Self-Publishing Sum up
Create a professional book
A cover that stands out
Professional Editor
Beta Readers
Create your Brand
Find your Niche
Website
Social Media
Social Media Groups
The Launch
Amazon Paid Adverting
Self-Publishing has a bad rap. Well, it did. What was its reputation originally? Well, it was the authors of non-fiction and fiction who weren’t decent enough to get traditionally published, those who couldn’t get past those dreaded Gatekeepers in the publishing world.
But, they just look for what sells.
But, they just don’t understand what I’m writing.
But, but, but, you may be right.
It’s true, the publishing market is a tough one, no matter what you’ve written. Whether it be a book on how to rent your place as an Air B&B, or business advice in a COVID world or a fiction book about blood thirsty killer bunny rabbits, you can do it all yourself, and yes, it may be true great work that hasn’t been yet realized. But another great reason to self-publish is to have complete creative control and keep all the profits yourself.
Yes, that’s right. What you have created will all come down to you. You do it all from scratch and keep the rewards. But that means you’re a one-person show. So, it’s essential to know what you’ve got coming for you.
The question is, what’s the biggest struggle for self-published authors today?
Most authors want to do the creative; that’s why they truly love what they do. Not the business aspect. But, what initially a publisher would do, you do now. But that’s okay. While reading this, you’ll learn the steps to get you started!
FIRST, CREATE A PROFESSIONAL BOOK!
Stating the obvious here, but you must deliver the most professional product that you can—here’s where to start.
A Cover that STANDS OUT!
But, Andrew, I don’t judge a book by its—
YES, YOU DO! And that’s okay. Everyone does. It doesn’t matter how incredible your story is or how delicious that prose you wrote rolls off the tongue. If it won’t catch the attention of the buyer, FORGET IT! A great cover is as vital as the story. Some would say the most important thing. And this is where many self-publishers fall short. YOU absolutely, positively need to invest in a great cover. No, ifs, ands or buts. People are buying books online, skimming through amazon with an attention span of 3 seconds. Have a cover that grabs eyeballs and gives them a shake!
GET AN EDITOR
Don’t cheap on this step. I hate to blow your ego, but everyone needs an editor, and oh boy, you’ll hear about it. People want no spelling errors and flowing sentences. This is an absolute must. We’re all sure you can write well, but nothing beats a fresh, professional eye on the project.
BETA READERS
The people you choose to read your book before it’s published are incredibly important and they are the fresh eyes and honest voices for your book. Avoid giving it to your parents, who always think what you do is amazing, or your grandma, who keeps reading the same passage as she forgets where she left off and tells you it’s the best book she’s read since Gone With The Wind. Find friends who were never afraid to say to you if you looked funny in that shirt.Also, Fivver has freelance beta readers who’d be happy to tell you. If you’re clear of any critiques of your book, that’s a bad sign. It would help if you heard the honesty. Heck, it’s better to listen to it from friends or collogues than one million strangers who will eat you up for spelling errors, plot inconsistencies or incorrect facts.
SECOND, CREATE YOUR BRAND
How do we do that?
FIRST, FIND YOUR NICHE
Depending on what you are writing, you have to find out who your audience is. With that, you know who you’re selling to and know where to find them and how to attract them. The ways to do that is find writers who have the same audience. See what they’re doing. Check out their website, the social media platforms? that they use. How are they using those platforms? What keywords are they using in amazon when they publish their book.
WEBSITE
Every author needs a website. As a self-published writer, let the world know that their project is out there and that there are future projects to come. You can hire a professional web designer if it’s in your budget, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably just starting on your journey as a self-published author. Many will build their websites with sites like WIX, SQUARESPACE or WEEBLY and many others.
SOCIAL MEDIA
When self-publishing, find one or two social media platforms that you find that your audience is geared towards an older audience, maybe go with Facebook or Twitter. If it’s for a younger crowd, Instagram. Post with caution though. People want posts with content that is useful to them. Find what that is.
JOIN SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS
This is a great way for people to find out that you’ve got books for people to read or one to soon come out. If you’re self-publishing creative fiction, say a horror novel, then you can find all sorts of horror literature fans interested in what you’ve got. If you are writing a business book, join groups about what you’re writing about and engage with these people.
BUILD AN EMAIL LIST.
When it comes to gathering readers, you NEED to build an email list when self-publishing. The most popular used for authors is Mail Chimp. This is so important because you want to build up an audience for your future products and any sort of news or content that is important for your past clients to know.
THE LAUNCH
If you are starting out as a writer or a seasoned professional who types away at the local café sipping fine espresso wearing a black turtleneck and scarf on a boiling hot summer day, the launch of a product is important. Set up and plan how you will use your social media platforms to let the world know about your product. Consider many things you could do. Give the world a taste of your book. Either you are posting a passage of your book for folks to read, or you are reading it out loud on video. You could post pictures of the book or even make a book trailer to get people engaged and excited. The possibilities are endless.
AMAZON PAID ADVERTISING
Amazon, with no question, is the largest book retailer in the world. It is even the reason for the self-publishing revelation. To say you’d never use it is a big mistake. This is where most people go. It’s an ocean of readers ready for you to catch. So, use what the site has to offer. The best thing you could use is its Amazon advertising. It’s paid, but it’s barely felt out of your pocket. Amazon will help you find readers looking for the content you want to provide through their algorithms and the key words you use. So, use this opportunity.
CONCLUSION
Being a self-published author is a creative and business-minded profession. Most Authors, much like Mark Dawson, will tell you that your day consists of your morning of creative writing. You are working on the project that you will be selling and the last half of the day of marketing your books and getting them out there. Whether or not writing is a creative endeavour or if you’re selling a book for your business, now has never been a better time to be an author. Since the Corona Virus hit book sales online, eBooks and Audiobooks have soared in sales. Now has never been a better time. So, write that book and get it in people’s hands.
References
https://www.editionguard.com/learn/marketing-self-published-book/