This article shares with you the ten top ways that you can use today to improve your public speaking.

Top Tip #1: Plan your speech.

Planning plays an important role in all of your communications. In public speaking especially, you should follow the formal research and preparation which an outline requires. This process and its result will keep you organized and flowing in your presentation. This first tip is actually a bundle of tips.

Here’s how to get started and do the outline:

First, ask yourself: Who is my audience?

Assuming this will be your professional group, your colleagues will require a different style and approach than another group. A group of potential customers, for example, will probably need more information about what services your company provides and how you can help them fulfill their needs. On the other hand, your colleagues will want to know your particular expertise and how you go about satisfying customer needs.

Direct all of the ideas and examples toward the audience’s interests and needs.

Second, ask yourself: How do I narrow the topic?

For a presentation to your professional group, you will often be invited to speak in a general area which the coordinators feel is needed for the theme of the conference. Be sure to get the brochure and look at the advertisements so that you know what the theme is! Look at the other topics included in the brochure. How does your area fit in? Your topic should, if at all possible, be related to a “hot topic” in your field. You will know what those are from your professional

publications and  journals. If you don’t get them, go on-line and do your research.

Think of an interesting twist on a subject of high interest in the field. Everyone says, “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” but what if the right approach to a problem in your field is, “Reinvent your own wheel,” or, as Bruce Springsteen says, “Sometimes you just have to write your own narrative!” You may wind up with a highly creative wheel that spins faster than all the others.

Third, do the outline:

All presentations have big ideas and little ones, categories and details, main ideas and examples. Pick the style you like and go with that. The top communicators in all of history tell stories. Once you have the big ideas and categories outlined, tell stories for the examples and details—it is a great educator’s tool. Look back at what we have studied so far for a good example. The big idea: Plan your speech. The details of how to plan your speech: a)

know your audience b) narrow your topic c) do the outline of big ideas (the I, II, III’s) and the examples (A,B.C under each).

Here’s another good example. In my series of e-books about learning the principles of success by studying the biographies of successful people, I am currently planning the fourth book in the series. The working title is Success Stories IV: Second Winds and Success on the Rebound. The big idea is in the title and the stories will be the examples. I have begun to make the outline of

stories I will tell which exemplify the principles explained in the first book in the series and which show second starts and careers.

There are so many stories out there that give us tremendous hope for the future and for what we can do even late in life to improve the world we live in that the hardest part is selecting the best examples I can find for the principles to be learned. I have four selected so far. The most thrilling I have found (because I didn’t recall ever knowing the latter part of this story) is the story of Alexander Graham Bell. We all know him as the inventor of the telephone and how that invention changed our lives forever. But did you know that his true calling was to teach the deaf how to speak? Did you know that Helen Keller’s parents were referred to him by a medical specialist when they were looking for a teacher for Helen? Bell took the wealth earned by his hard scientific work and put it to good use to improve the lives of the deaf. And he recommended Anne Sullivan to Helen Keller’s parents, giving birth to “The Miracle Worker.” The invisible hands of providence were working there for sure.

A story about a real life person like that is so gripping that it teaches us a lot about possibilities and dreams and changing lives. It tells a lot about how you can get a second wind in life, a second chance to do the things that are really important to you and that you know in your heart and soul you are called to do.

Whatever your field is, you will have case studies and role models in your patients, customers, vendors, employees, colleagues, students, and assistants. Think about their stories and tell them in appropriate places in your outlined presentation.

Other benefits of using an outline are that you won’t be tempted to read it because it will just highlight the main ideas and also your speech will have a logical, well-organized flow.  Everyone has heard a speech where the speaker seems to be jumping back and forth,  skipping main transitions, and just generally not doing a very organized pesentation of the material. It’s no fun for the audience to try to keep up and figure out where the speaker should be. Always plan your material so that the organization provides a framework for the ideas. Your speaking will be greatly enhanced and more readily received. And your audience will love you for it!

Top Tip # 2: Select your words carefully.

In this day and age, we are plagued by the imprecise use of language. I think it has to do with all the cyber world speed junkies all around us! Do your homework and you will soon discover that you are able to communicate your ideas far more effectively and easily than you may have thought. Remember that words have both a dictionary definition as well as a connotation—the feeling or implication of a word is key to its proper use. Don’t use the word “cry” when you really mean “howl;” don’t use “request” when you mean “plead;” don’t use “happy” when you really mean “ecstatic.” Pay attention to the words you use and where you use them. You can make your speech far more accurate and effective by selecting the correct words. Besides that, you can make your public speaking far more compelling by using active verbs and nouns and descriptions which really tell a story in a more fascinating way.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say!

Top Tip # 3: Avoid slang and jargon.

Avoiding slang and jargon is very important in making yourself clear to your listeners. Slang is almost useless outside the forums where the teenagers hang out. Unless you work at the mall selling t-shirts, drop the slang out of your speech habits. Slang has the hallmarks of imprecise speech. One kid will say it and then they will all pick up on it. If you are a parent, you will know that slang is basically coded speech. In other words, the kids don’t necessarily want you to know what they mean. If you feel it helps you in communicating with your

teenagers, by all means, that may be a context in which you may want to use their language. But be careful that slang does not infiltrate your every day speech at work.

Jargon is that particular set of words which has special meaning for a professional or business group. Lawyers are particular bad about using jargon—as a lawyer, I hear it every day. Many states have even passed “Plain Language” laws to require lawyers to speak and write clearly and plainly about what they mean. So much of the jargon that lawyers use relates to old formalities. I have noted that certain clients will want to impress us with their ability to sprinkle their communications with us with “whereas” and “hereinbefore”! I avoid that type of stilted speech as much as possible.

There may be legal documents which require the use of “terms of art” which have special legal meanings, but for everyday speech and communications, I have found that they can be avoided entirely! If you really understand a word and its usage, you can speak it plainly. Other professions also have problems with jargon. Think about the explosion of e-terms we have to live with today. It’s not a book, it’s an “ebook;” it’s not just commerce, it’s “e-commerce;” not just marketing, it’s “emarketing.” These words are everywhere now, and you probably get them every day in your e-mail box. They are so common these days that many of us are just dropping the hyphen and using the “e” as a full suffix! That saves time typing on the keyboard.  Send me an email. Write an ebook. You will see them both ways for a while, but then the hyphen will disappear. What you should do is try to cut down on the jargon as much as possible. For clarity’s sake, you should try to avoid jargon in your speech with people outside your field.

Top Tip # 4: Avoid verbal stalling mechanisms.

Ask someone who loves you whether you are using annoying stalling mechanisms when you speak. Go ahead. You need to know the truth. Maybe it’s only sometimes, like when you don’t jot down notes before making that phone call. But if you focus on this tip for a day, I promise you that you will discover the times and places and circumstances in which you are likely to falter in your speech.

“Ah…,” “Ummm…,” “Hm…” We’ve all heard them and we’ve all used them. These are verbal tics which we need to avoid as much as possible. If you have planned your speech, you will be able to overcome this obstacle. If you feel an “Um” coming on, that is the time to glance down out your cleverly devised outline and move on to the next idea or example. I always hold a pen up there at the podium. It is easy and effective to check off each point as you go.

At times it is appropriate to insert a dramatic pause, or take a sip of the discreetly placed glass of water, or have handy a verbal cue to yourself— “Does anyone have any questions before I go on to the next point?” or make a short announcement to the audience: “Remember if you have questions please write them down on the question card distributed with your materials (or outline) and

someone will come around to pick them up.” This type of transition works every time.

Top Tip # 5: Practice your speech. Out loud.

Trial lawyers, orators and teachers will all tell you that practice, practice, practice is the best method to achieve success with the spoken word. Listen, the spoken word has been every bit as powerful as the written word in the history of the world from the very beginning. God said, “Let there be light,” and it was so. For people, practice is key. From the beginning of this country, the spoken word has held great power:

John Adams said, “Let me have a country—a free country!” and it was so. Well, after convincing the other colonies that independence was right and just and necessary, and after a major war in which a ragtag army took down a king and the most powerful empire in the world at that time, then it was so. Now, John Adams knew well the power of practice in public speaking and the human need of it. He would write out his closing arguments and arguments to Congress, and let his wife Abigail read them and give her criticisms, many of which he took to heart. After those planning stages, he would practice and practice the speech out loud.

Henry Clay, who later became the great orator and politician of Kentucky, would practice speeches in the barn and in the woods as a young farm boy. They called Clay the “American Demosthenes.” Demosthenes was the great Greek orator of ancient times, who stuttered as a child. He overcame his stuttering by practicing speeches out loud in private every day. The spoken words of these speakers have changed their countries and the world forever in these instances.  We may be surprised at the many opportunities we ourselves have to change the world around us and help other people, if we practice our speech to make it more effective.

