For the last few years, the seed of a book idea has been floating around in my mind. The core of it has come from my own life experiences, but the concept has grown and expanded and become more clear as I’ve read a variety of books (The 4-Hour Workweek, ReWork, Linchpin, The Education of Millionaires, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Brain Rules, Sway, and dozens of others), had additional experiences, and gained new insights into psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, and a dozen other fields I’ve been researching.
I’m only about 20% finished, but I feel like it’s coming along well. The concept is pretty clear, and the structure is well outlined…not releasing the title quite yet, but soon I hope. So far it’s been an absolute blast to write…very cathartic 🙂
That said, I’ve had a TON of questions, and let me tell you it is HARD to find good answers online when it comes to publishing. Everyone has an opinion, and it seems like very few people agree.
Should I find a publisher, or should I self-publish? One of the biggest things a publisher brings to the table is marketing/distribution, but I’m a marketer by trade, and Amazon publishing has plenty of distribution. If you happen to have contacts at a publishing company, I’d love to talk to them and ask a few questions.
Should I release the book in hardcover? Softcover? Or should it be released as an e-book only? The margins are by far the best on e-books, but only a limited portion of total book sales tend to be digital, and I don’t want to neglect the majority of my audience. I’m leaning towards a softcover and e-book combo, all through Amazon, but I’m open to other options.
One other thing I’m considering is releasing the book over the course of a year, one chapter per week, in a serialized format. Not sure what I’d charge if I did that, but it’s an option. The e-book will be under $10, but all the pricing details will need to be figured out at a later date.
In my writing, I’m aiming for a length and format that follows in the steps of Seth Godin, who writes awesome books that are relatively short and easy to digest. My target is 30,000-40,000 words, which should equal 150-200 pages in the print size I’m looking at. There will also be a companion website, with some bonuses and extended resources.
The topic is one that is very, very close to my heart. It’s all about escaping from the things that keep us trapped, mentally, physically, and emotionally. It contains every tip and trick, every bit of knowledge and wisdom that I’ve gained over the years and used in my own life to set myself free. Freedom is possible for everyone, and my goal in writing this is to show as many people as possible how to become truly free.
That said, it’s a book that not everyone is going to love. It goes against many of the concepts that our world accepts as reality, and calls into question a great many beliefs, traditions and perceptions. It’s going to ruffle a lot of feathers…and that’s a good thing.
If the book goes well I’ll consider expanding the concept to other formats, such as training courses, both online and off, private consulting, and possibly even seminars. But that’s for the future…first I need to finish the book, and see how that fares in the cutthroat world of publishing 🙂
If it were me, I would definitely go softcover/ebook, and for your intended audience, I would definitely get listed on Amazon.
Even though I’m a tech nerd, I like having many of my books in physical format. I like to escape my devices sometimes. As a consumer, I like softcover because I get more books for my money. As a publisher, softcover costs much less and has a lot of options (including print-on-demand).
Having a book in both print and ebook would be stellar! I wish more authors would offer an ebook with their physical copies. I’d happily pay $1-4 extra for it.
Having previewed what you’ve written so far, I’m excited to see the finished product. Please keep up the good work!
Thanks for the feedback! I think I will go the softcover/ebook route, and I like the idea of offering an ebook copy with softcover purchase. I’m definitely leaning towards self-publishing, most likely through Amazon. Glad you like it so far 🙂