Self-Publishing “Gotchas”

Thinking about self-publishing your book? Great!

But be careful. There are a number of “Gotchas” you should watch out for:

Paying for Services You Don’t Need – Many vanity publishers will sell you a package of services you probably don’t need – and may be performed by junior-level people who don’t know much about preparing a book for publication. It is ok to pay for an editor or a cover designer, if that is what you want, but it is important to interview these people individually and find someone with expertise in your field – someone with a proven track record. If a publisher is requiring you to pay for an editor, and they only allow you to use their staff, then it is probably a scam.

Make Sure You Get Books For Your Money – Too often “self-publishing” companies will sell you a package of services for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You pay the money only to discover that you still don’t have any books. They cost extra. In fact it isn’t unusual at all for a self-published author to pay over a thousand dollars and only end up with ONE copy of his or her book. Make sure you know how many books you are going to get for your money before you type your credit card number into that website!

Distribution Promises – Many vanity publishers will promise book distribution. This is a sly deception. They cannot force a distribution company to accept your book or promote it to bookstores. All they can do is make it available. When they promise to put your book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, they aren’t doing anything you couldn’t do yourself for much less money. Without promotion, distribution means very little. Which brings us to our next point…

Promotional Services – If someone promises to be able to make your book a best seller before he or she ever sees your book, then that person is trying to scam you. No self-respecting book promoter is going to even accept a book to promote until he or she has had a chance to read it and research its marketability.

One of the great things about using WWAOW to get your first book published is that you only pay for the book production. There are no other fees or requirements. You can get several copies of your book printed up, and then take them around to book editors, agents, and marketers. You can even take them to bookstores, and sell them on consignment if you like.

While you are doing this, your book is also available for sale on the WWAOW website. This means you don’t have to wait months or even years for someone else to get around to publishing your book, and you don’t have to pay extra for services you don’t need.

You can learn more about self publishing books at http://www.wwaow.com/.