Written by: Rudo Muchoko, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Growing up, I always wanted to do normal jobs like nursing, becoming a doctor, or even being a teacher. My grades were favourable, but because I’m naturally an introvert, it was difficult to pass the group work stages of interviews, etc. After a while, as the internet began to gain momentum, I started taking Microsoft courses to improve my writing skills. This kept my interest in reading piqued. I enjoyed going to the library, and consuming knowledge became a secondary thing in my life.
My library reading drew me towards Afro-romantic novels. Some of the books, however, left me hanging, which caused a lot of frustration. I’d try so hard to finish the story in my head, which resulted in me taking pen to paper and jotting down my version of the endings. In hindsight, this is how my journey to becoming an author began, but my confidence in this craft was cemented when I decided to finish my short story When Love Strikes.
Being an author felt like I needed to instantly become famous and be on the New York Best Seller list after being published. I mean, who doesn’t want that? My author and entrepreneurial journeys have certainly been ones to marvel at. I was fresh out of university when I decided the 9-to-5 was not for me. Backstory: While in university studying publishing and English, I began editing for up-and-coming authors as well as some designing and proofreading work. This was exciting because, as a student, I needed the money but also received indirect training in publishing skills.
When the award nominations started coming, it hit me! People are reading and rating my work? I continued to apply myself and discovered a whole new side to publishing books. Publishing is not merely about getting a book out there; it is about what your book can do for you. As an author, I would ask myself, "What is the purpose of this book, and how can it reach more people?" What is the message in the book?
When I first wrote When Love Strikes, I was excited to get it into the hands of readers and didn't do much research into the publisher I chose to help me, nor did I know much about marketing and sales. Big mistake! The book went out into the world with grave grammatical errors, and it wasn't edited to publishing standards. I was livid and told the publisher I would take matters into my own hands and publish it myself since they refused to make corrections, citing the amount I had paid at the time as inadequate.
So I self-published and learned a lot during the process. The most important lesson was:
developing a good rapport with publishing professionals, i.e., editors, designers, web developers, printers, people in the media, and other publishing professionals. Publishing a book takes a community, it's not a one-person job.
I’ve put together a chapter in my book, Awakening the Power of Self Publishing: The Ultimate Guide, on how one can successfully create purposeful relationships with publishing stakeholders. The most important relationships for authors are between them and their publishers. A second important relationship is with the editor, and the third is with bookstores and printers. These service providers and their skill sets are key to your book's success.
As publishing entrepreneurs, it’s essential to network with other professionals in this field. Nobody knows it all, and networking has taught me to draw strength and knowledge from other entrepreneurs. Sometimes it gets very hard, and it is easy to want to give it all up.
I hit rock bottom in my publishing entrepreneurial journey after becoming a mother. I was stuck between becoming a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help either, but it came with its blessings. While in university, I managed to undertake all publishing process tasks by myself and was clueless about working with, let alone managing a team. It was when I began getting external help that the idea of having a team became interesting. What made it more interesting was the idea popped up during the pandemic and everyone was working remotely, which made things accessible.
Creating a team wasn’t just about working with people I would see every day but connecting online and using each person’s unique skills made it quite interesting. That is how RMPublishers Ltd began to establish itself as a great workplace, with a nurturing spirit and a team that understood the task at hand. The boost for me was receiving the nomination for Businesswoman of the Year at The Women's Business Awards and the knowledge that there are multiple support groups for entrepreneurs in the publishing sector.
One of the RMPublishers' visions for 2022 was to create a space for authors to network and promote their writing. Authors Literary Essentials was born, a quarterly magazine designed to publish the work of emerging writers, promote authors published by RMPublishers, share research-based knowledge with publishing professionals on how to monetise their craft through diversification, and, finally, promote a reading culture.
Another successful project under our belt is the Author’s Perspective Podcast which gives authors a platform to interact with their readers taking them behind the scenes of their literary journey. With the introduction of audiobooks, we began converting the books in our portfolio to audio in a bid to actively become a part of the global digitisation era. These same books and magazines are now deposited in the British Library which is something our authors can brag about.
What can help authors do more with their books in this day and age of zero to nonexistent sales? Start with what you have. In my new book, Awakening the Power of Self Publishing: The Ultimate Guide, I train authors to become brands using their books. Everyone is writing content to help the next person and share their expertise, but what good is that content if no one reads it? Authors must build a brand with their books, become guest bloggers, contribute articles, find speaking engagements, and start a podcast, the list of activities to promote and expose their work is endless. The idea is to become a trusted authority on the content you are producing. Other people go on to turn their knowledge into courses and masterclasses, and so can you.
As a creative, publisher, and author, Rudo Muchoko has become a passionate supporter of publishing works. She writes, edits, and publishes books, magazines, and audiobooks to lead and mentor authors using the suggestions in her book, Awakening the Power of Self Publishing: the Ultimate Guide
In this guide, you will discover:
The importance of author credibility
The differences between traditional publishing methods and self-publishing
The advantages of getting book reviews
Establishing and maintaining meaningful publishing relationships
Maximising your online presence
Creating a successful book marketing strategy
Keeping your book relevant and profitable after it has been published!
Pre-Order here
Email: info@rm-pa.org
Rudo Muchoko, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
As a creative, publisher, and author, Rudo Muchoko has become a passionate supporter of publishing works. She writes, edits, and publishes books, magazines, and audiobooks to lead and mentor authors using the suggestions in her book, Awakening the Power of Self Publishing: the Ultimate Guide.
