Self-publishing your book might not be at the top of your agenda these days. But if your book is written and ready to self-publish, here are five reasons why this is a good time to self-publish.
People want a diversion
Right now, many people are stuck at home due to self-isolation and physical distancing. They’re binging on NetFlix, home schooling, having virtual Zoom cocktail hours, and…reading.
We don’t know how long the call to stay the *$(@#*! at home will last, but if your manuscript is ready to be published, your new book could hit the market while people are still seeking diversions and ways to occupy their time.
I’m wondering if there might be an uptick in eBook sales in 2020 as people lean more to reading from their tablets or eReaders rather than paperbacks and hardcovers. Regardless, I think there will be a reduction in used book sales online as people worry about who last touched the book!
Parents and teachers want more resources for kids
School is on hold or cancelled in most of the world, leaving teachers scrambling to move their classes online and parents to figure out homeschooling.
Authors of children’s books have an opportunity to help teachers and parents by providing them with new books to share with their children. If your children’s book is written and you are working with an illustrator, don’t stop now. This is a great time to publish your book.
Book marketing is moving online anyhow
While it’s true that bookstores, libraries, book fairs and other venues for connecting with readers and selling books are closed, the virtual world is opening wider every day.
In our last blog post, we talked about how to move your book marketing online. Users of the video conferencing platform Zoom increased from 10 million in December 2019 to 200 million at the end of March 2020. Video conferencing is a great way to meet readers and host virtual book launches. Social media is the number one way to promote your book as long as you’ve put some work into building your author platform.
Back to the children’s books; how about offering to do readings in virtual classrooms? Contact your local school. Check on the website of your local library to see if they have a virtual reading series for children and adults (if they don’t, offer to start one!).
IngramSpark delivers
As anyone who follows this space knows, we recommend that authors upload their book files to Amazon KDP for sales on Amazon and to IngramSpark for sales everywhere else. “Everywhere else” includes shipping directly to buyers (including friends, family and fans).
IngramSpark is a print-on-demand platform from which online and brick-and-mortar retailers worldwide can order books. They also ship to private addresses. Books are printed on an as-needed basis with no upfront investment in printing. You can, for example, take orders directly from your website and IngramSpark will ship to the buyer directly.
You can read IngramSpark’s full response to COVID-19 here.
You have time (perhaps)
Having the time to write is a luxury. “If I only had time…,” is an off-heard phrase, or perhaps I should say “was.” In recent days I’ve noticed at least one celebrity—who perhaps doesn’t need to worry about working or finances or homeschooling or elderly family—tell their followers on social media to “take this time to write a book.”
Well, on the one hand, it’s true. If you aren’t working right now, perhaps you have the time to focus on writing. But there’s that focus issue: how can you focus on writing if you have so many other worries and anxieties?
All I can say is that by starting a writing routine, even if it’s only one hour a day, you create some structure in your day. “Routine” is something we are all missing now that our usual routines have been thrown out the window. Setting that time aside and letting everyone in your household know, is like you putting a stake in the ground and saying, “This time is for me. Writing is important, and I’m going to do it!” Likewise, if your book is written and you’ve put it aside until things get better, perhaps try setting a routine where you focus for a short time every day on self-publishing your book.
If you’re experiencing a creative block right now because of everything that’s going on, try Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. She recommends that everyone do their “morning papers” first thing each and every day. Morning papers are where you download everything in your mind to paper, the idea being to start and maintain the writing habit and work past your creative block. Give it a try!
We hope we’ve given you some inspiration to move forward with your book project. When the time is right, send us a message and ask how we can help you self-publish your book.
