Just as a newborn baby should come with instructions, so should a newly published book. Of course, there’s plenty of material out there to help expectant parents, just as there is for newbie authors. So why do so many parents and so many authors face their new roles with so little knowledge? Why are they so ill-prepared?
We still hear about parents leaving their children in locked cars on hot summer days, leaving them unattended around a pool or at a playground. We see parents taking chances with their children while crossing busy streets, walking too close to traffic on narrow streets and driving around with kids out of their seatbelts.
While authorship does not involve quite the serious issues and responsibilities as parenthood because we’re not dealing with the lives of innocents, there are some similarities.
Way too many authors produce books without knowing how to nurture them once they arrive. They don’t realize how important their attention to book promotion is and how much time it will take, for example. Authors don’t understand how to prepare for a new book for a successful future. They may make all of the right moves and decisions with regard to “birthing” the book and then neglect it once it becomes a reality.
If you hope for a successful outcome for your planned book, be sure to read my latest book (I wrote it for you!). Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. It’s available at Amazon.com in print and Kindle and at most other online and downtown bookstores. You can also order your copy here: http://www.matilijapress.com
If you have an ebook to promote or are planning to produce one, download my FREE ebook, 50 Ways to Promote Your Ebook. http://www.patriciafry.com
If you’d like control over your book project, perhaps you should consider self-publishing. This means to establish your own publishing company. I’m teaching my Self-Publishing Workshop now—the first class went out to students via email today. There is still time to sign up for this 8-week online course. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_selfpub.htm
Do you have questions about publishing and book promotion that we could address here? Send them to me at PLFry620@yahoo.com or leave them as a comment here.