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Do You Take Pride in Your Work? The Indie Author's Guide to Self-Publishing Well
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Transcript of Do You Take Pride in Your Work? The Indie Author's Guide to Self-Publishing Well
#1: Revise, Revise, Revise!Revision is an integral part of any
author’s pre-publishing process.
Remember that creating and
publishing quality content must
always take priority over publishing
more content.
Though you may feel like more is
better, focusing on quality will save
you a lot of headaches and tedium
for the sake of quantity in the long
run.
It’s always better to publish a high
quality book once a year rather
than a crappy book four times a
year.
#2: Take a Break & Hire an EditorEven if you’re not able to afford the “best
of the best,” you should at least hire
someone to do a basic copyedit. If you’ve
done your job as an author in the revision
process, then that should be all you need.
If not, go back to the drawing board… we
all have to at one point or another ;).
If you insist on not hiring an editor, you’d
better have the best damn spelling,
grammar, sentence structure, and
wording you possibly can, otherwise your
work will be deemed “just another crappy
self-published book.”
Let’s destroy that negative stigma once
and for all.
#3: Yes, Everyone Does Judge a Book by its Cover!
By now it’s no secret that exceptional book cover
designers charge a lot… usually $400 is what you
can expect to pay for a highly personalized, highly
professional, marketing-mindful book cover.
You don’t have to pay that much, but you should
definitely be aware that your book cover is like your
book’s face… everyone will judge it! Purchasing
decisions will be made based on your book cover
and the way it looks. If it looks amateurish, too 90’s,
or unbalanced in its design, chances are that it
won’t do all that well based on its cover.
Don’t worry – you can usually hire someone on
Fiverr for around $50 for a book cover that will at
least somewhat stack up against the competition.
#4: Publishing a Book is LikeBirthing a Child… You’re Not Done Yet!There is a lot of work still left to be done even
after you publish your book, namely all things
that the word “marketing” encompasses.
When you self-publish a book, your hats have
to be worn all at once sometimes. This means
that, if you’re planning to do your own launch,
marketing activities, and promotions, you
should begin planning this during your
revision phase and have a solid (somewhat
simple if it’s new to you) marketing plan to
follow once your work is out in the world.
#5: If You’re Uncertain, Get HelpNo matter what phase of your book’s
production you’re in, if you find yourself
stumped, overwhelmed, or drowning in
new information, you should reach out for
help… or hire someone.
The best way to figure out exactly what to
do is to ask questions in self-publishing
support groups on Facebook. There are a
lot of knowledgeable people in these
groups (including Yours Truly, although I
definitely don’t know it all, lol), so it’s an
excellent place to begin if you’re on a
budget.
You can also reach out to ask questions
at No Bull Self-Publishing at any time for
free ;).
#6: Be Patient – It’s Worth It!Patience is, in fact, a virtue… anyone
who has ever gone from impatient
and angry to patient and peaceful
can attest to this!
Be patient with yourself.
Be patient with anyone you hire.
Don’t be a pest and call or email
every single day with the same
questions if you do hire someone.
Your book deserves to be its best,
doesn’t it?
Take a deep breath…. It’s worth it.
#7: Learn from Your Mistakes & Don’t Give Up!
Very few people get it right the first time, so don’t
sweat it. If you’re really nervous, go ahead and put
something of value out there and see what feedback
you get. You can test the waters on Wattpad or another
writer’s social media site where you can share your
work.
It has often been said – and written – that the biggest
difference between success and failure is one simple
thing: perseverance.
Some of the world’s most incredibly successful people
went through a whole lotta shit before they “made it.”
Countless bands, entrepreneurs, authors, and CEOs
have failed more often than succeeding, but… they
always get back up and keep trying.