How I Self-Published My First Book in 10 Steps
And what I learnt along the way
My self-publishing journey began with a desire to publish my writing in the face of failure and rejection. Put simply, I got way ahead of myself and sent the first un-edited draft of my book to agents. It was awful, so no surprise that it wasn’t picked up. I was so excited to get my writing seen that I don’t think I even asked my husband to read it. Enormous mistake!
I think at the last count, 35 agencies said no. When you first start writing, you have no clue what you’re doing, and through this process, I have learnt so much.
Clueless
At my lowest point, I came across an author who wrote in the same genre of books, and I asked for her advice. Her words changed my life ‘If I could do it all again, I would self publish.’ I had no idea that this was possible or what it meant.
With new impetus and an understanding that my writing career was not over before it started, I researched how to do it. The internet has been a great friend to me over the last few years, and it can be for you if you are specific about what you’re looking for.
1. Don’t rush it
One of the best pieces of advice I can give is don’t rush it. I know you’re excited to share your writing with the world, but something that has been a labour of love should be done properly. If you cut corners, you run the risk of publishing something sub-standard, then no one will read it anyway.
2. Edit, edit, edit
Reading your book through with a red pen is not editing; neither is asking your other half or your mum to have a read. Unless you are a highly experienced writer, you will be too close to the material you’ve written, and you won’t be objective, neither will your loved ones.
I paid for two edits. Now, this wasn’t cheap, but because the book has been read and critiqued by two very experienced professionals, I know it is of good quality because I received constructive and objective feedback. At times it was a little hard to read, but that’s a good thing.
There are two types of edit: developmental and line.
Developmental edit
This was invaluable. This edit is not about correcting grammar or adjusting speech marks. The editor reads your manuscript and will give you feedback about plot structure and how it links together. They also examine characters, how they behave within the story, and if an element does not ring true, they will point this out.
I knew the story in my head so well that I couldn’t see where it became confusing. My feedback was so constructive it significantly improved the plot structure. Chapters that didn’t fit were removed, new ones were added, unnecessary characters were cut, and I was able to re-structure the order of the chapters so that the story had greater coherence.
Without this initial edit, I wouldn’t have been able to identify and work on glaring errors that readers would undoubtedly notice, who would probably give my book a 1 star.
Re-structuring was difficult because I had to unpick plot elements and put them back together more logically. However, once I had done this and re-read it, there was a significant improvement in the story structure.
Line edit
A line edit is a final edit when you are sure the story and characters are well constructed. It’s the fine toothcomb edit where your grammar, spelling, punctuation and glaringly obvious mistakes are identified.
Even at this stage, I was still making changes because as my writing became slicker, I could see the prose more objectively with the unnecessary waffle removed. I began to feel really proud of what I had written because it felt like an actual book.
You’ve worked so hard on your writing, don’t do it a disservice by not getting it edited properly. I know that money is an issue, but if you’re a first time writer like me with no experience, you need the help of a professional.
3. Develop a presence
Before I started this process, website building was a mystery. I rarely posted on social media, and I had no idea how Instagram worked. I created a website using Youtube tutorials, using 3 different themes before settling on the final version.
I also created an author page on Facebook, began posting more regularly on Twitter, and developed my Instagram presence. I am a pretty private person, so sharing things on social media has really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
4. Establish a mailing list
This is something I would recommend building long before you launch so you have an established audience. I set up an account with a mailing list service provider and created a reader magnet. This is bonus material about your book that your readers can only get if they sign up. My magnet is information about the images and locations that inspired settings within the story.
Although this didn’t particularly help me with the launch of this book, I know that this will pay dividends for future launches.
5. The right cover
Once your book is in its final form (it never feels like this will happen), then it’s time to prepare for publication. The saying is well-meaning, but we all judge a book by its cover. Again, I went to an expert to get this done. It is possible to do this yourself, and there are many different graphics packages you can use. Still, for me, the critical part of the cover was making it sit alongside my competition, so it didn’t look like an amateur.
Your cover is the first thing that potential buyers are going to see — it has to do the job; otherwise, all of the beautiful prose within your book will never be read.
6. It’s all about the blurb
After your cover, you must entice your readers by whetting their appetite for your book. The blurb is the next thing on which your potential readers make a judgement before they make that final click. It’s here that you need to give them just enough detail to get them hooked and eager to know more.
7. Distribution
Deciding where your book is going to be available is a big decision. Because I’m so new to this, I have decided for the moment just to use Amazon while I find my feet. There are many other platforms for you to choose from, for example, Apple, Barnes and Noble and Kobo, to name a few.
You can either decide to go exclusive and just use one or wide to list your book in several online stores. Read what each site has to offer and make the right decision for you.
8. Formatting
Your finished manuscript may have been completed on a word, pages or even Google docs file, but you then need to convert it into the format required by your platform. There are many videos on Youtube about how to do this, so fear not.
9. Metadata
Once you’ve uploaded your book, you need to think carefully about the keywords and categories your book will appear in. As a new author, unless you have built an enormous following of thousands of potential readers, you need to be smart about which keywords and categories you choose.
Although my book is a thriller, tens of thousands of competitors vie for the number one spot. I had to select specific sub-categories to improve the visibility of my book to prevent it from getting lost.
10. Marketing
If you only tell your friends and family about your book, only your friends and family will buy it. Selling myself is out of my comfort zone, but it’s essential if I want people to buy and read my book. Social media, making connections and engaging with others in the writing community is definitely the way forward.
You need to drive traffic to your website or book page and encourage those all-important clicks. I am still feeling my way through this, and I’m running advertising campaigns through Facebook and Amazon. The important thing is to gauge their impact and use strategies that work for you.
Invest in yourself
The only way I knew how to do all of these steps was because I invested in an online course that helped me through each step. You must do your research and not jump into things if you are not 100% sure what you’re doing.
Writing a book is a challenge, and anyone who achieves this goal is truly amazing because so many start and never finish. Self-publishing is not easy, but it’s well worth the time, effort and multiple mistakes to be able to share your writing with the world. A determined writer always finds a way!
