Episode 133:
Learn to Self-Publish an eBook
Tim Lewis: As you probably guessed from the not particularly descriptive title, this is going to be a short episode. I’ve been giving some thought about the format of the podcast, and I think I mentioned this in shows before. But I’m now looking to, in the main, even though I’ll probably keep a few interviews in the show, I’m now looking more to do what I would call mentoring and assistance calls on the show. So, I’ll basically start off by talking to somebody about what book they’re trying to write, and over the months of the show, we’ll follow a group of people, I’m not entirely sure who all the people in this group are going to be, a show at a time, where I’ll be talking to people about the book they’re trying to write, and helping them to first of all just commit to finishing the book. Because, as I know from my own personal experience, making a commitment to something makes a fantastic difference.
Tim Lewis: There’s quite a few people I’ve talked to over the years who are, “Well, I’d like to write a book, but that’s going to be in 2035,” or something like that. They just keep putting it off. And part of this project, if nothing else, even if they find no use from my wittering on about self-publishing, it will help them to get their book at least finished.
Tim Lewis: So, I’m looking basically to change the show, so that most of the episodes will be tracking a few people who are in the process of self-publishing, and/or even writing their book. So that’s going to be the show format going forward. I will occasionally have solo episodes and interviews, where I feel like it’s somebody I really want to talk to on the show in an interview format. But in the main I think I’m going to be switching more to a long-term series of shows where I interview somebody and say, “Look, this is the book you’re trying to write, how are we going to go about trying to write that book and get it self-published by a particular date or time?”
Tim Lewis: And then I can go and basically help them with any queries they’ve had over the month or so between each episode with that particular person. So, that’s kind of my idea for the format change. In terms of how I’m doing on my own projects, as you may recall I’ve basically set my social media networking book, which is all about how to network on social media, on pre-order on Amazon. I have to say that I’ve put myself under a considerable amount of stress doing this, because I’m still at least a couple of weeks away from being in a position where I’m even likely to finish the project off.
Tim Lewis: However, I have got until the middle of September to do this, so I think I’m going to be okay. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend putting a book on Amazon pre-order unless you’re very, very near to finishing, as a way to actually force yourself to finish a book. It was just the fact that I had all these audio interviews I made basically last October, November, and December, and they’ve been sitting on my computer, and I’ve never got round to editing them, extracting the relevant parts, doing the commentary. And I’m kind of getting there now.
Tim Lewis: I think editing is probably going to suffer, it’s going to be mainly proof reading only this particular eBook version. And I’m almost certainly going to have to do a second edition fairly quickly afterwards, to sort of tidy up the first edition. But the great thing about this particular idea of putting a book on pre-order is it is forcing me to finish the project.
Tim Lewis: I think if I did this pre-order technique for kind of enforcing myself, I would do it mainly on something like iBooks, because iBooks gives you a longer period to actually do the pre-order for. Or, I would do it towards the end of a book project, or for a smaller book project.
Tim Lewis: At the moment, my audiobook project, which I’ve just finished here on this podcast, it’s kind of on hold until probably October, November time. Though I clearly haven’t forgotten about it, it will be completed. But my main focus is on trying to get this eBook out, my social media networking book.
Tim Lewis: So, my audio first policy, which I think actually is quite a good idea for a book, won’t actually be done in that order. It’s going to be audio first, then I’m creating the eBook. And the eBook is going to be released before the audiobook, either social media networking, or my self-publishing guide.
Tim Lewis: So, the good news is I will get stuff done, and I will get it completed. With the benefit of hindsight, I think I maybe have put too tight a deadline on it, but it has got the project finished, or at least to the point where it’s going to be in a reasonable state when it’s on pre-order.
Tim Lewis: So, fingers crossed for that particular project. So, anyway, that’s an update on what I’m doing, and what’s happening to the show. Talk to you guys in the next episode.