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Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher
Are you dreaming of your own career as an independent author and self-publisher?
This concise handbook covers the four key elements every self-publisher must oversee for successful book publication: 1) editing, 2) creating cover art and blurbs, 3) formatting and uploading books, and 4) marketing. Focused advice will help you maneuver these key elements, whether you outsource or learn to master them yourself.
You'll also find a bonus section with practical tips from seasoned independent authors.
Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher is your one-stop for basics on everything you need to get started and excel as an independent publisher.
HEATHER DAY GILBERT has independently published four books. Her debut novel, God's Daughter, has remained on the Amazon Norse Bestseller list and Amazon Norse Top-Ranked list for over one year. Her contemporary mystery, Miranda Warning, is the successful start to the Murder in the Mountains series.
This concise handbook covers the four key elements every self-publisher must oversee for successful book publication: 1) editing, 2) creating cover art and blurbs, 3) formatting and uploading books, and 4) marketing. Focused advice will help you maneuver these key elements, whether you outsource or learn to master them yourself.
You'll also find a bonus section with practical tips from seasoned independent authors.
Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher is your one-stop for basics on everything you need to get started and excel as an independent publisher.
HEATHER DAY GILBERT has independently published four books. Her debut novel, God's Daughter, has remained on the Amazon Norse Bestseller list and Amazon Norse Top-Ranked list for over one year. Her contemporary mystery, Miranda Warning, is the successful start to the Murder in the Mountains series.
- GenresNonfiction
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
5 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Heather Day Gilbert
41 books862 followersHeather Day Gilbert, an RWA Daphne du Maurier Award-winning author and 2-time ECPA Christy Award finalist, enjoys writing contemporary mysteries/psychological thrillers and Viking historicals. She brings authentic family relationships to the page, and she particularly delights in heroines who take a stand to protect those they love. Avid readers say Heather's realistic characters—no matter what century—feel like best friends. When she's not plotting stories, this native West Virginian can often be found hanging out with her husband and four children, playing video games, or reading Agatha Christie novels.
Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.
Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 2, 2015
Thinking of going indie? Do you know how to integrate keywords into a blurb? Why you should probably pay someone else to do your covers? How to build buzz for your book?
Gilbert’s book addresses these questions and much more, covering the four main elements of indie publishing: editing, cover art/book blurb, formatting/uploading, and marketing. (Gilbert’s solid marketing tips alone are worth far more than the price of the book.) The book is beautifully organized, which means it’s not only an easy first read but also a handy reference book to return to time and time again. And that’s important, because this book is for the seasoned indie author as well as the first-timer.
Gilbert’s book addresses these questions and much more, covering the four main elements of indie publishing: editing, cover art/book blurb, formatting/uploading, and marketing. (Gilbert’s solid marketing tips alone are worth far more than the price of the book.) The book is beautifully organized, which means it’s not only an easy first read but also a handy reference book to return to time and time again. And that’s important, because this book is for the seasoned indie author as well as the first-timer.
January 21, 2017
Updated January 2017: Still a great and informative read. Heather is so encouraging and gives a lot of helpful information for those wanting to learn more about what it takes to be self-published.
This was a great resource for beginning indie authors!
She gives great resources and advice on how to accomplish your goals of being a published author, but being the "overseer" of everything surrounding your novels. It was a great overview of indie publishing in a nutshell that I needed to consider before deciding if I wanted to begin an indie writing career.
I recommend this book to anyone considering what an indie author needs to do in preparation of launching their career and the details involving it.
This was a great resource for beginning indie authors!
She gives great resources and advice on how to accomplish your goals of being a published author, but being the "overseer" of everything surrounding your novels. It was a great overview of indie publishing in a nutshell that I needed to consider before deciding if I wanted to begin an indie writing career.
I recommend this book to anyone considering what an indie author needs to do in preparation of launching their career and the details involving it.
May 9, 2016
Super Helpful
My hand is cramping from all the notes I took. Every paragraph is a noteworthy tip. Thanks Heather Day Gilbert!
My hand is cramping from all the notes I took. Every paragraph is a noteworthy tip. Thanks Heather Day Gilbert!
December 20, 2014
This handbook is a useful resource for two kinds of folks out there: 1. Someone who has a dream of self-publishing and doing it right, hitting all the areas that one needs to cover, but doesn't know what is involved or even how to start and 2. Someone more like me who is new to SP, but still values hearing from more experienced folks on the phases/elements in a concise, organized manner.
