Self-Publishing Author Series: Interview with Sara Morgan

Today, we are interviewing self-published author Sara Morgan, author of “No Limits,” http://www.nolimitsthebook.com/nolimits/Default.aspx.

• Tell us about your self-published book.
The name of my book is “No Limits: How I escaped the clutches of Corporate America to live the self-employed life of my dreams". You can probably guess what it is about from the title, but it is not just a memoir. In fact, it is a cross between a business how to book and an inspirational self-help book.

I not only included my story on how I became self-employed, but to prepare for the book, I interviewed seven other people, who were also independent or small business owners. At the time I wrote the book, my experience was as an independent web consultant, but I wanted to represent other situations, such as small business owners with employees and from various industries. I think that makes the book well rounded and all the reviewers have agreed.

The book includes practical advice, but it also helps someone to decide if self-employment is even right for them. I spend a whole chapter discussing the kind of traits someone should possess. I also inform the reader of considerations, such as insurance, taxes, and creating a web presence. The one chapter everyone seems to love the most is the one on “Letting go.” I talk about letting go of the things that so often hold us back, like blaming other people for our problems or giving into a fear of failure.

• Why did you decide to self-publish?
This is not my first book. In fact, it is my seventh. The other six were published with traditional publishers, and they were technical in nature. I decided to self-publish this book for two main reasons. One, I knew the material was timely, and I also knew the publishers would slow the process down way too much. I was able to write and produce the book in only three months. No publisher could have done that.

The second reason I chose to self-publish is because I wanted to retain full control over what the book included and how it was marketed. These days, even if you use a publisher, the only way your book truly has a chance of succeeding is if you take on a lot of the responsibility for promoting it yourself. If I was going to do most of the work anyway, I wanted to get more than a tiny portion of the profits.

• What has been your biggest reward in self-publishing your book?
The control has been the best part. I hated having to give in to a publisher’s demands, when the decisions were based on what was good for business and not what was best for the book. Publishing is a business and the publishers do not care about you. It is nothing personal, but they don't. They just care about making money. For me, this was about so much more than making money.

• What has been the most challenging part of self-publishing your book?The hardest part has been the promotion. I am a web developer by profession and very left-brained. I have never been a social butterfly, but I have certainly emerged from my cocoon as a result of all this. I have learned how to be personable and interesting in order to get people to pay attention to me. It has been a huge challenge but a ton of fun. I am having the best time of my life and learning so much every day.

• What advice do you have for other self-published authors?
Never give up and write a good book. If your book is good and you dedicate yourself to it, you can succeed. You just need to hang in there and keep working your leads and changing your strategy, if necessary. Just do not give up, because too many people do and their books never succeed because of it.

• Is there anything else you would like to add?
I just want everyone to know that they are completely in control of their life, even if they don't feel like it sometimes. Stay positive and believe in yourself, and there really are no limits in life. Just always remember to Work, Live and Have Fun.

Thanks for your inspiration Sara!

Do you have questions on how to sell your book and self-publishing? Please let me know here, at www.jexbo.com, or at http://www.jexbo.blogspot.com/. I’m here to help!