I even recently became a subcontractor without even trying. I volunteered to talk to a fellow VA’s client (for a few minutes for free, just to steer her in the right direction) but it ended up being a paid consultation (for less than I would normally accept as a subcontractor rate but I thought it would be a quick consultation). The client ended up asking me to help her with her book project, so I agreed to it being a longer gig. I like the client, I like the VA, and I’m happy to help out and see the project through, but it’s just odd how this project literally just fell into my lap. Since then I’ve been contacted by some other VA colleagues who have asked me to help out with a few projects of their clients, and being prepared now, I’ve set my hourly subcontracting rate ahead of time. If I have the time in my schedule, and we agree on the rate, I’m happy to do it. Funny how I’m more okay with subcontracting now than I was 7 years ago when I started my business!

Quite often I get direct referrals instead of subcontracting work, so I’m still learning the role the head VA takes versus the role I take as a subcontractor. Usually the VA would just send the work to me and I’d never deal with the client directly. I find the line is blurred when I’m the primary contact with the client but I’m working as a subcontractor. I’m quickly learning that communication upfront is key.

Now I’m in the position of being a subcontractor AND looking for one. I need someone to help with occasional proofreading since it’s hard to edit and do a final proofread of the same book. I want someone experienced and REALLY good. I’ve used a few subs for this over the years, but didn’t find anyone who could find 99% of errors. If you think you might be who I’m looking for, let me know!

Last week she contacting me saying that she was looking for a second opinion about whether her book was “good enough.” After learning more, we decided a manuscript review would be her best option to start with. For a small investment, a manuscript review can save you thousands of dollars over the long haul. Maybe her cousin is an excellent editor (after all, my cousins could say that about me! haha). Maybe her cousin is an excellent copy editor but not an excellent content editor, but how can this author know without an objective professional opinion?

A manuscript review will give her a report on the overall effectiveness of the book, its organization, marketability, a determination of whether it needs additional editing or proofreading, etc. Sure, if further work needs to be done on the manuscript, it will cost you more money. But if you reached this same conclusion after you printed 1,000 books, that would be a very costly mistake!

If you think your book is “good enough” to publish, but you’re not entirely sure, a manuscript review is one of your best bets to ensure your book has a fighting chance in the competitive world of book sales.

I took a look and my heart sank. The manuscript was 70+ thousand words. The first 5 pages, while it didn’t have many technical mistakes, were written poorly: clichéd writing, stilted dialogue, and poor descriptions. I actually wondered if the author was in high school. Now, don’t get me wrong—I’ve edited lots and lots of books. Some of them needed a great deal of work, some not as much, but, as an editor, I can only work with the writing quality I’m given (unless I want to rewrite the entire thing, which I don’t!). I was struck by how much time the author spent on this manuscript when the end result should probably be rewritten or scrapped altogether.

She should have hired me as a writing coach much earlier in the game. A writing coach can give you immediate feedback, help nip any writing problems in the bud, and help you make your writing time as productive as possible. An editor can fix errors, point out inconsistencies, and smooth out your writing. But if you have any questions about how your manuscript is progressing, whether your writing is good enough, and if you’re achieving your objectives in your manuscript, bring in a writing coach earlier in the process. You’ll save yourself a lot of time, hassle, and potentially money.

It’s probably easier than you think. And I’ll also give the standard disclaimer that I’m not an attorney, though I do know some good ones if you need a referral!

You need to set up a publishing company. Pick a good name for your company (you need an actual business name, don’t just use your own name, unless you want to name your business “Lauren Hidden Publishing Co.” Do some research to see if there are any other publishing companies with that name. You want to be unique!

Create a logo (or hire someone else to do it) for your company. You’ll put that on your website and on your books.

You need to get any business licenses and insurance. This is a good item to check with your attorney and insurance agents to see what exactly you need.

