Category Archives: Guide to Self-Publishing Fiction

You’ve written your book. It’s polished to perfection and you’ve been building an audience on your blog and social media. Now what? Before you launch consider drumming up a bit of excitement surrounding your book. Here are a few ideas to help you get the launch party started:

Increase Your Activity

A few weeks before you’re going to launch your book, consider increasing the number of posts you publish on your blog. Also, increase your activity on social media. Engage in more conversations. Post more content and share, retweet, and repin more material.

Hold a Contest

Everyone loves to win something. You can give away a copy of your book. You can also take it to the next level and give away an eReader like a Kindle or a Nook. Contests create excitement and awareness for your book launch.

Share a Sample

Give your audience an opportunity to read a bit from your book. Usually the first chapter or two is a good amount to share. When you publish, you will have the opportunity to give readers a sample. It’s always great to end the sample with a hook so that potential readers will want to buy your book to find out what happens next in the story.

Beta Readers

Consider releasing your book to a dozen or so beta readers first. Ask them for reviews and quotes. You can use the reviews and quotes to help market your book. If you have friends who are authors, that boosts your credibility.

There are other marketing opportunities that you might want to consider such as a blog tour, a virtual book-signing event, and don’t forget to invite your fans and email subscribers to share their thoughts about the book. What did they like about your book? Get people involved in your launch and ask them to spread the word. Ask for reviews. Reviews sell books!

Once your book has been released, continue marketing it actively and start on your next book. There’s nothing that boost sales like the launch of a second book. Studies on publishing have shown that book sales for prior books increase when you launch a new book.

Creating and publishing a book is hard work. The most prolific writers are able to release a new book two to three times a year. They’re productive and profitable because they have a system. Hard work can be incredibly rewarding and profitable. Create your own system and enjoy the process of profiting from your creativity.

Here is a great checklist to use as you go through the writing process. We have included the links to the other blog posts in this series for you to use as reference. You can download it here –  Creativity into Profit Checklist.

Your Book is Ready to Launch!

Have you ever read a self-published book and it looked like a self-published book? The cover was iffy and there were spelling, grammar, and formatting issues?

There is a preconceived notion that self-published books are often unpolished. Reviewers complain about it all the time. True, you’ll be hard pressed to find a traditionally published book that doesn’t have at least one grammar or spelling error in it, but if a self-published book has one then someone is going to point it out and they’ll be loud about it.
Protect yourself and your reputation by publishing the best book possible. You’ll receive better reviews, better word of mouth references, and more sales. Present yourself in a professional manner and you’ll be treated in kind. So how do you make sure your book is polished and professional?

Hire a Great Cover Designer

Great book covers don’t have to cost thousands. In fact, you can find superior covers that cost less than $50. Mark Coker has a list of formatters and book cover artists available at his site, Smashwords.com. (https://www.smashwords.com/list)
Before you hire anyone from this list or anywhere else, make sure to check their references, look at their portfolio, and read their terms and policies.

Last week talked about hiring an editor so let’s talk about the other element that can impact the look and feel of your book – the interior layout.

Hiring Someone to Format Your Book

You can format your book yourself. It can take a few hours and several attempts to get it right. You can also hire someone to manage the process for you. Here’s why you may wish to hire them.

Each publisher, Amazon, Nook Press (Barnes & Noble), iBooks, and Smashwords all have their own formatting rules and guidelines. If your book doesn’t meet them, it’s rejected and you get to start over. If you’re only selling and distributing your book through one organization then this isn’t as much of a big deal.

In fact, Amazon has the easiest formatting and interface. It’s also the distributor that has the biggest impact on sales for most self-published authors. However if you’re distributing your book through other retailers, then formatting and submitting your book can consume an entire weakened and be an exercise in frustration.

If you’re also printing your book, for example through Amazon’s CreateSpace, then that’s another step of formatting and approval. Hiring someone to do it for you ensures it looks like you want it to and gives you time to focus on marketing and planning your next book.

Southern Authors offers book formatting services. You do not have to be a member to have us format your book. You can learn more here.

Of course, before you hire anyone to help you polish and perfect your book, you’ll need to decide where and how you’re publishing it. Let’s quickly look at some of your options.

Self-Publishing Options

The first decision to make is if you’re going to publish digitally or if you’re going to publish a printed book. Most self-published authors find that their readers are primarily digital and that is where the majority of their sales are. However, some audiences like the young adult audience don’t really buy eBooks so print may be the best choice.

Research your audience. Also, you can do both. You can publish an eBook first and then use some of your profits to publish a print book. With print, you’ll have to buy an ISBN number for it and there may be some other small expenses like shipping the book to you for approval before you can sell it.

