Thursday
Aug262010
7 Reasons You Should Wait to Get Your Book Published
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 5:00AM
Most people at one point in their life have thought about writing and publishing a book. A book is a great way to be seen as an expert and to gain credibility in your field. There are many book publishing options available to authors today which should make getting your first book published easier. But before you start, is it the right time for you to write and publish a book? Here are some reasons you may not be ready to write your book.
- You are not ready to take the time. Writing a book can be a monumental task, particularly if you are not accustomed to writing. It takes time and dedication. If you do not have the time it takes and you still want to write a book read How Busy People Find Time to Write.
- You may just not be ready to tackle such a large task. If you don’t want to work that hard you will not be successful. You should wait until you have a burning desire to write a book.
- You don’t have a niche market. There are lots of books on the shelves. How will your book be different? Do you have a unique message? If you want to write a book on parenting tips for preschoolers you may not get noticed. But if you narrowed your topic to parenting a preschool child with autism you may have a niche market that would be of value.
- You don’t know your topic well enough to write about it. If you are not well versed on a topic then you should wait until you do more research or gain more experience in your field.
- You don’t have an audience. Many authors write and publish a book and then try to market the book. Although a book can improve your credibility, if you don’t already have a following you won’t have any interest in your book. It is important to have an online presence before you write your book. If your followers like your blog and think the information you provide is valuable then they are likely to be interested in your book. If you are already well known in your field and speak to a live audience then you have a market for your book. After you establish an audience then writing and publishing your book is the next step.
- You don’t have a plan for your book. You must have well defined goals before you begin your book. If you have no plan to complete the book once you have started it, most likely it will remain an idea or at best, an outline on your computer.
- You don’t have any money to write your book. It would be great if you had a big publisher pay you upfront royalties for your book. In reality, the book will cost you money upfront. You need to pay for book editing, copy design, book cover design, and printing. You will have to weigh the benefits of being a published author with the cost of publishing a book.
Many doors can be opened for a published author, but with anything you need to be ready before venturing into the project. It can be fun if you are prepared.
If you are not ready now, what do you need to do to get ready? What obstacles do you need to overcome?
Reader Comments (21)
Writing my book was an incredible adventure, and a journey of discovery as well. I think everyone should write their life story, if for no other reason that to tell your future generations a first-hand story of what it was like to live during your time. I highly recommend the book "If You Want to Write" by Brenda Ueland before you begin. It will inspire you to actually do it!
Merry
I am reading your book right now. You have told an incredible story. I think many people have a story that needs to be told. It can be healing and a help for others that are experiencing a similiar situation.
Thanks for the book suggestion.
Stay tuned for a book review of An Uncommon Life
Interesting, Julia. My dear friend, Joanna, has been Wayne Dyer's editor for 25 years. She was just telling me about an event that Hay House held for aspiring writers recently. She said that they were really stressing the point about having a following before considering publishing. She said that big publishing houses rarely look at a new author, unless that have the built-in audience established.
Not too long ago Writer's Digest devoted the month's publication to the writer's on-line presence, stressing its necessity. A friend who is finding a literary agent was told she had 6 months to get 1000 followers, to demonstrate her potential.
Thanks for this great post. I think too often we are encouraged to "do do do" and reach for our dreams, etc., without the necessary reality checks. I know I have a book in my future, and I've been watching myself move through stages of getting ready. I really appreciated reading this post.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
Good advise Julia. Thank you. I have been thinking about writing a book, but I was wondering where I would get the time and money, so after reading your blog I know I don't need to be worrying about this right now. It's just not the time!
Thanks,
Peggy
Great information! I like that it points out why you may not be ready to write a book instead of convincing someone who is not ready, that they are.
This is great information, and since I have been toying with writing a book for years, it is information that I will definitely keep and refer to...I am wondering if there are any differences in what to think about if you want to write fiction rather than non-fiction?
Heidi and Judy
It is so important to connect with your readers through social networking. Even best selling authors now have websites or book trailers to market an upcoming book.
Judy
If you keep up your blogging you will have the following you need to market a book. You will know when the time is right.
