As part of our “Now What?” Months, we’re shifting our focus to publishing in all its myriad forms. Today, Orna Ross of the Alliance of Independent Authors closes out a series on independent publishing, focusing on how to market and promote your book:

This the final post in a series of four that leads authors through the design and formatting phases of the writing and self-publishing journey. You’ve completed your first draft in 30 days, completed the self-editing and editorial stage, the design and formatting stage, and the production and distribution stage. Now what? It’s time to market and promote your book.

Begin With Your Motive in Writing your Book.

The key to good organic book marketing is to connect with readers around your deepest motives for writing the book in the first place. Creative motives for writing a book fall into three categories. We write either to:

• educate
  
• inspire 
  
• entertain
  

The best books probably do all three, but one will always be uppermost in the author’s heart.

As part of our “Now What?” Months, we’re shifting our focus to publishing in all its myriad forms. Today, Orna Ross of the Alliance of Independent Authors continues a series on independent publishing, focusing today on production and distribution:

This the third in a series of four blog posts that will lead authors through the design and formatting phases of the writing and self-publishing journey. You’ve completed the self-editing and editorial phase, and the design and formatting stages. Now what?

Production and distribution refers to the process and logistics of actually getting your book to the consumer. There’s a myriad of services and platforms from Amazon to Ingram to iBooks that help you put your work in the hands of readers. Each one has pros and cons, depending on your needs.