You Can Learn a Lot About Self-Publishing From Football

As a self-publishing author, think of yourself as the quarterback of a football game. You get to call the shots. So, it’s important to have a game plan to help you reach the end zone. You’ll face challenges and obstacles on the way.

Be Prepared. Be Flexible.

Envision this: You are on a football field—right in the center. Your team is lined up to the right of you and the left of you. You stand up. You see a clear view down the field. What do you feel?

Do you feel overwhelmed? Nervous? Excited? Determined? Is this your first time on the field or have you been here before?

To overcome those feelings of overwhelm and embrace the moment, you must rise above the nerves, the self-doubt, the hesitation. It’s important to know there’s an end goal. But to win any game in life it takes one play at a time.

4 Football Plays to Gain the Ground You Need to Reach Your End Goal

The Running Play

Keep your feet planted on the ground. Head down and focused. You have a game to win! What you start, you need to finish. Push, and battle for what you desire and dream of. Hold the ball tight, have confidence, show a little grit, and knock down each task.

For self-publishing your book, running plays will take place during your writing and self-editing periods. These are the times to keep your head down and stay focused. Don’t let distractions or self-doubt seep in. You have a book to get to the “end zone.”

The Passing Play

We can’t do everything on our own. It’s a team game. Know when to reach out for help. Know the strengths of your team and when to pass the ball to someone who will help advance you down this field and get you closer to your goal.

When self-publishing your book through Xulon Press you’ll have a full team to help you get your book in the proverbial end zone. Most often, you’ll run a “passing play” when you hand your manuscript off to one of our book editors for a full edit. You’ll also run a “passing play” when our graphic designers create your book cover and when our typesetters design the inner layout of your book.

An Audible

Have last-minute changes come up? Here’s where you need to be flexible and quickly think on your feet. Before you head out into your next play, you may need to adjust. A passing play may now need to be a running play. A run may now need to be passed. We adapt to obstacles. It’s called an audible because the quarterback must call this play audibly and in front of the obstacle.

Maybe you thought you could write your manuscript yourself, but decide you need the help of a ghostwriter. This would be an example of calling an audible during your self-publishing journey. Maybe you thought your friend could edit your book, and now you want a professional Xulon Press editor to correct your manuscript. This is another great example of an audible.

Time Outs

A timeout is a powerful tool you can use out there on the field. It’s vital to keep control of the game. Timeouts serve as an opportunity to regroup. Take a step back and align today’s task with tomorrow’s goals. It’s your game to win, don’t let the clock dictate the outcome.

With self-publishing, you may start to feel the clock ticking and stress and anxiety can creep up if you feel like you aren’t working at the pace you should. Take a time out. Take a breath. Refocus. Stay in control of your publishing journey.

2 Football Plays to Avoid

Punting Play

In football, to punt the play is to momentarily hand the ball back to the opposing team. To kick the moment down the field. Don’t give up or postpone all the ground you have gained. Don’t leave for tomorrow—well you know the rest. The temporary strain of today will not compare to the feeling of victory to come.

While there’s technically no “opposing team” during your self-publishing journey—you may have self-doubts and insecurities you’ll need to rumble with every now and again. Don’t give up the ground you’ve gained on your publishing journey due to these doubts and insecurities. Stay the course and remain confident until you reach the end zone.

Last Second Play (Against the Clock)

While flexibility is part of a winning strategy, the clock may not always be on our side. Don’t run down the clock and then make a last-minute play to try and gain ground.

Here’s an example: The holiday season is the busiest book-buying season of the year. It’s also the time of year most self-publishing authors aim to have their books available. Oftentimes, we see authors commit to writing their books in the first quarter of the year but put themselves on the bench for most of the year. Then, in October or November, they decide they need to make a last-second play to get their book published by the holiday season. This can create unnecessary stress and may still result in a “loss” if the book doesn’t make it to the “end zone” by the holiday season. So, we recommend that you maximize every moment available to you. Don’t allow procrastination or unpreparedness to fumble your efforts.

There’s a game to win—publishing your book and sharing its message with the world! We believe you can do it!

Let us be part of your winning team!