If you want to be captain of your own ship, dive into self-publishing. You just need to know what you’re getting into when you take the plunge. I’m publishing my second book so I’m writing to you from the early stages. I’m still navigating the waters. Here are some tips that I hope are helpful.
·
Before
you are done with your manuscript, get on all the social media outlets:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Create a website and keep it
simple. My website is my name. Begin to put yourself out there as a writer and
make connections with other writers. Connect with both beginning and
experienced authors. I know some writers that wished they would have started
two years before their first book came out. These are also your connections to
editors, cover design artist, proofreaders, and promotion companies. It’s a
community that is willingly to give advice.
·
After
you write your first draft, put it away for at least six weeks. This is some
great advice from Stephen King’s book On
Writing. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and begin the editing
process. I found the website AutoCrit to be very helpful in teasing out
redundant word choice, passive verbs, comparisons to other writing in your
genre, etc. Put your manuscript through at least two more rounds of editing.
·
Find
yourself a great editor. This isn’t easy to do considering there’s a sea of
editors out there who want your business. The connections you have made through
social media and checking out author credits in their books will help you find
an editor. The hard part is finding an editor who understands what you’re
trying to do with your storyline. The connection between editor and writer is
crucial.
·
Hire a
professional cover design person. Start by looking at covers that catch your
eye both in your genre and in other genres. Do some research to find out who
did the work. Sometimes going against the trend can work in your favor. My book
cover has a lot of color when the trend was black and white or dark covers.
·
Once
you think your book is ready and finished, find a formatter. Formatting wasn’t
something I attempted to do. If you feel technically confident in this area
then go for it. But professional formatters know the little tricks, the latest
trend for books, and add a professionalism you may miss. I have found it’s not
that expensive and well worth it.
·
Put
together and ARC (Advanced Reader/Reviewer Copy) in both ePUB and mobi
(kindle). You can make a PDF yourself for those readers that want it. Start
building a reader group that will read, give feedback and write a review when
the book gets published.
·
Find a
promotion company that has been around a while, has a strong audience base on
all platforms and are professional. This is only the beginning of the promotional
journey. It continues forever.
·
There
are many ways to publish your book. There is Kindle Unlimited that some authors
swear by and they make money. But you have to only be published with them. Kobo
also does this but you can also put your book with other companies such as Nook
and ibooks.
·
You
should get ISBN numbers for both your ebooks and paperbacks. I took the plunge
and bought a package of 10 directly from www.Bowker.com. I knew I was going to
be publishing many more books so it only made sense.
·
Get
your manuscript registered with the copyright office. It’s inexpensive and
worth it. It protects you should anyone want to decide to make another book out
of your book. You can wait and do this within three months after publication.
·
The
promoting and selling of your book never ends. It’s constant. It changes over
time. My suggestions include Facebook ads, Amazon ads, Goodread giveaways,
Facebook Takeovers on other pages, Twitter ads promos, and making connections
with your readers through newsletters and website.
·
Your
readers want to know who you are as a person. Don’t make all your posts on all
platforms about your book. Show them who you are. Let them into your world both
personally and as a writer.
·
Last,
but not least, it costs money. The first year cost is probably the most you’ll
spend. If you plan to write for a long time then I recommend you invest in that
first year. The second year will be less expensive as you navigate what worked
for you and what doesn’t.
·
Making
inroads takes time. There are very few are overnight successes in this
industry. It’s hard work. Finding your audience can be challenging. The good
news, there are readers for every author.
·
Stay
calm and write on!
Kenzie lives with
her husband in New England . She has been
fortunate enough to travel all over the world to places like Africa, Greece,
Switzerland, Holland, France, England and, of course, Scotland. Edinburgh
https://twitter.com/kenzie_macallan
http://www.facebook.com/kenziemacallan
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2m3QoW1
Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboPreO
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6 Comments
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ReplyDeleteGreat post, thanks for sharing!
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ReplyDeleteWhat book would you like to see made into a feature film? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI would like to see my first book Truths made into a movie, then go from there. It's very hard to go from book to movie and have it translate.
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