When we think of great story tellers, we may think of entertainers who use the power of words to paint vivid pictures for the listener, or maybe historians passing along epic tales from one generation to the next. We don’t often think of having a personal story to tell, and we probably think even less of a corporation having a story to share. But Michael Margolis, author of Believe Me, understands that every admired power player has a unique tale of his rise to iconic status. It is that very story that spreads the brand of an entrepreneur’s company to the status of a global culture.
“I was in an interesting place in my life when I wrote this book,” says Margolis in an interview with GoodEReader.com. “I’ve been self-employed my entire life, creating businesses and platforms for myself, even working as a consultant. I find myself in 2009 on the verge of personal bankruptcy and having to start over from scratch. I decided to write a book as a way of starting a conversation about the business of reinvention. I had a seed idea for what I wanted to write, so I wrote and self-published my book in ninety days, from putting the first word on paper to having it available through CreateSpace and Amazon.com. It has completely catapulted my life, since the book became the foundation for instigating a global movement.”
Despite making Believe Me available as a free digital download on his website, GetStoried.com, and having over 10,000 international downloads since the book came out in late 2009, Margolis knew that some audiences would still prefer to read a print edition. When it came time to make a hard copy available to a larger audience before the launch of the download on his website, Margolis sought out self-publishing platforms and soon realized he wanted to publish through CreateSpace.
“I took a very close look at all the different platforms that were out there. There were a few things about CreateSpace that made it a no-brainer. When you look at the options out there, one with print-on-demand publishing and who was willing to work with me was important. Everything about the CreateSpace experience was just broken down into successful terms. They believed in empowering me as a creative publisher, putting the power in my hands. I retain my copyright, I can buy inventory at a reduced rate to resell in person, it is the whole package. And of course, CreateSpace comes with the power of Amazon backing it up.”
Of great importance to Margolis was the ability to update his book as the process went along. In terms of writing entire new editions of the text as more information became available, Margolis found it far easier to work with CreateSpace by simply uploading a newer PDF version of his text when he needed to incorporate more and current information.
“Within a 24 hour cycle, any updates I provide run across their whole system. CreateSpace has basically lowered all the risk thresholds for publishing and self-publishing a book. There are obviously levels of professional input from CreateSpace for authors, depending on their comfort with creating their books. Otherwise, it is the completely DIY version.”
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
