I could talk on and on about needing to write your book and blah blah blah, but we already know the basics. You can’t start a self-publishing journey without a book. It just won’t work out. Which would indeed make these self-publishing tips worthless.

Now, let’s pretend you’ve already written your book and are readying to release it out into the world. Here is where things become a bit tricky because there honestly is no one-size fits all method to self-publishing. Something that works for one author doesn’t work for another. Same goes for your books. 

Let’s take my debut, Not Like Everyone Else for example. I ran my own blog tour and built interest with my blogging friends from Twitter. It helped a little, but sales have been slow. Now, my second book, The Stranger I Knew releases in August, and I can already tell that the methods I used to promote Not Like Everyone Else are not working as well for The Stranger I Knew. This process is one that is delicate and fluctuates a lot. 

Don’t let that deter you from taking the self-publishing route because you can be successful! So let me tell you my top tips for self-publishing.

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Read – A LOT

There are so many amazing self-publishing resources out there so take advantage of them.

My favorites include:

Master Self-Publishing by Jennae Cecelia

This book is fantastic for beginners learning marketing for the first time.

How I Sold 80,000 Books by Alinka Rutkowska

This book depicts multiple ways in which you can market your book and the tools to complete your marketing goals.

Youtube

Learn everything you can from watching author and writing Youtube channels.

Google

The internet contains almost every answer to your questions.

Whether a book or just a simple search, the information you’re looking for is right at your fingertips. Keep on searching and you’ll be sure to find what you need to be successful.

Find Your People

You need a support team that is going through much the same process as you. So go out on Facebook or in real life and find the people that are traveling on a similar path. They will help motivate you and keep you on track even when you think your work sucks and it should never see the light of day.

Timing is Everything

You need time to market and build interest around your book, but you have to do it when your audience will care. This can be difficult to figure out, but finding your timing between releasing your cover and your book is important.

You also want to be aware of the time of year. It’s best to publish right before the time of year your book is aimed for. For example, a Christmas book would be best published in November when people are getting into the holiday spirit. By being aware of your timing, you’re more likely to be successful in your publishing journey.

*These are only examples and I have not proven this to be fact*

'You need time to market and build interest around your book' Bound to Writing's Tip on #selfpublishing Share on X

 

Don’t Rush

Much like the last tip, don’t rush to complete your project. Do it on your time and make it as perfect as you can. (And then maybe a little more because we can’t stop that inner editor of ours!) 

You want the world to see the best version of your book the first time around. Make sure that is the book you let them see. 

Get Help

Self-publishing doesn’t have to do a solitary journey. Let your friends, family, and community (those people you found above) help you. Let them read a chapter. Or the whole book. Use their advice to help improve your story. But make sure that you don’t let their opinion side-track you from the main goal of your story. After all, it still has to be the story you want to tell.

Edit the Crap Out of Your Story

Leave no stone unturned when you edit. Remove that scene that doesn’t work. Change a character’s name. Make the story work not for only yourself but your potential readers as well.

When in doubt remove it and put it in a side document. If the story really needs that piece of information, then you will find out in a future draft. Don’t miss it? Then it wasn’t really necessary.

'Make the story work not for only yourself but your potential readers as well.' Bound to Writing's Tips for #selfpublished authors. Share on X

 

Hire People

Let’s face it, we can’t do all of the work for our stories. Or maybe you can and kudos! But we should all have some hired help. Whether it’s for your book cover or an editor. Finding someone that will help you create the best piece to bring out into the world is important in self-publishing.

I’ve found that Fiverr has some good people for a good price. However, there are many freelancers that can be willing to help you out. Or you can always go to Google.

Find Your Audience

Finding your ideal reader is important. You want to make sure the people you’re putting your energy and money into are the ones buying and reviewing your book. It’s good that other people outside of your audience are buying your book, but those are not the people that you’re aiming your efforts towards. 

Set A Competitive Price

Make sure your book is at a competitive price. You don’t want to be too high where no one will want to buy your book. On the other hand, you don’t want to be too low where people think your book is low quality. Finding a happy place for your pricing comes down to checking out the market. By seeing what similar books are charging, you can price your book accordingly.

Write Another Book

Well, duh?! Why didn’t I say this one sooner? One book is never going to be enough. Imagine having 12 books and someone falls in love with one and buys all 12! But if you only have one book, that same person only has that one book to read. So keep on writing and self-publishing your unique work!

'So keep on writing and self-publishing your unique work! Share on X

 

Do you have any self-publishing tips or questions you want to be answered? Email me at boundtowriting@gmail.com or comment down below!

What’s your best self-publishing tips? Do you agree with my tips above? Talk self-publishing with me in the comments down below!

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