The traditional route of publishing dictates that you write a book or at least a comprehensive book proposal and shop it around until someone agrees with you that your book has marketable value. This process can take years and if and when you do find a publisher the price they’re willing to pay you may not be worth all of the time and effort you’ve put in.

1. Self publishing works a little differently. When you self publish, you research your niche and the demand for your topic. Once you determine that there is in fact a demand for your book, you write it, have it printed, and begin the process of marketing your book and selling it. It’s a much different process.
   Traditional publishing takes years of work before you see any income and the income that you see may be significantly less than you deserve.
2. Self publishing requires a bit of a cash commitment from you upfront, you have to pay for the printing and marketing, however all of the profits are yours to keep.

Some people simply don’t have the kind of upfront cash that it takes to publish their book so they turn to traditional publishing and cross their fingers.

This does not have to be the case! You can find people that are willing to pay for your book before you ever write a word.

How?

1. Partnerships make the difference. Partnerships can take a variety of forms. For example, if you write a book on organic gardening you can promote a few organic gardening businesses right in your book. In exchange for purchasing advanced copies of the book that they can then sell in their own businesses for a profit. You can use the profits from the advanced purchases to pay for the printing costs. This way you’ve not only covered the price to print your book, you’ve made sales!

Likewise, you can partner with another industry expert. Place their name on the cover as a co-author in exchange for purchasing advanced copies or for a flat fee. Who would turn down the chance to have their name listed as a book’s co-author without having to do any of the work? Additionally, your book gets the extra credibility of having an industry name attached to it.

A little creativity goes a long way and so do joint venture partnerships! Research your competitors and speak with your associates to find a partnership that works for you. Don’t let the absence of upfront cash get in the way of seeing your book published.