Order in the Court…or the Self Pub Process!

So I did it (and it’s about time). I contacted a cover designer, peppered her with a million questions and I think she is the one…yay me!

But while I was conversing with her, she asked me a very simple question (or what should have been a very simple question). How many pages was my book?  You see, she needs to know this since she is designing the front, back and spine of my book since I will be releasing it in BOTH print and digital.

Now, you may be thinking, well duh, just open up your word document and it will tell you. Here’s the thing…in order to publish the book in print, it needs to be formatted. And I need to decide what size I want me book to be and what paper type I will be using. Then the formatter puts it all together and lets me know how many pages so that I can give the info to the cover designer.

Yep, you guessed it…I have to find a formatter first BEFORE my cover designer will work her magic. But wait! In order to give my book to a formatter, it has to be ready. And I still need to add some details and have a final proofreader go through it one last time.

Order in the court! Order in the self pub process! Step back away from the edge and regroup a bit. Time for one of my handy-dandy lists/schedules.

Complete the ‘other data’ in the book such as the acknowledgement page, dedication, copyright, etc.
Query proofreader and send book for final proof
Order ISBN’s (13 digit code assigned to the book).
Send finalized book w/ISBN included to formatter.
Send page number, completed cover questionnaire, back cover blurb to cover designer.

Whew…and here you thought it was a simple thing, right? Well, part of the fear for me was the unknown and as I head down this path I am learning a lot. But I also know that I have a lot more to learn and self publishing is ever-changing. Deep breath in.

So I decided that in order to tackle all this, I needed a list I could tape to my wall next to my computer monitor. One that I can use REGARDLESS of the self-publishing step I am on. Here goes (the first three should look familiar to you).

Be Fearless
Be Patient
Listen to your Gut
Don’t Panic
When all else fails, eat chocolate
When that fails, sit down and write a character, a scene, a chapter just for the FUN of it. Okay…now I remember why I am doing this.

Until next time.