Whether you’re about to dip your toe into the self-publishing waters, or are an experienced writer, you’ll probably know that there are no quick fixes when it comes to self-publishing, or anything else in life that’s worthwhile, if we’re honest.
You won’t find a ‘silver bullet’ solution here, but you will find some sound advice on how to succeed as a self-published author.
Here are some of the cold, hard truths about self-publishing.
Read More…Think you know what it means to self-publish? Do you have a preconception in your mind about the ‘standard’ of a self published book or book cover, the ‘quality’ of the writing, or the credibility of the author?
In this day and age, lots of the things you already think you know about self-publishing are actually unwarranted.
Many people have a gut reaction when they hear about self-publishing. They think it’s somehow traditional publishing’s ‘poor relation’. That it’s what you do if you can’t get an agent, or your work isn’t good enough to entice a traditional publisher into backing you.
But this simply isn’t true any more.
Read More…Most people think that having a big publisher, an unlimited advertising budget, a PR consultant on speed dial, and a flashy cover are the things that can help you find success with your book.
And while these factors, if you’re lucky enough to have them, can no doubt contribute to your success, there is ONE simple (and free) thing that the majority of authors overlook.
It’s a very simple thing that you can do in a few minutes, with just a little research. And overlooking it can certainly make your sales suffer, without you really knowing why.
What is it?
One thing we frequently discuss with aspiring authors is whether it’s possible to build a reputation, and a successful writing career, with just one book.
The simple answer is, no. To be recognised as an author, you really need to have the weight of several books in your repertoire, but really the discussion is about whether you can launch a writing career with just one book under your belt.
There are arguments for both sides. Let’s be honest, it’s a struggle to get your first book out into the world. Not just the mammoth effort of actually writing the words, but the huge learning curve to navigate editing, formatting, cover design options and self publishing platforms. Not to mention the post-publication marketing efforts to actually produce any sales.
You know that saying ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’?
It’s probably a bit like that with you and your book.
You’re so close to it, it’s very hard to see the objective viewpoint.
But there are people who can help you with this – they’re called beta readers.
Beta readers are ‘test’ readers for your story. They’re unpaid and work as volunteers rather than ‘professionals’.
We talk a lot on our blog about how to promote your book once it’s been published.
There’s a good reason for this. So many authors spend months and years working very hard on completing and publishing a book.
But their downfall is actually selling their book.
When it doesn’t sell, they think there must be something wrong with the book itself; the quality of the writing, the planning of the plotline, the believability of the characters.
But it’s likely to be none of these things.
There’s usually only one reason a book doesn’t sell:
Bad promotion.
If you’re about to publish your first book, are you undecided about using a pen name, or writing under your real name?
It seems to make sense that you should decide which name to use right from the start, as the name you write under will then be set in stone forever. But is this actually true?
Well, first let’s consider WHY you would want to use a pen name.
The obvious answer is to ‘hide’ your real identity. But what are the benefits of doing this, and are there any drawbacks?
Here are some of the pros and cons:
For the purposes of this blogpost, I am drawing a distinction between these two terms.
Let’s look at the dictionary definitions:
Writer
noun
noun: writer; plural noun: writers
a person who has written something
Author
noun
noun: author; plural noun: authors
someone who writes books as a profession
There you have it. The crucial difference between the two.
Now, not every writer wants to become a professional, and this is fine. Some writers are publishing academic papers, or a family history only intended for a select group of people.
But if you’re a writer who dreams of calling it your career in a few years, there are certain steps you need to take. You need to build a bridge to get from being someone who writes, to being someone who writes as a profession.
Here are nine suggestions to help you make that leap.
Those of us who don’t work in a creative environment think it must be very hard for those ‘arty types’.
All that sitting around waiting for the inspiration to hit them.
Artists, musicians, writers… What do they do all day while waiting for the lightning bolt idea to strike?!
In fact, any designer, actor or author will tell you that waiting for the ‘sunbeam through the clouds – ta da!’ is total nonsense.
You have to practice your craft ALL the time. Even when you have no ideas. You keep going.
I want to start this blogpost firstly by saying: don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
That’s how we all learn. When we’re children, we try to walk, fall over, get up and try again, and think nothing of it. As adults we’re just out of practice at getting things wrong, or perhaps we never put ourselves in the position where mistakes are possible.
The best thing you can do to avoid unnecessary mistakes is to arm yourself with as much information about writing and publishing as possible. But life is a learning curve and none of us would be where we are today if we didn’t get it wrong sometimes.
Here are some tips to help you on your way:
