The Newbie Author's Survival Guide

By A.K. Taylor

The first survival guide for new authors on a tiny budget.

New Author? Confused about social media and where to begin? Need a field guide or manual? Here it is! Pick up a copy today!

After crash landing into self publishing with nothing but the clothes she had on, author AK Taylor fought for survival with trying to market her books on a small budget. After two years of trial and error, reworking, refining, and reaching out, she has created the first survival guide for book marketing compiled of great tools and resources that can be used by any author during the rough times.

Comparing the book marketing wilderness with the real wilderness is how Taylor viewed the publishing world around her. Growing up in the woods and learning survival skills has given her this unique viewpoint for a different kind of world. When she started her search for information, a book marketing survival guide didn’t exist—until now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soaring Eagle Publications LLC
• Release date: Oct 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781943326082

Book preview

The Newbie Author's Survival Guide

Copyright 2017

http://www.soaringeaglebooks.org

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-943326-08-2

http://www.backwoodsauthor.com

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Publish A Book Become a Business

The Author Platform

Online Marketing

Offline Marketing and Netowrking

Author Collaboration

Conclusion

Additional Help

About the Author

From the Author

Also by A.K. Taylor

Offer

Dedication

To the authors who have accomplished the first two steps of publishing: writing their book and getting it published. May this book help those lost in the book marketing wilderness to survive and hopefully find their way out.

Introduction

I write these tips from experience because, even though I am a new author, I am thrifty and a smart shopper. I try to find low-cash, innovative ways to market myself. Of course, expending a huge budget might also work, but I prefer spending my revenues on other things.

When I crash-landed into this wilderness called self-publishing, I sought a survival manual. I mostly write from this author experience and perspective. This is not a twelve step program to hit the bestseller’s list in five seconds. Since I am an outdoor person and a scientist, I also put this information in those viewpoints as well. Perhaps you are like me; surely I am not the only one.

Landing in the outdoor world in the most extreme situation is a matter of survival. Most new authors have a tight budget after they publish their book. Survival situations happen in one of two ways: either you get stranded somewhere with your gear or other tools at your disposal, or you get stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes you have on.

When I crash-landed into this wilderness, I was stranded in the latter condition—with nothing but my clothes. No survival kit. I had to find or make everything by myself. Later, I encountered other people, still in the wilderness, who had made tools. Even more important, they had discovered what was safe and unsafe to eat.

Before I met them, I bit into an unripe persimmon that left a bad taste in my mouth. I was lucky it didn’t kill me. Trial and error—tasting other things and hoping I didn’t get sick (or die)—was not efficient. In fact, it was dangerous.

When you are stranded in the middle of nowhere, far away from civilization, do you just sit tight and wait for someone to save you? This may be a workable plan for a day, but then what? You may want to set up a coconut message on the beach or build a small campfire or find a shiny object to attract attention when a rescue plane flies overhead. And then, you will want to arrange for shelter and food.

All of publishing (both traditional and self-publishing) is like this survival situation. After your book is printed, you may be overjoyed at its arrival. You may even mail off a few copies to friends and helpful vendors. But then what? You may look around at a fierce jungle of hungry beasts and indifferent tangles of vegetation. You may wait for someone to stop to rescue you. You may sit around and let your publisher hold your hand. But don’t expect any waiting or warm fuzzes to generate sales. Your book will likely be on the top of your agenda, but it will not be on the top of anyone else’s concerns.

Everyone expects that you will be independent. After all, no one in the publishing business asked you to write your book. And the circumstances of life didn’t rearrange themselves to make it convenient for them or you. Your carving out time and energy was important for bringing that first draft to light. So what makes you expect a rescue helicopter now?

Here is the scientific heads-up: If you sit around and wait for somebody to save you, then eventually you will die of dehydration, starvation, wild animal attack, or (in extreme environments) hypothermia . If you eat the first edible-looking thing you see—and if you don’t know what it is or how to handle or cook it properly—then you might have a bad taste in your mouth or, in the worst case scenario, die. Not everything in the woods is safe to eat even if it’s green and juicy. Some good things need to be hunted down or dug-up.

So, how do you know which is what? A lot of scams roam the woods promising rescue. What is right for you and your book? Check stuff out thoroughly and get the best deal just like you would when purchasing a car or a computer; be analytical like a scientist and examine everything. Trust your gut, because your gut is probably 90 percent accurate. If your gut tells you that something sounds too expensive or too good to be true, then it probably is for you right now. Do some research; compare this service or price with other vendors. You may be glad you did as you might uncover cheaper options or even deals that offer more value for less money. If you know people, ask for their experiences or connections. If you have no experienced contacts, then use search tools or throw out a tweet—again with caution.

Watch out for recommendations that seem like all-one-thing diets; you know, an eat-only-grapefruit diet or an-only-protein diet. I have found that a balanced diet of decently priced paid services, dirt-cheap practices, and free stuff works best. This is just as important as your real diet. Too much of anything, I believe, is bad for you. Too many free and cheap things may eat into your time for writing or other tasks. Too many paid services can devour your profits and catch you short when you need something. I know; I’ve been there.

Don’t give up. That is where survival comes in. You may have to eat beans (good stuff to get by on) or bugs (properly picked, these can also be edible stuff) till you can get to where you can buy or get fancy proteins (the best stuff).

Most of the paid stuff in the last part of the book offers what I would call meat and beans. Do something free and cheap in the meantime to fill the gaps to keep your marketing (strength) going until you can afford some good stuff.

Keeping such a balance can further your foundations and resources, and help you keep building your author platform. You will need to keep your platform active and growing. Your platform is what generates your power to reach others, especially readers.

Earlier I characterized your publishing company as able to do little more than hold your hand. They may be best in the world with a smorgasbord of cutting-edge services. Yet, do not overlook their free or low-cost services. (My earlier point was they only can and will do so much.) The surprise for many new authors is that nowadays, all new authors have to fend for themselves, even traditionally published ones. You may not be a marketing genius—I know I’m not—yet if you are willing to try some new things, then this book will offer some assistance. Keep and develop whatever works; keep trying new things. You will be glad you did.

With these simple tips and tools, you can keep your marketing prowess growing, learn something new in the process, meet new people and, above all, survive. I and others have tried them out for you. The tools and foods in this book are safe to eat and great to use. As you experiment, build your own marketing survival guide to get you through this new wilderness adventure.

Remember, first, like a spontaneous camping trip, it will be important to find water and shelter before food. Second, we can’t bring the kitchen sink with us when we go on a planned camping trip, let alone on a crash-landing somewhere. Third, the camping trip won’t last forever, if we’re smart, and it’s a treat once we get out of the wilderness to our home.

Finally, as Yoda says in his final moments, Pass on what you have learned.

Publish a Book and Become a Business

People have said, A hobby has no budget. You just do it. I understood this to mean that hobbies are done for enjoyment and not for profit. I have heard more than a few authors say, I just wanted to get something published. Or, I just wanted to be able to hand out my writings to friends and relatives. If this is your attitude, then you might want to put this book down because, in a real sense, you have already accomplished your goals because you have a fulfilling hobby.

Suppose, however, that you want to publish other works or that you want to create a sustainable process in which the last book funds publication of this one? Whether a traditional or a self-published author, you will need to become a business—and have a budget. In a survival sense, this is admitting that you are lost and need to find water, shelter, food, or help.

How are you like a business? Well, for one thing, writing a book makes you an entrepreneur—you have taken risk to build something, namely, your book. On its cover is your name; this is your gamble. You bring together all the components of your venture, hiring people to do the things you can’t do yourself or assigning some of your rights to