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 109: How To Sell More Books & Make A Full Time Living As A Non-Fiction Author with Scott Allan
SPS 108: Giftology, “Love Bombs”, And Why I Have A $250 Book with John Ruhlin (Using Your Book To Build Relationships & Get Referrals)
SPS 107: How To Write A Perennial Bestseller If You're "Not A Writer" with Dr. Henry Cloud (The Real Secret To Selling 20 Million Copies)
SPS 106: Hybrid Publishing 101, Audible Originals, And Why You Should Focus On Audiobooks with Phil Jones (Exactly What To Say To Get People To Buy & Read Your Book)
SPS 105: Using Partnership Marketing To Sell Books, Change Lives, And Grow Your Business with Pedro Mattos (An Immigrant's Guide To Affiliate Marketing)
SPS 104: How To Create A 1 Page Marketing Plan For Your Book with Allan Dib
SPS 103: Using Books & Thought Leadership To Grow My 200 Person Marketing Agency with Robert Glazer
SPS 102: How To Write A Memoir That Actually Sells Copies (Without Being Famous) with Justin & Alexis Black
SPS 101: Relationships, Radio, And 3 Ring Binder Books: Create A Life You Love & Sell Generate Millions In Revenue with Dan Miller
SPS 100: The "Duct Tape Marketing" Book Launch: Sell More Books & Get More Referrals with John Jantsch (And How To Negotiate Your Publishing Contract)
SPS 099: 8 Figures Ecommerce Empire: How I Sold 1 Million+ Journals & Planners (And How To Create GREAT Products) with Cathryn Lavery
SPS 098: How I Wrote & Launched 6 NYT Bestsellers...And What I'm Doing Differently With My Newest Book with Jon Acuff
SPS 097: Crush It With Challenges: Launch Bigger, Sell More Books, And Grow Your Business with Pedro Adao
SPS 096: Launching My First Traditionally Published Book Using What I Learned Self Publishing Books & Journals with John Lee Dumas (And How I Negotiated a $350k Advance)
SPS 095: The Five Love Languages: Behind The Scenes Of The Book, The Series, And Selling 15 Million Copies with Gary Chapman
SPS 094: YouTube Secrets: Using YouTube To Sell 2k Copies/Month & Get 1,000+ Reviews On Your Book with Sean Cannell
SPS 093: Permission To Prosper: A Faith-Based & Copywriting Approach To Sell More Books & Grow Your Business with Ray Edwards
SPS 092: Using Books To Start Multiple 7 Figure Companies (And How I Sold 700k Copies Of 1 Book) with Mike Michalowicz
SPS 091: Publishers Hate Him! Thinking Like An Agent & Getting Publishers To Compete To Give You A Massive Book Deal with Nathan Latka
SPS 090: How I Sold 25k Copies Of A $37 Ebook That Isn't Even On Amazon (And Using Copywriting To Sell Books) with Sean Vosler
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