Jan 31, 2013 | Self-Publishing
Am I the only one who finds Guy Kawasaki’s success with APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book a little depressing?
Before I get into this too deeply, I should probably do a little disclaiming. He seems like a really nice guy. I talked to him once at the height of the Author Solutions Jared Silverstone scandal. And, for what you can tell about a person in a 5-minute phone conversation, he seemed nice. Smart and nice.
But that’s just it. I know a lot of smart and nice self-publishing authors who will never have even one iota the success Kawasaki’s had. That reality should be a bit deflating for you people out there planning to self-publish. I mean, it’s not his success per se that’s deflating. It’s the comparison. The knowing that you will almost certainly never see anything even remotely like it.
When Kawasaki’s book was released on January 7, 2013—and for a couple of weeks thereafter—the internet went APEshit. (That joke’s been made already, hasn’t it?) My Google Alert for “self-publishing” was all Kawasaki, all the time*. Review links were popping up everywhere on my LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook timelines and in my Google Reader feed. Hell, even as far back as October 2012, the man had people lining up to fill out a form just for a chance to be one of APE‘s beta readers.
By the way, he had such a large pool of beta readers to choose from that he was able to treat his solicitation for volunteers like a job posting:
“A background in writing and publishing is helpful. Looking for any kind of comments such as copyedits, content, facts, style, etc. OCD is highly desirable.”
He had so many volunteers that he was able to turn people away.
In contrast, the self-publishers I know are sometimes reduced to begging for beta readers, and the ones they get typically have little to no real experience in copyediting or fact checking. They’re usually moms and friends and writing group buddies. Those beta readers are appreciated; don’t get me wrong. But there’s no denying the potential discrepancy in skill sets.
APE wasn’t the first project for which Kawasaki had asked for beta readers. That was What the Plus! At the time, he had asked 1,100,000 of his “closest friends on Google+” to volunteer, and 241 people signed on in just 24 hours. He reported after the fact:
“I sent the Word file manuscript to all of them. Approximately 100 returned the file with comments within a week. Not counting duplicates, this is what they found: 147 grammatical and spelling mistakes, 27 factual errors.”
Kawasaki did send the book on to a copyeditor after that, but think for a moment how much valuable feedback he got (for free!) and how quickly he got it back. If that’s not impressive enough for you, chew on this: Kawasaki figured he’d gained somewhere between 100 and 240 evangelists for What the Plus! in the process.
And here we are weeks after the release of APE. People are still writing about Kawasaki and the book. Diane Brady introduced him this way yesterday on Bloomberg Businessweek:
“Every wannabe pundit knows the drill: Do something cool, preferably in Silicon Valley or against all odds; talk and write about what you learned everywhere you can; build a following; then get a book deal. That’s what Guy Kawasaki did, converting his four-year stint as Apple (AAPL)’s chief evangelist into a 1989 book on guerrilla marketing called The Macintosh Way. Kawasaki has since produced 11 more books and established himself as a marketing guru and venture capitalist. With 1.2 million Twitter followers and a popular blog, he’s a brand.”
And I think that sums it up, doesn’t it? Guy is his own brand—and he has been for a couple of decades now.
I’m not saying the man didn’t work hard to get there. I’m not saying success on that scale can’t happen to anyone ever again. And I’m not saying that self-publishing is a worthless endeavor for non-celebrities.
I’m just saying…you’re no Guy.
*Ten arbitrary points to the first person who can tell me the second name on the book without looking.
Photo credit: Kawasaki
Jan 30, 2013 | Self-Publishing
So, yeah. Over on SheWriters.com I do a little column on self-publishing twice a month. My most recent post answers some questions about ISBNs, those 13-digit numbers next to the barcode on all those books you read. Questions like…
- What is an ISBN?
- What’s the deal with 10- and 13-digit ISBNs?
- Do I need an ISBN?
- How can I get an ISBN assigned to my book?
- Are barcodes and ISBNs the same thing?
- Do all formats of my book need unique ISBNs?
- Do revisions need new ISBNs?
I know the community is for women, but the content is available to anyone. So stop by and take a look, particularly if you just can’t go on without getting those questions answered. Read the article.
Jan 29, 2013 | Freelance Writing
The Wealthy Web Writer is a site that provides a “comprehensive resource and community for anyone seeking to become or already working as a web copywriter.”
It’s been around since 2010, and in that time the minds behind the site have compiled a pretty extensive list of how-to videos, articles, and job leads for freelance web writers.
Wealthy Web Writer is associated with American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI), a company you may have heard of in conjunction with past International Freelancers Day events.
Free Resources
So we’re clear: the Wealthy Web Writer is a premium content site, meaning they make money from monthly subscriptions. However, they do offer some free resources and advice on the blog. A sampling of recent topics they’ve covered include:
- Marketing Basics: Closing the Sale & Asking for More
- Marketing Basics: Generating Leads & Following Up
- How to Make Money as a Travel Blogger
- 15 Link-Building Strategies that Google Will Love
Paid Resources
This is what it’s really all about. Is the site worth the current $27 per month price of admission? That, of course, depends on your current skill level and how much you can absorb in an independent, online environment.
While there are more resources available on the site like forums and a web copywriting glossary, here’s a rundown of a few key things you have access to with a paid membership:
Improve Your Skills
In this section, you can browse content in specific areas related to specific web writing skills. You can learn more about writing for social media, B2B copywriting, writing autoresponders, and how SEO strategies are constantly evolving in the web writing business.
Build Your Business
This section covers a lot of newbie questions regarding fee structures, contracts, basic bookkeeping and organization. It also includes advice on marketing yourself as a web writer and landing those first couple of clients.
Tech Corner
With article titles like “WordPress Maintenance 101” and “Using Google Webmaster Tools” the topics in Tech Corner will hit home for a lot of freelance writers who like a little introduction before they dive head first into a new application or platform.
Training Center
While you can browse upcoming and previously recorded webinars and teleconferences in the Training Center, I think the 3-Minute Guru videos and Roadmap Tutorials are the most promising features here.
The 3-Minute Guru videos walk you through practical instructions on things like using Google Alerts and learning how to prevent Google from indexing your site until you’re ready for search traffic.
Roadmap Tutorials walk you through more complex topics in a series of modules on topics like:
- Build Your Freelance Website with WordPress
- 12-Step Roadman to Success
- Become a Web Writer
- WordPress Tutorials
Wealthy Web Writer even offers to generate content for its Roadmap Tutorials based on user feedback. So if there’s something specific you want to learn about, you tell them and they promise to build a tutorial or find someone who can.
Jobs
Last but not least, the Wealthy Web Writer does provide some unique freelance job leads for users. On top of that, they pay web writers too. So, if you have a content idea, you can submit it for possible publication on their site. If selected, they’ll pay you for your trouble.
Summary
I know that those of us who have been freelancing for years could still stand to learn a thing or two about running the business, but I really see this site being more beneficial for newbie freelance writers.
Also, a word to the wise: content focuses on running the business and writing specifically for the web, not on learning to write in general. So if you don’t already excel at writing, it’s probably a little premature to sign up.
Finally, while the content seems well-rounded overall, I think from a user’s perspective the content in Tech Corner could stand to be beefed up a little.
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was given a three-month subscription (and a three-month subscription to give away ) to Wealthy Web Writer for the purpose of evaluating the site and publishing an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
