If you are a n00b in the world of publishing and self-publishing, have I got a treat for you!
At the beginning of the year, I had just finished writing my first novel, In the Days. It was sitting on my computer, all shiny and read to go somewhere. A friend of mine recommended that I self-publish it, which meant…what?
As a total newbie, I had no idea what to do to self-publish my work. I'm a writer, plain and simple. All of the other aspects of publishing a book beyond typing it out was--and still is--a bit beyond me.
I turned to the one thing that has rarely let me down: my good friend Google. Typing in "how to self-publish a novel" led me to all kinds of interesting resources, particularly a book called Let's Get Digital.
Published by David Gaughran, this book is stuffed with pretty much everything you'll need to know to self-publish your own book. You'll find that it's got a TON of valuable information, and it will basically walk you through the process of writing, editing, and publishing your book.
Here's some of the stuff you'll find in the e-book, which is totally free on David Gaughran's website:
- Why you should self-publish (Hint: The royalties are much higher if you can get your book to sell)
- How to produce a professional-looking manuscript
- How to format the book so it can be uploaded to Amazon and the other online book retailers
- How to set up your own blog or website to start getting your name out there
- How to figure out the price for your book
- The importance of finding an editor and beta readers(a term I had never heard before)
- Why it's so essential to have a professionally designed book cover (thank you Marie Story for mine!)
- How social networks and online networking can help you sell more books, meet more people, and expand your author base