To protect your work and ideas, copyrighting your book is a simple and inexpensive process. There are actually several different methods of protecting your work including government and commercial organizations. The primary sites are government copyright office (http://www.copyright.gov/forms/) and WriteSafe (http://www.writesafe.com/).

--- Production ---

There are many different ways to produce your books; however, costs range from a $1,000 initial setup plus purchase of a few hundred copies down to no setup fees and pay-as-you-go. The final choice is yours, but my direction involved a local printing company and a pay-as-you-go scheme. With this approach, reduced initial costs are reflected back to readers and your profit potential is seen immediately.

Three places that I've experimented with to print some of my books include Kinko's (http://www.kinkos.com/), InstantPublisher (http://instantpublisher.com/pricing.htm), and Mimeo (http://www.mimeo.com/). Of course, use these for starters to experiment with your books. Eventually, you'll find right bindery for your needs. You can locate many publishers via Google.com or AllTheWeb.com using keywords such as "online printing", "book printing", and "print on demand", but once you get some experience behind you, choice will be much easier.

--- Marketing and Distribution ---

Once you assign and register your ISBN for your manuscript, it becomes available to multitude of book stores around globe including Amazon, Borders, Barnes&Noble, and various other major book sellers. Now that you have your book out there, trick is to have people purchase book and have book stores stock copies on their shelves.

To have book stores purchase in quantity, you'll have to devise a solid marketing plan to their acquisitions personnel. In many cases, book stores will simply sell your book to their customers as it is requested, but if you can get them to buy in bulk, that's greater exposure and sales for you!

You can also license out content to various professional speakers. Speakers are always looking for ways to provide quality information specific to their presentations. They might use your content in a handout, or perhaps for sale in back of room. Locate those speakers that fit within your audience and contact them. Find out their needs for their next presentation and work out a deal for them to resell your books. I've had many speakers use my articles in their presentations and exposure and feedback has been overwhelming.

Of course, you should always locate affiliates to help sell your books. One way is to offer them a percentage of gross sales or sell them copies of books at a discount. Either way, you will have "agents" out pushing your books for you to make money for them, as well as for you.

Always provide a web site that boasts benefits of your book. Use a book cover maker to create a book image on web site. One quality book cover creator is called CoverFactory (http://www.ans2000.com/a2k_coverfactory.php) and provides numerous capabilities to generate professional looking covers for books, software, and services.

Free content is an important way to bring people to your site and let people know about your book. You can provide rewritten excerpts from your book as articles and submit them to various article announcement lists, press release sites, zines, and directories. I've been able to locate and associate with over 1,000 sites and lists that accept and publish my articles. This provides outstanding coverage for my sites, services, and products.

--- Sales and Returns ---

Since you are publisher, you now have to determine how to handles sales. It's important to define how you will handle direct sales and shipping, bulk sales, and affiliates. You want to ensure that your sales go smoothly as well as provide enough of a margin so that everyone profits.

When collecting funds, it's important to accept credit cards through one of popular merchant vendors. To minimize expenses and provide a common and secure payment mechanism, I use StormPay (http://www.stormpay.com) and PayPal (http://www.paypal.com). Since people have their likes and dislikes of online payment vendors, using both allows many different types of users to submit payments. Of course, you must always determine how to handle returns as part of a quality customer service program.

--- What's next? ---

Obviously, information provided here is merely an overview of entire process. However, I am working on a book that provides all of details of producing your own book under your own imprint. Publishing provides excellent return monetarily as well as through enhanced self-esteem. There is quite a feeling that comes with getting your message out there and having people return positive feedback. Perhaps, once you self-publish a few of your own titles, you can work on publishing other authors and open a full-fledged publishing house. In this day, such a venture is not unheard of!

--- About Author ---

Edward B. Toupin is an author, publisher, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, technical writer, and PhD Candidate living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics!

For more information, and to find out about his upcoming title on book publishing, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site at http://www.toupin.com!

On other hand, don't set wimpy goals simply because you're afraid to fail. Talane Miedaner, author of Coach Yourself to Success (McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books, 2002) notes: "People sometimes give themselves 'weeny' goals-they play it safe so they don't fail…But bigger goal, more likely you are to achieve it."

3. Create Deadlines

Without deadlines, your goals are merely dreams. Set deadlines for both short- and long-term goals, and I promise, you'll get there sooner!

Remember that deadlines can be flexible. Life changes and so do goals. Never be afraid to adjust timeframe for a goal. What's important is to keep moving forward.

4. Look at your goals everyday!

Visual aids are an effective way to program your brain.

Reading and re-writing goals are two very effective visual aids. By physically rewriting your goals and pasting them in places you regularly frequent, you make them more real in your mind.

I read an article in this month's Shape magazine that inspired me. The author mentioned that before Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of bestselling book & Oprah Pick Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy (Warner Books, 1995) became a bestselling author, she pasted her name on #1 spot of New York Times bestseller list and posted it on her computer. Visual Aids like these give you that extra ammunition that will make a difference.

5. Make Goal Setting a Routine

Begin every morning with a "To Do" list. This will help you organize and better manage your time. Plus, your goals will be right smack under your nose every day. Do not get discouraged over any unfinished items. Simply transfer them to next morning's list.

The above said, keep your goals front and forward in your mind. Remember...you only get one chance to live your dreams!

In words of Cecil B. De Mille: "The person who makes a success of living is one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication."