I've always enjoyed writing and it was always an ambition to write a book. With the latest tools, it's very easy to self publish your own work now.
Write the manuscript using a word processor, use an AI image tool, like Microsoft Designer, to create a cover page, use Amazon KDP to create your publication and publish it on Amazon (Apple Books had the same tool too for publishing ebooks). From the ambition of writing one book, I hand now created 25 books.
It started in 2018, when my wife and I got a Shih Tzu puppy who we named Bella. She got upto all sorts of scrapes and naughtiness, like puppies do. A family friend commented, "she is so funny you should write a book about what she does". And the idea to write my first book was born. I wrote the book and self published on Amazon. It was the number one best seller in the section for children's books about dogs, for about a day. Then not much happened. It became clear that writing a book is the east and enjoyable part. Marketing it and selling it for people to buy is much harder.
It dawned on me that I hadn't sent the book to any publishers to see if they worked be interested. I read how J.K. Rowling was turned down by many publishers with her book about a boy wizard that goes to wizarding school. Honestly didn't think my Bill with make me a billionaire but it did spur me in to try. So I sent my book to half a dozen publishers and to my surprise, three publishers responded that they would be interested in publishing my book professionally.
Now there are two kinds of publishing contracts. One for famous people where there receive advances and 'hybrid' contracts for the rest of us, where you have to pay the publisher to cover the production costs to get your book produced. What I really wanted was the personal help in marketing the book, seeing as I'd done the writing. What I learned was, once the publisher had produced and registered the book on Amazon and the large book wholesalers, retailers like Waterstones and WH Smith aren't interested in your book until you've made significant sales on your own and your professional publisher does bugger all effort in marketing your book. The one thing I wanted help and advice with. But the effort was worth it. I learned about the book publishing business. I learned how to create books, the production phases, the distribution of royalties, where to register books with wholesalers.
Everything I needed to know to offer my own book publishing service, but for a fraction of the cost I was charged. Everything is all setup and ready to go. Web pages written, social media accounts setup to promote the business, MKK Books, but I'm going to keep it in reserve, as I focus on writing more books to expand my own library of published works and the other activities in MKK Lion; online sales using eBay, IT project management, horse racing and a new courier business.
When MKK Lion starts generating cash and we can afford to hire staff, I'll re-ignite the MKK Books publishing service as something new to offer oriole.
