By 
0
0
Writing is wonderful, and being a self-published author is fun in terms of the creative control and freedom you get. Figuring things out along the way can be stressful but fascinating. For anyone interested in self-publishing a novel or looking for advice on where to begin, here are some things I’ve picked up on.
Editing
You’ve written your book. Fabulous! Now you need to get it edited. All books require some form of editing. We’re subjectively tied to the story and an impartial reader will see things we didn’t see. Editing is especially important when self-publishing. Traditionally published books go through multiple rounds of editing, paid for by the publishing house. To compete, you need to produce a quality product.
There are three main types of editing.
Developmental/Content Editing
This is when the editor goes through your manuscript and looks at the story. They look for plot holes, consistency, character development, pacing. They tell you what works and what doesn’t, and give tips on how best to present your work based on the target audience. This is typically given in the form of an editorial report, although there are editors who will do in-line edits on the text (I’ve never ordered that because it’s much more expensive).
Another cheaper way to do a content edit if you can’t afford a professional editor to get beta readers. Beta readers are crucial if self-publishing. They will read through your work and give you feedback on the points mentioned above. Fiverr is a great platform for finding beta readers and editors. Of course you want to find the best person for your book (and what’s affordable). I recommend looking around a bit and trying out a few different editors. (Have linked ones I’ve used at the bottom of this post.)
Copy-editing
This focuses on the technical points of the story; sentence structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency, fact-checking. Ideally, once you are happy with your overall story and plot, you want to have this done as a way to make sure your book reads nicely. Think of it as cleaning out the cobwebs, cutting down on unnecessary text or repetition of adjectives, verbs etc.
Proofreading
This is the final part (publishing houses typically have two rounds of proof-reading. If you’re self-publishing and can’t afford that, one round is fine). This is the final polish, the final check for spelling, punctuation, grammar or typos that the copy-edit didn’t pick up.
Pre-Publishing
So your book is all primped and ready to go, but there are still a few things you need to take care of.
Cover
A good cover is essential for a good book as it’s what readers will see. You want a cover that reflects your novel in a way that is eye-catching and clear. I like simple covers; anything that clearly reflects what the story may be about. Some people spend hundreds of pounds on a cover. Again, if you go on Fiverr there are loads of affordable designers. The woman I use, oliviaprodesign, is fantastic. Affordable, swift, and clear on the changes I ask for.
ISBNs
All books have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) which makes it easier for libraries, wholesalers, bookshops etc to identify the book. I made the mistake of using free Kindle Direct ISBNs for my first two books. This was a mistake because in order to have wide distribution (will touch on that in a second), you need your own ISBN. A Kindle Direct ISBN will get your book published in print on Amazon, however then makes it tough to get it elsewhere (especially as most bookstores don’t like Amazon for obvious reasons).
Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)
These are copies of your book you will send to book bloggers/critics for review. You can send them as a PDF or a physical copy, depending on what the bloggers accept. This is important because reviews are a way for readers to see other people’s opinions on your book, and will drive traffic to your book online. If you’ve never published anything then it is tough to get people to buy your stuff as they have nothing to go on; why should they pay money for something they may not enjoy? Reviews give an honest yet critical opinion of your work so readers can see if they want it or not.
Facebook groups
I’ve found joining facebook indie author groups to be super helpful in navigating what I’ve been doing. I’ve gotten advice from authors also self-publishing. It all feels so tough and over-whelming, but knowing other people have done what you’ve done and can give you some pointers helps a lot. Facebook groups are also a good way to find bloggers and book reviewers, or do book swaps with other authors.
Distribution
Self-publishing authors need a service to distribute their books. Kindle Direct Publishing is free and Ingram Spark is meant to be very good. Beware of ‘vanity publishers’, or self-publishing companies that charge you hundreds of pounds upfront to publish a book. I nearly did this with a company called ‘Matador‘. I would have had to pay for printing, type-setting, ISBN, cover, barcode. Basically all the stuff I got for free with Kindle Direct Publishing.
Not saying that they are a bad company, however why spend money to get your product produced when you can publish it yourself for free? Plus I would have had to pay money on top of that for marketing and promotion as their services only included the cost of producing and publishing the book.
Kindle Direct Publishing
This is Amazon’s free self-publishing service which anyone can use to upload and publish ebooks and print books. Amazon have their faults, but Kindle Direct Publishing is an incredible service. It means you don’t have to wait around for some agent or publishing house to take you on (or give hundreds of pounds to a vanity publisher). Amazon is a major company in the literary market and publishing with them makes your book available to millions.
If you want wide distribution as well as Amazon distribution, do not use the free KDP ISBN. Purchase your own from your country’s supplier. (In the UK it is Nielsen.)
