The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing

By Diane V. Mulligan

Honest advice about self-publishing from an award-winning author

Are you thinking of self-publishing your novel or collection of short stories? If yes, read this short book!

Why read this book instead of the dozens of others out there?

I have self-published two books of which I am incredibly proud, and self-publishing has opened up many fantastic opportunities for me. Self-publishing has also been difficult, confusing, and lonely, and most of my efforts to find guidance have led me to people trying to profit from my dreams. Because of that, I have written this book, the book I wish I had had before I embarked on my own self-publishing adventure. I want to tell you all about ways you can feel proud of your books and take advantage of opportunities that being a published author will provide.

Most people writing books about self-publishing are actually trying to sell authors various expensive services on the promise of making them the next best-selling, self-pub sensation. I need you to know right now that for 99% of self-publishing authors, those services are not going to yield results. You won't recoup your investment cost, you'll end up frustrated, and you won't want to admit it publicly because those who speak openly about the downsides of self-publishing get bullied all over the internet.

Here's my promise to you: For less than the price of a cup of coffee, I'll give you my best advice based on first-hand experiences.

Topics this book will address:
Goal Setting
Manuscript Preparation
Book Formatting
Cover Design
Distribution Channels
Planning Your Book Launch
Marketing
Getting Reviews
Dealing with Bad Reviews

If that sounds good to you, download it now. I promise to keep it brief. Your time is valuable, and I only want to help.

If you write nonfiction, this book probably isn't for you, as marketing nonfiction is much more straightforward than fiction. Frankly, it's easier to find your audience and make sales in nonfiction than in fiction, which is why the majority of marketing advice available for self-publishing are geared towards nonfiction writers. My chapters on goal-setting and book-formatting might be helpful to you, but much of what I have to say is intended for those of us trying to make a living by making stuff up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane V. Mulligan
• Release date: Apr 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311265807

Diane V. Mulligan

I am the author of three novels. My most recent, What She Inherits, will be published in January, 2017. My first novel, Watch Me Disappear (2012), which was a finalist in the Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Book Awards in the Young Adult category in 2013, and my second, The Latecomers Fan Club (2013), which was named a 2014 IndieReader Discovery Award winner. In 2015, I released a brief guide book to self-publishing called The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing.

Book preview

The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing

One Indie Author Shares What She’s Learned

By Diane V. Mulligan

Copyright © 2012 Diane V. Mulligan

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for the recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover Design by Diane V. Mulligan. For more information about cover images, see Diane’s self-publishing blog

Table of Contents

Part I – Are you ready for a self-publishing adventure?

Part II – Making your book available for sale

Part III – Discoverability & Marketing

Part IV – Random stuff I think you’ll like

Appendix

About the Author

Author’s Note

There are many websites referenced in this book. If you will like to access those websites and resources, please visit this webpage and bookmark it for future reference.

Part I — Are you ready for a self-publishing adventure?

The Value of Understanding all Aspects of the Publication Process

It used to be that writers wrote, editors edited, design specialists set layout, marketing experts handled advertising, and so on. For independent authors like me—there were about 235,000 thousand self-published books in 2012, and that number has gone up every year since—the old model no longer applies. For that matter, it hardly applies to traditionally published authors today, most of whom get very little assistance with developmental editing or advertising (although they do still get the amazing perk of having someone else design their books).

The ridiculous amount of work it takes to create a professional product is daunting and has probably dissuaded a few people from pursuing self-publishing. I don’t blame anyone who has that reaction. Nonetheless, I have found the learning process rewarding, and I’m proud to say I started my publishing career independently.

That said, I don’t want to be a spokesperson for self-publishing. In fact, it is my sincere hope to have traditional publisher one day. With that goal in mind, however, I see tremendous value in the lessons I’ve learned by being a part of every aspect of my novel’s development from the first word of the first draft to the third edition uploaded to Kindle Direct Publishing.

Here are a few of the things I’ve learned over the past two and a half years:

* I took online tutorials and learned to use Photoshop and InDesign. Now I use those skills in my day job as a teacher, in my volunteer work at The Worcester Review, and in my publishing. I needed the incentive of making my own books look great to learn these skills.

* I learned basics of website design and best practices in blog formatting (little nuggets like how to use jump breaks and that every post should have a picture) and as a result, without spending a dime, I have a website of which I’m very proud. And I can add another resume boosting skill to my CV.

