This post by Jason Matthews originally appeared on The Book Designer on 4/16/14.
“Knowing what you know now…”
I work with new writers online and at events. They ask a myriad of smart questions including this one: how would you publish differently if you did it all over again? As the saying goes, hindsight is 20-20. I’d do dozens of things differently than the blind assault to digital publishing I debuted with.
But that’s true for most authors. This industry has evolved so much in just a few short years; even the “experts” have had to learn the ropes on the fly.
You’ve probably heard most of the common answers that follow I wish I had:
◾ been more involved with social media
◾ blogged sooner
◾ invested in a great cover
◾ done more market research
◾ worked with a professional editor or two
◾ learned more about SEO (search engine optimization)
Here’s another answer you may not have heard as much, but this would have helped me immensely and is still true for many writers today:
◾ embraced the technologies available for use in ebooks
There’s a common dilemma in this digital author business: most writers are of advanced age, and the technology they need to succeed is easier learned by the younger crowd.
This is a generalization of course, but I see a lot of frustration behind threads of gray hair when discussing issues related to blogging, social media, converting documents and more.
The tech learning curve is something we all experience since nobody knew anything about this stuff several years ago. That’s when Amazon introduced the first Kindle (circa 2007) and the ebook revolution really took off.
Dealing With the Pace of Change
Click here to read the full post on The Book Designer.