While I am not a total newbie, this is the kind of short, not time-consuming overview/checklist/resource that is handy and that I wish I had had a year ago when I firmly decided to learn about and enter indie publishing.
Look, it's not easy to do anything new. If you are thinking about self-publishing and want something to orient you, guide you, but not in-depth, just enough to get give you a sense of the scope, practices, skills, activities you have to either learn or outsource to get your self-publishing business going, this is it.
Please don't go into this thinking it's in-depth and comprehensive. Look at the page count. Look at the blurb. This is short. You can read it through in less than an hour. This is not a textbook on Indie Publishing. It's something you can print out, use as a learning checklist, visit the resource links, get encouragement from the quotes, etc.
I'd recommend this to people starting out in self-pubbing who may not want to traipse through various blogs and books just to get an idea of what they have to do in this kind of enterprise, but just want the information collected in one place. Then if you notice you're weak in one area or don't know anything about one of the elements--say creating blurbs or hiring an editor or proofreader--you can Google it, ask questions, etc.
Starting point for the confused or uninformed or curious. That's this handbook. Clear, simple, brief, useful.
While I am not a total newbie, this is the kind of short, not time-consuming overview/checklist/resource that is handy and that I wish I had had a year ago when I firmly decided to learn about and enter indie publishing.
Look, it's not easy to do anything new. If you are thinking about self-publishing and want something to orient you, guide you, but not in-depth, just enough to get give you a sense of the scope, practices, skills, activities you have to either learn or outsource to get your self-publishing business going, this is it.
Please don't go into this thinking it's in-depth and comprehensive. Look at the page count. Look at the blurb. This is short. You can read it through in less than an hour. This is not a textbook on Indie Publishing. It's something you can print out, use as a learning checklist, visit the resource links, get encouragement from the quotes, etc.
I'd recommend this to people starting out in self-pubbing who may not want to traipse through various blogs and books just to get an idea of what they have to do in this kind of enterprise, but just want the information collected in one place. Then if you notice you're weak in one area or don't know anything about one of the elements--say creating blurbs or hiring an editor or proofreader--you can Google it, ask questions, etc.
Starting point for the confused or uninformed or curious. That's this handbook. Clear, simple, brief, useful.
January 10, 2015
A quick but thorough overview of the key areas that every indie author needs to address, this short handbook is well-worth reading for the published and unpublished writer alike. Gilbert gives guidelines, tons of tips she's gleaned from her own experiences, and in-text online resources that help the published author tweak their game-plan and the unpublished author prepare for what lies ahead. As I've come to expect from this author, the book is cleanly-edited, has distraction-free formatting, and offers clear writing without over-simplifying things. Highly recommended!
December 11, 2014
If you're a writer debating between pursuing traditional publishing or going indie, this little handbook tells you what you need to know about being your own publisher. You won't be overwhelmed, because Heather sticks to the basics and keeps it simple and concise. She takes you through the four big steps of publishing your book, from editing all the way to marketing. So if you're having trouble wrapping your mind around the world of indie pubbing, look no further.
April 11, 2015
Informational and very easy to read. Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher by Heather Day Gilbert is indeed a nice, little handbook. It was short, but I feel like I definitely know more now.
Recommend for those looking into self-publishing.
Recommend for those looking into self-publishing.
January 18, 2016
Short and on the money
So many how-to books out there are padded with filler. Pages of this and that. This gem has great advice on every page, clearly explained and so helpful. Author did a fine job.
So many how-to books out there are padded with filler. Pages of this and that. This gem has great advice on every page, clearly explained and so helpful. Author did a fine job.
May 23, 2020
Very helpful resource. Wish it was longer but it’s good condensed information for those interested in learning about publishing their own books.
July 25, 2017
I'm fairly certain I highlighted about 25% of this book... and took lots of mental notes to come back later and read sections again. This book jumped into the helpful information right from the start, and was a quick and easy read. Heather Gilbert even answered many questions I didn't even realized I had, or corrected assumptions I didn't realize I'd made. Good book!
October 18, 2015
Heather Day Gilbert's self-publishing success is one other indie publishers would like to emulate. "God's Daughter," Gilbert's first book, sits atop Amazon's Norse Best Seller list. Obviously she knows what she's talking about when she says she knows what it takes to successfully self-publish. Better yet, she's willing to share that knowledge with others. "Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements For the Self-Publisher," takes about an hour to read and isn't really a handbook. It is more of an overview with sound advice on the "musts" and "shoulds" of investing both time and money on self-publishing, and solid gold advice in the "don't skimp on these" category. I gave this book 4 stars because Gilbert provides an honest look at her path to success and assures novices in the field that with a well-written book, the proper attitude, and a will to succeed, they, too, can be a best-seller. I reserved one star because this book is more of an overview than an actually handbook -- even so, it is worth reading and heeding! (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.)
