Self-Publishing Master Class

learning, selfpublishing, kindle unlimited,I had to count on my fingers, but it’s about six months since I started self-publishing. It has been a steep learning curve. It’s been wonderful! Maybe not for sales of my books (boo!), but for learning about the publishing industry. Your lessons, findings, conclusions, will vary, but here are mine:

You must be obsessed. Unless you’re one of the lucky few, getting your book in front of people is a huge and ongoing effort. Definitely not “set and forget”. Think of your audience, your promise to them, keywords, the craft of writing, editing, formatting, and promotion.

No matter how much you’ve learned, it’s all changing! Okay, I’m exaggerating. The principles of good storytelling stay the same, but seriously, look for opportunities. Things are changing fast in the publishing landscape and you want to leap into the spaces that open up which suit your writing style and life. For me, one of these options is Kindle Unlimited.

Readers are THE best people. Don’t forget why you’re writing.

Remember that you have allies. It can seem like a lonely profession, but in fact, self-publishing can bring you into contact with a whole range of enthusiastic people. Be one of them!

Everything you do has an opportunity cost. If you’re promoting a new release, you’re not writing. If you’re writing, you’re not interacting with your family. If you’re obsessively tracking sales … you’re like most newbie self-publishers 🙂 It does wear off!

Don’t be paralysed by jargon. You do need a strategy, but it’s just an evolving roadmap. A marketing plan can be scribbled on the back of a shopping list. The important thing is to live the reality that you are in charge of your publishing future. Are you going to walk into it blindly or zoom along on a powered skateboard, your pink feather boa floating out behind you?

 

first kiss, sweet western romance, kindle unlimited,My latest release, First Kiss, is 99c on Amazon or free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

 

 

2 Replies to “Self-Publishing Master Class”

  1. I knew I needed that pink feather boa 🙂
    It is a steep learning curve, isn’t it?! I don’t even know how far up the hill I am – but I suspect that every time I reach what I think is the summit, there’ll be another one just behind it 🙂

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