Peggy
Even if you are not ready to write a book now you can start developing a following. Is your blog related to the topic of your book? If it is related you will most likely have the readers when you are ready to write the book. If the book you want to write is not related to your blog you may want to start a second blog to begin getting followers in your niche.
Julia
Donna
The publishing process is very much the same for a fiction author. I think it is more difficult for a fiction author to market their books in bookstores. There are authors that have successfully published non fiction books. Print on Demand companies such as Lightning Source and LuLu will submit your book to the major bookstores. If you decide to write a fiction book I can refer you to a company that provides resources to the fiction author.
Julia
The publishing industry is under going quite a revolution. It is clear that those publisher and writers that adapt and take advantage of the new marketing tools available will be the winners. Thanks for all the great information about the process of writing a book...
Excellent information! I just finished writing a chapter for a book that will come out this Winter. I was worried I would read this and think I made a mistake, but this helps reassure me I am on track. Thank you!
As is everything in life, timing (not location!) can be everything. You may be thinking of writing a book for years, and then just wake up one morning and bam! it is time. I think there is a 2 pronged problem in not knowing when is the time. 1st is having it be the time and being too afraid to take advantage of perfect timing. 2nd is the opposite- forcing it when it is not the right time.
Julia- you make great points on the 2nd prong of not forcing it. I would love a follow up post talking about when the time is right and you are just to scared to take the plunge.
Great points!
Candace Davenport
Our Little Books- Little Books with a Big Message
Good points, Julia, Being on the cusp of publishing my book, I can relate to some of your points, especially about an online presence, as well as having a niche market. These are things I have been defining. This thing is, I did not set out to write my book... it just created itself and presented itself to me in the form of a book, so I am just running along, thrying to keep up with where my book wants to go. Does that make sense? I agree with Candace about the follow-up blog about when the time is right and we are just afraid to follow through. Nice post, thank you.
Carolyn CJ Jones
www.gatelady.com
This is a great insight into the world of authors and publishing ... especially for those who self-publish. Having a strong online platform and a presence in your niche is critical to the success of your book - so is marketing it before you're done! I see it again and again, the authors who wait until the book is stacked in their garage to start marketing it. You make some great points to on what to take into account before you plan on writing a book!
Julia, I enjoyed the post on a number of different levels. First, I am supported in why I'm not writing a book. Second, I see I need to spend more time with niche market and audience for my blogs. And last, I liked the way you tied in previous posts. I hadn't thought about doing that.
Julia great point about the chicken and the egg.Sounds like if one has a book burning within then one should write but not write in order to build a following. I too have been toying with writing a book. I actually started writing when I was a kid and wish I would have finished at least one book. No matter how bad. I am glad I read your post! Useful and to the point.
Candace and Carolyn
I took your advice and wrote a post on how you know you are ready to publish. When I looked in my file of ideas it seems I had already made a list.
Jennifer Brown
There is no question that you must have an online presence before publishing a book. Even best selling authors are using social networking to promote their next book.
Michael
Defining your niche market will make the book easier to write.
Jennifer Duchenne
You will know when the time is right to publish your book. If your book is related to your redecorating you are on the right track. If you want to write a book on a different topic you may want to consider a second blog. Stay tuned we will have more information on the topic.
Excellent tips to consider Julia. I once heard it's "best selling author" and the emphasis should be on best selling. It's great to have a message you got to get out and you want that message read which requires a well thought out business strategy.
Julia - all good points. It seems like it is the "hot" thing to do to write a book these days. There are too many bad books out there - I venture if some authors took the time to prepare (via a list like yours) they could produce a great book.
BTW, I have a young author (almost 17) in my house writing a novel - do you have any advice?
Pat
I am impressed your daughter is writing a novel at such a young age. The most important thing she can do right now is to get a blog started so that she can get a following besides her friends. We have tips on our site about how to get inspiration, promote yourself, market, find publishers etc. We don't have any experience with fiction.
There are some great sites for fiction writers that may be beneficial for her. Many of them have tips specifically for fiction authors. one that comes to mind right now is http://selfpublishingteam.com/blog/ I believe they also help fiction writers set up their blog.