Self-Publishing 101

By Vikki Walton

Have you written a book and not sure what to do next?

If so, you may have encountered the challenge of selecting from among the 1001+ books available on self-publishing. 

Self-Publishing 101: The Indie Author's Journey to Success is here to help!

 

In Self-Publishing 101, you will discover how robust preparation will save you time and money. You will also learn to publish your book by completing the assignments in the book. Finally, you'll gain invaluable knowledge about the various facets of indie publishing. This is critical in helping to choose the best route for your author journey.

This is a useful and critical resource for anyone starting out in choosing the independent publishing route for their book. As with any journey, the book is laid out as helpful markers. There is journey preparation to help you move forward as well as summaries of key takeaways from every lesson. 

 

This instructive guide won't promise huge numbers of sales or large sums of money. It doesn't promise you that readers will flock to your book or many of the other "promises" given. What it does promise is a roadmap with actual steps that you will want to follow. It also points out ways to avoid detrimental publishing potholes.  More than just a "how-to", it will also have you recognizing your "why-to" before putting your book online.

The following topics are covered in this book:

Preparation for the self-publishing process, from understanding key concepts to gathering necessary materials.

Understanding the language of self-publishing, what terms mean, and how they're used.

Making product decisions and selecting a publishing platform.

Exploring different routes to publication and which one fits you best.

Crafting great titles, subtitles, and cover artwork.

Examining categories, keywords, and metadata essential for success.

Analyzing pricing strategies and budgeting needs.

Plus, many more useful tips.

If you're ready to pursue your dream of becoming a self-published author, then scroll up and grab Self-Publishing 101. 

Vikki Walton is a best-selling author, has written for periodicals and worked as a submissions administrator at a literary firm. She has taught creative and technical writing. She is also a coach who aids writers in fulfilling their goals of becoming published authors

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morewellson, Ltd.
• Release date: Sep 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223693130

Vikki Walton

Vikki has always had an inquisitive mind. Once she found the Nancy Drew series and later, Agatha Christie, she was hooked for life. Now as a mystery writer, she gets to be the one creating the clues and red herrings for readers. She's also a life-long learner and that has led to her writing of her expertise and experience in nonfiction books as well as leading workshops. When she's not traveling the globe, you'll find her in Colorado tending her gardens, chickens, and bees while thinking up a new murder plot. 

Book preview

Self-Publishing 101

VIKKI WALTON

Morewellson, Ltd.

Self-Publishing 101

Copyright ©2023 by Vikki Walton

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written consent of the author and publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial use as permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, write to the publisher:

Attention: Permissions Coordinator

Morewellson, Ltd.

P.O. Box 49726

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949-9726

Formatting by RIk - Wild Seas Formatting

ISBN: 978-1-950452-62-0 (standard print)

"You cannot change your destination overnight,

but you can change your direction overnight."

Jim Rohn

Milestone:

Deciding to Become an Author

Congratulations! You’ve decided to become an author. Do you realize that you are a phenomenon? Yes, really. Many people say that they want to write a book, but it’s no different from saying they want to circle the globe. Something that may sound fun but in reality takes a lot of preparation, planning, time, and money.

Then there are those who want to write but either a) have no desire to publish, or b) never take the hard steps toward publishing their work. Your dream may be to publish your family’s story or your own, and once you’re done with that, you may be satisfied with that one book. Or you may want to get the characters and stories out that are constantly bouncing around in your head. This could be one book, three (a trilogy), or a series of books. Writing one book can easily cause you to catch the writing bug.

Conversely, if you’re someone who wants to help others through your knowledge and skill, your goal may be one or more nonfiction books. Of course, for some, there’s the ultimate goal of fame, wealth, or a major award or achievement. While these are rarer, they do occur and who’s to say that you aren’t the next person who will catapult to the top of the bestseller lists, have a movie or streaming series made from your book/s, or [insert your personal dream here].

Therefore, it will depend on what you want as to how helpful this book is for you.

