Posted by Life is a path full of lessons and we can learn a lot of things while we are trying to accomplish something in life and today I am going to tell you the story of the things I learnt while publishing my first book.
I had always wanted to believe in the self-publishing model and traditional publishers were not my preference and therefore I choose a reputable publisher with a long-standing history in self-publishing and also traditional publishing, Orange Publishers.
Publishing was really quite a rewarding experience because firstly there was the thrill that I got to write my first book and bring it out into the world and there was something even more.
I got access to the coveted world of authorship and the experience was amazing because I choose a publisher that had dozens of self-published books under its name and also I did not want to go for Amazon’s self-publishing solution.
So here are the things I learnt while publishing my first book.
10 RANDOM LESSONS I LEARNT FROM PUBLISHING MY FIRST BOOK
1. CAREER
One of the most important things that I have learnt while writing my first book is the level of confidence that I got from the entire writing experience.
If we are going to talk about the lessons I have gained from publishing my first bookshelf then the actual lesson is not at all related to publishing but about the entire aspect of the book.
This aspect is everything from understanding my willpower to understanding my capabilities and also improving them over time.
This experience has given me the confidence to finally think about making writing my permanent career because it is definitely possible if you are brave enough.
2. MARKET RESEARCH
Market research may feel like a very small thing but market research is one of the most important things that I have learnt during my entire writing process.
No matter which kind of book you are writing and no matter the genre as well as the sub-category, you will always benefit if you do some market research.
This can be in the form of finding out all the other works that are similar to your book and if you do this you are going to get an idea about the audience expectation and also the overall aspect of your genre.
3. BOOK COVER
I cannot even begin to stress this enough but believe me, the book cover is one of the most important aspects of your book.
The reason behind this is that it will be the very first thing that the potential reader will see in the bookstore.
Try to make it as unique as possible and you can take inspiration by doing market research but then again you must never copy a design and you must only take inspiration from certain design elements.
4. E-BOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS
This is the generation of the eBook and the audiobook and if you want to create an international impact with your writing then here is something you must understand.
You must create your book in nearly all the formats that are currently available in the market and that includes eBooks, audiobooks, YouTube videos, paperbacks and hardcovers.
The best part about eBooks is that you do not need to worry about supply and demand because it is very easy to create copies of eBooks and you will not even need to schedule printing.
5. MARKETING
Marketing is everything when it comes to selling any product and you must definitely understand that your book is also a product.
This is something that I had first-hand experience in because I did not stress about marketing in the beginning but as soon as I focused on marketing, I saw the performance of the book get better.
However, you must make sure that your marketing is regular and on point but you must also make sure that you do not spend too much of the budget on marketing especially if you are self-publishing.
6. EDITING
As much as editing is important there is something even more important that new authors must remember.
There is no end to editing because you can always make your book better and that is why you must not exceed the process by more than a few drafts.
You must go through the regular routine of editing but you must not keep on editing because that will only waste your time.
It is always good to have a professional editor in place and I have been lucky in that aspect because Orange Publishers have their own team of editors who make sure that all the basic editing problems are solved.
7. TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING IS OVERRATED
Being a first-time writer, you must have the notion that traditional publishing ranks higher than self-publishing but it is actually quite different.
When it comes to traditional publishing it is nearly impossible to get your manuscript accepted because there are already so many submissions received by a traditional publisher.
Then again if a book is published through traditional publishing, it cannot be a guarantee for the success of a book because a book stands on its own and if it is a good book then no matter the type of publishing, it will become famous.
However, if you opt for self-publishing then you are going to have a lot more control over your writing and you can play a more active role in the publishing.
8. KEEP MONEY OUT OF YOUR MIND
If you are starting out new in the world of literature and if you are someone who is willing to make a career out of it then there is something you must keeping mind.
You must keep the thought of earning and getting a return on your investment out of your mind simply because material thoughts and creative work do not go hand in hand.
If you are dedicated enough then you are definitely going to get a return on your investment in due time but if your main motive is simply to earn and get rich then you can forget about writing.
You must write because that is what your heart wants and if you are true to yourself then you are definitely going to get appreciated and received by the readers and along with that, you can make a carrier out of it.
9. SEE CRITICISM BUT DON’T FEEL IT
Whenever you are going to do something creative or even if you are doing anything in your life you are going to get criticism.
Most of the time it is going to be positive and constructive criticism that is actually going to help you but sometimes you are going to get criticism from people who are jealous.
Therefore, you must always look at criticism and you must be able to sort out constructive criticism from negative criticism.
Constructive criticism is definitely going to help your career and the negative criticism can even damage it.
10. NETWORKING
While this can be included as a sub-part of the point of marketing but I have decided to create a new point simply because of the importance of networking.
When you are planning on becoming an author and when you are planning on making this your career you must also think like a businessman.
The most important aspect of a business is networking and getting connections with the right people and this is exactly what you have to do as an author.
This will allow you to meet the right people who are automatically going to promote your book and this will help you enter the inner circles of literature and this will be an overall positive thing for your career.
I hope this blog has helped you understand what are some of the random but important lessons that can be learnt while publishing one’s first book.
And if you are someone who believes in the genius of self-publishing then you can also go for the publisher that has helped me so much with my publishing process.
Orange Publishers are one of the pioneers when it comes to self-publishing in India and you can totally visit them in order to find out more.