When it comes to digital or print publishing there are four retailers to put at the top of your list. They are:
• Kindle Direct Publishing – Amazon – https://kdp.amazon.com/ or https://www.createspace.com/
• Nook Press (a division of Barnes & Noble) – https://www.nookpress.com/
• Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/
• iBooks – https://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/

Note: Smashwords also offers you the option of using their distribution services to sell at Barnes & Noble and iBooks, as well as many other retailers and libraries.

Pricing Your Book

Before you can launch your book, you have to set a price for it. Look at other books in your genre. How are they priced? Mark Coker at Smashwords has found that books that are priced too cheaply tend to have poor sales and readers are harder on them in their reviews.

Many self-publishing success stories have found that a price of at least $1.99 or more for an ebook gives them the best results. You can launch at a promotional price and increase it after a month. You can also test various price points to find the one that your audience responds to the best. Keep in mind that people expect print books to cost more than digital.

In the last post in this series we will talk about launching you book. To read the other posts in this series click here.

One of the most important things to remember about writing a book is that the first draft is usually terrible. And that’s okay. It’s more important to get through it and get the words and story down on paper than to make sure it’s perfect as you go. Seize your inspiration and motivation to write your story and write it. Leave the editing for later.

This mindset allows you to write freely. You don’t have to worry about it being perfect, you can simply write and enjoy the process. The revision and editing phase is when you’ll go back and make it perfect.

Editing And Revising – Why It’s Necessary and What to Look For

Once your first draft is written, do something nice for yourself. Celebrate the accomplishment. You’ve written a book! That’s a tremendous accomplishment. Once you’ve taken a day, or two, to enjoy the glow of success, it’s time to get back to business. It’s time to edit and revise your book.

Here are a few steps and tips to consider as you create your revision process.

Create a structured system – Establish a certain number of pages or a specific amount of time that you’re going to read, edit, and revise each day. For example, you might edit 10 pages a day or spend an hour editing. The editing process can be unpredictable. Some days you may get through many pages and other days you may only make your way through one.

Read it though first – Read your book through first and make notes in the margins. Look for “big picture” things such as character consistency and plot rather than focusing on misspellings or confusing sentences.

Revise – After you’ve read through and made notes in the margins, go through and revise those sections. Again, some sections may take longer than others. It depends on the revision level that is necessary.

Edit – Once you’ve made your big picture revisions, consider going through your manuscript and cleaning it up. Make your sentences clear and easy to follow. Correct misspellings and grammar errors.

You may also consider hiring an editor to manage this step for you. A professional editor can cost anywhere from $500 to $1500 depending on their skills, experience, and the amount of time it takes them to edit your book. Some charge by the page, some by the hour. However, they may be able to do a better editing job than you, which can improve your sales. And you can use this time to start increasing the marketing for your pending book.

If you have published a book before, do you have any additional advice for fixing a cruddy first draft?

You can read the other articles in the series here.

Y\Your First Draft is Cruddy and What You Can Do To Fix It

You’ll sell more books if you have a platform. That is to say, you have a visible brand and an audience that is following you. It’s one of the reasons why identifying your genre is so important. You need to know who you’re going to connect with and what they like to read.

For many writers, the concept of marketing their book feels overwhelming and uncomfortable. However, think about it like this. It’s an opportunity to have discussions with the people who are going to read your book. These conversations are enjoyable and educational. There are two primary ways to reach your audience and begin having these conversations.
The first is to create an author’s blog.

Register your name, or pen name, as a URL. For example, www.stephenking.com. You can register quickly through Google Domains or any number of other domain registration services.

This is your author blog. WordPress is the easiest content management system to use and it can be installed quickly. You’ll also have to find hosting for your blog. You can do this through any of the dozens of hosting sites. We recommend HostGator. You can save 25% on your hosting account using coupon code SouthernAuthors.

Start Blogging

Write posts that you think your readers will be interested in. Many writers find that they blog about writing. Unfortunately, not only are there thousands of blogs and websites about writing, your readers don’t really care about the writing process. Instead, consider writing about:

• Your characters – post interviews with your characters. Talk about who they are and what they do.
• Snippets – Share short stories that are inspired by your characters. Share chapters or scenes. Begin building interest for your soon to be published novel.
• Relevant information – Do you write historical fiction? Share information that you learn in your research. Write paranormal? Share spooky “true” stories that you find online or have experienced. Write crime fiction? Talk about a recent case or investigation.

One mystery author’s heroine works in a bakery and the author shares recipes both in her books and on her blog. You can also share images that inspire your characters, scenes, and plot. Blogging doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Create and publish at least one post each week, more if you can manage it, and start promoting those posts.

