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Quick Tips: Freelance Book Publishing

This is the first in a series of posts/conversations about freelance Book Publishing, undertaken to help a friend (you know who you are, my friend!) and hopefully, it may be of interest to others, as well.

This is just the barest beginning of the exploration of this topic, with more posts coming soon.

To me, the ability to communicate clearly and thoroughly explore a subject is part of the fun of writing, so let’s get going:

A VERY QUICK Overview of Freelance Book Publishing Opportunities:

1. Amazon Transformed Publishing. Yes, I know you can “do Google Books” and utilize other outlets, but let’s get serious. When it comes to self-publishing, Amazon rules. Their Kindle sales numbers speak for themselves (April 2014 Forbes ESTIMATE here). In my opinion, if you’re going to self-publish, Amazon is the answer. They not only have the platform (KDP, Kindle Direct Publishing), they have the AUDIENCE. That’s the secret. Write the greatest book in the WORLD and if no one reads it, you die believing yourself to be a failure (like Herman Melville did). None of us want that fate for ourselves or our books, do we? Write a book that can be found, bought, read, and loved! Learn More Here.

2. Amazon also has its own Publishing House with numerous imprints. If you’re an established, multi-published writer (HELLO!), THIS might be your path to publishing success, since you will have a team of professional editors and marketers assisting you with your project. Learn More Here.

3. Amazon also now owns Audible, the audiobook service. This provides opportunities for both established writers and voiceover artists. Learn More Here.

4. Amazon also offers the ability to self-publish print books ON DEMAND via CreateSpace. “On Demand” means just what it sounds like: your books are produced as they’re ordered, helping you avoid inventory issues, storage costs, initial capital outlays, etc. Learn More Here.

5. Amazon also has its own in-house Media Production House, Amazon Studios which works to bring stories to life on the screen. Learn More Here.

6. Amazon’s Customer Reviews give unorthodox, embraceable exposure to a HUGE reader base. Ditto for another Amazon property, Goodreads.

I’ll post more info for you in the days to come, but for now, that should give you some useful links and ideas to explore.

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DISCLAIMER: I am not an Amazon employee, but I do write Customer Reviews RECREATIONALLY (not for pay or compensation of any kind) on Amazon (I’m a Top 500 Reviewer as of this writing) .