Traditionally Published?
If your book is doing exceedingly well and you’re working with a traditional publisher, there’s only one thing to do – keep marketing your book and enjoying your success.

Self-Published?
If you’ve self-published your book and you’re enjoying great success, you’ve got some decisions. Is it better to continue self-publishing or to switch and publish with a traditional publisher?

Pros and Cons
One of the major benefits of working with a traditional publisher is their ability to distribute books to bookstores. One of the major disadvantages is working with a 10% or less royalty for your book. One of the major misconceptions is that traditional publishers will take care of all the publicity.

While it’s true that publishers put big publicity into best-selling authors, many publishers have less resources for new authors.  Before you sign with a traditional publisher, make sure you know what the publisher is providing and what’s expected of you in terms of marketing your book.  There are plenty of success stories of publishing with a traditional publishers, but there are also tales of disappointment and frustration. 

For self-publishers a major benefit is the percentage of the book sale price that stays in your pocket.  If your book is doing well, and you like being your own publisher, perhaps it’s time to consider expanding your publicity, hiring a professional publicist, or improving your distribution.  If your sales are taking off, you’ll find it much easier to attract a major distributor to actively market your book to bookstores.

Resources:
If you’re working through which direction to pursue you may find help from these resources:
• Dan Poynter:  www.parapub.com
• John Kremer: www.bookmarket.com
• SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America):  www.spannet.org
• PMA (Publishers Marketing Association): www.pma-online.org

Whichever method you choose for your ongoing publishing method, growing sales will likely also add to speaking requests, consulting appointments and the sales of other resources.  A successful book is a strong platform for marketing your expertise.