Time Flies

Some people say that time flies when you are having fun. Perhaps it does, but time also flies when you are working with people from around the world. For example, yesterday, one of my clients from France asked me for a translation. I did not get the message until 5:00pm my time, which unfortunately was 10:00 his, so I had to leave him a message.

Now my British clients usually are up and ready at about 4:00AM, but the French are usually a little behind this. Unfortunately, but the time I got on and received his message, it was already the afternoon. Sigh. I wanted to have this done today, but today was already done for him.

Some freelancers do not like the confusion of working around the world. Or the difficulty of trying to figure out when you can call them without interrupting your sleep. I like the challenge -after all, who needs sleep anyway?

Marketing

The hardest part of self-publishing is marketing. I am working on a book now that will probably not be accepted by a publisher. However, I am committed to helping my employer self-publish, even if that means spending hours on the phone with him helping to walk him through it. He actually has two books he wants to publish, so I will probably need to do it twice.

However, the biggest problem with self-publishing is marketing. On Guru, you can hire marketers. When Sal comes out, I may do that. However, this man probably will not have money for a massive marketing scheme. Still, I want to help. I feel he has a unique voice.

This experience has definitely made me consider my options for starting a publishing company. There are plenty of publishing companies that are online and I tend to roll my eyes at them. It is easy as all get out to publish online if you have the patience to deal with formatting revisions. You also should have a professional editor glance at it before doing it. Oh, and it is nice to have a platform to advertise it on.

So if you do not have a platform and cannot hire a marketer, what do you do? Well, you can buy several copies yourself and distribute it to your friends, family, and local libraries. You can also approach local bookstores about carrying your book.

Self-published

Most authors self-publish as a way to break into being a published author. Well, I am a published author. I began by having several things published in my local paper, then I moved on to having two stories published in an Indiana University publication while I was attending there. Then I began working on Guru and I had HIV and AIDS: the Essential Guide published under my name in the UK.(I believe it is on Kindle in the US.) And in October I will have Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy: An Essential Guide published under the same imprint (Need2Know books).

However, I have so many things that I have written and received rejection letters for, that I felt I might as well publish them myself. After all, they are only collecting dust (okay they are digital so they are really just becoming outdated file formats). So, I just finished publishing A Cheaper by the Dozen Study Guide. The paper version will be reproducible (it is still under review but should be live by Monday since it has already been proofed). And then there is the guide and answer key in digital format that are sold separately (for 99 cents each) and can allow the guide to be taken anywhere in an easy format.

So far, no one has bought them, but at least I feel better since they are now collecting dust on Amazon's shelves. I am not expecting it to be a best seller. However, I am having a children's book illustrated and I am hoping that it will make it into the top 100,000 sales on Amazon. Perhaps I am too optimistic...