Get an EIN number (or you could use your SSN as your Tax ID number)

Register to pay state sales taxes

Buy the domain name for your company

Once you have all these beginning steps done, you’ll want to have a website, a shopping cart so people can buy your book directly from your site, and then you need to go through all the process of writing, printing, marketing, and distributing your book. But hopefully this post gave you an overview of the business side of self publishing.

I welcome any input or additional questions!

Most people would define “published” as their book being represented by a major publisher. In this scenario, the publisher often handles editing, layout, cover design, ISBN numbers, getting the book printed, etc. Once printed, the publisher secures distribution so the book can get into the major bookstores. The publisher fronts all the money in the process and the author is paid a royalty on each book sold.

Another method of publishing is “true” self publishing. Where an author creates her own publishing company. The author (now self publisher) fronts all the money for the process of getting the book to readers (often this includes editing and proofreading, layout, cover design, printing, marketing, shipping, etc.). An advantage to this system is that you usually receive more money per book sold since you don’t have to share the profits. You also retain complete creative control over the project. The disadvantages are that you front all the money, and have to deal with all the aspects of publishing yourself so you’ll be processing orders, doing all your own marketing, etc. Both of my books were self-published by my co-authors.

Another option is to do Print on Demand. Infinity Publishing, Author House and Create Space are examples of these companies. You usually pick a package, and you pay a rate for them to do the layout, a simple cover design for your book, get the ISBN numbers and barcode, and the ability for bookstores to order your book through their distributor.

Another (bad) option is so-called vanity publishers, that act like a traditional publisher except you pay them a ton of money upfront for them to take on your book. Run, don’t walk, away from them.

This was a very simplified overview of some of the publishing options. Please add your input if you’d like. And if this post sparks any questions, please ask!

Log in to Facebook
Look down the left hand side of your screen and click on ‘ads and pages’
Find the fan page and click on “edit page”
Then, towards the bottom of the page, and about 2/3 over toward the right, you should see “Admins”
Click “add” (to the right of the word “admins” and above your picture)
Start typing in the name of the person you want. Click on the picture, then go down on that screen and click “Add admins”

Voila! You’re done. Not a fan on Facebook yet? Join us here.

But then, well, it did. But that’s okay, I’m still here, business is picking up, and I’ve learned a lot over the past year.

This year I edited a few books, did some writing coaching, continued to do content editing on a variety of pieces for a legal consulting team, did some project management, formatted a book for Kindle and did some social media set-up for some past clients.

This year I also served as the Marketing Director for IVAA, which will end on 3/31/2010. That’s been an interesting experience too as I’ve talked to the media, wrote copy for brochures, and represented the association at several events and conferences. The highlight of that responsibility was traveling to Minneapolis to present at the IAAP conference. What a fun group!

This year I got to travel to (either professionally or personally): Phoenix, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Minneapolis, Hilton Head SC, Savannah GA and Charlotte NC. It’s always fun to see new places!

This year I also took the Social Media Marketing Specialist certification course through VA Classroom. I guess it shouldn’t amaze me that services that never existed a few years ago can now be offered to my clients as I’ve helped them set up Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, blogs, and linking everything together! I really enjoy teaching people a new skill or improving on an old one.

Speaking of which, 2010 will include some changes for me as I test out this fondness for teaching on a new group of subjects—and no, I will not be coaching or training VAs! More details to come.

Above all, 2009 has taught me (and I expect I’m not alone here) some good lessons. Plan ahead, be grateful for what you have, never stop learning, and constantly think of new ways to meet your customers’ needs.

Wishing you prosperity, health and happiness in 2010!
Lauren

This book was extremely well-written, and got even more engaging the longer I read it. Ken’s character seems utterly believable–most women I know have run across someone like him. Why did he do what he did? Who knows. But the book is less about the consistent character–Ken–and more about how each of these women entered into a relationship with him, realized it wasn’t as they anticipated, and resigned themself to that life anyway. I found myself wondering what I would have done if I was each Mrs. Kimble.

Highly recommended! One of my favorite novels I’ve read in 2009.