How to Successfully Self-Publish a Book
Thanks to the recent self-publishing boom in the past few years, more and more people are looking to get their own words on the page and out into the world to see. There are few things more inspiring than having published your own book. From nonfiction to romance, there’s room for everyone in the world of self-publishing.
Have you considered publishing your own book? You’re probably wondering how exactly to do just that. If you think there’s more to it than simply typing up your book and clicking publish, you’re right. If you’re serious about getting your book noticed, you need a strategy for self-publishing that works in 2019. Here’s how to successfully self-publish a book today.
Contents
1. Actually Write
Writing a book is a daunting task. This is even more intimidating when you realize that the average novel is around 80,000 words long. While ebooks lend themselves to being shorter in length, you’ll still want to have at least 20,000 words before you move onto the next step.
So how do you actually write the book, especially if you have no experience? You don’t need an English degree or creative writing classes. The key is to write every day. The more you practice writing every day, the stronger your skills.
One of the best ways to get through your first draft is with a no editing challenge. It’s tempting to stop every few pages and edit your work. This slows you down. First drafts are meant to be bad, so don’t worry about typos or confusing story elements. Just get the words on the page. There will be time for editing later.
2. Use an Editor
Unless you’re Hemingway, you need an editor. In fact, even if you’re Hemingway, you need an editor. Editors help us develop our own writing, and they see things we can’t. When you edit your own work, you can’t see it clearly. You’re too close, and you won’t notice small details that you’ve seen too many times.
Using a skilled editor and beta reader will help you develop your book further. From plot flow to typos, you want your book to be taken seriously by your readers. Make sure it’s the best version possible before you start publishing.
3. Design Your Cover
Your cover design matters. We all know books are judged by their covers. One of the benefits of self-publishing is having more control over the design of your book. However, that doesn’t mean you should take this task up on your own. The only reason you’d want to do the design on your own is if you’re an experienced cover designer. If not, leave it to the professionals.
You can find the right cover designer on a platform like Fiverr or Upwork, or just do some searching on your own. From there, think about how you want your readers to perceive your book. As we said, they’ll be doing a lot of judging based on what they see.
4. Find Your Platform
There are a lot of platforms to know how to self publish a children’s book. You can choose Amazon or Kindle if you want to keep it simple, but there are also a lot of well-regarded indie publishers to help you through this process. Use a tool like SearchForPublishers.com to find the best platform or publisher for your book.
From there, it’s time to submit your masterpiece. Depending on the platform you choose, you might need to purchase an ISBN or other publishing security. This is where you’ll finalize things like your author’s bio, your synopsis, and more. Take your time to get it right.
5. Market Your Book
Finally, everything’s not fine and dandy after you hit publish. Don’t start celebrating just yet. It’s time to market your book. Why publish a book at all if nobody reads it? Luckily, it’s easier than ever to get your book out there and noticed.
The easiest way to market your book is by having an existing following. This can be built on YouTube, social media, or even at in-person book events. Find your audience of readers and build relationships. Otherwise, put yourself out there with social media ads, free chapters, and by sending copies to book influencers.
Are you ready to rocket your book to self-publishing success? If so, follow these tips above. While publishing a book on your own takes time, it’s worth it. Your words are about to be out there for readers across the globe to cherish. What an accomplishment!
