Interview with Linda Leon, Self-published Cookbook Author

Today at jexbo, we talk to self-published cookbook author, Linda Leon. Here’s what Linda had to say:

Tell us about your self-published book.

I am certified in Health and Nutrition, and devoted my life towards helping people to improve their lifestyle. When I first began, I would present healthy lifestyle information on a TV program that I produced which included a cooking section. Later, a friend suggested that I put the recipes in a cookbook and I did.

Having a cookbook really helped people so I began to do health seminars within the community and the book did really well as a sales tool with healthy benefits. My self-published book is called, “Effortless Vegetarian Cooking.” It is available at www.mvpmedia1.com/effortlesscooking and Amazon.com.

Why did you decide to self-publish?

I decided to self publish after having a very bad experience with a small publisher that did another book. That experience left me with a garage full of books and I quickly had to learn to liquidate them. That bad situation turned into a good thing, because it taught me how to sell books and caused me to learn about the publishing industry.

What was your biggest challenge to overcome in self-publishing your book and why?

My biggest challenge was finding my niche. It takes a long time for most people to be able to find their niche. It is a lot of trial an error. Some things work, others do not, but you have to keep pressing until you find that niche.

How did you overcome that challenge?

I just kept telling people about the book, putting the information in front of as many people as I could and stayed active with every way that I could think of to promote the book. Eventually, I was given an opportunity to expand my television outreach and I found my target market upon that expansion.

What has been the best part about self-publishing your book and why?

Control and not having to be subjected to a royalty. I was very satisfied with the results of my book activity and did not feel the need to find another source to help me with the books.

What advice do you have for other writers who are self-publishing their book?

Learn as much as you can about the industry and be prepared to do marketing on a regular basis if you want results. Writing the book is the easy part, marketing is the hard part. It can also get expensive, so you should never spend beyond your means.

You also have to identify what your true motive is for writing the book. If you want to write to get rich quickly, you may be in for a rude awakening. If you write because you enjoy the craft, then more than likely your book will become profitable.

Having a pure money motive will not sustain you for the time it will take to fully develop your marketing and PR. Once you begin marketing and PR, it really becomes a part of your lifestyle.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

My experience with the small publisher taught me to learn and it encouraged me to help others. I would not want to see anyone go through what I went through so I started Book Marketing Professionals at www.bookmarketingprofessionals.com. We help authors with their book publication and marketing efforts. Our motto is we assist from manuscript to marketing. I really enjoy working with authors and they can contact me at Book Marketing Professionals.

Thanks for your insights and information Linda. Good luck with more books sales!

And if you have questions about self-publishing, please contact me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/. Thanks!