Social Media

If you’re not using social media, start using it now. If you’re writing under a pen name, then create a profile page for your pen name. If you’re writing under your name and you already have a profile page or account with social media networking sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, that’s great.

Start sharing snippets from your blog. Link to your blog and other relevant information, which may interest your audience. For example, if you’re writing a children’s book then you might start linking to articles and news that parents are going to be interested in.

You might share statistics about early readers and the benefits of reading for children. Follow other writers in your genre and participate in conversations. Make sure that there is a link to your author’s website or blog so that potential and current readers can learn more about you.

Create a Following

Consider building an email list from the contacts you make on social media and on your blog. You can accomplish this in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas:

• Create a weekly newsletter and invite people to subscribe to it.
• Hold a contest, drawing, or sweepstakes and ask for email addresses to enter the event.
• Give something away like a free eBook as motivation to sign up
• By collecting email addresses, you can continue to build relationships with people who are interested in your fiction. When you do publish your book, you can send them a special announcement, offer them a promotional price, and reward them for being part of your community.

Okay, now that we’ve talked a bit about building your platform and starting the process of connecting with your audience, next week we will get back to your book.

If you are a Southern author, we can help you build your WordPress blog and/or help you with your social media promotion. Learn more here.

You can read the other articles in the series here.

How To Find Your Audience With Your Author Platform

Writing a book can feel like a big project. You’ll be carving out time in your day to write. You’ll likely be using skills that may feel new to you. And you’ll be pushing your boundaries. It’s an exciting time, one in which you may need to feel the support of others.

Family and Friends

If you feel like your friends and family are going to be supportive, share your goals with them. Most often, people will be quite excited to hear that you’re writing a book. They’ll pepper you with questions and you’ll feel motivated to continue. If you’re going to be writing at home, you’ll also need the support of those you live with. They need to know to leave you in peace during your writing time.

Critique Groups

Consider connecting with other writers to get feedback on your material. You can find online critique partners or groups. There are probably other fiction critique groups in your community. Keep in mind that what your critique partners say is only an opinion.

Listen to their feedback and only take away what feels useful. Let go of the rest. Remember, as a member of a critique group you’ll also be required to contribute your feedback. Smaller groups can be good because there are fewer members and less to read.

Writing Organizations and Associations

There are both community organizations and national organizations to explore. These writing associations can provide you with the information, support, and feedback that you need. There’s something quite inspiring and motivating about attending an event for writers. It makes you feel like you belong and that you are capable of achieving your writing goals. It’s also great to talk to others and hear their success stories.

Support for your writing goals is essential. Create that support system for yourself. Join a local writing group or association, find critique partners, and share your writing aspirations with positive friends and family.

Next week, we’re going to deviate from the process of writing for a bit to talk about promoting your book because the promotion process begins long before the book is finished. Ideally, you’ll have an audience of people waiting to buy your book.

Finding Support For Your Writing Goals

Did you know that if you write 500 words a day you’d have written a book in about five months? The average book length is between 70,000 and 100,000 words. 500 words is about two double spaced pages. You can write two pages a day, right? You can probably write more than that. Is 1000 doable? Then you’ll have a book in about 70 days.

Planning your writing requires a few key elements. The first is to set a daily writing goal. There are two ways to approach your daily writing goal.

Word count goal – For example, write 1000 words a day

Time goal – For example, write for an hour.

Here’s another situation where you may want to try both to see which best suits your needs and writing style. For example, you may be able to write 1000 words in twenty minutes. If you have more time in the day to write, then an hour a day may be a better goal because you’ll get more accomplished.

When you self-publish, there are no rules about how long your book should be. However, remember that you’re writing for your audience and they have preferences. You can look at a dozen books in your chosen genre and average the word count.

You might notice, for example, that fantasy books tend to be longer than mysteries and that young adult books tend to be around 60,000 to 70,000 words. This information can help you set your writing goals too, especially if you have a publication date in mind.

By the way, if you have a publication date in mind, make sure that your first draft is completed at least a month beforehand. You’ll still need to edit and format it before it can be published.

Another element that will help you is to create a supportive writing environment. Some people need to write in complete silence. Others write more effectively when they’re surrounded by strangers and noise. Some write better in the morning and others prefer the dark of night.

When striving to find your best writing time and environment think about….

• When your imagination is most active.
• What home distractions may prevent you from writing
• Where you might write
• What you might enjoy having around you as you write. For example, would you prefer to have an endless supply of coffee and free Wi-Fi or do you want to be surrounded by pictures of family and friends?

A famous horror writer says that he wrote his first book sitting in his car parked in front of a graveyard each night. Creepy, but productive!

Read the other blog posts in the series here.