Nielsen Title Editor
Once you have your own ISBN, your book will be available on Nielsen’s database. This means it can be distributed to bookshops via wholesalers such as Gardener’s. It can be supplied widely, and is on their database should any shops be interested in stocking it.
Ingram Spark
Ingram Spark is a distribution platform where anyone can upload and publish their books and have them distributed to different retailers and libraries. (Is an American service however they do international distribution as far as I’m aware.) You do have to pay an upfront fee but it gives you access to your book being in shops and libraries which is tough to do if you only have it available via print-on-demand on Amazon. Many authors who are self-publishing use Ingram Spark for wide paperback distribution.
Draft2Digital
If you make your book available in ebook form you can publish it exclusively with Amazon to have it in Kindle Unlimited, and you don’t need an ISBN. If your book gains more attraction with Kindle Readers then this is probably for the best. However if you want to have a free ebook or push your ebook on other digital platforms, then I recommend Draft2Digital as a simple service that gives access to Apple, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and loads of other digital platforms!
Marketing/Promotion
Aaaand this is the trickiest part (the struggle is real right now). Other authors I’ve corresponded with in Facebook groups have said that things pick up once you have 3-5 books in one genre. The more you publish and put yourself out there, the more things will start to come your way. I’ve been contacting schools and libraries for months (not much response but gotta keep trying!) and am looking in to literary festivals.
I’ve also been contacting local bookstores to see if they will supply my book. (Again, registering it with Nielsen is important so you can have access to their wide distribution services. Wish I’d have known this months ago so I would have bought my own bloody ISBNs rather than using the free Kindle Direct Publishing ones!)
Hope this helps someone anyway and gives a little feel for my ‘journey’ into this strange world of self-publishing!
This article was written in 2019, when I had three published books. As of 2020, I have five published books. All are 99p/c in eBook format. Available from a wide range of stores, including Kindle, Kobo, Apple, and Barnes and Noble.
Paperbacks of my books available here
2020 Marketing/Promo Update (for self-publishing authors)
During the pandemic, I have been spending a lot more time on marketing. Here are some tools I can recommend.
Email Marketing
Building a mailing list IS KEY. Offer a reader magnet, i.e. a free book/sample chapter that people can download upon subscribing to your mailing list. You can download my poetry book ‘Art is a Waste of Time‘ for free upon joining my mailing list. I send a newsletter once a month. It has been trial-and-error, but I’ve built up hundreds of subs this year. I use MailChimp. Other popular sites include Mailerlite, Wix, ConverKit, EmailOctopus, and FloDesk.
Sites to grow your email list:
StoryOrigin. Let’s you cross-promo with other authors, and offer reader magnets. Plus it’s free, and aimed at authors who are self-publishing.
Booksweeps. You can join mailing-list builder promos relevant to your genre.
Authors XP. A site filled with promotional materials for authors. Amy is great and efficient.
Voracious Readers. A site let’s you distribute ARCs to readers for reviews. You can add readers to your mailing list.
Advertising
Amazon and Facebook ads. I recommend purchasing Publisher Rocket, software made by Dave Cheeson. This helps massively with Amazon ads. I have had monthly sales via Amazon consistently since doing this.
Reviews and Other Promo
Itsy Bitsy Book Bits are a promo site that are FANTASTIC for getting reviews. You can upload ARCs to Booksprout, BookFunnel or Storyorigin, and then distribute them. BookCave and The Fussy Librarian are other sites I have used for promo, directing in sales.
Editors I can recommend
Jericho Writers. Brilliant but pricey. I got a wonderful editor’s report for ‘Every Last Psycho’ that assured me I wasn’t writing bullshit. The report was in-depth and several thousand words long and I received it within 3-4 weeks.
WritersServices. Less expensive but less ‘thorough’ than JW. Copy-editor did a good job on ‘Every Last Psycho’ and I also got a firm but well-needed report on a novella I almost published at the end of 2018.
Word Nerd Editing. Oh. My. God. I wish I had known about this woman sooner! The job Monica has done on copy-editing ‘Anne’ is fantastic (going through it is a little intimidating – in a good way). What I love about this service is she provides services that combine the different editing types.
Her developmental edit is a three-pass option that includes developmental, copy-edit and proof-read, her copy-edit is a two-pass option that includes copy-edit and proof-read (which is what I ordered for ‘Anne’) and then she has her standard proof-read plus a final proof-read at a flat rate which is recommended for work that has already been edited thoroughly and just needs a final set of eyes.
Fiverr Creatives I’ve worked with
Oliviaprodesign is a fantastic cover designer who I have used for my three books so far.
Bethany Votaw gave me excellent beta feedback on ‘Anne’. (Without her, the novel would have been 85K words rather than 70K.)
Swmentha and Anna Baker are two people who gave me beta feedback on the novella I was going to publish end of last year (but decided to put on hold).
