Professional Reprographics

PR Nashville can help you publish your book — but play it smart

Robert Lee Boyd's memoir is one of many self-published books PR Nashville has printed.

As I talked about a few weeks ago, self-publishing your own book is easier and less expensive than ever! We at Professional Reprographics can take whatever you have and turn it into a professional-looking book with a “short run” of 500 or fewer copies.

If you’re like a lot of our clients and just want a bound workbook for a class, or a collection of Grandpa’s war stories for a family keepsake, the process is not too complicated. We’ll work with you every step of the way to make sure the result looks the way you want it.

But if you’re serious about being a published author, and you’re hoping to turn a short run of your novel or memoir into something lucrative, consider these dos and don’ts:

DON’Ts

Don’t write about a subject people have already written about a lot and expect to sell books. You might have a great idea for a novel about famous paintings concealing clues about the secret history of the Roman Catholic Church, but, um, it’s been done. No UFO books, either, unless you’ve been on one. Scratch that — I mean especially if you’ve been on one!

Don’t assume you’ll be a success telling your own life story. Some of us have led fascinating lives full of drama and adventure. Most of us haven’t. Sure, your life is interesting to you, and I hope to your spouse, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us want to read all about it. (Sorry!)

Don’t go in blind. If you’re serious about selling even a few hundred copies of your book, do your homework.

Which brings us to the DO’s:

Do have a marketing plan. Figure out your target audience and come up with ideas on how to reach those readers before you publish. For example, you can partner with companies that can use your book to cross-market their products and offer it to them at a premium.

Do look into obtaining an ISBN number. Here’s a good place to start. (I’ll talk more about this in a future post.)

Do get a professional editor to proof your manuscript.

Do seek the services of a graphic designer to come up with an eye-catching cover.

Do rewrite. Your first draft is very, very seldom your best draft.

Do call or email me to learn how PR Nashville can print your book affordably and quickly!

Angie Scott
615-509-3192
angie@prnashville.com