Goals for Your Published Book

In the last post, I mentioned some of the factors you need to take into consideration in deciding on which avenue to book publishing is best for you for this book. The first of which is your goal for it.

Before I get into that, you might want to go back to my May 14thm '07 posting on this blog entitled What is a book? Most authors think first (and only?) of a standard paperback or hardcover book. But other formats and bindings may better suit your book. That post described alternatives.

Now back to Goals. Consider these questions:

1. Will this version of this book be only for distribution to family and friends?
   
2. Is it a church, community or work project for which there will be limited demand?
   
3. Will it be offered only as a back-of-the-room sales item at workshops and seminars?
   
4. Are you testing the market with this one, figuring you might want to go to a larger print run later after you get some reviews and reader feed-back?
   
5. Do you expect to place your book in bookstores alongside the ones from big publishers like Wiley, Writers Digest and Hay House?

Self-Publishing (by the highest professional standards) will accomplish all five. With POD (print on demand) online publishers like iUniverse and AuthorHouse, you can accomplish the first four very nicely. (It's my current belief that POD books aren't quite up to the quality of a print run on an off set press.)

Either high quality self-publishing or a traditional author-publisher contract with a "big house" will satisfy your needs.

If you are at all interested in self-publishing, I encourage you to devour Dan Poynter's fine Self Publishing Manual now in its 16th edition and the Ross's book, Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 4th edition. Publishing is a business with it's own rules, quirks and terminology, and walking that path requires study.

Next time, I'll talk about the money angle.

Happy writing~

Linda