I call them Publishing Myths. There are many of them around. Here I want to dispel some of them for you.

Myth 1: The Most Successful Books are on the Bestseller List

Not true. Until I published my own books, I thought that the best and most sold books in the publishing world were reflected in the bestseller lists. These lists actually have little to do with the number of books sold in the world - they show only those books sold in bookstores. These days over 50 % of all books sold in the western world are sold online. Although online books sales are massive, they are not calculated on the bestseller lists.

Bestseller lists are funny things; many of them (like the New York Times list) are not based on sales. Instead, exposure and popularity get your book bumped up the list. This means that if your book is drawing a buzz and gaining attention, it can make it onto the best seller list even if the sales figures are not the highest.

The New York Times has around 30 or so bookstores around the USA that report to them on what's hot and what's not. None of this is based on sales, just on what people are asking for. Regardless of the sales quota, in order to attain a high level of exposure your book needs to have a significant print run of at least 50,000 or more in large countries like the USA. But here is a twist; in many countries like Australia a bestseller has a run of 5000 books.

This means you can become a bestseller on day one and we will show you how to do this later in the book. (How to Become a Successful Author : 34 Steps to Self-Publishing and Marketing Profits.")

This also means if someone is promising you bestseller status in the USA and is not talking 50000 copies or more, you should take your marketing dollars and run.

In a way the bestseller list is good publicity and many people buy books simply because they're listed. But marketing a book or other informational products through the bookstores is an expensive and time consuming process. There are easier, faster and more direct ways to sell your book and this book shows you how.

Myth 2: When I Finish the Book that Means that 95 Per Cent of the Work is Done! Now, I Can Relax and Watch the Money Roll In.

This is absolutely not true. When you finish writing the book – the hard part is just starting. What comes after writing the book is 95 per cent of the work. At most, the production of any book or other information product is only 10% of the whole process. The rest is marketing, promotion, production, selling and brand building.

Not realising this truth and believing in the myth is a huge mistake for many authors. Don't be one of them - become proactive in marketing your work. As I said earlier marketing is king.

Myth 3: If I Write a Good Book, it Will Always Find its Audience.

Unfortunately, this is a dream. Books can't find their audience by themselves - you need to identify your audience and drive your book in that direction. Do your research properly before beginning to write your book. Learn how to do book research effectively and it will save you many disappointments in the future. (How to Become a Successful Author : 34 Steps to Self-Publishing and Marketing Profits.")

Myth 4: It Will Cost Many Thousands of Dollars to Publish a Book.

No it will not. In our book I will show you how to do it at affordable price. There are many ways to print books and get it to your door for as little as $3 or $4 a copy. The more copies you print ,the cheaper it gets.

Myth 5: If you Just Write a Good Book it Will Become a Bestseller.

Not necessarily. Many authors can write good books, but good writing doesn't create best sellers: demand does. There are many well written books around that never took off, only because people didn't want them. It's only when your book gives people something they want that your book might begin to sell well and become the next bestseller.

Myth 6: Media Like TV and Radio are a Very Expensive Way of Advertising: As a Single Author you Can't Afford Them.

Not always true. One of the powerful ways of advertising is free. I am talking about talk shows. Every day I hear an author talking about their new book on one of the talk shows. Just call them, send them your book, ask to talk and you'll get the cheapest publicity method around.

Myth 7: Radio and TV is the Most Powerful Way of Advertising - If I Can't Get There, I Can't Seriously Promote My Book

Not completely true because television is great, but not the most powerful way to sell your book these days. Social media like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others are becoming the most powerful ways to influence your audience.

Myth 8: I Am the Only Person Who Can Possibly Write My Book

Maybe you're the only one who has your exact information, but for a reasonable price a good editor or even a ghost writer can whip that information into shape. There are many ghost writers around who can pick your brain, read your ideas, and transform them into clear, concise and readable prose. If writing isn't your forte, consider taking this route and you will find that it is well worth the investment. Introduction: The Purpose of this Book 19

Myth 9: You Can't Judge a Book by its Cover

Not true! You need an eye-catching cover to attract buyers. If it is boring or aesthetically unappealing, then people will not pick the book up. A great cover is worth the investment. Test this out yourself by going into a book shop and looking at the covers, you will soon see which covers jump out at you from the shelves.

Myth 10: You Must Find a Publisher Who Does Marketing or Hire an Expensive PR Agent.

Wrong! When it comes to publicity, you are enough. The traditional marketing processes still widely used in the publishing world are old and mostly ineffective. Sending out a few review copies and hoping they'll lead to an appearance on a morning show is no longer the only, or the best way to sell your book. These days every author, self-published or otherwise, has to take the marketing end of the business into his or her own hands. Create a marketing strategy, and network like crazy, primarily online and you can achieve great things under your own steam.

Myth 11: When the Publisher Agrees to Take my Book I Have Finished the Journey as They Will do Everything for Me.

Absolutely totally wrong! Did you know that all the promotion of your book is up to you? You have to organise any bookshop signings, get publicity, line up TV promotions - everything in fact. If you do not do this, then your book will go nowhere fast and you will end up with a garage full of dust gathering books.

Myth 12: If I Sign Up With an Online Publisher I Will be a True Self Published Author.

You have to be very careful using online publishing companies as some are good, but some are very bad. These companies are commonly called vanity publishers and signing up with them means you are not a true self publisher. A true self publisher organises everything independently. They get an ISBN number that states they are the author and the publisher of the book. Online vanity publishers normally get the ISBN for you and they are recorded as the publisher.

After dispelling all these myths about publishing you see that it is not enough to just write a good book to make it successful. There are many more components that contribute to a book success. These are:

- The topic of your book.
- The title of your book.
- The way you publish it.
- The marketing of your book (which is one of the most important things in publishing)
- The promotions of your book.
- Your own presentation as an author.

And many other factors...