7 Tips for Self-Published Authors – How to Write Your First Book
Writing your first novel is more of a Herculean task than many aspiring authors realize. We’ve all had those days when sitting in front of the laptop ends up in three hours of you staring at a blank page, wondering how to start.
You might write a paragraph, delete it, and spend another 30 minutes pondering what to type next. You could finish your book and realize you need a cover and somewhere to publish it, leaving your mind blank as you think about what to do next.
These are issues self-published authors face every day and what seemed like a fun career suddenly seems like you’re out of your depth.
Tip #1 – Manage Your Time and Write Every Day
You need direction and a strategy to achieve success with your self-publishing career. It all starts with creating a schedule; without one, you’re like a yacht at sea with no rudder, and you go where the wind takes you. Usually, that’s right into a coral reef, where you sink the vessel and drown.
Plan your day and choose three to four hours where you can lose yourself in “deep work.” Deep work is where you block all distractions and put your mind into your novel. During the session, you don’t check your emails, look for inspiration on YouTube or stare out the window. You get to work, and you make it work.
Some writers prefer organizing this session in the morning, and some like working at night. It depends on your personality and lifestyle. The key is to do it every day without fail. Plan your work hours and stick to them. When you get to a point where you can do three to four hours of writing, see if you can plan a second deep work session for the day and expand your capacity.
Tip #2 – Find a Cover Designer
When you finish your novel, a wave of satisfaction sweeps across your mind. You’ve achieved your goal, but it’s not over yet, writing is just the first part of the equation. The next step is designing a book cover.
Don’t take the DIY approach of trying to design a cover yourself. You wouldn’t try and fix your car if it broke down, you’d send it to the shop for repairs. So, why try and design a book cover if you’re not a talented artist? Hire a professional for the job.
Tip #3 – Avoid Expensive Self-Publishing Services
When your manuscript and cover are ready, it’s time to source a self-publishing platform to get your work into the market. Unfortunately, loads of scam publishers promise the world and do nothing to publish your book.
The problem with “turn-key” publishing services is many of them leave you disappointed. Join a writer’s forum or a Facebook page for self-published authors and find out what resources they use. This strategy saves you time researching self-publishing platforms, helping you steer clear of scams.
The costs of distributing your book can vary widely and cost-effective solutions like IngramSpark save on your publishing costs. These “print-on-demand” services only publish a copy of your book and deliver it when someone clicks the order button on your website or publishing platform.
Tip #4 – Get an ISBN
Every book requires an ISBN number providing data on your book to booksellers, identifying you as the publisher. Bowker and Nielsen is an example of a big-name ISBDN vendor and a credible source used by thousands of self-published authors for ISBN services.
If you’re bootstrapping your publishing, free ISBN resources are available in the US and UK, such as Draft2Digital, BookBub, and eBookPartnership. These aggregators distribute to multiple retailers and assign free or discounted ISBNs to indie authors.
Tip #5 – Start Your Mailing List and Use a Loss Leader
As a self-published author, you don’t have the benefit of a publishing house promoting your work. That’s on you. Reaching your target market requires clever promotional strategies to capture new readers. Build a website to form the base for promoting your work and start a mailing list.
Your mailing list becomes the backbone of your marketing strategy. Everyone that signs up for your list is interested in your work. Your list lets you stay in touch with your audience, providing updates on when they can expect your new arrival.
Use a “loss leader” strategy to attract people to your website and mailing list, building your readership. This tactic involves sending the prospective reader something valuable in return for them signing up for your mailing list. Send them a free novella for their details, and you’ll recover those costs in the lifetime value they offer your self-publishing business.
Tip #6 – Market and Promote Your Book
Marketing and promoting your book aren’t as challenging as you think and in the digital age, platforms like Amazon let you list your work for free. You can start an advertising campaign using Amazon’s built-in marketing tools to get your work in front of your target audience.
Social media allows you to build an audience of readers and promote your book using Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns. This tactic helps you find new readers, even with a small budget. Direct those readers to your website, where they can sign up for your mailing list.
These guerrilla marketing tactics go a long way to helping you build an active readership who enjoy your work. If you don’t have the faintest idea of how to use them, that’s okay. Hundreds of YouTube videos show you how to set up marketing campaigns on Amazon and social media sites.
Tip #7 – Have Realistic Expectations
As a self-published author, you don’t get the luxury of a publishing house pushing your name into the market. You’ll use the strategies we’ve discussed to build your reputation and leadership.
So, you can’t expect to sell a million copies and end up on the New York Times best-seller list overnight. We’re not saying it can’t happen, but the odds are stacked against you. So, set realistic goals for your marketing campaigns and progressively work towards achieving them.