“You’re a bestseller if you sell 3,000 copies of your book…”
I heard this line from a speaker who I had come to listen to.
A so-called expert on a topic that I was keenly interested in.
The topic?
How to get books published.
That’s right...
His talk was essentially one big ad for his vanity publishing company. A company that charges thousands to publish books by writers just like you and me.
And what does the company do with that money? Well, they devote exactly zero time to getting your work out there.
They don’t care if it sells. Why should they?
They have your money already.
A Problem I See All Too Often
Time and time again…
Forum after forum…
Group after group…
I see writers asking the same question.
How much should I pay to publish my book?
As a published author and verteran marketer, my answer is always the same.
NOTHING.
Yes, you heard that right. No money at all. Zero dollars. Do not shell out to get your book published.
Ever.
Publishers that charge a fee to have your book published should be avoided at all costs.
The power of good writing should compell them to go far, far away and stay there forever.
Because they are mostly just leeches. They make their money from independent authors just like you.
Authors who have a dream. Who want to be published so badly that they can practically taste it.
They pray on that want. On that dream that you’ve always had.
That dream that so many authors and writers just like us have always used as our jet fuel to keep writing – even when it looked like we would never, ever get our work out there…
They exploit it. They know how badly you want it, like sharks sniffing blood in the water.
New writers like you are the ideal meal. Keen, green, and full of beans, they’re waiting to take you for thousands.
That’s right. Thousands.
Then they leave you with a big pile of copies of your book.
“Wow,” you think, “I am finally a published author! Awesome. But… how do I sell all these copies?”
You figured that they would do it. Perhaps some do, but unless they make you a million dollars in a year, spending thousands to have your book published by them is a huge waste.
Of time…
Of talent…
Of your dreams…
You’re left with an empty bank account, a pile of books, and a feeling that you’ve been cheated.
Because a lot of the time, you have.
A Plague on the Industry
The publishing industry is in turmoil.
Amazon is to blame.
Self-publishing, once something that was universally hated and laughed at by “published” authors and their publishers, is a profitable and viable route for new authors to take.
The list can stretch for miles. Self-published authors out there that are making serious bank.
And how much did they pay to get their work published?
Nothing. Not a penny.
That’s how it should be.
Because real publishers won’t charge you for your work.
And as much as the publishing industry protests, you too can be a real publisher…
Through Amazon, or Bookbub, or wherever you choose.
Because there is NOTHING wrong with self-publishing.
The game has changed. You can make it as a writer with or without a publishing house behind your work.
As long as you’re producing quality writing, you can become an author.
You can market that work effectively.
You can get it out there to the masses.
But it all start with not paying for publishing.
A Plea From Me to You
I want you to do me a favour…
And if this is the first time we’ve met, then just hear me out, because this is for you, not me.
I want you to vow that you will never pay to get your book published.
No matter what clever marketing copy you read.
Or what those leeches try to sell you.
No author needs to pay thousands to get their work published. Not now. Not ever.
Because you can self-publish for free if there aren’t any publishing houses that will take your work.
All you need to be a bestseller is to learn the art of writer marketing.
And trust me, it’s not that hard to learn.
In fact, if you drop me an email, I can give you a FREE marketing evaluation to help you get started.
No strings attached. I promise.
Just a decade’s worth of marketing experience at your disposal.
Completely free.
But even if you don’t, just remember…
You don’t need to pay to get your work published.
Save that money for the advertising you’re going to run.
That will be a whole lot more valuable to you than ANY vanity publisher will ever be.
Now get out there and get writing.
And let me know when your work is published. I want to read it.
It will be a pleasure.
Yours,
Jethro
