Why Most People Fail at Writing & Publishing a Book, and How to Beat the Odds

A couple years ago, I felt compelled to write a book, not just for entertainment but to really make a difference in people’s lives. A book can share my heart and ideas long after I’m gone, and can reach far more people around the world than I ever could just by repeating my ideas to my immediate sphere of influence every day. The written word is a powerful tool, and a great way to make a difference in the world.
However, like many people who want to make a difference, I didn’t really know where to start. I’ve never written a book before, and I knew there was a lot to it, but I didn’t know what specifically. Even without research, I had a feeling that the process was complicated and extensive, but I had no idea it was THAT extensive and complex!
I started searching online for answers, and of course, being a nerd, I attended some author panels at ComiCon events when they came around, trying to figure out what the process is. It seemed overwhelming to learn how much work it actually takes to get a book written and published, and I wasn’t sure I could do it. I needed someone to walk me through it, one step at a time, but who would have the time or desire to give me that kind of attention?
Here are the hurdles…
You need to write it.
Writing the book is a big enough hurdle in itself. It’s a large project full of lots of revisions, editing, and reorganizing that has taken several authors years to get to a quality product they would be willing to publish.
If done right, it’s also important to hire professional editors, not just for your content and flow, but also for your layout and design. That can be expensive, too! But would you really want to risk putting out a low quality book to represent you and your ideas? Who would want to read a book with editing errors or a poor design?
And what’s after that? How do you get the book published and into the hands of a lot of readers? What good is it to have a book if no one reads it?
You need to publish it.
This was one of the areas that I knew next to nothing about. However, I am relieved to say that I have found a program, community, and leader within the industry who has taught me a great deal, and been the answer to my need for step-by-step mentoring and coaching along the way. I promise to say more about these resources further on, but first let me share some of what I was taught about the publishing situation people typically face.
Traditional Publishing
My author coach shares these facts with aspiring authors on his site:
- Industry experts estimate 99% of all manuscripts submitted to publishers are rejected, sending your life’s work into the garbage.
- If you somehow become one of the lucky few, you’ll only receive approximately 10% of the money earned from YOUR book sales! The publisher keeps the rest. Ouch!
- When a traditional publisher accepts your book, they also take control of the content and usage.
That’s almost insulting, since you put so much of your effort, heart, and soul into that creation!
But, what about self-publishing?
My coach has also educated me on some of the drawbacks to self-publishing. It can actually be even harder!
As he outlines in his resources, if you self-publish, then you become fully responsible for becoming proficient in:
- Cover Design
- Interior Design
- Editing
- ISBNs
- Proposals
- Marketing
- Distribution
- Promotion
- Endorsements
- Back Cover Copy
- And much, much more…
If after months, or perhaps even years of struggle, you finally publish your book only to discover brick and mortar bookstores won’t even carry it. Then, it gets worse. You have a garage is full of books that no one is buying!
You want people to buy your books?
You need to market it and deliver it to readers.
Robert Kiyosaki is a best selling author of financial education books and resources, and he said, “I am a best selling author, not a best writing author.”
That means just writing or publishing the book isn’t enough. It has to be marketed and have some way to be easily delivered to people. A lot of people, if you want it to be known, have impact, or make any income.
I don’t know about you, but I do not feel knowledgeable or skilled at marketing and selling, and I have zero interest in spending a lot of time doing that! I avoid sales jobs on purpose, but if that is your shtick and you’re good at it, have at it! It involves an investment of time and money to be done well, or you need to get a publisher to do it for you, but we already discussed what that can cost you.
Great, so both publishing options are overwhelmingly difficult and still leave the author up a creek. So, what’s the good news?
The good news goes back to that program, community, and mentor that I mentioned having found earlier. You see, I found someone who saw and understood the major problems with the publishing industry and how it was preventing most people who wanted to become published authors locked out of their dream. So, he developed an revolutionary solution that is rocking the publishing industry, igniting the souls of thousands and hopefully soon to be millions of people around the world. He empowers ordinary people to make extraordinary impact and income by helping them get their ideas and books published, when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to!
It’s called collaborative publishing.
The ONLY company out there that I have ever found that has combined a network of resources to cover all the needs of authors from start to finish of writing, editing, designing, publishing, marketing, and delivering books from the idea stage to the finished book in readers’ hands, was founded by Kary Oberbrunner.
I don’t want to go into too much detail about his process in order to respect what he does and how he does it, but I have seen many of the lives he has changed and he has published many authors, and given people hope for achieving their dream to birth a book into the world. I want you to learn about it from him directly.
I have signed up for his program, and he and his community of authors are guiding me every step of the way toward my first book, and providing access to all the quality and pre-vetted resources I need to not only get published and marketed, but to do it RIGHT the first time. I even recommended it to my mom, and she’s already further along in her book than I am and hopes to release it in 2020! So exciting!
The way I see it, if it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing right to avoid unnecessary headaches, heartaches, regrets, and redoes. I don’t like having to do things over again, especially when it takes that much work. I believe this program is EXACTLY what I need, and I would recommend it to anyone who has ever thought about writing a book. It takes all the guess work out of it and gives you quality professionals and resources to help you along the way, from start to finish, AND you KEEP the rights and all profits from your own book creation and sales. I am amazed. Truly. That’s why I had to write this article about it.
But honestly, I can’t say much more because I want Kary to tell you about it. I have left links to the information for you throughout this article. It’s time for you to check it out for yourself. There is nothing to lose by looking at it as an option, and quite frankly, if you value your time and energy and want to be successful as an author, then it would be a disservice to yourself to not get educated about this program and at least give it careful, informed consideration.
Publishing traditionally or through self-publishing can get quite expensive if done well, and it would be worthwhile to see if this is a path that can maximize the benefits you receive for all that you put into your book project.
You want a proven path to get published if you don’t know where to start, or have struggled with traditional or self-publishing and marketing in the past?
Then you’ll want to know about Kary’s program for aspiring authors!
Please share with others who have dreamed of writing a book, and give them an option that might be just what they needed to overcome all the hurdles of creating a book and getting it out into the world!
Thank you! Write on!
I wish you the greatest possible success with your book!
