Alexi Lawless
Honestly, self-publishing is so easy these days, there’s no reason not to sit down and see what you can produce. There are a few things you need to seriously consider before you begin:
*You Will Need an Editor* Don’t even THINK about producing something without a professional’s help. If you’re an avid reader, you know there’s nothing more irritating, unprofessional and off-putting as a badly edited manuscript. A good editor can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 in my experience and you’ll need to bake in time for the back and forth of the developmental edit, copy edit and final proof reading process. You can find a great list of editors at Duolit.
*You Will Need a Formatter* You’d think this is easier but it’s surprisingly difficult to get all the ePublishing and Print-On-Demand formatting done. And unless you’re highly technical, it’s worth the relatively inexpensive cost to outsource this to professionals who are incredibly responsive and quick on the turnaround. I work with Paul Salvette at BB eBooks. He’s amazing. Completely worth all the time I saved not worrying about this.
*You will Need a SOLID Book Cover* Fork out the cash to get a quality book cover design. You can crowdsource it or hire a designer based off of another cover you really like, but either way, you should absolutely spend the time and money to get this right because let’s not kid ourselves--Everyone judges a book by its cover.
If you’re an amateur writer or just thinking about the process, I’ve also published the LAWLESS Rules of Writing Like a Boss (http://alexilawless.com/lawless-rules...) based on the learnings from my own experience with this process. Hope this helps encourage you to take the leap and do it!
*You Will Need an Editor* Don’t even THINK about producing something without a professional’s help. If you’re an avid reader, you know there’s nothing more irritating, unprofessional and off-putting as a badly edited manuscript. A good editor can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 in my experience and you’ll need to bake in time for the back and forth of the developmental edit, copy edit and final proof reading process. You can find a great list of editors at Duolit.
*You Will Need a Formatter* You’d think this is easier but it’s surprisingly difficult to get all the ePublishing and Print-On-Demand formatting done. And unless you’re highly technical, it’s worth the relatively inexpensive cost to outsource this to professionals who are incredibly responsive and quick on the turnaround. I work with Paul Salvette at BB eBooks. He’s amazing. Completely worth all the time I saved not worrying about this.
*You will Need a SOLID Book Cover* Fork out the cash to get a quality book cover design. You can crowdsource it or hire a designer based off of another cover you really like, but either way, you should absolutely spend the time and money to get this right because let’s not kid ourselves--Everyone judges a book by its cover.
If you’re an amateur writer or just thinking about the process, I’ve also published the LAWLESS Rules of Writing Like a Boss (http://alexilawless.com/lawless-rules...) based on the learnings from my own experience with this process. Hope this helps encourage you to take the leap and do it!
More Answered Questions
Harper Hamilton
asked
Alexi Lawless:
Hello, Alexi: I just discovered your books this past week and have spent the past several days immersing myself in them!! I actually read the pre-quel first, and fell in love with Sam and Wes and their story. I am now in book 2 and absolutely need to know when book 3 will come out!!!!! Also, have you written other books? If not, you have found your calling. The angst....
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