So, you’ve decided to self-publish – what now? This blog will look at some of the steps you need to take on the road to published author, explaining what you should do and why. Remember that self-publishing, especially if it is your first time trying it, can be a long, difficult and time-consuming process to do well. Of course, the first question is …
Is Self-Publishing Right for Me and My Manuscript?
This is obviously a very important choice to consider; whether to go the more traditional route or go it alone with self-publishing. There is no one right answer, it very much depends on both you and your writing. I have blogs discussing the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing. There is also a look at some case studies.
The first step in your self-publishing journey should always be to consider all your options and weigh up the pros and cons of each one. This will be very subjective, but you may still want to ask family and friends for their opinion, particularly if they are also writers. Ultimately, though, it comes down to whatever you feel happy with, as you’ll be the one stuck with it!
The next question is what sort of self-publishing you want. If you just want to release, with minimal cost and time, it is perfectly possible to just publish it as an ebook on Amazon – they have a helpful step-by-step guide. However, if you are looking to make your book more professional and more like the results of traditional publishing, a bit more is required. It is this approach that this blog will focus on. So, your next step is …
Have a Manuscript!
For obvious reasons, you’ll need to have and finish your manuscript before it can go to print! Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything else towards publication before you have completely finished it.
Marketing, for example, should be started as soon as possible to allow it to gain traction before release so that you can get some sales almost instantly when it is published. You can keep fans up-to-date with your progress through self-publishing and offer sneak peeks to get their interest.
Also, if you are planning to write a series of books, it may be a good idea to have a draft ready of the next one in the series, so that you can release it fairly soon after the first one, before interest wanes. You can then do all sorts of marketing with this, building suspense about where the next book is going, selling the two as a bundle once they’re both released or including a sample chapter of the second one at the end of the first.
Another important thing to do at this stage is to finalise the title of your book, so you can use this in marketing and in dummy layouts of your book. If you are going to have a subtitle, decide on this now too.
Make the Finishing Touches
The final touches to your manuscript include the title and subtitle, but also things such as the blurb for the back cover, any taglines you want on the back or front, whether you are going to include quotes from early readers praising your book and, if so, what they are.
You should also write a book description at this point that you can give to booksellers or put on sites like Amazon. It can be the same as the blurb if you want, but you could also add a bit more here if you think it might help draw readers in.
You could have several descriptions of different lengths, according to what seems suitable; maybe a short one that’s only about 40 words, a medium one that’s about 100 words and a longer one that’s up to 250 words. This allows you to tailor your pitch to the place you are trying to sell it.
Marketing
Now that you have your manuscript, title, blurb, several descriptions and any other final touches, it’s definitely time to get your marketing going. This will then keep running all the time you are doing the rest of the preparation and continue after publication (and possibly into a sequel). There are lots of different ways to approach this and I have more on this topic in my blogs Effective Ways to Market Your Self-Published Book Online and How to Market Your Self-Published Book Offline, with a wide range of different tactics you can use.
One of the best ways to market your book is just through networking. This can be online or offline, intensive or relaxed, but just try to engage people and get them interested in your writing.
You can do this online by using social media to interact with fans or potential fans, answering questions and giving previews of your work. You can also use social media to keep followers up-to-date on your progress through self-publishing – you could have the official cover unveiling, the final blurb, etc. – all things to gain and keep interest high.
Offline, you can talk to friends or people you meet at networking events about your book – it is a good idea to have several “pitch” type spiels of different lengths ready for this. You can then choose whichever length is appropriate to the time you have and interest they have expressed. This is another excellent opportunity to engage with them and answer any questions they have about your writing.
Getting Feedback
It’s a good idea to get a vague feeling for how your work will be received. There are a number of ways you can do this, one obvious one being to hire a beta reader. They will purely look at your storyline or structure and style of writing and offer feedback on this: what worked and what didn’t, as well as what else might improve it.
Alternatively, if you are a member of any clubs for authors or have writer friends, this can be a good place to reach out for feedback, with the possibility of you doing the same for them when they need it.
After this, your book may well need a developmental edit or manuscript evaluation before you can consider it complete enough to move on to the next stage. I have a blog with more information about the different types of editing, so you can look at what you need.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this series will help you on your self-publishing journey. If you have anything to add or any questions, please leave them in the comments below and stop by next time for Stage 2 – First Steps.
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