We know this industry as a brave new world – one full of opportunity and achievement. When traditional publishing houses closed their doors to unproven authors, they wound up opening huge windows. Self-publishing now defines a generation of entrepreneurial writers; leveraging branding and every available technology to get heard.

Some Great Self-Publishing Tips

Mark Dawson writing for Mashable offers ten tremendous tips for new writers and how they can achieve commercial success. The little things do make a difference. But…so do the big things.

Here at Conscious Shift Publishing, we preach #6 and #7 all the time.

6. Don’t skimp on quality

You’re going to be in competition with traditional publishers. You’ll need a great cover to compete (because the adage still rings true). Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be expensive. My cover designer was the head of design at a major UK publisher and has worked on books for John Le Carré and Stephen King. I’d defy a reader to hold up one of my books against a Baldacci or a Patterson or a Child and tell which was independently published.

When it comes to self-publishing, we are fond of saying that you CAN tell a book by its cover. It’s a visual world and you need to attract the eye of your next reader. Unless you have name recognition (along with Simon & Schuster in your back pocket!) you’re going to need to pull out every proverbial stop for some “Hey! I’m over here!” attention.

Plus, you’ve labored over every word to produce the best possible product. Now you need to dress your book for success with a killer cover.

Regarding proofing and editing, while we don’t publish anything that is not professionally edited, we do get push back. We call it the “Aunt Betty Syndrome” as many people will tell us the book is “fine just as it is” because their aunt is retired and loves to read so she fixed all the typos. No offense to Aunt Betty, but your book deserves better.

Here’s what Dawson has to say:

7. You can’t proofread your own stuff

I tried that once. Big mistake. You won’t see the wood for the trees. It’s worth saving up for a proofreader. If you are on a budget, consider asking someone with a good eye for detail. Although these aren’t all necessary for every writer, I have a developmental editor, a copy editor and a proofreader on my team. The process is the same as the one that my books go through when they are published by traditional imprints. My advance readers pick up anything that might have slipped through the net with the result that my books are very clean when I make them ready for sale.

This is an exciting time to be a writer. Even if that’s not a label you would assign yourself you can rely on some select pros to realize the self-publishing dream.

Although it’s not easy getting discovered in the ginormous sea of books, when you collaborate with those who have done it, you will avoid spending unnecessary money on self-publishing and yes…even save yourself some heartache. With an executable marketing strategy, you can build your brand and get your book out to those who need to read it. With the right pros in your book’s corner, you’ll be in complete control.

Read the full article at Mashable.com

Conscious Shift Publishing consults, edits, formats, designs, publishes, and markets books. Whether writers wish to self- or indie-publish we inspire them through every step to promote their unique perspectives. CSP clients retain 100% of their royalties as well as 100% ownership of every digital file and image. Find out more at ConsciousShiftPublishing.com  or contact publisher, Tracey Kern, at tracey@cscpubs.com to schedule a complimentary consultation. Write on!