - not so much. The layout and design coverage is sparse.

That said, given a good business model, you can sell an ugly book. But even with a fantastic book, you still need a business model.

Which is why I recommend you go with Teresa's first - it's got a solid, short-term business model. It's probably the best choice for someone who's fired up and wants to work, work, work with fat cash payments showing up frequently.

Meanwhile, Jessica's provides a business model that pretty much requires you to make a shedload of books, because you don't make all that much from a single book... but it's going to keep working for you long-term, which is going to go a lot better for you when you say "dammit, I'm sick of writing books, I'm taking a break."

I had a lot of buyer's remorse with Jessica's WSO, however. I'm not clear on how much of it was because there wasn't enough material in it, and how much was because there wasn't enough NEW material in it. I expected something out of it that I just never got from it, and I'm not entirely sure what it was.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2282122].message }}

edlewis

14 years ago

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Tanner's #2 on the list.

See, here's the thing. Where Tanner's WSO falls over is that it simply doesn't contain any clear direction on where the money comes in. The business model is barely sketched in.

But he beats the crap out of "how to make your book look and feel awesome."

The rest are kind of the opposite. They definitely deal with the question of making the money; making the book - not so much. The layout and design coverage is sparse.

That said, given a good business model, you can sell an ugly book. But even with a fantastic book, you still need a business model.

Which is why I recommend you go with Teresa's first - it's got a solid, short-term business model. It's probably the best choice for someone who's fired up and wants to work, work, work with fat cash payments showing up frequently.

Meanwhile, Jessica's provides a business model that pretty much requires you to make a shedload of books, because you don't make all that much from a single book... but it's going to keep working for you long-term, which is going to go a lot better for you when you say "dammit, I'm sick of writing books, I'm taking a break."

I had a lot of buyer's remorse with Jessica's WSO, however. I'm not clear on how much of it was because there wasn't enough material in it, and how much was because there wasn't enough NEW material in it. I expected something out of it that I just never got from it, and I'm not entirely sure what it was.

Here's the thing...the BEST place for formatting info is still the CreateSpace forums and not some WSO.

In fact, the best guide I've found for formatting a CreateSpace book is given away for FREE by a member of the CreateSpace forums. He normally charges a whopping $2.95 for it but gives it away for FREE to anyone who is a member of the CreateSpace forums - which is also free to join BTW...

It's almost 100 pages from a guy who's a professional designer and who has laid out tons of books over the years.

I just can't talk myself into the whole CreateSpace book "flipping" idea...

It seems like you can make money doing it, but at whose expense?

Unless you're selling a book that's already making sales and has a system in place, you're just kind of taking advantage of the next newbie with dollar signs in their eyes and the dream of "instant", "over-night" riches who thinks just having a book on Amazon will guarantee them the internet wealth dream.

I'd be interested to see if any of these books that were "flipped" ever make the guys that buy them any money? Or even the money they invested back...

Anyone with a real sense of business or internet business wouldn't buy a CreateSpace book just because it's on Amazon. They'd buy/invest in it because it is already making money or because they know it will - through actual research and market knowledge, not just the internet/biz opp "dream".

Especially when many (most?) of these books come from people with no real clue when it comes to creating a professional self-published book that actually sells.

Well...I've said enough, I think.

I'm sure this post will probably get a few Warriors mad at me....I should know better than to post here after dusting off a 6-pack....

Last thing - One big thing for me was changing how exactly I looked at CreateSpace. It took some time, but my view changed when I stopped looking at CreateSpace as a great outlet for writers to get published and started looking at it as a great way to start my own publishing company.

[ 2 ] Thanks
3 replies

Signature

Write Like a Maniac!
Book Cover Secrets & Shortcuts: Book Cover Design for Everyone
Penniless Publishing

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2282439].message }}

imon32red

14 years ago

Originally Posted by edlewis

Here's the thing...the BEST place for formatting info is still the CreateSpace forums and not some WSO.

In fact, the best guide I've found for formatting a CreateSpace book is given away for FREE by a member of the CreateSpace forums. He normally charges a whopping $2.95 for it but gives it away for FREE to anyone who is a member of the CreateSpace forums - which is also free to join BTW...

It's almost 100 pages from a guy who's a professional designer and who has laid out tons of books over the years.

I just can't talk myself into the whole CreateSpace book "flipping" idea...

It seems like you can make money doing it, but at whose expense?

Unless you're selling a book that's already making sales and has a system in place, you're just kind of taking advantage of the next newbie with dollar signs in their eyes and the dream of "instant", "over-night" riches who thinks just having a book on Amazon will guarantee them the internet wealth dream.

I'd be interested to see if any of these books that were "flipped" ever make the guys that buy them any money? Or even the money they invested back...

Anyone with a real sense of business or internet business wouldn't buy a CreateSpace book just because it's on Amazon. They'd buy/invest in it because it is already making money or because they know it will - through actual research and market knowledge, not just the internet/biz opp "dream".

Especially when many (most?) of these books come from people with no real clue when it comes to creating a professional self-published book that actually sells.

Well...I've said enough, I think.

I'm sure this post will probably get a few Warriors mad at me....I should know better than to post here after dusting off a 6-pack....

Last thing - One big thing for me was changing how exactly I looked at CreateSpace. It took some time, but my view changed when I stopped looking at CreateSpace as a great outlet for writers to get published and started looking at it as a great way to start my own publishing company.

For those of you that are interested in publishing on CreateSpace this post has tremendous value. I published my first book there 2 years ago.

I actually look at CreateSpace different than Ed though. I think of them as legitimizing my ebook efforts. People have found that it is easy to throw crap together and sell it as an ebook. Ebook purchasers seem to be more and more wary of this. I might be wrong on this but it seems that when a customer views your ebook and sees that there is a softcover available for three times the price, the customer assumes that the ebook is legitimate. I know that this might sound crazy, but I think that by having a CreateSpace book for sale on the same page as my ebook actually drives my ebook sales.