January 19, 2016
This isn't a detailed how-to book, but it's a clear overview for the writer considering indie-publishing. As the author points out, with the ever-changing publishing market and internet strategies, the most current advice will come from regularly-updated blogs, not from a book. She recommends a few places to start.
What this handbook does is look at the four key elements: editing, cover art/book blurb, formatting/uploading, and marketing, using her first novel as an illustration. Readers likely won't try to retrace her exact steps, but this gives a good idea of the process.
The book concludes with a bonus section of advice from multi-published indie authors.
If you're considering self-publishing, this would be a good place to start.
What this handbook does is look at the four key elements: editing, cover art/book blurb, formatting/uploading, and marketing, using her first novel as an illustration. Readers likely won't try to retrace her exact steps, but this gives a good idea of the process.
The book concludes with a bonus section of advice from multi-published indie authors.
If you're considering self-publishing, this would be a good place to start.
March 16, 2019
Short but Very Helpful Handbook
When I say it's short, I don't mean it as a bad thing. It's the perfect length to read, think about what has been said, and read it again. Gilbert has all the topics nicely categorized so that it's easy to go back and review just one section again. All of the tips were helpful. This would be great for both beginner author's, never before published authors (especially if you want to know what you are getting into with indie publishing) and author's that have published a couple times. I think she covers just about every topic and offers valuable resources that she has found tried and true. Definitely going to keep this book handy.
When I say it's short, I don't mean it as a bad thing. It's the perfect length to read, think about what has been said, and read it again. Gilbert has all the topics nicely categorized so that it's easy to go back and review just one section again. All of the tips were helpful. This would be great for both beginner author's, never before published authors (especially if you want to know what you are getting into with indie publishing) and author's that have published a couple times. I think she covers just about every topic and offers valuable resources that she has found tried and true. Definitely going to keep this book handy.
October 2, 2017
Helpful
Helpful book to lay out the main things you need to consider when you want to Indie publish. It was a quick read so you have more time to get busy doing the things it lays out.
Helpful book to lay out the main things you need to consider when you want to Indie publish. It was a quick read so you have more time to get busy doing the things it lays out.
April 12, 2015
A must read for indie authors!
September 7, 2015
A short book filled with lots of great advice for any author.
September 20, 2015
This is a great primer for authors interesting in beginning an independent career. Gilbert honestly and coherently covers the important basics from editing and production to promotion.
January 24, 2022
If you are looking for a book that will tell you how to accomplish each step of the self-publishing process, then this book is not for you.
If you are looking for a book that will serve as a list or guide of the different steps to expect when self-publishing, then this book is for you.
I've been considering the possibility of self-publishing, but frankly, I felt at a total loss for where to begin researching. How do I look up and learn about the different parts of the process if I don't even know what they are in the first place? This book equipped with an indie publishing to-do list so to speak that I can follow to know the different elements I need to learn about.
If you are looking for a book that will serve as a list or guide of the different steps to expect when self-publishing, then this book is for you.
I've been considering the possibility of self-publishing, but frankly, I felt at a total loss for where to begin researching. How do I look up and learn about the different parts of the process if I don't even know what they are in the first place? This book equipped with an indie publishing to-do list so to speak that I can follow to know the different elements I need to learn about.
October 10, 2024
This handbook is a concise guide written by a self-published author for the self-published author. Heather Day Gilbert gives personal advice on editing, creating cover design, formatting, and marketing. As a Grace Award winner and bestselling indie author, she succinctly offers a one-stop coaching session on the basics of getting started as an indie author.
August 20, 2020
Informative Handbook
I thought this book had great advice for those interested in self publishing. Good resources and tools to take with you on the journey.
I thought this book had great advice for those interested in self publishing. Good resources and tools to take with you on the journey.
February 4, 2015
Not enough
There is so little substance in the book. I was expecting some detail or tips. It was like a here is what you need to learn. It read more like a to do list than a guide.
There is so little substance in the book. I was expecting some detail or tips. It was like a here is what you need to learn. It read more like a to do list than a guide.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews