Steps to Self-Publishing
Steps to Self-PubIn my last post I warned about driving while under the influence of writing. Now, I'm going to talk about the steps I followed in to getting a book onto book shelves.
A little disclaimer: these are the steps, and the order, I've used. It isn't necessarily the only correct sequence, and it's not necessarily what I would recommend. It's just how things have played out. And my book, while on virtual shelves is not yet on physical, so there may be learnings yet to come.
Because I'm also using bricks and mortar stores to distribute my book, I have encountered more complexity than other self-pub writers. However, I wanted to use real bookshops because:
I wanted to see how the process workedI really like seeing my book for sale!
Set out below are the steps I took. I will go through these in more detail in the next series of blog posts, as some are quite involved. But in the meantime if you're wanting more content, try Head or Heart by Nina Harrington. There is also a lot of information on the web - provided you have the time to search for it. To make it easier for me (and for you) I have pinned a lot of self-pub resources to my pinterest board. Feel free to have a rummage.
from wikimedia commonsPre ReleaseGet a tax number - an EIN or ASINIncrease social media presenceSource editorPurchase or design the cover artComplete the editingPlan marketing strategyCopy editProofingFormat print proofs (if doing a print book)Source distributor and printer (if selling to bookstores)Source marketer/publicistDevelop the Advance Information Sheet (AIS). An AIS is a summary of your book. Here is the AIS to Inner Fire and here is a brief summary of what it should contain.Formatting for e-bookFinalise on pricing, distribution and platforms for e-booksBuild pre-release buzz. Finalise which platforms you'll use. Begin pre-release advertising.Release
Post Release
Quality check your productAdvertisingPress releaseInterviewsEnter competitions/blog toursSpecial offers or further advertisingPrepare for next bookAnd that's it! So far, anyway. I might add more steps as I get further into the process.
A little disclaimer: these are the steps, and the order, I've used. It isn't necessarily the only correct sequence, and it's not necessarily what I would recommend. It's just how things have played out. And my book, while on virtual shelves is not yet on physical, so there may be learnings yet to come.
Because I'm also using bricks and mortar stores to distribute my book, I have encountered more complexity than other self-pub writers. However, I wanted to use real bookshops because:
I wanted to see how the process workedI really like seeing my book for sale!
Set out below are the steps I took. I will go through these in more detail in the next series of blog posts, as some are quite involved. But in the meantime if you're wanting more content, try Head or Heart by Nina Harrington. There is also a lot of information on the web - provided you have the time to search for it. To make it easier for me (and for you) I have pinned a lot of self-pub resources to my pinterest board. Feel free to have a rummage.
from wikimedia commonsPre ReleaseGet a tax number - an EIN or ASINIncrease social media presenceSource editorPurchase or design the cover artComplete the editingPlan marketing strategyCopy editProofingFormat print proofs (if doing a print book)Source distributor and printer (if selling to bookstores)Source marketer/publicistDevelop the Advance Information Sheet (AIS). An AIS is a summary of your book. Here is the AIS to Inner Fire and here is a brief summary of what it should contain.Formatting for e-bookFinalise on pricing, distribution and platforms for e-booksBuild pre-release buzz. Finalise which platforms you'll use. Begin pre-release advertising.Release
Post Release
Quality check your productAdvertisingPress releaseInterviewsEnter competitions/blog toursSpecial offers or further advertisingPrepare for next bookAnd that's it! So far, anyway. I might add more steps as I get further into the process.
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