If you’d have asked me a year ago about self publishing, I would have given you all sort of persuasive reasons why it wasn’t right for me. A year ago, it wouldn’t have been right, not because of any intrinsic problem with going ‘indi’, but primarily because I hadn’t educated myself about the process.

Technology has driven the incredible rise of the ebook. Author tools, some free, others low cost, have made the barrier to self publishing very low, indeed. That is both a blessing and a curse. It means that the biggest obstacle to publishing isn’t price, knowledge, or equipment; it’s discoverability. When any ordinary Joe or Jane Writer can upload a file and in moments have an ebook for sale in multiple venues, what’s to stop that writer from doing so?

The promise of the author-as-publisher is very alluring, especially with the royalty rates as generous as they are on the self publishing platforms. It’s hard to justify holding out for the brass ring of a book contract when the typical hardcover will earn the author far less than each ebook independently released.

The perils of self publishing are also pretty clear: you have to be willing to wear a lot of hats. Most writers know that just being a writer is no longer an option, no matter what route they travel. But the indi road means needing to know or find: editing, proofreading, cover design, formatting, marketing, distribution, and promotion. Every single one of these skills is essential for a successful book release. Let me tell you–it’s a lot of work. The least of it is the actual formatting of a manuscript and its uploading. But that’s where a lot of writers stop.

Having read quite a few self published books in my genre (YA/fantasy), it is clear to me that many writers have stumbled into a few common pitfalls. The most common is publishing a manuscript before it is ready to be a book. The cold, hard fact about the traditional system of gatekeepers (agents and editors at publishing houses) is that it screened out a lot of books that weren’t ready for prime time. My own, included. When I look back at some of the stories I queried in my very beginning, baby steps six years ago, the form rejections I received were, in fact, a kindness. Had self publishing been a simpler option then, would I have forged ahead and put my work out there? I’m not sure, but I am glad I didn’t.

Another pitfall is lack of knowledge about the process. Authors get tripped up in one of two ways. Some go it alone and self-edit, self-design a cover, and pass a typically formatted word processor file through a conversion program. What emerges is a poorly formatted novel with a generic (or worse, unreadable) cover, and strange symbols peppered through the pages or layout issues. On the other extreme, are authors who fear the process and give up their control over the process and overpay for services they probably don’t need (eg, uploading to digital marketplaces) and lose the ability to easily make changes to their ebook output.

The more you know about the world of epublishing, the more you will be able to make informed choices about which aspects you can manage and which ones you need to outsource. Here is a list of steps and resources that may help you turn pitfalls and perils into promises.

ISBN

If you are planning on a print and an ebook edition, you will need at least 2 ISBNs. These are the official identification numbers attached to books. (International Standard Book Number) While some publishing platforms will offer to give you an ISBN for free, that means they not you become the defacto publisher. If you want the option of distributing your book widely and under your own power, you will need to purchase ISBNs. Currently, for US authors, a single ISBN is $150. A block of 10 costs $250. via Bowker. (http://www.bowker.com/index.php/supportfaq-isbn)

Editing

Finding a good editor is crucial to take a manuscript and make it shine. There are different kinds of edits: copyediting and developmental. Good editing services can be expensive, so make sure your manuscript is as clean and as polished as you can make it, using peer critique or workshopping as a minimum. The Editorial Freelancers Assocation has good information here: http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php

Cover design

Unless you have art training or are an expert in using photoshop type programs, it is best to hire a cover designer. I was extremely fortunate to discover that a former critique partner of mine was also an artist and she wanted a chance to branch out into cover design. At the very least, make sure your cover looks good at icon sizes. The Book Designer Blog has a whole section on cover design here: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/category/cover_design/

Formatting/typography

There are different issues in formatting and typography for print versus ebook editions, but what they both have in common is ease of readability. You actually have fewer choices to make in ebook format, as the ereaders take much of the responsibility in how the material is displayed. It doesn’t mean you have no choices to make. Here is a list of excellent web resources in how to format ebooks for style and readability:

