In the many years that I've been book blogging I have come across several bloggers that tell me they are writing a book. I've also worked with and currently work with many self-published authors. Some do it very well and I love discovering these Indie gems, while others could do better. I thought this article on the basics of self-publishing would be interesting to any of my readers that are contemplating this route.
Self-Publishing
101: The Hard Lessons to Know Before You Publish
Self-publishing
has given people the ability to publish their own work. These people
might have been rejected by traditional publishing houses for any
number of reasons. The work did not fit what the company published,
the company had already published too many that were similar that
year, or they might not have liked it. Self-publishing gives people
the opportunity to have their work out there, to legitimize their
hard work, and to even have full rights to their own novel.
Publishing
through a publishing house has many benefits, from professional and
financial support from your submission to the final print. Publishing
houses edit, format, design a cover, and print your novel. They will
then put your novel into bookstores; they put money into advertising.
They do the heavy-lifting of post-writing for you. They can also take
away a lot of your power. When you are self-publishing, you need to
do this work for yourself.
Start
with a Great Book Cover
The
old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is both sound and
also unrealistic. There are so many books to choose from – Google
estimates there are more than 129 million books, and more are being published each year. If you
want readers, you will have to stand out. Use a book cover maker to create a beautiful cover for your novel. The more
eye-catching the cover is, the more likely someone will choose to
read your novel’s blurb.
Have
a Captivating Description
The
next thing you need to do is make sure your novel’s description is
captivating. You must hook your reader in again and again to convince
them to stay and read all the way through. Make them pick up your
novel with a beautiful book cover, and convince them to read your
novel with a compelling description. Several drafts will be needed.
Online
Marketing
The
secret to anyone’s success is marketing. As a self-publisher, you
will need to take the reins and create a unified marketing campaign
that will not only attract new readers to your novel; it will also
grow and nurture a community. You want fans. You want people who love
your writing and who love you as an author. You want to have a
growing group of readers who will be there for your next book. You
need to promote yourself, and your book, without sounding like spam.
- Have a Website
Having
a website is a wonderful way to bring everything about you (or your
book) into one place. You can include Q&As, excerpts, news, and
more. Have your website be your home base where you draw readers in
and direct them to your novel.
- Be on Social Media
There
are billions of users of social media out there. Build a following on
social media to direct potential readers to your site, and to grow
your fan base.
- Interact!
This
one is the most crucial – you will want to interact with people you
meet, both online and offline. Build a community of fellow writers,
nurture your relationship with your readers, and you will have a
support system that helps you and follows you for years to come.
The
last thing to know is that self-publishing is hard work. You need to
take on the jobs of several people, and you need to do them well.
Once your book makes it, however, you’ll be so much happier with
having full control, rather than relinquishing creative power to a
publishing house.
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