HOW TO GET PUBLISHED

If you are planning to writing a book for consumers from scratch, it can be a very time-consuming endeavor. If you don’t have the bandwidth, consider working with an experienced ghostwriter to develop your manuscript and help you get your thoughts and message across in a consumer-friendly style. Look into hiring an editor or copy editor to make sure the text is clean, the tone is appropriate and you have thoroughly explained the topic in language prospective patients can understand easily. It is always preferable to enlist someone who has medical writing experience and first hand knowledge of medical aesthetics or dermatology or your specialty to simplify the process and ensure greater accuracy.

eBook vs Print

Many authors just publish their work as an eBook while others use a combination of print and digital. If you plan to sell your book from your website or during speaking engagements, you will probably want a print copy. Just getting a paperback book is far less costly and easier to ship. If you don’t aspire to speak and have no need for an actual print book, an eBook is fine.

Avoid printing up thousands of copies of your book to take up storage space. Short print runs are more cost effective. This enables you to tweak the content as you would like as new products and techniques that you want to highlight arise. Look into print on demand services and order 500-1,000 copies on your first run, unless you have big plans to give the book away at community fairs, grand scale events, and patient seminars.

Another way to go is to use an eBook format and offer visitors to your website or Facebook page a synopsis of the book or the whole book as a free download if they sign up for your mailing list. This enables you to build your email database for future marketing initiatives. Many physician authors also offer a paperback copy of their book online for free and just charge a nominal shipping and handling fee, like $4.95.

The more people who read your book, the more people who share it with their friends and family, the more potential patients may be interested in what you offer.