I have been self-publishing for years now. So let me tell you when to self publish, like when exactly is the most perfect time to start publishing your books.
Today's question has three answers and you are going to want to stick around for the third answer. Because it's a secret that is going to answer this question with something that isn't a particular time but something a little surprising.
So let's get into it. The question that was sent in today was, when to self publish? Now, this is a common question that many people wonder.
It's a question of when should I publish? Should I do it in a particular season, maybe around Christmas time? Or maybe I should wait a year or two? Or maybe I should have done it a long time ago?
There is a lot of different periods that you can consider when to self publish. This is something for many people who are getting started or considering to start self-publishing, the answer though and especially that third answer is a little surprising because it is not a time.
But you need to hang around for that. Before we get into the answers, grab my free Self-Publishing Checklist. It will help you get started on your self-publishing journey.
So, when to self publish? For me, when I started back in 2015 and put out my very first book, I realized something quickly. It was that the key was making a little progress every day.
Because if I set up a particular time like, "oh I need to do it on this exact date", I can demotivate you from self-publishing. But if you say, "look, I'm going to sit in the chair for 30 minutes and I'm going to write a thousand words a day".
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Then you just keep going until you complete your very first book. The process itself makes it possible to get your books out. Now, I was not looking at a specific time to self-publish but rather looking at regular the process of getting into it.
Just Keep Going
After that, I did my next book, and then I did another one. After that, we continued through a series of books until I discovered that it goes even faster if you can hire other people to write. Not in my own name but under pen names and having ghostwriters write books.
Then, I can find the exact markets that are selling and this also becomes a very easy way to make money on the internet. Perhaps it is even one of the easiest ways. So, when to self publish?
Well, I was trying to publish as much as possible. It would usually be dependent upon how much money I had coming in. So that I could reinvest the money into additional books.
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So, when to self publish? Here are a few answers. The first one is always going to be the correct answer which is now. Now is an outstanding time to self-publish.
There are tons of books coming out of the market but if your books are optimized, you will be able to get them to sell. So now is as good of a time as we've ever had. Maybe it will be worse tomorrow, so now is the best time to get it going.
But the second answer is 2010 to 2015 was an insane time to self-publish. The reason being was because a lot of the rules were not in place. That makes it more difficult today.
Many of the sites like Amazon made it easier for you to run ads without having to compete against products and things like that. There was a whole series of less competition. Fewer people understood the nature of the game.
You could almost put anything out there and have thousands of copies selling. Whereas today, you need to ensure your quality is better and that all of these different elements are optimized if you wish to win at self-publishing today.
Now Is The Best Time
The third answer which is also the secret answer of the day and it is the one I have been waiting to tell you about is ABP. You should 'always be publishing'. So the best time to self-publish is now, tomorrow, the next day, and keep going.
Obviously, 20 years ago or 10 years ago would have been a better time. But now is an amazing time to be self-publishing. So you should always be publishing.
You simply won't win with just 1 book unless you happen to hit a miracle lottery level winner, but that's unlikely. Multiple books, you get better with each book you do. You can optimize previous books and you learn new tricks.
You earn more money and you reinvest it into better tools like for example my favorite tool Jutoh. It is the tool that I use for doing the formatting. But you just keep on going until you start winning across the board on the different wicks, so you just keep on publishing.
When is the best time to self-publish? For me, the secret answer is to never stop. Just keep on publishing different formats on the different distribution channels.
Check out this related article: What Are The Best Self Publishing Platforms 2020?
You throw new books into the mix, combining books to make bundles. There are all sorts of tricks here that will maximize the earnings you're getting from the books that you're already creating.
You have done the work so let's get as much money out of them as possible. And let's put new books into the funnel using everything you've learned on self-publishing books. So, when to self-publish?
What have you found? When is the best time to self-publish based upon your experience? Have you found particular times of the year or do you regret not having published earlier?
Let me know below in the comments. I respond to all of the comments that come in. Check out my other blogs and videos for more answers to your self-publishing questions.