How we did it

Taking the Private Publishing Route.

There is always conversation whenever I mention having authored a book. Half of the time, though, the questions have nothing to do with the book's content. Instead, there is broad curiousity about how we published Our Web Site Owner's Manual. And this is okay. So, here's a peek at our journey.

Beyond Content.

I don't think we've experienced any grand relevations, but we did draw our own conclusions about what's out there and laid our course accordingly. So, maybe, we can lend some first-hand clarity. First, we recognized that when you are private/self-publishing, there are at least seven critical strategies you need to understand and drive that contribute to your book launch momentum:

One Paddy We Didn't Step In.

Personally, I think print-on-demand is one huge paddie we wisely side-stepped. It is the blogs that warn you of the pit-falls the providers tend to cloak. Most POD sites paint an optimistic, risk-free partnership getting books out to market -- the blogs don't agree. We found stories about the flip side -- "consignment" strings which imposed fees on unsold inventory returned along with varying handling and storage fees. Then, my book specs would have to conform to whatever printing/binding options offered by a particular POD, and it was difficult to find spiral binding with a landscape layout. So, I opted for my original vision and ultimate control (not suprising to most who know me, lol) by pursuing a venture capital grant and accepting the responsibility and work of handling the ordering, marketing, and fulfillment arrangements myself.

Getting The Word Out.

We also identified seven groups who represented our pool of potential buyers:

special interest groups | contacts | online book reviews

book searches | social networks/blogs | local colleges | other

In developing individual strategies for these groups, we determined which had a relevant following and could bring endorsements and credibility (and would receive a complimentary copy); which would draw their own conclusions (and would receive just an announcement and excerpt); which would have an interest but not a following but could be aided with a discount; which could be ebook early adopters, and which were best-practice exposure opportunities. There are printing needs here which is why, when we chose a graphic designer for the book, we took that opportunity to also produce a flier, coupon, social network badge, mailer, and business card.

 

• Excerpt PDF •