• The Book Designer: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/
• Guido Henkel’s Guide: http://guidohenkel.com/2010/12/take-pride-in-your-ebook-formatting/
• HTML for the Kindle: http://gbenthien.net/Kindle/html_for_kindle.html
• CJs Easy as Pie Tutorials: http://www.cjs-easy-as-pie.com/search?q=indent
• Natasha Fondren’s ebook Formatting Posts: http://www.natashafondren.com/writing/category/ebook-formatting-2/

Conversion

An essential piece of software any ebook creator will need is Calibre, a free, open source program that is also an ebook library organizer. It’s creator is extremely responsive in updating the program and it has a very active and supportive user group. http://calibre-ebook.com/

The world of independent publishing is changing so rapidly, that even these resources may be outdated by the time you are ready to dip your toes in the pool, so keep yourself educated and be your best advocate. And good luck!

About the Author: LJ Cohen is the writing persona of Lisa Janice Cohen, poet, novelist, blogger, local food enthusiast, Doctor Who fan, and relentless optimist. Lisa lives just outside of Boston with her family, two dogs (only one of which actually ever listens to her) and the occasional international student. 

Lisa is represented by Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency. THE BETWEEN, a YA fantasy, is her publishing debut.

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Self-publishing has its up and downs — just ask any aspiring writer.  Like those authors I also been through the process for three books now and I am happy with the results. The middle parts can and will test your nerve and patience. I spent months writing, editing, and polishing my work. Only when I thought I had finished – I realised you never are when you self-publish.

Marketing should always have been on your list of to-dos even while you’re writing the first draft. It sounds strange but once you build up momentum with readers through blogging, forums or general face to face conversation from the beginning you are on the right track. With that in mind, I would like to share my experiences of a marketing tool that could help measure if people are taking an interest in your work.

The tool I am talking about is the website www.bitly.com. Its primary purpose is to shrink down web links. This in turn, makes ‘bit.ly’ links easier and cleaner to put into whatever media you want. I fell I should also mention that this site is free to sign up and use – maybe I should have mentioned that earlier.

So, once you’ve signed up, you can put the sometimes long links from amazon, lulu, createspace in and reduce them down. The added advantage of this from my experience comes into its own when using twitter. It helps your 140 max tweets go that little bit further and look a little cleaner on the eye. Once you’ve put you link and message out into the world of twitter, Facebook then the bit.ly site comes into its own.

Under the hood, there is a whole wealth of information just waiting for you to digest and build upon. This is because the when the link gets created it is also tracked. So with every click, it records the number of clicks, if it was re-tweeted or shared on Facebook with comments and ‘likes’. In addition, it will display the location that the clicker was from, it also has a copy of the original tweet / status update at the foot of the page.

With all of this information, it makes tracking anything from a competition update to a discount code that you have on a blog post an effortless process. I cannot stress the importance of getting data from your postings, in a world where hits and rankings dominate this will help you to no-end. On the other hand, if you are putting your content out there and are not getting any clicks, ask yourself have you completed the following:

• Do you have an author domain for yourself?
• Created an informative bio and have it on a site?
• Have you created a media kit?
• Have you created a press release?

Remember, tracking links is only part of a decent marketing plan, enjoy writing but as you are self-publishing it is up to you to do the leg work. Trust me once you start it will become second nature and you never know – you might meet some influential friends along the way.

About the Author: Barry Skelhorn is a full time IT techy from the South of England. He lives with his wife Louise and has a cat named Panda. Over the years he has fallen in love with the works of M.R James, Mary Shelly, H.G Wells and too many Victorian ghost stories to mention.

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If there’s one thing every author can use, it’s more readers!

We know that it’s always helpful, however, to hear the experience and advice of other indie authors who have already been through the process and have begun to establish their readership.

