What is a book shepherd? And do you need one for self-publishing?

If you’re an author with a book ready for publication and you’ve looked into self-publishing, and it’s probably become pretty clear there is a lot more involved than just sending your manuscript to a printer and kicking back to wait for the money to start rolling in. In fact, the process is downright complicated—and somewhat frightening.

Fortunately for the novice self-publisher, there are publication consultants who can guide you through each phase of the complicated publishing process. There are advantages to using a “book shepherd” (so dubbed, I believe, by one of the original self-publishing gurus Dan Poynter)—one of which is that it can save you a lot of money in the long run. A book shepherd can keep you from making some of the typical rookie mistakes. Look at it this way: You can spend years learning the self-publishing business on your own, or you can hire an expert to help you navigate the process.

There are different types of book shepherds. Some offer advice on the many aspects of publishing, referring you to experts for the areas they don’t handle. Others provide turnkey service, taking care of filing the necessary forms, manuscript editing, interior and cover design, printer brokering , and overall project management. Others, like us at Self-Publishing Resources, offer either turnkey service or hourly consulting if you want to do-it-yourself.

Working with a good book shepherd can also greatly increase your chances for publishing success. Planning ahead is extremely important, and something that is not always considered. Often, authors jump in to self-publishing without a lot of forethought. A self-publishing venture is a business enterprise, and it should be treated as such. There are myriad decisions to be made, including book title, cover design, printing options, price, just to name a few. And all can have a huge impact on whether or not your self-publishing undertaking will be successful.

There are well over 100,000 book published each year. You can’t wait until after your book is printed to think about marketing and promotions. And even the most well-written, beautifully designed book in the world isn’t going to sell if no one knows about it. Book shepherds can offer advice in this arena as well, often suggesting options for selling your book you had never considered.

The bottom line is that a good book shepherd can save you time, money, and stress, and will give you a much greater chance for self-publishing success.

Is “POD self-publishing” really cheaper than traditional self-publishing?

With the recent explosion of cheap publishing options—most of which are not “self” publishing, but subsidy publishing incorrectly labeled “self-publishing”—I have to wonder: Is it really less expensive in the long run?

This leads to a slew of other questions: Is there a commercial market for my book? Who is my audience? Will they buy the book? What is my competition? How will I let them know the book exists? Can I price the book so that I will still make a profit? Will I sell enough copies of the book to make a profit?

A subsidy press (aka POD self-publisher) will print your book with a cookie-cutter, templated cover and interior design that likely will be marginal at best. If they offer editing services, it’s probably little more than a proofread. Sure, you can invest just a couple of hundred bucks—and you’ll be in print. But remember, you’ll need to purchase the books from them at a much higher price than offset-print books (or even from print-on-demand printers that offer printing only, such as Lightning Source). Your book might be priced too high to compete with others in its genre. The margins make it nearly impossible to make a profit if you want to sell books in the traditional book market.

Most of these books sell just 50 to 100 copies. Part of the problem is that reviewers shun them because they are immediately identified as subsidy published. Distribution is a challenge. If you are lucky enough to get into your local bookstore, you’ll probably be shelved in the “local author” section with the rest of the “self-published” authors.

If you decide to invest more—at least $2,000 or $3,000 plus printing—and self-publish (i.e., start your own publishing company, obtain your own ISBN, etc.), yes, your investment will be higher at the onset. But, if you put together the right team of experts, you will probably end up with a well-edited, nicely designed product that will stand up to any other book on the bookstore shelf. Distribution is doable. Your book will be priced appropriately because you won't be paying inflated prices for each book, and with a well-planned and consistently executed marketing and promotions plan, you have a much better chance of turning a profit.

Many of my clients have sold thousands of books, more than earning back their initial investment. Their books are available through major distributors and shelved under the appropriate subject at the bookstore.

So, which is cheaper? I guess it depends on whether or not you really want to sell books.

Self-publishing: keeping your head out of the clouds can mean better book sales

I come across too many would-be self-publishers with unrealistic expectations about the process and what is involved, particularly when it comes to marketing and promotions.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Don't skimp on professional editing; it will bite you in the butt down the road when you are clobbered in reviews.
• Along those same lines: Don't blow it with a shoddy book cover. That will instantly label your book as "self-published"--and likely shoddy (even if it's not).
• After your manuscript is complete and your book is in print, your work has just begun. Prospective readers will not automatically flock to your new title. Even the most compelling book needs to be promoted.
• Start promoting your book well in advance of its completion. If you wait until after your book is published, you won't have the advantage of prepublication momentum and it can be harder to get that momentum going.
• The chances of you getting on Oprah are slim. Concentrate your marketing efforts on more realistic avenues.
• You don't need to do an expensive bookstore tour to be successful. Bookstores, in fact, are not the best place to sell books.
• Don't expect overnight success. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to book promotions. You have to keep at it, month after month, if you expect to sell books.

Book promotion tips—9 sure-fire strategies

1. Know your competition. How can you make your book better than what's already out there unless you are aware of your rivals? Look in the Subject Guide to Books in Print in a major library to determine what other books are available on your topic. Check out Amazon.com. Then stop at a good independent bookstore and ask the owner or manager what three books on the subject he or she would recommend. Buy them. Study them. Don't emulate them! Find a way to make yours more complete, shorter, funnier, easier to read, more appealing in some way.

2. Include marketable mentions. Hoping to sell quantities of your book to a corporation? Include the name of the organization and a quote from the CEO. (Conversely, you might choose not to mention names to keep the content generic so it can be used in a number of different companies.)

3. Consider global appeal. If your topic will "travel" into other cultures, you might have potential for foreign rights sales or translations into foreign languages. If so, exclude words or ideas that might be offensive to people in other countries. It's not unusual for a book to make more money in foreign than domestic sales.

4. Get a well-known person to write a Foreword. Hopefully, you've been developing contacts in your area of expertise for years and database full of potential Foreword writers. It is often more graceful to simply request their feedback on the manuscript first. Then, once they've raved about it, ask if they would honor you by writing the Foreword.

5. Think about adding a Glossary. Especially if your topic is technical or if newcomers to the subject will be using the book, include a Glossary. One reviewer commented that the Glossary in our Complete Guide to Self-Publishing was itself worth the price of the book.

6. Create a bookmark. A bookmark is a miniature Mighty Mouse. The one we developed for Self-Publishing Resources founder Marilyn Ross’s book Jump Start Your Book Sales is a stand-alone order form. It includes a photo of the book, sales copy with bullets, testimonials, how to order, plus our Web address for people who want more information. We tuck one in everything that goes out of this office: invoices, sales letters, general correspondence, lead packages, proposals, etc.

7. Go after excerpts in magazines. Once the official publication date has passed, you can merchandise what is termed "second serial rights" to magazines and newsletters. Perhaps it will be a chapter, a quiz, a sidebar of information, or maybe a small self-contained section. They may pay you a couple of hundred dollars—or nothing. But your real payback is the ordering blurb you'll include at the end.

8. Recycle your publicity. Often it's the second or third time around that's more powerful than the first exposure! Include reviews, feature articles about you, interview pieces, etc. in speaking proposals, media kits, everywhere! People like to jump on an already-moving bandwagon.

9. Be generous with review copies. We sent out almost 500 free copies of Jump Start Your Book Sales. When the publication date was just a month away, we'd already received 16 reviews and there was a "buzz" starting. Assuming it is done well, your book is your very best sales piece. And don't stop sending reviews once the book is older. Always be on the lookout for new publications or prominent people who might be interested in a copy.