It appears that six months has passed since I published my first book as a self-publisher on Amazon's KDP platform. As I am sitting here typing these words, I can't help but wonder where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday when I decided to actually be serious about creating and publishing a book (it's actually been a year and a half since I made that decision). I find myself looking at many YouTube videos of different self-publishers' experiences and I ask myself "how come they were able to create and publish a book within 2 to 3 months and it took me an entire year to publish mine?" The answer that I have to come to accept is that you can't compare your journey to nobody else's journey. What may take you years to complete, some are able to do it in months. It doesn't make your work and efforts any less important. I love that answer and I am sticking with it. I also understand that I have taken the time (and still currently doing so) to learn all the in and outs about self-publishing. If you plan on taking self-publishing serious, it's a must to learn all about promotions, marketing, business etiquette, networking, and so much more. With all that being said, how well am I doing after six month into being a self-publisher?
"...I am seeing a steady increase"
Well let's just say, I'm not rich and I'm definitely not making a living off my profits...YET! I say yet, because I believe if I continue to put in the hard work, I will get there. I haven't even reached four figures in profits yet; however, I am seeing a steady increase. Therefore, I know I will get there if I keep pushing. That's my encouragement to anyone who wants to pursue self-publishing...keep pushing!
Although there are those who do create books, upload them, and hit it big, that story is less common than you think. Those who are a success in self-publishing, has turned it into a business model. They are not just creating books and uploading them and forgetting about them. No, they have budgets for every aspect of their brand. They have budgets for marketing, whether it includes social media ads and sponsored ads or televised ads. They have budgets for illustrators and graphic designers ,and budgets for editors and proofreaders. Aside from the different budgets, there are also other aspects of the business model that you have to cover. For example, your social media presence. You have to create content for your social media platforms. If you have several platforms, this can be a full-time job within itself. Some businesses hire social media managers just to handle their social media presence. Then, of course, you should create your own personal website for your brand. Creating and maintaining your website can be another full-time job within itself. There are analytics to learn and understand so that you will know how to drive traffic to your website. SEO and keyword rankings is another topic that is important to the business models.
I'm not saying all of this to discourage anyone from becoming a self-publisher. It's actually the opposite. I want to encourage anyone who wants to take self-publishing to the next level to do their due diligence and research all that goes into a business. Learn the model of your particular business, whether is a sole-proprietorship, LLC, or a full blown corporation. There is so much that goes into starting and growing your own business, and I believe anymore who is dedicated to learning and gaining knowledge of the process can definitely succeed. It may take time and will not happen overnight but it is possible.
"...the fact that I have profits is a success to me!"
So that's where I am at six month into self-publishing. I am not rich or famous (don't care to be famous, truth be told), and haven't even reached four figures in profits yet. I am dedicated to learning and gaining knowledge of the process of being a small business owner. I am a small business owner! Success is objective and is defined by different metrics. Although my profits aren't making me rich, the fact that I have profits is success to me!
Looking back, would I start all over again? I most definitely would! How awesome is it to love what you do and to feel that what you do helps other people? It's totally awesome! I work on my business when I feel like it (which is everyday, but at different hours), and I can take breaks and do other things when I feel the need to do so. It just don't get any better than that! I have a planner that I use that is great for keeping me on task. I suggest you use one too. As a matter of fact, my planner is available on Amazon for $21.99 titled Ready, Set, Plan, Action! and it is an awesome tool to use for organizing and getting things done (Yea, I threw a promotion for my planner in there lol).
I'm sorry for keeping your attention for so long. Sometimes when I get to expressing myself, I just don't know how to hush up lol. Thanks for reading and I will see you all in the next blog
Be Blessed
-Johanna Dao
Comments