What causes do you care about in the world? You can make a difference with your speech. You can inspire colleagues, salesmen, volunteers and workers. You can get people to do the best job they can, or to make more sales, or to give the best services available in your field, or to donate money and goods to a worthy cause. You can help where no one else has. Whenever you have those opportunities, use them well. Remember the importance of your presentation. And practice beforehand.

Top Tip # 6: Relate to your audience.

This tip is really something that brings together many of the other principles in improving your public speaking. As you plan the speech, the needs of the audience play an important role in what you say. You want to gauge the level of your audience’s understanding, interests, education, and attitude at the beginning of planning your speech.

But this relating to your audience is the hard part–when you stand up to speak to an audience. Walk to the podium. Take a deep breath. Look at the people. Maintain your eye contact. Smile. Perhaps you have had an introduction of some sort. The first words out of your mouth should be to your host and to your audience. “Thank you for that kind introduction. And thanks to all of you for coming here today. I am very pleased to be here to speak to you about…(your topic).” Take another deep breath, and then start into your outline. By the time you get into your speech or presentation, the material takes over. If you have prepared the material well, your speech will go well.

Remember, too, that in almost every case, your audience is routing for you. They came to hear you speak. They came to get information, facts, tips, whatever your experience and expertise can help them with. They are rarely thinking directly about you. They are thinking about the next client or

customer or contract. They are wondering if you will deliver to them something helpful to them in their field or business. That is where you can relate to them best. Deliver what they came to get.

During your speech, respond to your audience. When you look at their faces, do they look confused or do they occasionally nod their heads and appear to be right with you? Even if you have a strict time limit, it may be appropriate to say, “I’ll come back to that at the end,” or “Remember if you have questions…,” or “Let me explain that a little more.” You cannot say everything you need to about a subject because in most cases, the subject is too broad, so that some follow up communication may be necessary.

Top Tip # 7: Relax and be yourself.

People get nervous about public speaking because most of us do not do it every day. Unless you have had the experience of being a teacher or a trial lawyer, or a judge, public speaking is probably not part of your daily or even weekly or monthly routine. That makes it hard for most people to speak in their normal way or use their normal gestures. You can get past this type of nervousness by remembering you were invited to speak and most of the

people in the room came to hear you speak. You! Not some fancy professor at an ivy league school, or some Academy Award-winning actor, or some celebrity. When you think about it, you can only be you, and that is the best thing you can be! Don’t put on last minute airs that don’t suit you.

Top Tip # 8: Remember: They are watching you!

I know you are asking yourself, “Well, how can I relax and be myself if I have to remember they are watching me?!” Good point, but you want to be your best public self while you are up there in the front of the room. When you are called upon to give a professional presentation to your colleagues or a marketing proposal to potential customers or referral sources, your best public self should be ready to perform.

Here are the details, some “do’s” and “don’ts”:

Stand tall with good posture.

Say a prayer.

Don’t scratch your nose unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Try not to fidget or shuffle papers.

If your knees shake, try squeezing your toes in your shoes.

Find a friendly, receptive face in the audience.

Try not to fuss with your hair (brush it back beforehand)

Stay focused on your topic.

Respond to cues from the audience.

Top Tip # 9: Use Humor Wisely.

Humor is good, but not everyone can pull it off. If you are good with telling a joke or have a quick wit, and humor fits in with your style and the topic of your speech, by all means, entertain. There are only extremely rare occasions when wit is completely not appropriate, and those should be obvious to you. However, there are also topics and types of humor that must be avoided always: nothing mean-spirited or that mocks or that causes discomfort or embarrassment

should ever be considered humor. Ask for someone’s opinion before putting humorous comments or stories in your public speaking. (As a substitute, find inspiring quotations to include.)

Top Tip # 10: Have Confidence.

Public speaking is really all about confidence—in yourself, in your purpose, and in your preparation. Very often, confidence grows with practice and with preparation. But even great orators and speakers who have been giving speeches for many years admit to feeling nervous before a speech.

You should have confidence in this fact: When you love the work that you do or the cause that you support or the mission that you have been called to do, that is your confidence. That is your true foundation. You should always remember that those invisible hands of fate have placed you in a particular room, on a particular day, with a particular audience for a particular reason.

Picture your success in your mind and you will have confidence. See yourself confidently presenting your speech. Hear the applause. Think positively about the outcome. Your dream of successful public speaking, with the proper preparation, will come true.

