Want to start self-publishing and need some practical tips? Here’s a guest post from Alice Kuipers on Wattpad:
When I was starting out as an author, not so very long ago, the main route to becoming published was to send work to agents, to publishers, to wait, to hope, to dream. For most writers, there were many, many rejections along the path to publishing, and I wrote lots of novels before my first published book finally found a home.
In the last few years, there’s been a huge shift in the publishing industry. Lots of authors still find traditional publishers for their books. But a huge, industrious group of authors have discovered the joys and challenges of self-publishing their writing. I have worked with several authors here in Saskatoon as they’ve honed and perfected their words getting them ready to self-publish and I’ve watched them with joy on the all-important night of their book launch.
There are some things to think about when you self publish. One terrific site for authors who want to self publish and who want everything I’m about to list already organized for them is Bibliocrunch. They provide editors, book designers, advice and ideas on budgeting. What more could you ask for!
1. Edits. Have you finished your book? Have you edited your book? Do you need to spend more time going over the text? Once the book is published, you CAN’T change it without republishing the whole thing. Spend the time and even the money working on editing so the book is perfect. If you want to work with a professional editor, there are lots of options. Here’s one recommendation for editor Laura Backes from a wonderful writing resource: Julie Hedlund. For a list of editors you might want to work with, check your local writers’ guild, or go here.
2. Book design. Are you able to do this yourself? Do you need help and a professional eye? Where do you want to invest your money – I’d suggest the editor and the book designer, but it depends on your project and your own set of skills.
3. BUDGET. I’ve capitalized this because it’s crucial. How much can you afford to spend? How many copies do you think you can sell? Be realistic, but let yourself dream too. Outline an ideal outcome and an ideal budget. Go back over steps one and two – who can you really afford?
4. Timeline. Conventional publishers take a long time to publish books. But you could self-publish a book as often as you finish one. However, you might want to sit and think about how often you publish and how long it’s going to take you to get your project into shape. Think about when’s a good time for a launch – ten launches a year and you might wear out your audience. What else is going on in your life? Is it realistic to want to have the book out in the world in a month when you won’t have time to promote it? What’s a good time of year for your book particularly and for your life in terms of working to promote the book.
5. Promotion. Use your social media networks to promote yourself. Write a press release and send it to local media. Have a book launch – it’ll be fun and help you recognize your huge achievement. Think about the ways you could make your book launch unique. Contact writers you know to see if they’ll blurb or review your book. Set up a blog tour (where you post for various blogs and they share news about your book with their followers).
6. EPublishing. Digital printing is much easier than print publishing. There are fewer costs involved and once you have the book as a PDF it’s fairly simple to get it out there to readers. Lulu, Kindle Direct, and Bibliocrunch, which I mentioned earlier, are three great sites for digital publishing. If you decide to make your book solely an eBook, you may not think you need a book launch, but I think the book deserves a party of some sort. Think creatively about a place to host the party that fits with the themes of the novel (an ice skating party for a book about hockey?) Get attendees to review your book afterwards online and rate it. Ask them to recommend your book if they enjoy it. Word of mouth is still the best way for a book to find new readers.
Celebrate your achievements. And then go and write something else. Self-publishing is an exciting journey. Forgive yourself when you make a wrong turn and enjoy the good days. For any writer, the good days are when the words flow and when a reader says to you I loved your book. Thanks for writing it.
Now that you know more about self-publishing, what’s next? Ready to build a fan base, get writing feedback, or connect with readers and writers? Wattpad is the place for you. Find out more here.