One of the most asked questions when it comes to publishing is whether to go the traditional or self publishing route. Ruth Soukup has done both and is here to share both her experiences and her recommendations.
Ruth is a New York Times Best-Selling author, founder of Elite Blogging Academy, and host of the Do It Scared Podcast amongst so many other things. After blogging for several years she decided to write a book and so started her journey into publishing.
A friend of hers referred her to an agent and after paying thousands to have a book proposal written up, her blog exploded. While she was in the process of pitching one book, she decided to write and self publish, How to Blog for Profit. She kept being asked the same question over and over again and the book was born.
She received amazing feedback on the book and later built Elite Blogging Academy to further help her audience learn to create a source of income from their blogs. By the time her traditionally published book came out, she’d written and self published another book.
Ruth signed a contract with her publisher for two books and after she fulfilled her obligations, swore she would never go the traditional route again.
Later on she did end up going the traditional publishing route one more time, but is now completely done with it. She has more control over her self published books and she receives almost 100% of her royalties.
Listen in as she shares her experiences from both sides of the publishing world and why, for her, self publishing makes the most sense. She stresses that the way in which you publish your book needs to align with your overall goal for that book.
Is your book meant to be an introduction to your company or are you publishing so that you can be labeled an author? Do you plan on writing more than one book and want to be able to use earlier books in your marketing? Are you building a business rather than JUST becoming an author.
If you’re on the fence about which publishing journey you want to take, then you need to listen to this episode. Ruth lays it all out there so that you can truly make an informed decision!
Show Notes
[00:41] Welcome back to the show New York Times Best-Selling author Ruth Soukup. [03:24] What’s the difference between traditional and self publishing? [04:27] If you want to do traditional publishing, you have to have an existing platform. [07:41] During the process of trying to propose her book to a publisher, her blog exploded and she wrote a new book and self published it. [09:59] Traditional publishing is a much longer process than self publishing. [10:56] What was the most difficult part of the traditional publishing route? [13:23] The experience has gotten worse and worse with each new book. [16:26] Were her self published books outselling her traditionally published books? [18:16] All this said, why did she decide to traditionally publish a third book? [20:23] One thing traditionally published books do is make it easier to make the lists. [23:08] Learn more about “list” practices and why they mean nothing. [24:37] Why will Ruth never traditionally publish again? [26:56] How you can use your book in your buyer’s journey when you self publish. [29:45] Which path does Ruth recommend for someone who has never published a book? [31:48] Is there a good reason to traditionally publish? [35:25] How has How to Blog for Profit helped boost Elite Blogging Academy? [38:21] Putting the book before the course has absolutely worked best for Ruth. [39:33] Has the free + shipping funnel been successful in generating leads for EBA? [43:33] If you want to see Ruth’s funnel go to www.elitebloggingacademy.com/book. [44:29] Which marketing strategy has moved the most copies of her book? [46:43] Ruth gives one last amazing tip to take away from this conversation. [48:05] What advice would she give to the earlier version of herself? [48:56] Connect with Ruth.Links and Resources
Self-publishingschool.com Spsfreetraining.com Circle of Profit Ruth’s Website Ruth Soukup Omnimedia Elite Blogging Academy Do It Scared Do It Scared Podcast Living Well Planner Living Well Spending Less SPS 008: Creating a Thriving Business, Blog, and Raving Fans with Ruth Soukup Living Forward by Michael Hyatt Author Advantage Live 2020Ruth’s Books:
Do It Scared Living Well Spending Less How to Blog for Profit 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life UnstuffedSPS 242: Writing A Memoir On Your Health & Faith Journey with Karen Wilkinson
SPS 241: Get Scalable: Scaling Your Company Using A Book with Ryan Deiss
240: “The Empowered Woman” + Writing A Collaboration Book / Anthology with Marta Spirk
SPS 239: Launching An Updated & Revised Edition After 2M+ Copies Sold (Miracle Morning Behind The Scenes)…with Hal Elrod
SPS 238: Booking More Speaking Gigs, $40k Keynote Fees, And Bulk Book Sales with Cameron Herold
SPS 237: Rise Of The Reader & How To Market Bestselling Books with Nick Hutchison
SPS 236: Startup Santa: From Toymaker & Inventor To Author with Brad Pedersen
SPS 235: $80k/year In Royalties For 6 Years From One Book…How This Teacher Did It with Rob Plevin
SPS 234: BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Unleashing the Power of Authorship
SPS 233: Be Seen: Discovering Your Voice & Booking Speaking Gigs Grow Your Brand with Jen Gottlieb
SPS 232 How I Sold 25,000+ Copies Of My Children’s Book with Delanda Coleman
SPS 231 How To Get Famous & Sell More Books By Getting On TV with Clint Author
SPS 230 Using AI / ChatGPT To Write & Publish Your Book with Jonathan Green
SPS 229 Grow An App Using A Book And Teaching Kids About Money with Scott Donnell
SPS 228 Post Pardon Me: Writing A Book About Postpartum And Other Difficult Life Experiences with Suzanne Yatim Aslam
SPS: 227 Marketing Secrets, Affiliate Book Launches, And Gorgeous Book Funnels with Julie Chenell
SPS226: The Journey To 110,000 Copies Sold & Relaunching Your Book…How I Did It with Sean Cannell
SPS 225: Why Affirmations Don’t Work & How To Use Afformations Instead with Noah St. John
SPS 224: The Engineer Approach To Millions Of Copies Sold with Todd Sattersten
SPS 223: The 2 Week Vacation Test & Scaling From 6 To 7 Figures with Austin Netzley
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