Tip #1 The first task to self-publishing is actually making a book out of your manuscript.

Here are just some of the decisions that go into transforming a manuscript into a book:

Cover design

Internal artwork and layout

Font, for example, Times New Roman or Arial

Type of binding, for example, spiral, ring, stitched, perfect, etc.

Hardcover or softcover

Book size (standard book size is 5.5″ by 8.5″)

Type of paper book is printed on

Color or black and white

Number of pages. It is generally easier for consumers to justify a book purchase if the book is over 100 pages.

While your printer can help you with a majority of these decisions by offering suggestions and examples it is helpful to go to a printer with a good idea of exactly how you want your book to look. Visit bookstores and find books that you want to model.

Tip #2 Understand the difference between publishers and printers.

POD Publishers

Unlike POD printers, POD publishers may take care of the extra costs of designing a book cover, editing your book, and obtaining an ISBN number. They can be a good option if you need less than 50 books because the price is generally lower than what you would pay for a POD printer. However, make sure that you read your contract carefully and that you fully investigate the POD publisher that you are considering. Some publishers require exclusive rights to your book.

POD Printers

POD printers are just that, printers. They do not invest in your product. They simply manufacture it. The cost can be a bit expensive and generally ranges from $5 to $10 per book, depending on your book’s specifics. POD printers can be a good and cost effective option if your book is nearing the end of its life yet you still have the occasional order trickling in. This way you can order one book at a time and it eliminates the possible expense of having to keep an inventory on hand. The print quality is usually good. Again, as with any company, read your contract carefully and make sure to investigate the company.

Digital Printers PQN, Print Quality Needed

This is a good option for the author that needs fewer than 2500 copies. It is cost effective, the print quality is good, and it normally takes less than two weeks to print.

Offset Printers.

When you need more than 2500 books, your best choice is offset printing. The cost will equate to about $1.25 per book for about 3000 books. However, the more books that you print, the less expensive your cost will be.

Tip #3 Don’t forget about distribution

The next thing that you will need to handle as a self-publisher is the task of distribution. It may actually be to your benefit to hire a distributor; however, most distributors take 65% of the profit. A distributor’s main purpose is to “sell” your book to bookstores and specialty stores.

Distributors also are able to sell your book to larger chain stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble. This can be to your benefit because it means that your exposure is much larger than sticking with smaller booksellers and specialty stores.

Tip #4 How are your customers going to order and pay for their books? Order

Decide how you are going to take orders by phone, fax, email, webstore, snail mail, or all of the above. Do you accept credit cards? How will you ship? How will you take returns, if at all? Mail order purchasing is an easy and efficient process once you have established a routine. However, shipping individual books can be expensive. Will you charge for shipping? Where will you store the books?

Tip #5 What are you going to call your publishing company?

The first thing that you will need to do, once your book is written, is to start your own publishing company. To accomplish this you will first need to decide on a name for your company. Experts recommend against placing your name in the title of the company because it makes you look like a beginner. Additionally, do you really want your name listed as both the author and the publisher?

Tip #6 How much are you going to charge? Pricing Your Book

Before you begin promotion, determine how much to charge for your book. The general rule of thumb is to charge 8 times what it cost you to produce it. Therefore, if it cost you $5 to produce the book, you’ll charge $40. However, you want to consider your market and how much they’ll be willing to pay for your book. It could be more or less than $40.

Tip #7 ISBN numbers. An ISBN number is not a requirement to sell a book yourself but it will make it easier to record your book with booksellers and it is a formal registration process that signifies that you are in fact a publisher. In short, it makes you look more professional. Additionally, most booksellers like Amazon, require an ISBN number.

Visit the ISBN website, www.isbn.org

Fill out the application. It costs $29.95 for 10 ISBNs and I have been told that it takes quite a long time to process, so have patience.

Tip #8 Library of Congress Number. This is a number that is assigned by the Library of Congress to a book. It can also be referred to as the Preassigned Control Number or PCN. Numbers are only assigned to books that will be added to the library. You can apply for a number by visiting www.copyright.gov.

Complete the application and then file for a number

Tip #9 Copyright Registration. The first step in registering your book is to print a copyright notice on your copyright page, usually the back of your title page. Your second step is to publish your book. Last, you will want to visit www.copyright.gov/forms/

Tip #10. Promotion tips. There are thousands of ways you can promote your book. Tackle them one or two at a time. If you jump in and try 10 different promotion methods/tools, things will get messy and you won’t be able to devote your full attention to each promotion method. Focus on one or two at a time.

