Preparing to market your book

There are several options for self-publishing your book, and each taps into a little different market.

Ebooks are one of the fastest growing markets, as readers are compact and can access many books at once, so different members of the same family sharing a single reader can each read a different book at the same time.  Many Ebooks are offered for free or at discounted prices.  A publisher such as Smashwords will convert your book to as many Ebook formats as are supported in order to reach the most consumers, making Ebooks very attractive to self-published authors. 

Print on demand.  There are a number of companies offering POD services, and it's up to the writer to select which one best fits their needs.  Many offer copies at a discount so the author can have several copies of their books on hand, which are great for promotional giveaways--have a contest on any social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and your blog, and give away a few autographed copies.  You can also loan out your book to family and friends who want to read your book in the traditional form. 

Audio books.  This option is often overlooked by self-published authors.  I'm currently gearing up to record my first book, which will be first published as an Ebook, then offered in POD, and finally as an audio book.  One thing that most authors don't understand is that unless you record your audio book yourself, it can make the audio book cost prohibitive to produce, requiring a higher price than either Ebook or POD formats.  However, I think I'm in the majority to say that I'm not overly fond of hearing my own voice, especially when I started recording it using my Windows 7 indwelling sound recorder.  A simpler version than what was offered on Vista or XP machines, this one records only and doesn't offer any editing features as were found on older versions.  However, if you get into the control panel, hardware and sound, and manage audio devices, you'll see a tab labeled "recording".  You select your microphone and go into "enhancements".  DC offset cancellation is the default choice.  I found that it made my voice sound incredibly nasal.  I recorded each of the filters separately and in groups and wasn't happy with any of them.  I either sounded extremely nasal, really processed or tinny, or all three.  Further research into recording audio turned up a simple device you can make at home that will filter your voice but not make it sound overly processed.  You see it in images of singers and voice actors in recording studios.  It's called a "pop filter".  The pop filter can be made using items found in most households where women are present.  All you need is a frame of some sort (which can be made by cutting rounds out of an oatmeal box), and a pair of pantyhose.  I used a knee-high stretched over a hand-held weaving loom since I also work with yarn.  An embroidery hoop or an empty picture fame would work as well.  You simply stretch the hose over the frame and place it between your mouth and the microphone.  My mic is part of an old Labtec headset/mic get-up I used to try speaking my work rather than typing it out by hand, but last I knew VR still hated women's voices and all the technical medical jargon I use in my day job as a medical language specialist. There's also a technique called "de-essing", which reduces the hissing of sibilant sounds when a recording is remixed in a pro studio, but a way you can reduce the hissing without having to record in a studio is to position the mic so it's not in a direct line with your mouth so the hissing air isn't picked up. A few practice sessions of recording your reading are the only other things necessary to get started making an audio book, since most people need to learn to speak more slowly when reading in order to obtain the best results.