Self Publishing for ELT: Give Them What They Want
This is the next part of my previous article on self-publishing, Lessons Learned in Self-Publishing, Original Content. There I discussed where you can get an original idea for publishing. And while original ideas are important, there’s another part of the formula for success: giving them what they want!
Many people self-publish because they want complete creative control over their project. I’ve had teachers ask how to get published without letter the publisher see the materials because they don’t want any interference at all. That’s an extreme take, but it can lead to publishing something only you would ever buy.
Here are some cool ideas I’ve had or that people have shared with me.
- Ideas for EFL students to mingle with native speakers inside or outside the classroom
- A book that uses sports metaphors to teach general English
- A Minecraft world that teaches grammar as students adventure through the world
- Graded readers based on tales of extreme sports athletes like triathlons
Which ones did you like? Personally, I like all of them. They all sound fun and interesting. But which ideas will sell?
There’s no magic formula for knowing, obviously. But I like to break that question into three related questions:
- Will other teachers use it?
- Can other teachers use it?
- Will it provide value?
Will other teachers use it? Just because an idea sounds interesting to me, doesn’t mean it sounds interesting to everyone. You need a sense of the universal appeal of an idea before publishing it. Often, a good way to figure this out is to look at what’s trending right now and to look at what teachers are talking about (often what they are grumbling about). Off the top of my head, diversity and social-emotional learning are big and as I write this during the COVID-19 quarantine, distance learning is huge!
On the other hand, some ideas may look or sound cool but teachers simply feel it isn’t the kind of thing they know how to do. I’ve had teachers look at my books with great enthusiasm, but then sigh, put it back and say, “But I need a book with the AWL. I just think that’s important!” There’s a reason big publishing companies do a lot of webinars and in-school trainings on new methods. As a self-publisher you probably can’t afford to do that on any large scale, although you might be able to pull it off locally.
Can other teachers use it? This is a distinct question because it looks less at interest and more at logistics. I would love to do a book teaching grammar through Minecraft, but I don’t know how many classroom teachers can really have their students on a Minecraft server during grammar class (although see the bit about distance learning. My mention of classrooms may seem quaint in a few months or years). I know a woman who teaches an elective on EFL through role-playing games, but her director simply will not allow her to do that in mainstream classes!
Will it provide value? Finally, to make sure an idea is sellable, you have to make sure it actually teaches kids English. I like the Minecraft grammar book idea and one day, I’ll figure it out. But when I’ve actually tested my ideas, it’s turned out to be a pretty poor way to teach grammar. And kids get distracted way too fast (If you know how to do it, let me know and I’ll be happy to work with you!) And most teachers are pretty good at sniffing out what could work in the classroom and what probably won’t.
The coolness of an idea can sell a few books. It get teachers willing to try it sometimes. It might even motivate them to rework the logistics of their classroom. Ultimately, however, a gimmick can’t educate students. And that means you won’t have long-term sales.
Now we have slightly more concrete questions, how do we research our book idea and make sure it can sell?
Go to the People
How do I know Social and Emotional Learning are big? I hear it used at conventions, in presentations and webinars, and when I talk to my son’s teachers. I see it used on teacher blogs, publisher sites, and social media. How do I know distance learning is big now? I see tons of posts asking about it.
I highly recommend regularly reading blogs, social media accounts, and if possible a magazine or journal, as well as going to some webinars or even conferences in the area of your book. Keep in touch with what’s current.
Also research your idea and see what’s being said about it. If you have an idea for a new kind of graded reader, try to see what the latest research is on readers as well as checking out what other publishers are doing now.
Where can you get your hands on free research, if you’re not a student or professor at a university?
- Blogs are a great source of summaries of research and articles.
- https://eric.ed.gov/ is a US government website that publishes a lot of free research articles in education.
- Local libraries often have access to research databases and if you live near a college or university, you might be able to use their library for journal access.
Testing, Testing, 1,2,3
Even if your idea is brilliant and well-supported by reseach as well as in-demand by teachers, it’s always a good idea to test it out. Hopefully, if your materials are meant for students to use, then you’ve already used them in your own classroom and gotten student feedback.
Note: If you aren’t using your own to-be-published materials in your own classroom, you should be! Using your own materials not only lets you know what works and what doesn’t, it also helps you revise. And when you do publish you’ll be able to talk to people about it goes in a real-life teaching situation.
Your colleagues are another great source of information. Get them to use your resources in their classes and report back. Even better, observe how they use them. Look at how they adapt them and how they supplement them. That’ll show you what your materials look like in use and what might be missing!
You can even offer a sample for free online. It’s amazing how many teachers are willing to review materials for free, although sometimes getting them to provide feedback takes some persistence. This test phase is also a great time to 1) get your name out there, 2) collect feedback to edit and revise your materials, and 3) get some testaments you can use as a blurb or to write your book descriptions when you get to marketing.
Where can you put your materials out there for free or a small fee?
- Teachers Pay Teachers is a great place to share teaching materials especially as teachers are already going there to find resources.
- A blog. Services like Wordpress.com, Blogger, or Tumbler let you set up a free blog pretty painlessly. Then you can share materials as posts or attached as files. What’s nice about blogs is that you can ask for comments and get feedback.
- Email. Set up a mailing list, broadcast it on social media, and send your subscribers your materials.
Regardless of how you get your materials out there, be sure to ask for follow-up. I like to set up a survey in Google Forms and be sure to have a mix of targeted and open-ended questions. I might ask teachers to rate the materials on a scale of 1–7 on various points. Then I might ask what their favorite part of the materials was.
Be Open to Change
Don’t ask for feedback and then ignore it. Be open to adapting your materials. Sometimes that means changing the whole format from a PDF to a Google Slide or from a reading to a listening. Sometimes it means adding a whole section, like a grammar lesson or a reading. Sometimes it means getting creative with YouTube videos or websites. And sometimes it means starting over from scratch!
And even if the feedback is negative and you end up scrapping your idea, you’ll have the information you need to create something else. Maybe the book on sports metaphors failed because many teachers report they prefer cooking to sports. OK, do a book on teaching English through cooking instead!
You may get feedback you don’t want to hear. But it’s better to hear it now before you devote a ton of time, energy, and money to an idea that doesn’t do well.
Hopefully this was helpful in terms of advice for figuring out how to create an idea that is not only original, but also marketable. Don’t forget to read my first article: Lessons Learned in Self-Publishing, Original Content.
I also have a sample copyright page for self-publishers that you are welcome to use and adapt!
In the next article, I’ll talk about what kinds of resources you need and some places to get them.