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How To Make A 6 Figure Income Writing & Publishing Your Own BookGo To: Write A Book

It is your dream to have your book in every bookstore in the country, perhaps even in several countries. But wait, have you planned beyond bookstore sales? Many authors are unaware that there are many markets for books beyond the bookstores. The bookstores may be your first market, but there are many other “hidden” markets, and here are some key book marketing tips to help you tap into those markets.

Let’s begin with the job of writing the book. When you put “pen to paper”, it is important that you focus on one audience but write for many markets. Let’s begin by identifying why you are writing a book. Some people merely want to be a published author, giving them claim to a copyright and their name on a book. That is satisfaction enough. They don’t care about the financial return or the development of writing or publishing as a career. Other people just want to write a family history and sell it to their extended family. Some people are interested only in selling to the attendees of their seminars. Many others, however, want to sell thousands of books in as many markets as possible. Decide at the beginning of the writing process why you are writing so that you can determine whether or not you are creating a business venture.

Once you have established your reason for writing, move on to what you are writing about. Don’t try to be all things to all people or the encyclopedic source of all information on a subject. Choose an area of a subject with which you are very familiar and develop your topic well so that you don’t overwhelm or bore your readers. For instance, if you are writing a cookbook, don’t try to be The Joy of Cooking – that’s already been done. Instead, write about a category of recipes, such as heritage recipes, or recipes of a region or culture, or recipes from famous restaurants, etc. Your goal is to make your book different, and better, than other cookbooks.

Having now decided on the why and the what, focus on the who, meaning who will buy your book. You believe that many people will be interested in your book, but let’s define “many”. Do you mean all of the people in your interest group, your church or your workplace, or do you mean everyone? A word of caution, though – there is NO book that is for everyone. Sure, everyone may need your book but not everyone will want it. If your book is a healthy lifestyle cookbook, everyone might need it, but only people who actually want to be healthy will buy it. Do some research on who those people are and where they are likely to actually buy your book. Understand their demographics: age group, income level, shopping habits, activities, etc. Now write for them. What information are your target readers looking for? Is their a gap in the information about a subject that is very familiar to you or in which you have the credentials to fill the gap? Make sure that your book solves a problem or problems for the reader, or make sure that your book will increase the well being of the reader. Avoid falling into the trap of writing to make yourself feel better – you are not the one who will buy your book. Or if you are, you are the only buyer that you will have!

The why, what and who now being defined, you can turn your attention to the where you can sell your book. Because there are many markets for books, decide early in the writing process just what those markets are and write to sell your book in those markets.

It is likely that the first market that will come to mind is traditional book stores, and of course they can be a vital part of your sales. Do your research in getting to know your competition on the book store shelves, i.e., look at the other books that have been written in your genre. What writing style is most appealing to a wide audience? Is there a gap in the information provided in the other books? Are there problems that have not been addressed? Find the needs and fill them. When you are satisfied with the information that you are providing, think about what will attract the book store buyers. They will want to know about your planned publicity campaign. If you want people to buy your book in book stores, you are responsible for letting people know that your book is available, thereby driving buyers to the stores.

Besides book stores, books are purchased in the nontraditional book market by display retailers, book clubs, catalogs, gift retailers, volume buyers (think Costco and Price Club), corporations, foundations and foreign markets. These markets are considered “hidden” because they exist outside the usual bookstore market, yet they account for many millions of dollars each year in book sales. In fact, we sell thousands of books to buyers like these every year (for more about our Book Marketing tips and secrets click here: Book Marketing Tips). These markets, however, do not buy any and every book. They are looking for books that appeal to their customers.

For instance, if you are writing a book about spiritual experiences, think about which of those markets will likely buy your book. Will you approach book clubs? If yes, which book clubs – those that specialize in spiritual books only, or those that market to the general public? Will you approach the gift market or catalogs? Each market evaluates its purchases for its own clientele. Book clubs that target the religious book reader have a greater interest in spiritual books than do general interest book clubs. Volume buyers, catalogs and gift buyers (unless they target a religious market), display retailers and corporations will very seldom buy a spiritual book. Foreign markets, however, are often very interested.

