Ready to Graduate?

Spring and summer are seasons for commencement. Students graduate from one level and move to the next. Some pick up their diploma and step out into the “real world” with hopes and dreams in tow. Some sit and wonder, “what do I do now?”

Are you ready to graduate from being a writer with a manuscript to an author with a published book?

Authors are like graduates. Those who set goals and work hard will earn the success they deserve. Goals prescribe the path to take. Writers who take the time to fully inform themselves of their publishing opportunities have the best chance of reaching their publishing goals. If you want to reach the goals you have for your book, you have to educate yourself. You might have a self-help book, a novel, a memoir, or a collection of poetry. Anyone can be a published author.

“What’s my first step?”

Read.

If I told you that reading Ron Pramschufer’s book, Publishing Basics: Navigating the Self-Publishing Minefield, would help you enjoy a smoother, faster, more cost-efficient, and successful publishing journey, would you download the free eBook and read it?

“Yes”? You’re on your way. Ron checks in with our author/publishers throughout their publishing journey, asking for constructive feedback. Month after month, the #1 factor mentioned by satisfied customers is Publishing Basics. The bookselling marketplace is not just a battle zone. It’s a labyrinth. Learning the ropes before climbing into the ring just makes good sense. Those who struggled always admit, “I didn’t know what I didn’t know”.

Who’s betting on your ignorance…and impulsivity?

There are so-called “self publishing companies” out there counting on the fact that you don’t know what you don’t know. While traditional publishers are falling like flies, self publishing options are legion and growing. As our access to fast and faster technologies increases, so do the number of companies bombarding us with information, solicitation, and—from a few companies employing aggressive, off-shore telemarketers to sell self-publishing services—intimidation. Authors are simply worn down into submission—in all senses of the word. Many author/publishers who use our services admit to having previously purchased a vanity publisher’s mega/gold/diamond publishing package just so they could end the brow-beating process, figuring “they’re all alike anyway”.

Planning makes all the difference.

Think of your publishing process as a road trip. You can map out the best route to reach where you want to go. Careful planning builds confidence, letting you enjoy the trip fully. Sure. You could point yourself in the general direction and go as the wind takes you. It’s going to cost more, take longer, and you might run out of gas before you get there. You can sit in the driveway where it’s safe and never have to worry about getting lost or how much the trip costs…or getting where you want to go.

Publishing Basics: Navigating the Self-Publishing Minefield is our gift to you; a road map to help you choose where you want to go and the best route to reach your destination. We Book Coaches are like On-Star®. We’re available to help you stay on course and offer suggestions along the way, but we cannot drive for you. You have to do the driving.

Need a little inspiration for your journey? Carolyn Madison is our Editorial Coordinator. Her daughter has been awarded a full-ride, Merit Scholarship to Washington and Lee University in Virginia. Carolyn’s daughter is probably one of the best examples of preparing for the journey that I could share with you. As a student athlete and National Honor Society member, she’s worked hard and kept her eye on her goals at every step. Your publishing experience can be just as rewarding. It all starts with a goal, a manuscript, and reading Publishing Basics.

Publishing Basics; an enjoyable summer read that can help you reach your destination.

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Self Publishing, Inc. offers Book Coaches to help self-publishing author/publishers plot out and navigate their publishing journey. Book Coaches provide guidance and share insights in hopes that authors will avoid the pitfalls that they could encounter.

Phil Whitmarsh

My name is Phil Whitmarsh. I wear a couple of hats at Self Publishing, Inc. Like Bob & Michael, I’m a Book Coach, helping authors plot out and navigate their self publishing journey. I’m also our Book Marketing Coach, providing specialized guidance to help authors improve their marketing efforts to best reach their audiences and publishing goals. With over 15 years providing marketing support to specialized manufacturers and several national nonprofit organizations, I bring diverse marketing experience to the mix. After several years in the publishing industry—having started out with one of the “big three” Vanity Press Publishers—joining Self Publishing, Inc. was a natural progression in my goal to help writers find their voice and discover the best ways to share their ideas and stories in the marketplace. I look forward to helping you realize your publishing dreams. You can reach me at 800-621-2556, ext. 5464, or at phil@selfpublishing.com. Like so many of the RJ Communications staff, I keep a four-legged colleague close by, a 3-year-old Shiba Inu named “Cayenne.”

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