Publishing

Long Term Challenges of Book Publishing.

June 14, 2015

You’re about to have a book published.  Are you ready for this event?

You might be thinking at the moment, the book is finished, it’s been edited, it’s been re-edited and then it’s been looked over by others, and the cover looks great and it’s all done.  There aren’t many mistakes, and for the most part you will need to market it to your network for the next while to increase your sales and visibility.  It’s easy right?

Wrong.

There is more to a book than simply getting your book published.  If you’re a self-published author, there is the challenge of maintaining and updating a website.  The challenge of making sure you are on Twitter, Facebook and any other social media you can find.  Then it’s writing on your blog, becoming a well known leader in your field, doing webinars, book signings, writing another book and doing it all over again.  If you have a contract with a traditional publisher, you’ll still have to think long term.

It’s your book.

book writing
It’s your book

The same as it’s your blog, your writing, your life.  If you got this far, what else can challenge you?  The greatest enemy of them all: TIME.  You’ve got only so much of it and long term a book can soar and fall just like a writer, and you have to have income to continue.  The fact you might need a team is also something you will have to research and ask questions about.

1) How can I lead a team, and still be an author?

2) How do I build a business that will make money for myself and my team?

3) Do I have a long term plan?

4) What challenges in book sales might I face as a self-published author, and what goals should I set for myself, and then to my team to compliment these goals?

A long term challenge is keeping your book and your career moving forward.  Some books have short life spans.  Others can have a longer one, with just small touches to build on them.  Others with the right touch, and some social media magic you can sell more of your book to larger networks.

Some challenges come from lack of marketing “know how”.  Sometimes it’s funny how much you can learn from mistakes if you are willing.  Part of the problem is you. People don’t see you as a leader in the particular niche of the author world. Although some writers will say they don’t do much Twitter or Facebook or blogging, the fact remains if you are reading their social media, and a blog is a type of social media, than they are.  The challenge is to see the large bit of work which goes on behind the scenes.

A long term challenge is the art of moving.  The more effort you put into building a writing career the better the chances of more income, and more books. However, when it takes on average 3 years to publish a good book, this must be factored in.

It’s your business, and long term challenges are always there.  Part of the challenge is to continue to improve and then build more of a team behind your books.
Another long term challenge of book publishing is immediate success.  If you sell a lot of books, you aren’t used to challenges along the way.  You won’t think about what you can do differently.  Social networking makes it look too easy.
The biggest challenge of book publishing is the level of repetitiveness there is.  It’s not all that fun, one can argue it’s boring.
Yes, boring. It’s not fun, it’s not a hobby anymore.  It’s work. It’s business.  It’s pain and suffering, and very little money.  You can say it’ll take time to build a readership or write more books, but it’s all excuses if you don’t go back to the past and see what you promised.

It’s YOUR life.

writing don delillo
Solitude and squander quote
Social media is a powerful thing, and it’s one which can consume your life.  More to the point it will squander your writing life.  It takes away from time from writing and your blog, with often very little to show for it.  The more you put into your book, and planning long term the less challenges there will be.  It’s your book, your life and your choice.
What you publish online should only be one source of income, and the more you focus on building these sources, the more likely you will see more money, more traffic and more spare time.
Don’t give up on your major source of income, but expand upon and build from books you write, and website you maintain.
Accept the challenges and soar.

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