* I learned which book blogs and websites have the biggest readerships, what kinds of costs to expect for advertising, and what costs are worth taking on. Even if I’m lucky enough to land a publisher someday, I’m still going to have to promote my own work, so this is valuable information.

* I learned how to condense my pitch to a few sentences and to take that pitch to booksellers directly. I also learned how graciously to accept the answer, No, thanks, we can’t stock your book.

* Perhaps most importantly, I learned that I should have been editing more before querying agents. Sounds obvious, I know, but it’s true. I thought my books were well proofread, and I also figured that if they got picked up, they’d be professionally edited later. Actually, though, I should have been preparing them as if I were about to publish them to the world. Agents and editors want finished products.

While my studies were not structured, I feel like my self-guided crash course taught me as much, if not more, than any actual course of study I could have undertaken. Someday, if I finally do have a publisher, I will be fully prepared to be part of the team that prepares my book for market and helps it succeed once it’s in the world.

If you’re on the fence about self-publishing, I hope this book can offer you some good insights on the process, so that you can have a positive learning experiences, too. I also hope you can learn from some of my (numerous) mistakes and thereby avoid a great deal of stress.

Goal Setting — Part I

If you are considering self-publishing, you need to ask yourself some questions first. Because I know that if I send you away for a pen and paper to write down thoughtful reflections to the following questions, you will probably delete this book from your device and move on, I’ve made it simple—multiple choice, like a Cosmo quiz, only useful. Take a moment to answer the following questions and then look at your results.

1. Why do you want to self-publish?

a. I want to share my work with my family and friends in a user-friendly way.

b. I’ve sent my book to dozens of agents and editors, I know my book is good and deserves to be read, and I’m tired of rejection.

c. I’m too lazy to go through the whole agent-hunting process and want to skip right to publication.

d. I want to make lots of money and quit my day job.

2. How far along are you in the manuscript development process?

a. I’ve written a solid first-draft.

b. My manuscript is complete and has been through two or three thoughtful revisions.

c. I haven’t finished my draft yet.

d. I have some good ideas for blockbuster fiction.

3. How much spare time do you have to devote to self-publishing?

a. I’m pretty busy with my job and family, but I can find a few hours a week.

b. If I take all the time I’ve been spending on the agent-search and devote it to self-publishing, I’ve got at least a few hours a week.

c. I have plenty of time, although I tend to procrastinate.

d. I can make time if it’ll help me get rich.

4. How much money are you prepared to spend to self-publish?

a. None. I don’t have spare cash for this.

b. Some, after all, I’m investing in my dream.

c. I heard you can do it for free, so I’ll start there and see what happens.

d. I’m willing to pay up. After all, gotta spend money to make money.

5. Do you have a support system to help you through the process?

a. My family and friends are very supportive.

b. I don’t want to admit to my friends and family that I’m self-publishing. It feels like defeat.

c. I can do it all on my own.

d. I’ve found some editors and book designers online who are willing to do the work for me for a fee.

6. How technologically savvy are you?

a. I know my way around Microsoft Word.

b. I know basics of desktop publishing and I’m willing to learn more.

c. I don’t know.

d. I can find people to pay to do stuff I don’t know how to do.

7. How well do you deal with criticism?

a. I only really care about what my loved ones think.

b. It’s hard for me when people criticize my writing. My book is my baby.

c. Haters gonna hate. Shake it off.

d. Being criticized is a sign of success.

Now tally your results and read on for the prognosis!

If you mostly identified with A’s:

You are a good candidate for self-publishing. You’re down to earth, you keep things in perspective, and your reason for self-publishing is very reasonable. You can accomplish your goals without needing to spend too much time and money, and you aren’t in danger of losing your mind by checking your sales stats hourly. Be careful, however, that you aren’t too casual in your approach. You want your product to be professional looking because even if your target audience is family and friends, your book will be available for the whole world to read. Read on for advice about manuscript preparation, book and cover design, and distribution channels. Good luck!

If you mostly identified with B’s:

You are a good candidate for self-publishing. You’ve worked hard on your writing and you believe in your book. That said, your emotional investment in your book and your desire for a career as a writer puts in you at high risk of falling prey to mercenaries who will