For the one-and-done author, you may be better off by hiring someone to do the publishing piece for you. Just avoid vanity publishers, which are discussed later in this book. Speaking with an author coach or connecting with an author mentor can give you information on how to move forward with your book.

For the aspiring or upcoming author who has one or more books in the works, this book may be helpful to you. It will be a book you can read through or come to when you’re wanting to focus on a specific area. This book does not guarantee that it will put you at the doorstep to your dreams, but can be helpful in knowing what you need to do to move forward successfully.

There you have it. Whether a one and done author, or an aspiring author, your journey awaits! Each chapter supplies an overview of a facet of self-publishing. While there are other avenues that must be addressed such as writing sales copy or marketing, this book focuses on the commencement stage of publishing your book. Each section (marker) includes information regarding its subject, but the value lies in the Journey Prep (a better work for assignments). The end of each section includes a summary of the information provided so that you can unpack the information. It also serves to help you return to key takeaways of the subject later. Now, like any journey, planning is the first step. Let’s begin.

Marker One:

Planning your Author Journey

There’s a saying that If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will take you there. This is no different for those embarking on the dream of becoming a writer and a published author. The term ‘writer’ may refer to anyone who writes. An ‘author’ is the same but more often is thought of as someone who wrote a book. But we will (for this book) note that an author is one who creates and publishes a written work (often a book). In many cases, writing may be their primary profession, but not always. Many writers worked other jobs before becoming successful authors.

Are the terms writer and author confusing? The reason for this distinction is that writing is something that we all do daily. We write a to-do list for the day, send a text to a friend, and the list goes on. We rarely hear he authored an email. Yet, it makes sense to read he authored a novel.

Being an author may sound like something you want to achieve or become. Yet, does the idea of sitting down in front of a computer, or with a pen and paper on an almost daily basis, appeal to you? When I speak about my process of ‘work-quilting’ I always remind individuals of a dream differing from the facts. In other words, what you think you may want is different from reality. It could be that you desire A, but you think that getting or having B will achieve that goal.

For instance, when I do my Work-Quilting workshop, I often give the analogy of wanting to be a movie star. I ask those in attendance, what would be the reasons someone wants to be a movie star. While we may equate that with going to wonderful locales and events, wealth, and prestige associated with being a celebrity, at its core, it is also memorizing lines. I’ve yet to find anyone who states that they want to memorize lines. Yet, this is a primary piece of the work that must be done by actors before they even begin to film. The desire to act may help to achieve the individual’s goals but is not guaranteed. Becoming an author is no different. Should you desire to write first as a creative outlet, then you most likely will be happier than someone whose only goal is to achieve fame and fortune. You can choose many different routes to achieve those goals that have nothing to do with being an author. It is also why there are ghostwriters for those who want the finished product but do not want to do the work involved in creating it.

Being a writer is often a lonely profession. This may be why you’ll find that many (though not all) authors tend to lean toward introversion. Introverts often spend a lot of time in their minds, so it’s not much more difficult to take those stories and create worlds.

Do stories live in your head, and do you want to share or write them? Do you have any writing background? Most times, some aspect of writing may be a part of our professional life. Whether scripting sales copy, drafting a proposal, or writing correspondence, writing may be a part of your vocation.

Thus, you might consider the following questions:

How much writing do you already do, what areas do you need to learn, and what is your goal for your writing?

Even if you don’t use writing daily if you work in a trade, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be a writer. Should you not know how to write dialogue or narrative, you can read books and take classes to learn. Even if your goal is to be a world-famous seven-figure author, it all starts with the very first step. That’s where planning can save you time, effort, and money. Any successful journey begins the minute you decide to take that step forward. And with a simple question.

Where are you beginning from and where do you want to end up?

Any journey starts with your mindset.

But before we get to this, consider having a journal, or a simple spiral notebook, nearby to jot down your thoughts or ideas. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to download a free pdf to use with this book by signing up for Vikki Walton’s newsletter.

Now back to mindset and your first challenge.

State the following out loud.

I am a writer.

How does that make you feel inside?

Then state, "I am an