How
many books have you published/self-published?
MJM
Grande Enterprises Ltd. has self-published three
books to date. Our first, The Fire 'n' Ice Cookbook,
was released in 1994, followed by Light the
Fire in 1998, and my last book was The Hot Sauce
Bottle Cookbook released in 2000.
Personally,
what were your reasons for taking the self-publishing
leap? Tell us about your first self-publishing
experience.
When
my business partner, Sheri Morrish, and I decided
to write a cookbook, we never considered turning
over the design, photography, distribution,
publicity and marketing over to a publishing
house. We were inspired by other self-published
authors, particularly of very successful cookbooks,
and decided from the beginning that we would
publish The Fire 'n' Ice Cookbook ourselves.
What
was the most challenging aspect with self-publishing
your first book?
At
the time we came out with our first book in
1994, information was not readily available
regarding what was truly involved with self-publishing.
We stumbled and tripped but eventually learned
all that we needed to know (sometimes, ignorance
is bliss!) to create a national best seller
in 11 months.
Looking
back, what would you have done differently?
I'm
not sure that I would do anything differently.
As difficult and as stressful as the journey
was, particularly managing the publishing company
while working full-time in the petroleum industry,
we learned so much - not only about the business,
but about ourselves as well.
In
your opinion, what are the pros and cons of
self-publishing?
In
my opinion, the pros of self-publishing are
total control and a tremendous sense of accomplishment
when your books are successful. The cons are
the financial and emotional risk that self-publishing
represents.
What
do you feel are some of the most common self-publishing
mistakes?
Four
of the most common mistakes made are that many
self-publishers do not do their research before
writing their books (just because you think
your topic is important doesn't mean that the
general public agrees), they economize in the
wrong areas and produce books that are blatantly
poorer quality than those produced in major
publishing houses, they don't realize that the
real work begins after the book is written and
released (i.e. publicity, distribution and marketing),
and they don't have a strong plan when they
undertake their projects (they tend to treat
their businesses as hobbies).
In
your view, what are the best kinds of books
to self-publish?
In
my view, the best kinds of books to self-publish
are, of course, non-fiction, and books that
remain timeless. An example would be books that
were written regarding Y2K (obviously of no
value now) versus a cookbook or self-help book.
Describe
the ideal candidate for self-publishing.
The
ideal candidate for self-publishing is someone
with tenacity, determination, resilience, and
an unstoppable passion for what they do and
the book(s) they write and publish.
What
are your thoughts on POD publishing?
POD
publishing is a wonderful idea for people who
have limited resources or are testing the success
of their titles before going mass-market. Unfortunately,
far too many self-publishers have garages or
basements full of books that they aren't able
to sell.
Do
you feel that self-publishers should look into
getting an agent?
Getting
an agent can be an excellent idea for some self-publishers,
depending on the genre of their books, how much
marketing and promotion they're prepared to
do, and how an agent works into their business
plan. I've recently signed one of my books up
with an agent, for example, as I'm not working
as actively anymore to locate new markets for
my books and feel that an agent will expand
that opportunity.
What
has been some of your most successful book marketing
techniques?
My
most successful book marketing techniques have
always been out-of-the-box ideas. For instance,
I approached a record label about featuring
a certain artist's CD in the back of Light the
Fire, so that people have the choice of purchasing
the book on its own or with the Latin guitar
CD to complement the ambiance when entertaining.
Though Ink Tree Marketing, (see www.inktreemarketing.com
for more information), we target non-traditional
markets, like corporations, to sell books to
instead of the traditional book trade. I would
much rather have a one-time, large-volume sale
to a corporation where there are no returns,
than deal with the incessant low-profit, high-returns
that I've experienced with distributors and
books stores. Books stores are a necessary place
to sell books, but they're certainly not the
best place to sell books in my opinion.
Do
you feel it is important for an author to have
his or her own Website?
I
feel that it is critically important for an
author to have their own website as it provides
tremendous credibility to the author and their
book(s). I've never broken even on my site (www.cookingwithfire.com),
but feel that it has been a very important part
of my overall business strategy.
What
resources can you recommend to authors looking
to self- publish their book?
With
the amount of information available to authors
looking to self-publish their book(s), I can't
stress enough how important doing your research
and creating a solid business plan is. Do what
you do well, and outsource the rest to people
who do it better than you.
Where
do you see the future of self-publishing going?
Self-publishing
is being made more difficult by the traditional
book trade, so look for alternative markets.
I predict that we'll see more joint ventures
in the future, where self-publishers partner
with corporations to promote certain concepts
or products. Also, with the advent of POD, self-publishers
aren't forced to print the huge runs that we've
been forced to do in the past for cost efficiency.
Another very exciting opportunity for self-publishers
is the growing popularity of e-books. While
self-publishing may be more challenging in the
traditional marketplace, there are many exciting
new avenues now available that will keep self-published
books alive and thriving in the future.
Any
general advice for authors?
General
advice I would share with authors is to write
about topics that you're passionate about, treat
your business like a business, research your
market and the competition before you begin
and, most importantly, believe in and follow
your dreams.
Contact
Information:
Call:
1-888-MJM-FIRE (656-3473)
E-mail: info@cookingwithfire.com
