If only there were an easy, straightforward answer to that question. Unfortunately, there is not.
Of course, there are self-dubbed “POD publishers” and “self-publishing companies” that work hard to obfuscate the issues and convince you they have the one best answer for your publishing quest.
And there are self-anointed “gurus” who offer expensive coaching programs designed to show you how to make a lot of money…as long as you are willing to give them a lot of money first. Some are successful programs, but usually only for very specific types and genres of books.
There are those, including most organizations representing traditionally published writers, who insist that self-publishing is a route to disaster and disappointment.
What’s the problem? None of the above take into account your specific book, your goals for that book, how much time and/or money you are willing to risk, and what skills you already possess or are willing to learn.
Let me say this clearly:
There is no one way, best way to publish every book,
probably not even yours.
Anyone who is determined to sell you their one-size-fits-all program is not being honest with you. Run, don’t walk, away from them.
So, how can you determine the best, or at least a good way, to publish your book that will allow you to meet your goals?
First, do some homework. Read some good books on publishing and marketing books, such as:
- How to Get Happily Published by Judith Applebaum
- The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter
- Aiming at Amazon by Aaron Shepard
- Beyond the Bookstore by Brian Jud
- The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days by Fern Reiss
- Red Hot Internet Publicity by Penny Sansevieri
You don’t have to rush out and buy all of them; you can always borrow them from your local library. Once you decide how to publish your book, you can decide which books really need to be on your own bookshelf.
Our subsidiary, Five Rainbows Services for Authors & Publishers, also provides a simple, short How-to-Publish Quiz that will lead you to our recommendation based on your answers to a few easy questions. If you wish, you can go back to the start of the quiz and try different answers to see how the recommendation changes.
I would be very interested in your comments on our online quiz, as we plan to add some additional, relevant questions and expand on the options.
Oh, did I mention that the How-to-Publish Quiz is completely free with no obligation on your part?
