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It's said that everyone has one great story to tell. The actual telling of it, on the other hand, can take far more work than the common person is willing to put in, if they want to do it right. And what is the reward for all that hard work? The traditional publishing model means that you are pretty much guaranteed an onslaught of rejection before anyone so much as picks up your book to see if it ready for publication. Thankfully, times are changing for the better, and the writer stands to gain much in the coming months and years. With brick and mortar bookstore sales expected to decline by 65 percent in the next few years due to the accessibility of epublishing and the pleasure of the ereading device, you stand more of a chance of finding an audience than you ever have before. While it still pays to get your book in print - after all, you don't want to alienate a portion of the market that may be receptive to your story - the way that you go about publishing cannot continue to follow the futile model of soliciting unsolicited manuscripts to the snobby legacy publishers. Publishing Electronically Three ereading devices have collectively changed the publishing industry forever, putting the power back in the hands of the artist and taking it away from those, who would doom your book before you ever have a chance to sell it. Selling an ebook at around $3 can get you more than 3 times the profit that you would see through traditional publishing, and thanks to the pleasing aesthetics of the new reading experience, you actually stand a better chance of moving product. All you need is a well formatted ebook, which can be done through a software program or through sites like Smashwords. From there, you need an attractive book cover to catch reader attention and an ISBN number to put yourself in the stores of Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, and Apple's iBookstore (remember those three devices mentioned up there? These are the guys that have revolutionized publishing). Publishing in Print While you are far more likely to sell electronically today if you are an author, who has yet to establish himself in the brick and mortar stores, you should still consider using a POD service (Print On Demand) to make sure that any old school reader, who hears about your book online can find a print copy to enjoy. POD services will not typically charge you a fee unless your book sells. They will allow you to set the price on your book and then take a cut of the purchase price after their printing costs have been recovered.
Jennifer Williams is an avid journalist and blogger. Her leather journal bound in vellum is her favorite journal.
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