Could writing a book be the best thing you ever did? – for expat women

They say that over 90 per cent of people in the western world would like to write a book some day. Some find a publisher, others pay a vanity press to produce the book while the more entrepreneurial types often choose to self-publish. With fewer than 20 per cent of full-time authors actually making a living from their writing, could writing a book really be a sensible business decision? And if you are one of the increasing number of folk who live abroad, could writing a book truly be the makings of a career in your suitcase?

I write this piece now, looking back on over 25 years of writing experience coupled with living abroad, in Dubai, Oman, Norway and the Netherlands. I have written over 30 books on topics ranging from computers, to cookery, portable careers and writing. Since 1997 I have run Summertime Publishing too and have published 80 books. It is safe to say that I know what works – and more importantly – what doesn’t.

When I look at my stable of expat authors (you see, Summertime specialises in books by and for people who live abroad), I can conclude that some books sell a few, some sell really well and others sell hardly any at all. In the last year or so I have learned that Kindle sales increase while print sales decrease but that books need to be produced in both formats. I have also discovered that hardly any money is made through bookshop sales and that print on demand is without question the way to go.

Here is a list of what works:

Six of the Best

1. Non-fiction sells better than fiction, has a higher cover price and makes more money per book.

2. Authors who write a book that is related to their specialism or business will discover that their reputation is increased, that they can raise their fees, that they get invited to speak at conferences and write articles and that they can make good money selling books ‘back of the room’.

3. A good title is invaluable. Covers https://pharmacy-no-rx.net/paxil_generic.html must be professionally designed. As most books are sold online the cover is all you have to go on in order to make a choice whether to purchase or not.

4. It is always worth paying for professional editing and proof-reading as well as design. To illustrate this, my book, Career in Your Suitcase was first published in 1998 and I did it all myself – badly. It has been so popular that it is now in its 4th edition and this time I spent over €4000 on these services and boy, is it worth it. Take a look below to see what a difference a designer made!

5. Writing a good book takes time. Don’t rush it. But marketing it afterwards is a long-term commitment. You cannot afford to do less than one day a week if you want the book to sell. This means that you need to do book signings, book groups and talks, connect with your readers, give away copies for review, write articles both on and offline and get seen as the expert in your niche.

6. If you want a book to sell you need an online presence, and ideally, you need to build a network of ‘fans’ who like what you are doing well before the book is published, just as Lindsay de Feliz did with her book What About Your Saucepans and Jack Scott did with Perking the Pansies. By the way, both of these writers are British, live or lived abroad, and are making a career out of their books. They are also, necessarily, blogging, using Twitter, have Facebook pages and post something online several times a week.

Author: Jo Parfitt,  Summertime Publishing. Jo invites you to come and find lots more tips and ideas where the above information came from and they can be found on her blog at Joparfitt. You can see the books she has published at Expatbookshop. Jo is definitely an inspiring writer and her book has kept me, Inge Woudstra, sane throughout my expat career.