With corporations downsizing and households economizing, what are authors to make of the global financial crisis? How are writers, who are looking to get their books published, respond to this economic downturn? Is the current state of the world’s economy a blessing or a curse to one’s publishing dreams?

To answer that, let us take a quick look at one of history’s pivotal economic moments: the Great Depression. During the 1930s the world was plunged into unprecedented economic woes, which gave the era its well deserved name. Much like today, the Great Depression threw a great shadow of uncertainty over every aspect of human life, including the publishing industry.

However, a deeper look into this period of history shows us that there were many authors who have had their books published, and a few have even achieved critical acclaim. The Great Depression produced great written and published works like John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’, and Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’ to name a few. If these writers achieved their dream of publishing their books in a time of financial uncertainty, why couldn’t today’s author do the same?

If anything, there should be even more reasons for writers to become published authors today. With all the innovations in the industry, the wide selection of publishing services available, and the health competition between publishers that result in multiple benefits for authors, achieving one’s publishing dreams is made easier to attain. Recession or no recession, writers who wish pursue the publication of their books can go ahead and do so.

The global financial crisis should not necessarily be a hindrance to your publishing dreams. If you are determined to pursue success as a published author, or looking to publish another book, you will find many avenues to take on the way to your desired goal. Publishing companies like Xlibris offer many options from which aspiring authors can choose.

Among these are the various publishing packages that cater to the specific needs of each author, the discounts given on these packages, the monthly promotional offers on marketing and publishing services, and the special rates for specialty publishing. These are all designed to make publishing your book more attainable even in the midst of economic woes.

The Great Depression produced great works of literature. The current global recession should not cause the proliferation of literary works to recede. Rather, times like these should becoming a challenge and a stepping stone for writers to become published authors.

About Xlibris
Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Bloomington, IN and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

Writing a book is the easiest part of the process and getting them published may impugn one’s patience and bank account. When authors give up hopes of ever being picked by a traditional publisher, they turn to self-publishing.

Authors who have made it big in the industry have chosen to self-publish at some point in their careers: Rudyard Kipling, Ernest Hemmingway, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Carl Sandburg, and James Redfield just to name a few, and one can see how they all fared in the industry.

If a writer is looking for self-publishing companies to publish a book, there are a few companies that practically hold court to everything a book needs from book cover design customization, layout consultation, copyediting and even marketing. This brings the writer then to the process of going through production and seeing the actual product in book form already.

Primarily, as the writer, you would need to assess your book’s publishing plan. Ask yourself if you need editing, marketing, book cover layout consultation, interior design customization and all that jazz. After mapping out your book’s requirement, find a self-publishing company that will cater to all of your needs. Xlibris is one self-publishing company who practically has everything an author requires. The company has been in business for over a decade and they already to know what they are doing. They have programs that have all the inclusions that will turn your manuscript into a book.

Second, is to edit and polish your book before submitting them to the publisher. The editing part is crucial considering that you might need to go back to your book a couple of times to reassure yourself that you did not miss anything.

Third, is to come up with a final book cover. If editing is crucial, your book cover is pivotal to your book’s success. Book cover sets the tone, the impact and the force that will make a librarian, reviewer, bookseller, distributor, and customer to pick up the book long enough to read a few sentences in it. It takes about two seconds for a customer to glance at your book’s cover. Make certain that those two seconds is all worth it.

Fourth, is to check for quality control. Self-publishing companies print on demand and seeing that your book is going to be priced by the publisher’s own printers, you might need to request for a sample copy of how they print their books. Binding, text, and paper quality is key and if it misses out on of any of those, then it is not qualified at all to produce the kind of book you have in mind.

Average publishing timeline is within two to three months and by that time, your book will already be available in market for sale. Self-publishing gives you full control of the publishing process and no one will tell you what to do.

Now, publishing is one thing – selling a book is another. The main crux is to publish the book and translate it into book format.

Perhaps any writer needs to ask himself: have I investigated the industry thoroughly before launching? Producing and marketing may instill unforeseen investments that he might not be able to handle. If all authors believe that the book will succeed by adding their own effort, then self-publish. They’ll even have fun.

Now let’s get that book published first, shall we?