There’s nothing better than being a writer, other than a writer who has actually managed to finish writing a book! That’s an achievement in itself. But as you’re probably already aware, this is only the beginning of the journey of your book (and hopefully your writing career!).
If you want your book to be read by people other than your close friends and family, you’re going to have to do more than type ‘The End’ in your novel.
Source: Pexels.com
First Thing’s First
You think you’ve finished your book, but you haven’t. Even if it’s been through several rounds of drafts already, there’s at least one edit you can do! There always is.
Go through it and be as critical as you can be; even if you end up trimming fifty pages, it’ll be worth it if your book is as strong as possible. But remember: there is such a thing as spending too long on a book. Being thorough is fine, but being obsessed is not!
Building an Audience
Unless your novel has a title and cover that instantly draws people in (they’re rare but do happen!), you’re going to have to build an audience for your book before it’s launched. This will involve being an active social media user, following like-minded people, and try to become part of a community interested in the genre of books you’re planning to publish.
As well as social media, you should also have your own website and blog, where you’ll be posting snippets from your book, as well as giving ‘behind the scenes’ insights into the process of writing and publishing. The more people who read your blog, the more chance you’ll have of selling copies to as many people as possible.
Finalizing the Book
When it comes to finalizing the book, you’ll need to think about which avenues you want to sell it through. There are many good websites out there that allow self-published authors offer their book to an audience.
You’ll also want to have your book printer, regardless of whether you plan to sell it in a hard copy form or only digital; book printing is inexpensive, gives your book a professional look, and is useful for sending out to websites in exchange for a review. Also, it just looks pretty darn cool to have a copy of your own book just sitting there on your bookshelf!
Promoting the Book
When the book is out there, don’t sit back and hope for a surprise runaway success; be proactive. Send books out in exchange for an honest review, try to arrange interviews for websites (and local media if you think they’d be responsive), and make sure you’re making regular social media posts about it.
And onto the Next One
You won’t have gotten into the self-publishing game just for this one book. You’re in it for the long haul. While you’re promoting your present book, keep an eye out for ideas about your next book, and start writing as soon as you can.
a cooking pot and twisted tales 
I think I’m ready. I finishing up my book this month, so I’m hoping that’ll I will be able to gain enough resources to self-publish my book. Thanks for posting this information.
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All the best with it Wanda. It can be a daunting process publishing and marketing one’s book but it’s doable a day at a time. Glad to be of help 🙂
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Great ideas! I’ve done all this and still pushing… It’s not easy!
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Certainly not a walk in the park but we keep pushing. Thank you, my dear, for taking the time to read this.
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I enjoy the process of self publishing, though I still so much to learn. I have been using Kindle Direct Publishing so my books are only available digitally, but I definitely want to create hard copies. My biggest thing right now is building a bigger audience. Thanks so much for the pointers.
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*have so much to learn.
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A day at a time and with consistency you’ll get there.
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Building audience is the challenge but with the right approach, they come.
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Greetings All! I just wanted to share this timely article from fellow Blogger Charles Ray to remind us to use caution and wisdom while we publish or self-publish our books. Please read.
https://charlieray45.wordpress.com/2017/05/12/authors-beware-of-deals-that-seem-too-good-to-be-true-they-are-just-that/
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Thank you for sharing this. I am working on an article on shady publishing issues and this is insightful.
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Thanks Jacque.. between can you suggest some good self publishing sites
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Are you considering publishing solo or using a publishing house to self-publish? Publishing houses are pretty expensive – I have tried to use Authorhouse for book printing, but the cost of their service is way too steep for me, so for now, I am publishing only digital through Amazon and Smashwords.
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Thanks Jacque..you gave some new thoughts to consider
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A friend also mentioned that they’ve used Lulu.com to publish.
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Will see that..thank you so much
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Thanks for the advice!! Have a productive day:))
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Thank you too.
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Yes writing the book is the easy part…
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The easy part by far.
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