The Path To Self-Publishing Success

by Michael R. Hicks

You dream of having a full-time career writing novels, but you're not sure how to get there, or if it's even possible. Maybe you've played the lottery with the traditional publishers, submitting your work over and over again to publishers and agents, only to receive a pile of rejection notices. You've looked at self-publishing, but are leery of it, or maybe you've embraced the idea but don't know where to start because you have no background in the publishing industry. Or maybe you're one of the many who's jumped into the self-publishing pool and splashed around, but haven't made the kind of progress you wanted to achieve.If that sounds like you, then you need to read this book. Michael Hicks has been self-publishing since 2008, and through trial and error found his path to success in early 2011 when his books hit the Amazon bestseller lists. A few months later, he kissed goodbye his day job of twenty-five years to write full-time, a move that completely transformed his life. He had never been previously published, and had no background in publishing or marketing. Yet he succeeded. You can, too.This book tells you how he did it. By sharing what he learned from sometimes painful experience, you can avoid many of the pitfalls that self-published authors may encounter, and maximize the potential to achieve your own success.

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2011

About the author

Born in 1963, Michael Hicks grew up in the age of the Apollo program and spent his youth glued to the television watching the original Star Trek series and other science fiction movies, which continues to be a source of entertainment and inspiration. Having spent the majority of his life as a voracious reader, he has been heavily influenced by writers ranging from Robert Heinlein to David Weber, and many in between. Having finally retired from government service, Michael and his lovely wife, along with their Siberan cat, Nina, are enjoying life as expats in France.

Reviews

[Todd Dow · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provided a good overview of the self-publishing process. Michael provided some helpful tips pertaining to tools to use and he laid out the steps to get from start to finish. And, Michael's advice and overview of how best to optimize your income from self-publishing is fantastic.

Unfortunately, I found the depth of the book to be disappointing and I felt that Michael too easily dismissed explaining the more intricate details of publishing (for example: how to test & edit your ebook prior to publication). In several cases, instead of providing more detail on a topic, he simply said that (I'm paraphrasing): "This was my experience, but I recommend you research further."

This is a great book if you are looking for a high level overview of how to publish your book or if you want some advice on how to make money. But, I suspect there are better books out there though if you are looking for a thorough overview of the nuts and bolts of the self-publishing process.

[Shaun Messick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Best Self-Publishing Guides Out There!

The Path To Self-Publishing Success by Michael R. Hicks has to be one of the best self-publishing guides I have read and taken into practice. As a self-published author, I have read many guides by a plethora of authors who have claimed to have discovered the secret to making money as a self-published author. Mr. Hicks, however, makes no such claims. He simply gives sound advice about what you should do as a self-published author to begin seeing success.

And why not? Mr. Hicks is self-published himself, the author of the top-selling In Her Name: Empire series, he is more than qualified to give suggestions. I have used some of his suggestions, such as using Twitter to promote my books and have already witnessed a 300% increase in my followers on Twitter in just a week-and-a-half. Moreover, the average weekly sales of my books have increased as well.

I am also using other suggestions, such as setting writing goals each day, promoting my book each day, finding an editor and beta readers, and many, many more words of advice. In addition, he gives other sage counsel on his website authormichaelhicks.com.

If you're looking for instant riches from self-publishing, you won't find it in this book. You will, however, discover the secret of doing the little things each day, which, in turn, will produce the writing career you have always dreamed of as a self-published author. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking to self-publish. Get it now. You won't be disappointed.

Shaun F. Messick
Author of

[Natalie Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a self-published author, I think this should go at the top of your "To Read" shelf. This is a short book but Michael Hicks packs it full of truly useful tips. His suggestions for how to use Twitter are worth the price of the book. I've read at least two other books on self-publishing and book promotion by best-selling authors and reading Michael's book, I learned some things I had never heard before. I found myself highlighting a lot so now I've got a punch list of things to do to kick it up a notch.
Bottom Line: Fast, inexpensive way to get tips from a master about how to sell more books. A must read for all authors.

[Narcisse Navarre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really great for the indie self publisher who is just starting out. Mr. Hicks demystifies the Amazon royalty structure brilliantly. Great, solid read on self publishing with a wealth of good advice and helpful tips.

[H.L. Reasby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for new authors who're thinking of self-publishing. It's a very easy and approachable read with some great advice.

[Dan Kind · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book filled with great information on self-publishing and good advice delivered in a friendly, down-to-earth manner. Highly recommended for independent authors.