As a debut author, writing and self-publishing a book may seem an overwhelming process, especially when you have so much information around you. Here I've organized the whole process in ten easy-to-understand steps from my own experience. It's not necessary to follow all the steps in sequence as I have mentioned. But I hope this blog will help you and guide you to build up your process.
Step-1: Write And Self-edit
To publish your book, you have to write it. The first draft may not be up to your expectation. So, you have to edit it yourself. Here you can ask your friends or family members who love to read, to read your book and give you some concrete feedback or constructive criticism. Thus, you will know what changes you need to make in your first draft. After developing your story, you need to check your grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, and punctuation errors throughout the writing. Are you scared? Don't worry. You can get help from 'Get Grammarly' for free. You can also use Google Docs to correct your mistakes.
Step-2: Hire A Professional Editor
When you think that your first manuscript is done with self-editing, you can and should hire professional editors. You can hire freelance editors from Reedsy, Upwork, Fiverr and many more platforms. There are three types of editing that I am writing down in sequence- (a) Developmental edit/ Content edit, (b) Line edit and (c) Copy edit. (I will explain them in my next blog) I hired two editors from Fiverr- one for developmental edit and the other for line edit, within my budget. They worked beyond my expectations and the price I paid for their services. I know their service may not be up to the par of highly paid or too expensive editors, but they worked great and they were very considerate and gentle while answering my questions.
Step-3: Look For Beta Reader
You can hire or ask for beta readers on different social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram. This step may come after or before your line edit. As a first time author, you may find it difficult to find a free beta reader on social media platforms as they don't know you or your works. They may feel hesitant to read your book. But this obstacle may be overcome with your active engagement in the writing community and your marketing strategies. Try to select the beta reader if you feel that they are trustworthy. Be sure to minimize your grammatical mistakes and spelling errors before sending your manuscript for beta reading.
Step-4: Formatting The Manuscript
Formatting is a difficult task, I must say. You must have good knowledge of Word documents or Adobe InDesign if you want to do it yourself. You can purchase software like Scrivener for a lifetime, which may cost around $49 for Windows or Mac users. You also have the option of hiring a format setter from various freelancer platforms. Be sure to check the customer reviews before hiring. You can also check Derek Murphy's free format template. I have used it and found it useful. The link is: https://diybookformats.com (not an affiliate link)
Step-5: Book Cover Design
A beautiful, attractive and relevant book cover is one of the greatest market tools. You can find many book cover designers on Social Media platforms like Instagram. Also, you can hire them from Upwork, Reedsy, Fiverr etc. Before choosing a designer, see their portfolio, reviews and also the price. It's better to choose someone who knows the market for book covers. And if you have a tight budget, you may want to make your book cover. In this case, you can use tools like Adobe Photoshop. If you don't know how to use this tool, Canva might be the best option for you. I made my book cover using Canva and its free elements.
Step-6: Proofread The Final Manuscript
At this stage, you need to go through your manuscript once to check the grammar, spellings, formats etc. Get Grammarly and Google Docs can be the best assistants here. Also, you can hire a proofreader within your budget.
Step-7: Choose The Platform and Upload Your Manuscript
Now that your manuscript and book cover are ready, it's time to upload it on your desired platform. There are many platforms and distributors, where you can upload your books to sell. The most famous platform is KDP Amazon. Besides, there are also Kobo, Barnes & Nobles, Apple e-book etc. You have to upload your book separately on each of these platforms. Or you can choose distributors like Draft-2-Digital, where you can upload your manuscript and they will distribute your book on various platforms and collect payments for you.
Step-8: Proofread The Uploaded Manuscript
Before smashing the "Publish" button, you should go through your uploaded manuscript to see if the format of the book is okay or not. When I uploaded my book 'Forever, My Dear Ghost' on Draft-2-Digital, I saw that the format of my book was changed. I have to make several changes several times before finally 'Publish' my book.
Step-9: Finalize The Manuscript And Set The Price
Once you are satisfied with your uploaded manuscript, you have to set the desired price of your book. You need to choose the currency, royalty rate (in KDP Amazon), and price of your book.
Step-10: Marketing
Marketing is a vast area where most authors face challenges. I have kept 'Marketing' as the last and final step. But in reality, you have to market or promote your book from the very day you've decided to publish your book and started writing it. Promote your writing on Twitter, and Instagram as WIP before finishing your book, show your book cover and create a 'Pre-order' to make people know that your book is coming soon once you have finished writing it. You may go for paid promotion or you want to reach organically. Interact with the writing community to create your presence as a writer.
Writing and publishing the first book is a fun as well as (somewhat) stressful process. We should enjoy the process and learn things as we proceed.
* Fiverr link: http://www.fiverr.com/s2/bcb0d0ff51
This is an affiliate link. If you sign up on Fiverr using this link, you'll get 10% off on your first purchase and I'll get reward which will help me to gather some money for my next book project. Thank you!