10 signs You Are Ready to Publish a Book

So you think you want to write a book. How do you know you are ready? I think everyone has a little book inside them but not everyone is ready to write it right now. How do you know? Well, last week we explored the 7 Reasons You Should Wait to Get Your Book Published. Here now are the top 10 ways you know you are ready to get started.

1. You have a great online presence. You have built a strong online presence. You have a regular following on your blog. Your current readers will either buy your book or they will be willing to promote it. 
2. You have well defined goals. You know what goals you plan to achieve from your book. You have a timeline for completing your book and you know what professional goals you wish to achieve. If it is not a written goal, it will continue to be a wish.
3. You dream about holding your book at a press release. You can visualize how it will feel to be a published author. If you can visualize the feeling you will be more likely to find a way to do it.
4. You have the money to invest. You have determined that benefits to your business and professional status are greater than the cost of publishing. Most authors don’t a big profit on book sales. The money is made from the opportunities that result from being a published author.  
5. Your desire to write your book has moved to the top 5 things you must accomplish in the next year. If you have a burning desire to write a book it will be easier to complete it. Your passion will be conveyed in your book. Your readers will feel your passion for the topic. 
6. You have defined your niche market. There are new books added to the bookshelves everyday. Yours will need to stand out to get noticed. If your book sounds like 2000 others it will not make any difference how intriguing you think the book is it wont get noticed. You must first define your niche market before beginning your book. 
7. You have a marketing plan. You have an idea of how you are going to market your book. You already have an online presence but you have ways to promote your book when it is published. 
8. You want to be seen as an expert in your field. Published authors are seen as more credible than their unpublished peers.
9. You have made a daily practice of writing. Setting aside time to write daily will make the process easier.
10. You have a great head shot for the back of the book. If good hair days are infrequent, it could be a sign that you are almost ready.

Are you ready?

Can you think of other ways to know you are ready to write and publish a book?

18 Tips on How To Write an Effective Press Release

Your press release can make or break the promotion of your new book. How are you going to come up with effective release without taking a writing class or hiring someone to write it for you? Here you will find a few tips to write your press release.

1. The words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” should appear in the top left of the first page above the headline. This will be the first thing the editor or producer will see, and it’s important for him to know that your book deserves to be at the top of his list. 
2. Your contact name, phone number and email address should also appear at the upper right hand corner of your release.
3. Type the headline, in all capital boldface letters, centered on the top of the page. This should emulate a news headline, and should summarize why anyone would want to know more about your book. It should also announce some item of news interest. Example: DOCTORS CURE CANCER!
4. A dateline should appear at the start of the first paragraph and should include the location of the news source.
5. Remember that following the headline, the first paragraph of the press release should present the most important information for your book. It’s very important to catch the editor or producer’s attention early because if you don’t, he might not read the rest of it.
6. The release should be no longer than two pages, double or one and a half line spaced.         
7. Do not use typefaces that are hard to read. Use Times New Roman or Garamond and avoid italics.
8. Customize your releases for the media you are targeting. Mention any info of local interest in your lead paragraph.
9. Spell every word correctly and pay extra attention to the spelling of names. Proofread your press release several times!
10. Include any relevant quotes from your book, or from an expert in your field, that substantiates or reinforces the topic of the release
11. Don’t use exclamation marks - these give the release an amateurish air.
12. Do not use hyperboles. Avoid hyped up words like “fantastic,” “best-seller,” and “terrific.”  Be sure to keep your language simple, and keep your sentences short.
13. Edit the release ruthlessly to eliminate redundancies or unnecessary text.
14. Write all your promotional materials from a benefit point of view. In other words, clearly convey what the reader will get out of your book.
15. After first mention of your title in the body of the release, include, in parentheses, the name of the publishing house and the publication date.
16. Names should be written in full (i.e., Joe Smith) the first time they are mentioned and after that, you should simply refer to the last name (Smith or formally, Mr. Smith).
17. At the bottom center of the release, after the body of the text, write -30- or ### to indicate closure.
18. At the end of the release, list the publication date, page count, price, format (hardcover or paperback), publishing house, and ISBN for your book. Also include the book’s website address.

Following these simple tips will get you a press release that will successfully promote your new book. 

==>Amanda Free is a Communication Major at University of Louisville.