To those authors: help out your brethren! We want to know:

• Who is your primary target market? What process did you use to decide on this group?
• Do you have any secondary or tertiary target markets?
• What genre do you write?
• What marketing/promotion methods work best with your market? Which are least effective?
• What advice do you have for other authors attempting to narrow down a target market?

To join the discussion, please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input!

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. 

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Thanks to everyone who participated in our previous Self-Publishing Linkups on New Year’s Resolutions/Goal-Setting and Social Media Resources (note: you can still add your link at any time).

For those who missed it, here’s the what, why and how of the Self-Publishing Linkup:

Indie authors share a ton of knowledge and experience through their blogs, and sometimes we feel like we can’t keep up.

Shannon and I were discussing how great it would be to have all of the posts centered around a given topic gathered in one place — voila! The Self-Publishing Linkup was born!

This week’s topic is “Print On Demand/Self-Publishing Service Reviews.” This can be any post that you’ve read or written reviewing an experience with any Print on Demand/Self-Publishing Service (such as Smashwords, iUniverse, Lulu, Lightning Source, CreateSpace, etc). Here’s how to participate:

1. Leave a comment on this post with the following information:

• Title: The title of the post
• Description: Tell us (and everyone else) what the post is about — why should your fellow authors check it out?
• Link: Leave the full link to your post (like http://selfpublishingteam.com/2012-new-self-publishing-tools-resources-from-duolit/)

The post can be on any blog – yours or someone else’s. If you find (or write) a great post, share it!

2. Let others know you particpated in the linkup! Share a link to this post (or your post) with the hashtag #selfpublinkup on Twitter. Here’s an example:

• Just shared my review of CreateSpace on the #SelfPubLinkup: http://ow.ly/8K9Ev

The more authors who participate, the more information and resources that will be shared! Get started by leaving your link in the comments below!

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(Quick sidenote: Not all of his stories are about sports, in fact the first few stories of his that I read and fell in love with discussed bourbon, William Faulkner’s niece and a hot dog joint Birmingham, Ala.)

A quick Google search turned up several interesting interviews with Thompson. In every interview I could find, Thompson found a way to work in a note about how he was first inspired to write by Willie Morris’ North Toward Home which Thompson read while recovering from a bout with mono as a kid. Here’s how Thompson describes the life-altering experience:

“Aha’ moments only really happen in movies, except that was an actual ‘aha’ moment. I started a book and didn’t know what I wanted to do, and finished a book and did. Almost every decision I’ve made since then has been toward that end.”

I thought it was so interesting to think that a single book could set someone’s path in life, yet when I looked back at my own path I found there was a book marking the point at which I decided to become a writer way back in the third grade. For me, it was The Lion’s Paw by Rob White. My teacher at the time, Mrs. Baldauff, read the book aloud to the class over several weeks (it was one of those unthinkably long chapter books!) detailing the journey of Penny, Ben and Nick as they traversed the state of Florida in a sailboat via narrow canals and one exciting trip across Lake Okeechobee. By the end of the book I knew that I wanted to use words create worlds where people could experience fantastic adventures.

So that leads us to this week’s prompt–the first in our series of weekly blog prompts. Take a moment to write about a book that turned you on to the world of writing and post a link to your blog in the comments below so we can all take a peek!

Don’t forget that next week’s topic is a creative writing piece inspired by this line, “…she stepped across the threshold and took the first breath of her new life…”

Later days,

- Shannon

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It’s November 1st, 2010 when I sit down to write my first novel. I open Scrivener, pop a can of Diet Coke, crack my knuckles, and start typing.

I pound out 10,000 words the first day.

The next day I decide to reread what I’d written. You know, to get a running start. I notice some things that need tweaking, so I take a second to fix them. In the process of fixing them, I realize that chapter two doesn’t quite make sense. I go back and … and end day two with a net -2300 words. Yes, minus. In the days that follow, I soldier on. But I keep going backwards, or sideways, writing a lot but making no real progress.

