Dear Pennies & Pens,
Last year, I wrote and published my first book #MakeUrPenLOUD: How To Be A Lifestyle Blogger. The book was published by my company, The InkSpot. In fact, the reason I created The InkSpot was to centralize all my creative projects. Today, I would like to present to you, Why I Wrote #MakeUrPenLOUD: How To Be A Lifestyle Blogger.
When I started writing the book, I knew I would be self-publishing it because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of finding an agent, publisher, etc. Plus, I didn’t want to share my profits or give up any creative control. I know that must sound terrible, but it’s true, lol!
I’m just a true entrepreneur and I knew that if I tried to go the traditional route that my book may never be published. It’s extremely hard to get an agent or a book deal unless you’re extremely well known aka have millions of fans and followers. I have a few thousand but I’m nowhere near a celebrity.
As far as creative control, I had a specific vision for the book cover, the writing style, the content featured in book, etc. I knew exactly what I wanted and I didn’t want anyone to try and change that. Most traditional publishers and agents have little to no knowledge of the blogging world so I didn’t want any outsiders dictating the content of my book. I thought that may hinder the book and of course I wanted to avoid that.
I wrote my book because I want to help people and make money. Plain and simple. I’ve been blogging for 8 years now so I’ve acquired a ton of knowledge on the subject. That’s why I decided that my first book should be about lifestyle blogging. I have many other book ideas but I wanted to pursue the one that would be the most profitable.
Additionally, I felt that a book was a great way to give advice on lifestyle blogging. Instead of having to click around on my blog to read different posts, a person could just buy my book and get everything they need in one place. Plus, they’d be able to go back and read the book whenever they want so it would be a great resource. Also, I wanted to offer something unique and valuable.
Many bloggers have ebooks but not a lot of bloggers have print books. So by writing & publishing my own book, I knew that would start to separate me from other bloggers. I also wanted to create something that was accessible. There are so many blogging courses, conferences, and classes that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but the average person can’t afford all that.
I wanted something that was budget friendly and cost effective. The print book is $15 and the Kindle version is $4.99 so it’s definitely accessible to a variety of consumers. I believe that it’s cost effective because the value you get from the book outweighs the price. I did this on purpose because I figured that I can always sell other products in the future and make more money. But first, I needed to build a loyal customer base. It’s easier to do that with a lower priced product than it is with something that costs more.
My last and final reason for publishing my book was to prove to myself and the world that I could do it. When I was writing the book, editing the book, formatting the interior, even designing the cover, I never really thought it would happen. I know that sounds odd but publishing a book is such a huge undertaking. And I literally did everything myself!
Although I have related experience, I have never worked in book publishing. So I had to learn the process as I went along. Somehow, I made it happen and I am so glad that I did! It’s been a crazy roller coaster ride but I’m so proud of myself.
Check out #MakeUrPenLOUD: How To Be A Lifestyle Blogger here: Createspace, Amazon, Kindle.
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
