Whether you want to Think and Grow Rich, cultivate your own set of Atomic Habits, or learn The Art of Letting Go, reading the right self-help book at the right time can have a life-changing impact. Authors of self-help books feel that they have unique expertise or perspective that could improve the lives of others, and they want to share what they know in a clear and engaging way. If you’re one of those writers, you’re in luck, because this article will guide you through the self-help book publishing process, from first word to finished manuscript to global marketplace. To begin your publishing journey, read on.
Table of Contents:
• Crafting a compelling self-help book
• Choosing the right publishing path
• Why consider self-publishing?
• Navigating the self-publishing landscape
• Creating a professional-looking book
• Strategies to boost your book’s success
• Ready to share your insights with the world?
Crafting a compelling self-help book
The first step towards getting your self-help book published is creating a great book in the first place. Start with a clear vision. Exactly what are you trying to say? Who are you trying to reach with your book? How do you want to help your readers change? What makes you an expert on the subject matter you’re covering, and what makes your book different? If you can answer those questions confidently, you’re well on your way.
Focus on clear and engaging storytelling at every point. Your goal is to communicate important life lessons and advice, not to showcase how fancy of a writer you are. Keep your structure clean and logical. Prioritize easy-to-follow organization throughout.
Remember that even the most compelling writing won’t hold readers if it’s full of typos, inconsistencies, grammatical errors, and unclear language. Make sure to proofread your manuscript closely and carefully before anything is printed, and consider engaging the help of a professional editor. BookBaby’s experienced book editors can help you streamline your tone, structure, and clarity while helping you avoid embarrassing mistakes in your text.
Choosing the right publishing path
Self-help authors face an important choice: Do you pursue the traditional publishing route—with queries, agents, and contracts galore, or do you take matters into your own hands and self-publish? Is self-publishing worth it for independent authors?
As you’re researching how to get a book published, a traditional publisher can be a great option if you have:
- Time and patience to share your work with lots of potential agents
- Thick skin to deal with rejections
- The ability to negotiate favorable contract terms if everything aligns in your favor
At the end of that process, you may be fortunate enough to have a significant marketing and distribution force behind your work, and the prestige of a known publishing house lifting you as a marquee writer.
That said, traditional publishing means that you’re giving up a large degree of control over the final way your work is presented to the world, and a large amount of the profits that come from each sale. When comparing traditional publishing to self-publishing, the latter puts the control back in your hands, which for many authors, can be a very positive thing in their publishing journey.
Why consider self-publishing?
Working with an established self-publishing company like BookBaby can give you the following benefits and more:
- Creative control. You have the 100% final say on every word, image, design, and marketing choice associated with your book.
- Speed. BookBaby’s experts can help you get your book published in a matter of weeks, while the traditional route of finding an agent, then a publisher, and navigating the whole editorial process, can take much, much longer.
- Money. Though financial arrangements vary from publishing house to publishing house, traditionally published authors keep drastically less of each book sale than their self-published peers.
Navigating the self-publishing landscape
If you choose the rewarding adventure of self-publishing, here are a few things to keep in mind as an aspiring author:
- Proofread and proofread again. You don’t have to go crazy, but the more thoroughly you can vet your work before you self-publish, the better. If you want an extra set of outside expert eyes on your work, BookBaby’s proofreaders can help.
- Choose a service that gives you what you need at a price you’re happy with. Do your research so you know where your self-help book will be distributed, how it will be presented, what kind of timeline you’re looking at, and what costs are involved. You can learn more about BookBaby’s offerings here.
- Pay attention to formatting. Every self-publishing service can have its own guidelines for prepping your manuscript, so be sure to review before you submit. BookBaby makes it easy.
Creating a professional-looking book
For better or worse, it’s not enough to just have great words; compelling visuals are also vital when it comes to getting your book published and selling it far and wide. The right book cover becomes part of your storytelling. It grabs readers’ eyes — whether from a coffee table, bookshelf, or digital screen — and tells them what your book is about in a way that makes them want to learn more. While some self-help authors are no doubt professional-level graphic designers, most are probably not. Luckily, BookBaby can help. Reach out to our professional book cover designers for expert support designing the ideal cover for your project.
Interior book design is just as important as your book’s cover. After all, if your readers dive in but can’t follow along easily, or they find your book off-putting or difficult to engage with, they’ll be that much more likely to drop it. Again, BookBaby’s formatting experts can help.
When it comes to selling professional-looking books, an important question to ask is whether you should print on-demand or order in bulk. On-demand means closely matching the amount of books printed to the number of orders you have in hand. This means less up-front investment on your end, less stock sitting around, and the coolness of your readers getting physical books printed especially for them. That said, on-demand printing is more expensive than bulk printing, and can take longer. Plus, there’s a lot to be said for having extra copies ready at a moment’s notice to sell or give without delay. Not sure which way to go? Ask a BookBaby Publishing Specialist.
Strategies to boost your book’s success
Congratulations! Your book is written, designed, printed, and ready for market. How do you boost awareness and boost sales so that your book launch gets the audience you deserve? Here are a few book marketing tips to keep in mind as you’re promoting your book:
- Elevator pitch. Make sure you have a brief, accurate, compelling explanation of what your book is and how it’s different from everything else out there.
- Social media. Building a following on the social media platform(s) of your choice is one of the best ways to reach people all around the world and to share your message.
- Live events. Self-published authors can host book-signings, readings, lectures, interviews, and more.
- Press. If you feel that your book would fit the readership for a particular website, blog, newspaper, or magazine, reach out and see what kind of coverage might be possible.
- Word of mouth. If readers like your book, gently encourage them to spread the word. Many books, self-published and otherwise, have gained massive popularity this way.
Ready to share your insights with the world?
Publishing a self-help book can be a tremendous act of courage and self-growth — and a huge opportunity to help others. As you get your self-help book closer to completion, pay close attention to your format, content, and publishing options so that you can craft a work that will make you proud and improve the lives of your readers. Become a successful self-published author in the self-help book genre with BookBaby!