Even if your book is written for the general book trade, you can still think of corporations that might be able to use your book as a promotional item. Make a list of corporations that could be interested in your book and make sure that your writing supports their products or philosophy, and that what you are writing about will solve some problems for the corporate clients. For instance, one cookbook was targeted at busy people who want to follow a healthy lifestyle. It became a bestseller very quickly in the traditional book trade, but sales exploded when it was sold to pharmaceutical companies who used the book as support information for clients who needed to achieve a healthy weight. The book also sold successfully in foreign markets, to catalogs, as fund raisers and to shopping malls as a customer reward.

The point is: you need to know how to slant your writing for your markets. You can sometimes get around the road blocks by giving your book the look and feel of a gift book rather than one that is a “serious read”. Don’t give your book the look and feel of a thesis. Many volume buyers are looking for broad interest books that people buy on impulse as gifts. This approach to writing increases your market tremendously, so if you want to appeal to a very large audience, approach your subject from a much “lighter” angle.

However, if you are a professional speaker who knows that you have a very good chance of selling your book to your seminar attendees, and perhaps to the corporations who hire you, writing for a very broad market is not necessary. You are not even trying to sell to the impulse buyer. Your buyer is already looking for a source of expertise such as yours.

If you are planning to sell your book primarily from a website to a specific type of buyer, someone who is searching the internet for answers to a concern or problem, you can be as specific as you like. The general public, again in this instance, is not your market – you already have enough buyers to make you very successful.

So, before you begin the writing process, make an outline of your book. Then, look at your list of potential buyers. Have you filled their needs? If not, can you add information or chapters to your book that will increase the likelihood of sales to those buyers? If you want to sell thousands of books, think about the end user of your book and write for them, not for yourself. That is the ultimate book marketing tip. See you on the bestseller list!

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First, thereâ??s the big commercial publishing houses that buy manuscripts and pay authors an advance and royalties. These companies are usually bombarded with manuscript submissions, which means itâ??s more difficult for authors to get their attention. In most cases, the best way to sell your book to a traditional publishing house is to work with an agent.

Your other option is to self-publish or publish through a print-on-demand company. This is where publishing can be a little tricky because every company is slightly different in how they work with authors, the services they provide, the rights they retain, and how much they cost. Doing your research before making any decisions is the most important thing you can do in the self-publishing arena.

Regardless of what publishing route you decide to take, the key to navigating it is read any and all contracts you encounter throughout the process. Make sure you get to know the publishing business, and consult with a lawyer who knows it as well. You need to know and understand the following parts of the process.

1. Rights â?? Traditional publishers purchase rights to your book when they decide to publish it. They assume the risk, and therefore retain certain rights. Exactly what rights, and for how long they will be held should be explained in your contract negotiations with any publishing company or publishing services firm. In theory, you want to retain as many rights as possible. And if a publishing company retains rights, they should be paying you for them. If copyrights and publishing law are new to you, talk to a lawyer.

2. Editorial and Design Control â?? When you enter into any agreement with any publisher, someone will get editorial and design control. And that person gets final say on what goes into the book, and what goes on the bookâ??s cover. If you have a particular cover in mind, then youâ??ll want design control. But more importantly, if you want complete and final say over your book contents, then a traditional publisher might not be for youâ??some will exert editorial control. In any self-publishing arrangement, you should get final say on all editorial and design decisions.

3. Money â?? If youâ??re selling your book to a traditional publisher, then you probably wonâ??t get much say in how much money they offer you, although it never hurts to try a little negotiation. But if youâ??re going to be paying a publishing services firm to publish your book, then doing your homework and comparing prices can save you serious money. The company should give you an itemized list of everything youâ??re getting when you sign with them. Also talk to someone at the publishing company about what services they donâ??t supply.

For example, if they donâ??t have someone on staff that writes back-cover copy, then youâ??ll need to write it yourself, or hire someone do it for you. And even if a company says they have experts on staff to handle the copyediting and design work, ask for samples. You may be able to get a higher level of quality if you go with an independent freelancer. Reputable companies will be used to working with freelancers, and likewise, experienced freelancers will know how to work with other service providers. You should look at where you can get the most value for your moneyâ??and this is not necessarily the cheapest.

The publishing industry, especially the self-publishing industry, is a difficult landscape to navigate, especially if youâ??re not sure what youâ??re doing. Everyoneâ??s heard at least one story about the self-published author that got screwed out of thousands of dollars and wound up with a second-rate product. And no one wants a negative publishing experienceâ??your book is important. So become an educated consumer, and keep in mind that anything that sounds too good to be true, probably is.

