On Self Publishing
If you haven’t noticed the links on the side of my blog, take a look now. They are my self-published books. I did it. Took the plunge and it hasn’t been that bad. Here are a few lessons learned.
Start small. A free short story to kick-start things, work out the bugs and get you through the basics is a good first step. It introduces you to the world and the world to you. Once 1100 people have downloaded it, think about charging a fee, though you may see “sales” drop significantly.
Find your niche. Write what comes easily to you. This way you can feel free to add to your short story collection.
If you aren’t famous, find out how to become so. Facebook, blogging, friends with webpages. Get the word out so people know you have published and so they can get to your book. If you want to start a fire about your book, it may take more than one spark.
There is a lot of help out there. Many different websites and services are catering to the self-publishers and self-publishing community. Here are a few web pages from Anna Mardoll in self-publishing that may be of help:
Nice place to promote your work: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=226
Also: http://www.goodreads.com/
If you’re not already on B&N: http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home
NetGalley for when you have 5 books: http://www.netgalley.com/
If you’d like a free blog interview: http://www.anamardoll.com/p/interview-policy.html
Getting an interview or a recommendation can get the word out about your book. In theory you only need a few passionate readers to start the ball rolling. I’ll let you know how things go as I figure out more.
Enjoy!
G. F.
If you haven’t noticed the links on the side of my blog, take a look now. They are my self-published books. I did it. Took the plunge and it hasn’t been that bad. Here are a few lessons learned.
Start small. A free short story to kick-start things, work out the bugs and get you through the basics is a good first step. It introduces you to the world and the world to you. Once 1100 people have downloaded it, think about charging a fee, though you may see “sales” drop significantly.
Find your niche. Write what comes easily to you. This way you can feel free to add to your short story collection.
If you aren’t famous, find out how to become so. Facebook, blogging, friends with webpages. Get the word out so people know you have published and so they can get to your book. If you want to start a fire about your book, it may take more than one spark.
There is a lot of help out there. Many different websites and services are catering to the self-publishers and self-publishing community. Here are a few web pages from Anna Mardoll in self-publishing that may be of help:
Nice place to promote your work: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=226
Also: http://www.goodreads.com/
If you’re not already on B&N: http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home
NetGalley for when you have 5 books: http://www.netgalley.com/
If you’d like a free blog interview: http://www.anamardoll.com/p/interview-policy.html
Getting an interview or a recommendation can get the word out about your book. In theory you only need a few passionate readers to start the ball rolling. I’ll let you know how things go as I figure out more.
Enjoy!
G. F.
