A Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing

Let me start by saying, I'm no expert in the field of publishing. I'm self-taught and, by nature, I rarely read the instructions. So there are easily thousands of other authors out there who know more about this topic than I do, but I'm not sure how many of them have been able to find the time to map it all out for those just starting out. So, to the best of my ability, I wanted to take a moment to provide a few bullet points to getting started with self-publishing. This is by no means a full scale walk-through of the process, I encourage you to look into everything further.

You're going to need:

• A book idea (duh) and the gumption to put your heart down on paper, fully aware that not everyone who reads what you have written will love it, and that's okay.

• A few rounds of self-editing. Let the book breath between each round for a month or so before diving back in.

• Beta readers. These are a selection of people whom you know enjoy/read the type of book you have written.

• An editor. This is the part of publishing I have the least amount of insight on because I haven't actually used a professional editor yet, though I do intend to going forward.

• A Cover Design. Whether you want to use a stock photo as a cover, commission an illustrator to design your cover, or design your own cover image, you'll want to get a great eye-catching cover for your book.

• A Self-publishing Company. I use Kindle Direct Publishing but there are a few options out there. You'll have to do the research to find out which one works best for your needs. Another option is IngramSpark. I like KDP because it's a one stop shop and I don't need to make any upfront investments.

• Marketing. There are many different options for marketing your book but first and foremost connecting with readers and reviewers on social media platforms will be a valuable part of your advertising plan.

• Patience. You're going to be learning all the ins and outs of self-publishing and, while a lot of it is pretty straight forward, you'll be learning a lot on the fly. Formatting, cover design, ordering proof copies, and converting your book over to various other formats such as ebook, hardcover, and audio book.

I will do my best to cover each of these topics to give you a head-start and hopefully you can approach the process of self-publishing with a bit more confidence than before reading this.

Write the book: I'm not going to go into detail about how to write a book. I imagine if you're here then you've already got that part figured out. What I will say, however, is that when you're writing your book this is a good time to get your work formatted to fit the book you'll be writing. I publish my paperbacks as 5x7. When I'm writing my book I use that size "paper." I also make sure that the margins are the right size, format my line spacing, and I use the justify alignment for the main text of my book. I insert blank pages where I need them in order to ensure that certain pages like the cover pages, dedication page, chapter one, and acknowledgement page all start on the right-hand side when opening the book (I don't want them on the back of a previous page). I also have mirrored indents so that the inside seam of the book is bigger which ensures that words don't get lost in the seam of the page. I use page breaks to make sure the page numbers start on the first page of chapter one, to break up each chapter, and to break up any other divides like cover pages and such. Be sure to include a copyright page (usually on the back page of your first cover page as well.) For these small formatting details I refer to other books and I see how they do it and what I like.

When formatting your hardcover and ebook take the varying formats into consideration. For my hardcover and ebook I will tweak my original copy to meet those format requirements. For example, the pages of my hardcover are bigger than my paperback so I need to adjust the page size and margins again. Then I make sure everything else is neat and clean then save it as a new document. Then for my ebook I remove any blank pages and I change the margins again. You'll want to be sure for your ebook that you use page breaks to separate chapters. Also, for Kindle Direct Publishing they prefer that you upload your paperback and hardcovers as a PDF and your ebook as a Word Document. So make sure you save each version as a Word Document as well as a PDF so that you have both. (create all of these various formats AFTER you've had your book edited and read over by your beta readers otherwise you'll need to redo each of your formats again to include your edits.)

Editing and Beta Readers: Well, now that I've gotten ahead of myself, I guess it's as good a time as any to say that you'll need to edit your book a few times on your own to make sure that the book your beta readers are reading is as close to the book you want to be published as possible. After writing your first draft, let it breath. Leave it alone for a month or two if you can then read through it with fresh eyes and make edits as you see them. This will likely be the stage in which the most self-doubt and huge edits take place. "Why did I write that?!" or "What was I trying to say?!" will be regular phrases you mumble to yourself. You'll notice repetition or incomplete thoughts. Maybe you'll even notice that you need to add or remove scenes to round out your story better. It's okay. Don't question yourself, this is part of the process. Read through and let your work breath as many times as you need to in order to get the final draft you imagined before presenting it to your beta readers.

I'm not sure if other authors have their editor or their beta readers look over the book first but, for me, I would rather get feedback from my beta readers first. That way your editor can clean up what you've come up with after receiving beta feedback and you'll be ready to publish with all that in mind.

Cover design: The cover of your book will be what brings readers in. It's what sets your book apart as well as what lets readers know which genre your book belongs to. While we try not to judge a book by its cover, the fact is, cover design is a big part of why readers pick up a book in the first place, so make it good! My sister is my cover illustrator but I've also used my own photos as well as stock images I've purchased for covers in the past.

Publishing: The publishing process will vary depending on which company you go with. Either way, the sites are very user friendly and will walk you through each step. I use Kindle Direct Publishing to publish my paperback, hardcover, and ebook and I just started using ACX to convert my book to an audio book. These sites will walk you through each step and KDP even provides you with editing, cover design, and formatting options.

Marketing: There are paid promotions and marketing options out there, but because I don't use them myself I can't give any useful insight on them. I do the bulk of my promotion through social media, mostly with Instagram. The best advice I can offer you is to drop the cold call mentality for your marketing strategy. Don't go around copy pasting a pre-constructed message requesting reviews for your book or asking for follows to support your authorship. From a genuine place, seek authentic connection with readers and reviewers. Engage and interact with their pages, get to know them, build meaningful connection THEN and only then do I advise you to approach readers about your book. As an indie author you will be at a disadvantage because readers won't know who you are so the first step you'll need to make in marketing is to connect with readers on a personal level.

Giveaways are the next best way to reach more readers. You may also want to reach out to local venues that might be willing to host a signing event or carry your book in their store. Don't be discouraged, there will be plenty of doors that shut in your face. Not everyone will be able to support your book or host an event for you, but you will most definitely miss every opportunity you don't take.

Remember to be gracious with your readers and reviewers. Not everyone will love your book or be able to read and review it right away. If you want to have reviewers post their review by a certain time then let them know ahead of time. Most reviewers do this for fun and are not getting paid for their review or for hosting events. Their payment is the joy of reading and finding new books to love. It's your job as the author to protect that enjoyment and to not sour the experience. Word will get around quick if you're unpleasant to work with.

This is all a lot to do on your own and it might seem overwhelming when you look at the big picture, but I encourage you to take the process one step at a time and use the help and guidance that comes along with each platform. For each mistake you make or snag you hit, there's a lesson to be learned on the other side. I started my self-publishing journey in 2010 and, in the eleven years since, a lot has changed. I've learned an immeasurable amount about the ever evolving process of both story telling as well as publishing and I hope that I've managed to break down a bit of what I've learned in order to provide you with a good foundation to start in your own self-publishing journey.