The Ultimate Guide to Monetizing Your Book: Self-Publishing Success Secrets

Are you ready to truly transform your career and establish yourself as a thought leader?

Host Deb Boulanger welcomes Erik Westrum, a former professional hockey player turned author and strategist from selfpublishing.com. Erik’s journey from the ice rink to the world of self-publishing is a testament to the power of writing a book. He shares his self-publishing success strategies, including how to write a best-selling book and the art of monetizing your book as an author. The conversation explores Erik’s transition from sports to entrepreneurship, offering a unique perspective on building credibility through book writing. As they discuss best practices for promoting a self-published book, Erik reveals how authorship can open doors to speaking engagements and lucrative business opportunities. From mind-mapping ideas to crafting compelling titles and cover designs, this episode is packed with practical advice for aspiring authors.

Whether you’re considering transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship or simply curious about the impact of becoming an author, this conversation begs the question: Could writing a book be the key to unlocking your true potential and skyrocketing your influence?

 [00:03- 11:40] Book Writing Success: From Idea to Bestseller

• Mind map your ideas and create an outline to structure your book

• Focus on writing about topics you’re passionate about to overcome obstacles

• Consider which book idea can be monetized quickest for your brand or business

• Treat your book as a key to opening up speaking engagements and other opportunities

[11:41 -19:10] Mastering Amazon Best Seller Strategy for Self-Published Authors

• Find relevant categories and keywords to drive people to buy your book

• Aim to get over 100 reviews as quickly as possible within the first 30 days

• Use a mastermind community of authors to help review each other’s books

• Optimize your Amazon page keywords, similar to SEO for Google

[19:11 – 28:01] Book Publishing Timeline and Launch Preparation

• The 5 rounds of editing: developmental review, developmental edit, content edit, copy edit, and proofreading

• From finished manuscript to publication usually takes 4 to 6 months

• Building a launch team is crucial for getting initial reviews and purchases

• A 90-day social media campaign is recommended, focusing on promoting rather than selling

[28:02 – 36:02] Self-Publishing Success: Avoiding Common Pitfalls

• 82% of people think of writing a book, 2% write one, and 1% actually have success

• Many authors try to do everything themselves, resulting in half-baked cover designs or inadequate book descriptions

• A common mistake is thinking that simply hitting “publish” means everyone will read the book

• Consistency in marketing efforts is crucial for at least 90 days to a full year after publication