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Wednesday 27 November 2013

How to Publish a Successful Book - Learning From the Experts

A little over a month ago I explained why I had decided to go to the Millionaire Bootcamp for Authors (How To Write a Successful Book - Learning From the Experts ).  For three days I listened to people talking about writing and publishing and self-promotion.  Some of the speakers were excellent, among them Rick McMunn, Armand Morin, Christine Clayfield and Simon Coulson.  A couple were not good, but out of a line-up of some 13 speakers, that's not bad going.  I particularly liked the way that each speaker approached the subject from his or her own angle, so each had something unique to offer.

Many of the speakers shared useful strategies with us, showing what had helped them to become successful.  And there were lots of little nuggets of information and advice, such as:
  • Authors never get rich (unless they're very lucky) - it's the publishers who make the money - Armand Morin
  • Money shouldn't be your sole motivation.  You need to have something valuable to share and to want to make a significant difference.  Think big, have courage, goals and audacious dreams - Marsha Wright
  • Top authors don’t rest on their laurels; they're very disciplined; they set targets and bounce back from setbacks; they have humility & are always ready to learn - Stephanie Hale
  •  Books are the fastest selling products online.  People are too busy to find all the information they need on the web - they want it packaged up and presented to them - Christine Clayfield
  •  People no longer look for specific authors - they look for specific content - Christine Clayfield
  •  It’s not about the book, it’s about the marketing.  The internet is not the marketing, its just the route - Mark Donnan
  •  We have to learn how to become rich: rich in relationships (including with ourselves), income we deserve, confidence, health & happiness - Janet Jones
  •  If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion because it will lead directly to your purpose - Janet Jones
  •  74% of the decision to buy a book is based on the cover and title.  The title is vital to online sales because the cover will tend to be seen as a thumbnail - Stephanie Hale
  •  Find out which are the markets where people are ready to spend money, then write a book or information product about it - Simon Coulson
 Of course, all of the speakers were promoting their own courses or mentoring, ranging in cost from around £1500 to around £6000.  And there were takers for each one. Before the three days were up, I had signed up for a course on self-publishing from Christine Clayfield, and the friend who went to the Bootcamp with me had signed up to work with Marie-Claire Carlyle, an author who mentors writers who want to publish with Hay House.

I think, in the long term, I may find that I'm more comfortable in the world of writing and publishing than I am in the world of internet marketing and affiliate marketing - simply because it's something I've been involved in for a long time and the learning curve is not as steep.  But I have no doubt that the internet marketing knowledge that I've gleaned over the past few years will be extremely valuable.  So, although I'm going into this publishing venture with slight trepidation, I'm also excited about it.  I'll let you know how I get on!