The best way to improve your chances of getting your book published by a traditional publisher is to find an agent who will ‘take you under their wing’ and add you to their list of clients. Publishing companies very rarely read or pay any attention to unsolicited manuscripts (i.e. a manuscript submitted by an author NOT by an agent). Therefore, you are in a much more likely to get your manuscript published if you have an agent.

Unfortunately, getting an agent to agree to take you on as a client is almost as hard as it is to get a publisher to read your work. Agents give your work approximately 20 seconds of time before making a decision to either pursue you or reject you.., and 90-99% get rejected. It is tough!

So getting an agent…

- There are hundreds of Literary Agents in the UK. You need to target those agencies that handle the kind of writing that you do. So, get a copy of the ‘Writers Market UK 2008’, or the ‘Writers and Artists Yearbook 2008’. These list literary agents, telling you what genre of writing each agency deals with.

- You can contact the Association of Author’s Agents (www.agentsassoc.co.uk) or the Society of Authors (www.societyofauthors.net) who should be able to point you in the right direction, and provide a list of suggested agencies that would suit your novel.

- Call or email the appropriate agencies to enquire about their procedure for submitting manuscripts. If you don’t follow procedure you will automatically be rejected.

- Write a well-written, succinct letter, briefly outlining your work and include a synopsis, together with three polished chapters and a brief CV. Make sure each letter is tailored to each individual agency – do not send generic covering letters, and make sure you address them to an appropriate individual at the agency, not a ‘Dear Sir / Madam’

- Submit and wait. If the agency is interested they will make contact with you and ask for more information. If they aren’t interested you will either receive a rejection letter / email, or unfortunately you won’t hear back from them.

Getting a publisher without an agent…

If you are unsuccessful in securing an agent, or you want to try targeting the publishers direct, without using an agent, the process is basically exactly the same as it is for trying to ascertain an agent;

- You need to target publishers that handle the kind of writing that you do. So, get a copy of the ‘Writers Market UK 2008’, or the ‘Writers and Artists Yearbook 2008’. These list publishing companies, telling you what genre of writing each publisher deals with.

- Call or email the appropriate publishers to enquire about their procedure for submitting manuscripts. If you don’t follow procedure you will automatically be rejected.

- Write a well-written, succinct letter, briefly outlining your work and include a synopsis, together with three polished chapters and a brief CV. Make sure each letter is tailored to each individual publishing company – do not send generic covering letters, and make sure you address them to an appropriate individual at the agency, not a ‘Dear Sir / Madam’

- Submit and wait. If the publisher is interested they will make contact with you and ask for more information. If they aren’t interested you will either receive a rejection letter / email, or unfortunately you won’t hear back from them.

It is really very hard to get published nowadays because agencies and publishers will only ever give your submission a 20 second read before making a decision on its worth. Furthermore, most agencies and publishers’ client lists are already full, so they aren’t looking to take on new writers. On the other hand, without writers, agencies and publishing companies wouldn’t exist – so they do need fresh new talent to keep their businesses alive!

Self Publishing

If you find that you aren’t getting anywhere with securing an agent or a traditional publishing company, you can try ‘Self-Publishing’. This is where you pay a publishing company to publish and print your book for you. They can register it for an ISBN and will often make it available for purchase over the internet.

Time and time again we’ve seen articles that give tips to helping self-published authors gain exposure after their book is completed. But by this time it’s way too late. Traditionally published authors have a leg up. They receive help from publishers and in-house publicists to promote their books. Self-published authors do not have this luxury. Waiting too late to promote a self-published book could lead the author to defeat before the book is even available for purchase.

Being a traditionally published author, I still do most of my own promotion. This has helped me learn a lot. Self-published authors look to me for advice and I go out of my way not to offer the generic tips for promotion. The old fashioned tips of yesterday barely work for traditional authors and they do nothing for self-published authors. Self-published authors have to put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into promotion. Not only did they write the book, but also they published it. They should begin to think of themselves as true publishers and no longer as authors. It doesn’t matter if a book is good, if no one knows it’s out there, it will not sell.

I’d like to share some tips that should give self-published authors more understanding about how crucial the right amount of promotion is for a self-published book.

