When I decided to publish my first book, I read a whole stack of books about self-publishing. The one that made the biggest impression was Let’s Get Digital: How to Self-Publish and Why You Should, by novelist David Gaughran.

David’s book stood out because he not only delivered plenty of useful advice, he also did a superb job of describing the seismic upheavals in the publishing industry, and made a compelling case for the creative and financial benefits of self-publishing.

And he also provided real-life inspiration, in the form of 33 success stories of writers earning a steady living from publishing their own work.

This week sees the publication of Let’s Get Visible: How to Get Noticed and Sell More Books – as the title suggests, it builds on his earlier book with advanced marketing advice for more experienced self-publishers. To give you an idea how good it is, I bought it on Saturday and finished it by Sunday afternoon.

David has been kind enough to answer some questions for Lateral Action readers about the opportunities (and pitfalls) for writers right now.

I’ve benefited enormously from the advice in David’s books – if you’re remotely interested in self-publishing your work, I suggest you pay close attention to what he says.

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Since I published 4 compelling reasons for creative people to start using Google Plus, lots of you have responded: “OK I’m sold! I’ve signed up for an account. But what do I DO with it?”

So this article will walk you through the process of getting started on Google+ and using it to build a network that brings you inspiration, connection, conversation, camaraderie, customers and/or career opportunities.

1. Don’t abandon your website or blog!

Every time a new social network comes along, we hear the familiar refrains:

“Blogging is dead!”

“You don’t need a website any more, just a Facebook page/Twitter account/Google+ profile.”

“[Shiny new social network] is the ultimate blogging platform, you should move your blog there.”

Tosh.

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If you want the internet to bring you an audience for your creative work, opportunities for your creative career, and/or customers for your creative business, I recommend you get a Google+ account and start using it right away.

I know you’re busy, and it probably feels like another social network is the last thing you need. But this isn’t just another social network. It’s bigger than that, and it can have multiple benefits for your creative career or business.

Here are four compelling reasons why you should start using Google+ now.

1. Everyone’s on Facebook

I hear this a lot, as an objection to using Google+. But in fact it’s one of the biggest reasons why you should be using Google+.

How so?

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