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

Signature

I'm not selling anything.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2282717].message }}

edlewis

14 years ago

Originally Posted by imon32red

For those of you that are interested in publishing on CreateSpace this post has tremendous value. I published my first book there 2 years ago.

I actually look at CreateSpace different than Ed though. I think of them as legitimizing my ebook efforts. People have found that it is easy to throw crap together and sell it as an ebook. Ebook purchasers seem to be more and more wary of this. I might be wrong on this but it seems that when a customer views your ebook and sees that there is a softcover available for three times the price, the customer assumes that the ebook is legitimate. I know that this might sound crazy, but I think that by having a CreateSpace book for sale on the same page as my ebook actually drives my ebook sales.

I definitely see that side of it too.

In your case, it makes your ebook seem more "legit" because it is a "real" printed book that you are selling an ebook version to. It legitimizes your ebook while at the same time also making it seem like a smart option for someone looking to save money.

Kinda off topic but.....I also see CreateSpace as an untapped resource for those who are bloggers. For someone who writes a popular blog with tens of thousands of subscribers, it's a great way to monetize all that popularity.

Thanks

Signature

Write Like a Maniac!
Book Cover Secrets & Shortcuts: Book Cover Design for Everyone
Penniless Publishing

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2282783].message }}

CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by edlewis

It seems like you can make money doing it, but at whose expense?

It doesn't matter.

Imagine you list a site on Flippa, and you give it a BIN price of $750.

Almost immediately, someone who just registered on the site five minutes ago hits the BIN button.

Your first communication from that person is "I am very excited about this purchase, and would like two-day shipping so I can get started as soon as possible. How much extra will that cost?"

Guess what? You're contractually obligated to take that person's money and transfer the site.

You can't very well open a help desk ticket at Flippa and say "OMFG the customer is a moron and wasting his money, please don't let him buy the site." They don't care.

They just want to take their $37.50 and send the little moron along his merry way with his new website. And free shipping, too.

It took some time, but my view changed when I stopped looking at CreateSpace as a great outlet for writers to get published and started looking at it as a great way to start my own publishing company.

Bingo.

Thanks

Signature

"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2282840].message }}

nebraska

14 years ago

Originally Posted by edlewis

Here's the thing...the BEST place for formatting info is still the CreateSpace forums and not some WSO.

In fact, the best guide I've found for formatting a CreateSpace book is given away for FREE by a member of the CreateSpace forums. He normally charges a whopping $2.95 for it but gives it away for FREE to anyone who is a member of the CreateSpace forums - which is also free to join BTW...

It's almost 100 pages from a guy who's a professional designer and who has laid out tons of books over the years.

Would it be possible for you to post a link to this, or tell me where to locate it?

Thanks

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2287613].message }}

daydreamer123 14 years ago

Originally Posted by nebraska

Would it be possible for you to post a link to this, or tell me where to locate it?

Thanks

I'd also like to know, thank you
- Thanks
- 1 reply
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2300012].message }}
- edlewis 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by nebraska
  
  Would it be possible for you to post a link to this, or tell me where to locate it?
  
  Thanks
  
  Originally Posted by daydreamer123
  
  I'd also like to know, thank you
  
  It's only supposed to be available to CreateSpace forum members(so go sign up for an account!) but I suppose I can post it here. Free publicity for the author...
  
  Create Space members
  
  [ 1 ] Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  Write Like a Maniac!
  Book Cover Secrets & Shortcuts: Book Cover Design for Everyone
  Penniless Publishing
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2301626].message }}

eaglechick

14 years ago

John Mcabe - Sorry, my mistake - thx for pointing it out - that happens when you're practically chained to your computer and called "double vision".

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2280067].message }}

JohnMcCabe 14 years ago

Originally Posted by eaglechick

John Mcabe - Sorry, my mistake - thx for pointing it out - that happens when you're practically chained to your computer and called "double vision".

Been there, done that, got the (slightly blurry) t-shirt...
- Thanks
- 1 reply
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2280137].message }}
- eaglechick 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe
  
  Been there, done that, got the (slightly blurry) t-shirt...
  
  You're one heck of a lucky fish! Geez when will my day ever come, then I'll put up an avatar with my "Ferrari" - no let's make it a sexy Harley Davidson
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2280473].message }}
  
  JohnMcCabe 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by eaglechick
  
  You're one heck of a lucky fish! Geez when will my day ever come, then I'll put up an avatar with my "Ferrari" - no let's make it a sexy Harley Davidson
  
  I'm waiting with 'baited' breath...
  
  Thanks
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2280834].message }}

eaglechick

14 years ago

Hello Nightingale

Thx for the update - I'm really happy for you and congrats on the upcoming wedding.
Just hang in there and it will work out for you. I'm an avid reader so let us know then we'll buy a copy (plse don't send a free one) and remember this is my favorite quote:

"If you listen to your fears - you will die never knowing what a great person you are." - Robert H Schuller

You rock girl!

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2300129].message }}

Saito

13 years ago

Yeah, if I were spending several thousand on a book i would want about 90% of that to go into promoting it and publicity.

Thanks

Signature

Do You Suffer From Incomplete Funnel Syndrome?

We Unlock Your Hidden Profit Centers With Quality Info Products & Digital Content

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5273026].message }}

Amazon Publishing System?

Trending Topics

Why My Website is Not Indexed in Google?

I didn't know this - am I the only one?

How to sell ebooks if your legal entity in the country which which publishers doesnt work

An Amazon fail

Facebook Ads CPM skyrocketed as purchases increased. What can I do?