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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin published his book Katrina’s Secrets; Storms After the Storm, Vol. 1 through CreateSpace. Why would he do this? It’s obvious he wouldn’t have a problem obtaining a literary agent and publisher to publish his memoir. Mr. Nagin appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and said, “The literary agent and publisher wanted me to change things. I would not have been able to have said what I wanted. That’s why I self-published my book.” Even former mayors of major metropolitan cities see the value of self-publishing and so can you.
If you’re still undecided about self-publishing, allow Mr. Nagin to put your fears to rest. He probably had many publishers to select from, but he decided to publish his book on his own. This gives him more control over the content and how to market his book. He also doesn’t have to pay a literary agent and publisher. Mr. Nagin has the potential to earn more money from self-publishing versus traditional publishing.
The value of self-publishing
1. You don’t have to pay a literary agent and publisher.
2. You decide what you want to write — how deep you want to go.
3. You decide how your book is marketed.
4. You decide the amount of book signings you want to do.
5. You decide how long you want to do a book tour.
6. You decide who’ll design your book cover (interior and exterior).
7. You decide if you want to produce a book trailer.
8. You decide how many chapters/pages your book will be.
9. You decide how many radio/TV appearances you’ll do to promote your book.
10. You decide when and where you’ll speak about your book.
11. You decide if you want to write a second book.
If you’ve been skeptical of self-publishing your book, you may want to reconsider it. Mr. Nagin is proof that self-publishing works. Yes, he’s a famous mayor. But, he still has to market and promote his book like every other author on the planet. Mr. Nagin saw the value of the self-publishing platform. He didn’t want to make changes to his book. He wanted to write and publish it the way he wanted to. He deserves credit for that. Most ‘celebrities or well known people’ would have caved and listened to the literary agent. They would have gone along with the plan to publish a ho-hum or so-so book. Mr. Nagin had the courage to do his own thing. He deserves respect for standing up for his book.
Rebecca
Related articles
- Former NO Mayor Ray Nagin releasing Katrina memoir (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Ray Nagin to release tell-all Katrina memoir (cbsnews.com)
- How to Select a Self-Publishing Company (savvy-writer.com)
- Literary Agents Try New Role as Self-Publishing Consultants (pbs.org)
- The Difference Between Then and Now (socyberty.com)
