My Self-Publishing Journey
Self-publishing a book is not for the faint of heart. I decided to go this route so that I could maintain full control of the entire process. I also know that not all of the books written are selected for publication. It took a total of 6 months from the time I wrote the draft to the book being available on Amazon. If you are considering self-publishing your own book, the timing couldn’t be perfect. There is plenty of information out there - I will give you the abridged version!
Steps I took to self-publish:
Research, research, coffee break, and then research
There are so many things to learn and luckily, there is a world of information on the topic of self-publishing. Spend some time reading and thinking about the steps you should take. Don’t wait until the last minute to think about the formatting. Not all illustrators will package the book for publishing, but I was lucky in my case. Hardcover or paperback? If you are publishing a book through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), which is Amazon’s self-publishing platform, there is no hardcover option. You can still have a hardcover available but you have to go a different route than KDP. Think about your target audience, and what the cost of your book should be.
Write the draft
In my heart of hearts, I’m a writer. It’s what moves me. So when I sat down to write the draft of My Uncle is an Alien, I completed it in one sitting. Of course, there were several revisions along the way. But the start, middle (well, part of it) and end was all there. Once your draft is completed, make sure you have someone proofread it - even if you are an excellent writer, a fresh set of eyes can never hurt. The draft was written like this: one box had the text and the adjacent box had the creative direction written out.
Get approvals early on
If you are using an actual place, like my son’s school in my book, make sure you get proper approval and any associated disclaimers. This can take some time, so be sure to plan for it. In my case, the Board of Education had to vote to grant me permission to use the school’s name.
Find an illustrator within your budget
Illustrators are not cheap, but give yourself some time and you will find one within your budget. Shop around and make sure you ask for samples. Some artists are even gracious enough to mock up samples for free. I used Upwork to find talent such as the illustrator and the proofreader. Upwork also provides contracts and takes care of the logistics. You will need to add payment information ahead of time, as a guarantee. Tip: before hiring your illustrator, make sure you have every detail down from your characters and how they will look to the color of their clothes, etc. This will save you time in the long run, and money.
Make sure to copyright your work
You can register your work online here. Associated fees can be found here. While it can take up to 3 months to have your work copywritten, I received the copyright certification in less than 2 months.
Promote, promote, coffee break, and then promote
Once your book is available on Amazon, make sure you create a buzz. KDP has campaigns where you can purchase ads on Amazon and you pay per clicks. Have a launch party, contact local newspapers and have fun!
The above is not meant to be a step-by-step guide, or provide counsel. It’s a quick overview of the steps that I took to become a self-published author. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
