Volume V- Issue 11,  December 2006
Published by Llumina Press

It’s called “Self-Publishing” for a reason

      Self-publishing has become common household terminology. Yet, with the appreciation of a means to voice one’s mind, we still have not truly understood the meaning. If all Self-Publishers do is charge for set-up, then why not call it a “Consumer Publisher” or a “Vanity Press”? It seems awfully misleading to tell your co-workers, friends, and family that you “Self published a book” if a company did it for you.

      Reason one for being called “Self-Published”: You are alone. Reason two: You must take responsibility for your ideas. Reason three: You must promote your own book. This is the rationale behind “Self-Publishers." You must not render yourself helpless. Your mind wrote the book in the first place; do not forget it when it comes time to distribute it.

      The first order of business is learning where your book is going. Obviously it will go to the internet; all POD companies go there. You need to know if your book is being broadcasted in the right places. Are you represented on Ingram, Baker and Taylor, and/or Books in Print? Is your book located on Amazon.com, Borders.com, and/or Barnesandnoble.com? If your publisher doesn’t have these answers for you, you’re using the wrong publisher.

      Once you discover these answers, go there. Would it make sense to be satisfied with someone informing you, “Hey, I saw your new cereal-bar at Wal-Mart. Nice job, dude!” and never check yourself? Absolutely not, and I’m sure no one reading this would disagree. So, if you are on Amazon.com, type in the name of your book in the search engine and click enter. It isn’t a workout; trust me.

      Once you are there: check everything. Make sure your cover is there, your last name is spelled correctly, your synopsis is to the letter, and that you are already exhausting every possible advantage. When I say “every possible advantage” I am speaking of neat aspects of the internet community that gives you the edge. For example, amazon.com allows for you to have a “search inside” feature and discussion boards for your novel.

      What happens if something goes wrong? Perhaps you don’t have a cover image or the wrong title was assigned to your ISBN? The first thing you do is lift your hand to your mouth, extend your thumb, and comfort yourself with the repetition of an infant. Or, if you never enjoyed sucking your thumb, you always have the option of doing something about it!

      Seriously, do not complain to your “self-publisher” about every problem you encounter. By all means, inform them. Just don’t ask them to fix everything for you. You will usually find that it takes the same amount of time to e-mail the webmaster of amazon.com as it takes to complain to your publisher. However, it takes more time when your publisher then, in turn, has to complain to the webmaster for you.

      Make the message short and sweet. Something like this:

“Dear Webmaster,

      "I have noticed an issue concerning “OMA: One Man Army”. Your site is calling it “One Man Army”. Please correct this at the earliest convenient moment and thank you for your valuable time.

"Sincerely,

"Dan”

      It isn’t nearly as frightening as you may imagine it to be. There will be no legal suits or large conference rooms involved. Large chain-companies experience technical problems like this all the time. Believe it or not, you aren’t the first self-published author who has had their last name spelled wrong. It happens.

      Once you know where your book is: do not stop. Self-published authors are like sharks. No, they are not aggressive beasts. I mean, if you ever stop… you’re dead. Do not be content with your friends buying your book and writing five-star reviews for you. Contact newspapers, radio-stations, television shows, and every reviewer that has an interest in your genre.

      If your publisher does not supply a press release, don’t cry about it. It’s easy to do. Just write something eye-catching in the opening and copy and paste your biography, synopsis, and ordering/contacting information. All that is next to do is create a vague, generic, and universal message to put in front of your Press Release.

Here is an example:

“To whom it may concern:

    "Hello, my name is Daniel James Neumann. I am a sixteen year old author of a science-fiction novel entitled, "OMA: One Man Army". I would be honored to have a short interview with you. I can be contacted at this e-mail address, my home phone (717-555-9599), or my residence (3555 Royerwood Avenue Falseburg, Pa 17199).

    "Besides my initial press release, you may also view an article spotlighting me on E Writer Magazine, at this link: http://www.ewritermagazine.com/August 2006/Danstory.htm

   "Know that a copy of my book is reserved for you, if you wish to claim it. Please contact me back if you’re interested. Thank you for your valuable time.

"Thanks,

"Dan

"P.S

"The Press Release is below:”

      All that is left to do is copy and paste that Press Release below that message. No one will ever know the difference. You will just end up tiring yourself out if you write a new message for every reviewer, television program, talk-radio show, and local newspaper. In the end, you want to have written everyone that is remotely interested in what you have to say. That way, you will get at least a few positive responses.

      Watch a bit of T.V and have access to Google.com. You are going to find most of your "free marketing" there. If your book relates to oil prices, terrorism, or something else in the news... then why not give Fox News a try? Just e-mail the producer by scrolling down the page to “Contact Us” or “Feedback”. It’s honestly that simple.

      If you never get a response back from them, chances are, you will probably have forgotten you ever sent the message. For, if you followed my directions, you would have sent so many messages out that it has all blurred to one strand of copying and pasting. It’s tedious, but extremely effective.

      In truth, this is what traditional publishers do for their celebrity authors. They use automated machines, but I am sure you are more then willing to tap a few keys to reach the same conclusion. It is the only way you are going to stick out in front of so many authors who want the same thing.

      It’s a cruel and competitive reality that self-published authors must face. Just always remember the prefix to “Self-Publish”: Self. It is your own responsibility to launch your masterpiece. Don’t whine to your publisher that your book didn’t land you a cruise with Carnival. It is up to you alone.

--Dan Neumann (author of OMA: One Man Army and editor of E Writer Magazine)

**Llumina Press is a bit of an exception to these guidelines. They are one of the few that will aid you in marketing.