The Self-Publishing Blueprint by Joel Friedlander Hi, Joel here, and thanks for joining me again, I really appreciate it. Today we have the third video in this free training series, and I promised you a walk-through of the whole publishing process. I know a lot of people are looking forward to it. If you haven't seen the first two videos, you can find links to them in the bottom right sidebar of this page. In the first video, "8 Keys to Self- Publishing Success Today" we looked at how self-publishing is now within the reach of every author and how we can publish our books for a worldwide audience at virtually no risk. But lots of writers aren't ready to make that leap yet, and in the second video, "Self-Publishing Mistakes, Screw-ups and Disasters," I talked about some of the obstacles people have to overcome to get into print. Now, I know that a lot of writers wonder whether they can really publish their own books and still be a success? I think you can, and here's why. Remember last time I told you about "the most important book of all," the book I published called Body Types. Page 1 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com
That book was really made for self-publishing. It was a book on a niche subject nobody had ever heard of, by an author nobody had every heard of-- -me. So, faced with that situation, I created the best book I could, one that looked good, read well, and that was priced right. We marketed it to the people we thought would be interested, and in the end we sold about 10,000 copies. Okay, 10,000 copies. Is that all? You're never going to pick up the newspaper and read about an author who sold 10,000 copies, are you? Let's face it, that doesn't make the news. All you read about are the authors who are selling 10,000 books a month, or getting a contract from a big publisher for like a bazillion dollars. But that's not the beginning and end of self-publishing. Think about this: Even with the high cost of print on demand books, 10,000 copies of that book would be worth about $60,000 dollars in net income. $60,000---that could be a life-changing amount of money for a lot of people. It could allow you the time to write that next book, or the freedom to spend some time with your family, or the ability to do research you need, whatever. What I'm trying to get at is this: self-publishing has enormous power to change lives in 2 pretty different ways: First, you're going to be able to get your story or your ideas into the hands of hundreds or thousands of people. That's real power, don't you think? And second, it can give you the kind of control and influence you've only dreamed of. Becoming an author has lots of effects, and I want each of you to realize those benefits for yourself. Page 2 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com
Is it going to be easy? Can you do it in 15 minutes a day? No, you're going to have to work for it, you're going to have to care enough to put your absolute best into your books. But if you're ready to do that, I want to show you how to create books that your readers really want to buy. If you invest yourself in this you'll have something you couldn't get any other way. As we walk through this blueprint I'm going to show you the same processes and strategies that I've used for year to create award-winning books for my clients. But there's also lots of things that are brand new. That's because over the last 18 months the way we publish and sell books has completely changed. The old ways just aren't working the same anymore. Before I get to the blueprint, I want to say thank you for all the comments on the videos. If you've never published your own book, it's like there's a magic that happens, a transformation. Seeing an author hold their own book in their hands for the first still gives me a thrill, even after all these years. So that's why all those comments mean so much to me. They show that I've obviously struck a chord with a lot of people. I think that came through when I talked about my own history in selfpublishing, and how it's fundamentally changed *MY* life even though I made lots of mistakes when I got started. And we all make mistakes. What's important is that you DO get started, and that you keep learning as you go. That's one of the reasons I'm excited about showing you this blueprint. I think you'll find that publishing your book doesn't have to be an endless, frustrating and joyless task. Page 3 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com
And I want to make another point here. You can publish for lots of reasons, and even though some of these more personal books will be read by only a few dozen people, I also know the pride you'll have in creating a book that will last for generations. So it doesn't matter what your aim is, or how you define success. What's important is that you get the book you need to meet your aim, to hit your goal. All right, let's head over to my computer and dive into the Blueprint. [mind map walkthrough] Okay, so that's the self-publishing blueprint. Obviously, I had to move through this very quickly. It's sort of the 10,000 foot view, because I have a limited amount of time, and this video's already running pretty long. I've really enjoyed making these videos for you, but now we've reached the end of this series. Page 4 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com
If you've been inspired to get into self-publishing, or to make more of the books you've already published, to get over the obstacles and really reach your goals, you're going to be interested in my new online training program for authors. It's called the Self-Publishing Roadmap, and it's going to be opening for registration in just a few days. What is it? The Self-Publishing Roadmap is an online, video-based training course. When you enroll in the course you'll get access to hours of video content that's like a classroom environment. The course follows the exact same five steps we just walked through in the Blueprint. So you'll get instruction on setting up as a publisher, getting your manuscript ready, hiring freelancers, creating books, finding distribution and launching and marketing your book. It's the whole nine yards. The lessons will be released over the next 6 weeks so we'll have a chance to go through the process together and share our insights. All the videos are downloadable and come with audio tracks and transcripts so you can study the way that works best for you. The course also comes with a ton of downloads to help you take on typical publishing tasks. There are tutorials, background reports and a whole lot more, really, there is nothing else like it anywhere, online or offline. In the course you'll get step by step instruction on how to complete key tasks in the publishing process. You'll also get checklists that will make sure you don't overlook something, and links to resources that will help you move forward without guessing. Throughout the course we'll be looking at real-world examples, and I'll be showing you the efficient way to publish your books. In lots of places I'll Page 5 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com
provide you with worksheets where you can just fill in the blanks with your own book information, it's that simple. You'll find out how to put together your media kit, how to determine what your book cover should look like, who's a good candidate for print on demand, and a whole lot more. I've also got some super secret tools that can help you create truly beautiful and professional-level books of your own. Stay tuned for more details on that. I've put all the experience I've accumulated over my career in publishing into these lessons. I didn't hold anything back when I put this course together, it's everything I know that will help you publish successfully. Now I want to be clear that the processes outlined in the blueprint we just went through are exactly the same ones I've used to help authors create hundreds of books. I know this stuff works because that's what I do every day. When you enroll in the course you'll see why publishing your first book is only the first step on your self-publishing journey, and how adding more books to your program will supercharge your efforts and bring you lots of rewards. Now, I've gotten a ton of questions on the blog and in emails. What I'm going to do next is sit down, fire up my camera, nothing fancy, just answer all the questions I possibly can. So this is your opportunity to find out more. Go down into the comment section right under this video, and tell me what you really need help with. What's the biggest question you're confronting right now in your publishing? That Q&A video will go live within the next 48 hours, so watch for an email to let you know when it's ready. Page 6 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com
The Roadmap course will be kicking off right after that. You'll get an email from me when registration opens, and when you check out the registration page you'll have all the information you need to decide whether this course is the right fit for you. This is a chance for people who are serious about self-publishing to get up to speed in a hurry, to save weeks and months of research and frustration. I'm super excited and really looking forward to working with those of you who want to dive into the details, really get a grip on this publishing process. So if you're serious about getting into self-publishing, if you want to really understand how to do this right, then I think this training is going to be exactly what you're looking for. Really, there's nothing else like it. And if you're a service provider or consultant to authors, you should consider this an opportunity to provide new services to your clients, the ones they really want. It's been great doing these videos for you, so please go ahead and ask any questions you have in the comments and I'll answer them in my Q&A video. In the meantime, think about what publishing a book might mean for you, how it might change your life. I'll see you back here in a couple of days. And thanks for watching. Page 7 of 7 Transcript 2012 Joel Friedlander, all rights reserved. SelfPublishingRoadmap.com