It’s Never Too Early

Traditional publishers begin marketing their authors’ books months before the books come out. While this is the usual time frame for pre-promotion, this will not do squat for a self-published book. Self-published authors should begin promoting themselves before the book is even completed. Self-published authors need to create a solid buzz and make sure people know they’ve written a book before it goes to print. A good amount of pre-promotion buzz for a self-published book would be a year before the book is released. That’s right, a year before you publish it. Remember it’s hard to promote a self-published book. It’s even harder if you expect to be able to compete with new books on the market that are traditionally published. And that, is whom you’ll be competing with. Promotion should begin as soon as you officially decide to publish your own book.

Promote Yourself to the Industry Not Just Your Potential Audience

While beginning the promotional process, do not ignore the industry itself. Promote yourself to other writers, journalists, media outlets and book reviewers during pre-promotion. Join writing groups and author groups that allow the membership of self-published authors. Join social networks and scream from the sky that you’re an author. Have a killer web site. Become friends with independent bookstores (you’re gonna need them), and online bookstores such as Amazon. You are not only an author but also a publisher. Act like it! Authors do not have to build a relationship with bookstores but publishers do. If you sign on to be your own publisher, you must do the things real publishers do. You need to build up a presence and knowledge within the industry. You also need to build up a strong partnership with booksellers. This will be your bread and butter. Also, establish as many media contacts as you can. You not only have to be the author and publisher, but also the publicist. Self-publishing a book causes you to wear many hats. It’s time to get down to business.

Do Not Ignore Book Clubs When You’re Self-Published

Book clubs can bring you exposure, especially if they liked your book. But book clubs have to be aware of your book to take interest. Traditional publishers will often ask their authors for a list of book clubs an author would like for the publisher to contact. Authors also contact book clubs themselves to bring awareness. One thing I’ve noticed is that self-published authors never seem to promote to book clubs. Book clubs can bring you tons of exposure and reviews. They not only read and discuss your book but they also share information with organizations, libraries and other book clubs.

The good part is that book clubs don’t seem to be as prejudice against self-published authors as other options. Self-published authors should begin contacting book club leaders months before publication. Email them or call them if there is a number. Pitch your book to them as if you were pitching it to a bookstore. If they seem uninterested, offer them something to change their mind. If you live in the area of a particular club, offer to come and speak to the club. Offer to order the books for the club members for them to read and review. Most times it’s a long wait to receive a self-published title once you’ve ordered it. Give them autographed copies. Help the group out and they will be more willing to help you. Get the ball rolling the best way you can. You can sell tons of books through book clubs alone. This is another time you need to remember that you’re also the publisher and publicist. Act like it.

Promote Through Other Self-Published Authors And Visa Versa

Okay so you’re struggling to sell your self-published book. The odds are that you’re not the only one in this predicament. Cross promotion can be very effective if used correctly. Self-published authors can promote each other faster than promoting themselves alone. Review books of other self-published authors and post your reviews (honest reviews), on sites such as Amazon. If you didn’t like the book, you can always tell the author and give them the chance to reject your opportunity to review or not, but this is great promotion. Most book reviewers will not touch a self-published book, so this may be the best option. The trick is to pick the best author to review your work. Don’t just pick anyone. Pick someone who’s gaining respect in the industry as a self-published author. You want someone who is popular and whose blurb or review will get you some readership.

Getting reviews from just any self-published author will not do. In return, review their books or promote them on your web site. You can start a little review service site (do not charge), where you’ll review other authors’ books and display the info on your site. This way, you’ll not only bring them attention, but you’ll be seen as a literary influence and you’ll gain exposure through helping others. This will bring you attention and bring more visitors to your site. Make sure you are selling books directly from your site as well. Whatever you do, do not result to spamming. This will only turn people off. Remember, you’re no longer just an author. You’re the entire package.

You Can Never Do Too Much Promotion

As a self-published author, your book’s audience is limited. No one knows who you are. Self-published books are not available in bookstores or libraries. Self-published authors’ entire audience depends on their ability to self-promote online. Self-published authors waste too much time on conventional methods that do not work. Why have a book signing if your book isn’t available in stores? Why spend money to put ads in magazines if your book isn’t available in stores? The truth is that if a book isn’t available by conventional methods, why advertise it in conventional ways? Most people buy books out the stores, contrary to popular belief. You have to make them want to order yours. You gotta have a good pitch to audiences and a good hook for reviewers. Be creative. Use the Internet as your primary source for exposure. Keep in mind that this is for long-term sales. Don’t expect results overnight. It takes months and years to sell books. The object of the game is to keep promoting and keep your book on everyone’s mind.

You must remember that long-term promotion is what sells whether a book is self-published or not.