Many literary entrepreneurs seek to brand themselves and generate revenue by way of self-publishing--publishing books at the expense of the author with the hopes of maintaining creative control and keeping the lion’s share of the revenues generated once the book sells.

Leslie Esdaile Banks (pictured, here, who uses the pen name L.A. Banks) is a New York Times bestselling author (for her co-authored 2004 paranormal novel, Stroke Of Midnight) who is now navigating the world of self publishing. Bank acquired her Vampire Huntress Legend Series novels back from St. Martin's Press and now self-publishes. To date, the series has sold more than 1.2 million copies.

Make sure you have a comprehensive strategy. Ask yourself where you will market your book online. Book clubs, reviewer sites, individuals, organizations? Will you approach libraries, schools, independent booksellers, and major chains (possible through Amazon’s expanded distribution channels)? Is there a blend of on-line and off-line options you can employ to drive sales?

Build a social media and website platform before you begin. If you do not have an interconnected presence between your website/blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, et al, then how will people find your book and how will you blast it out to the largest constituency possible? The Internet is vast and a small cry in the dark for attention will get lost without a true platform.

Invest in your product and make sure it meets the highest quality standards. Spend the money on a good editor—that’s job one. Many times people get caught up in the cover design (packaging is important, true, but not the end all be all), or they focus on having a jazzy interior layout… but if the book is not well-edited, then everything else gets a failing grade by your disappointed readers.


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