Flash ahead a few months. I’m in Salt Lake City at the Superstars Writing Seminar, put on by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. One day, Kevin does a little segment on productivity. And there it is, the revelation of the century: you can dictate prose!

I have the same reaction that many others in the audience have: “That would never work for me.” And yet … it intrigues me.

When I return home, I buy a cheap digital recorder, print out a section of my outline, and go for a walk on a nearby bike path. Dictating feels weird at first. I’m self conscious, very aware of my voice, aware of long pauses as I try to figure out what is going on in my story. But after a half-hour or so I’ve forgotten all that. I’m deep into my story. I’m moving forward. I’m acting out the dialogue and having fun. I walk for two hours and come home with the first draft of four chapters done. Somewhere between 4000-6000 words. Yes, in two hours. (The six miles I covered also burned a bunch of calories, BTW.)

I’m a convert. From a productivity standpoint dictating can’t be beat. And speaking my story gives it energy and helps me capture my true voice. There’s less friction because the story doesn’t have to pass through my fingers on the way out.

If you want to try dictating fiction, here are some tips:

1. Make sure your recording device is on and in record mode. Check to see the seconds ticking by. If there is a red light that’s supposed to be on, make sure it’s on. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve got a chapter in the can and finding out you’ve got nothing.
2. To get over self-consciousness, dictate where no one can hear you. I like to go for a walk. If it feels silly, make it sillier by doing a funny voice.
3. Don’t worry about grammar, passive voice, dialogue tags, or any other stylistic concern. Just tell the story. You’ll likely be surprised by how readable your dictation turns out to be.
4. If you think you’ve committed a continuity problem, just say “Note to self, check that one chapter where he sees the gun on the mantle. I can’t remember what kind it was.”
5. Don’t transcribe the recordings yourself. Have your spouse, your aunt or that lady from church who used to be a teacher do it. You can also a hire transcription services on the web. I use wescribeit.com, but I know there are others.
6. Walk while you talk. It’s good exercise and it gives the dictation more energy.
7. Go ahead and make up different voices for your characters. Just make sure your words are clear enough for the transcriptionist to understand.
8. If you’re writing science fiction or fantasy where you have a lot of unusual names, create a document for the transcriptionist to refer to. If you remember, you can spell it out right there on the spot.
9. Don’t listen to the recordings.
10. If you’re outside, consider getting a wearable mic (like a hands free device). Keeping the mic closer to your mouth will provide clearer recording and less background noise.

About the Author: Eric is the author of Undermountain, a YA adventure. He’s also a songwriter and guitar player. He lives in Wisconsin with his daughter, wife and his wife’s feeble cat.

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Why do you write?

What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning or keeps you up all too late to get your story written?

Is it the love of the craft? Is it the thrill of a finished project?

Would you still write if there was no way you could ever get paid for it?

I have to make a confession. I’m terribly ruthless when it comes to deciding how I spend my time. If I pursue an artistic endeavor such as writing, I’m always thinking of how I can capitalize on it. (If I can make money from it, then clearly I’m not wasting my time. Right?)

• Maybe I can write a short story and sell it.
• Maybe I can write an ebook and become an internet sensation.
• Maybe, just maybe, I could become a professional author.

In short, I bleed the fun out of the craft by primarily focusing on the end benefits of the art. Wanting success isn’t wrong. But when it’s all you want, there’s a problem.

You know, I might be able to make it work for a while. I tell myself I’m focused on my goals, so it’s okay if I’m not enjoying writing. It’s okay that I constantly envy the success of other writers. It’s okay if I take another week off from writing as I consider my next strategy to “make it big.”

And then, one day, I realize I’ve lost touch with my craft entirely. I don’t want to think about a single character or plot point. I pack it all up and move on to the next artistic endeavor.

Thankfully, this hasn’t happened to me with writing, but I can name off several other pursuits that did fizzle.

What about You?

Are you writing because you enjoy it? We should definitely have goals and word counts and all of those other fantastic motivators. But are you passionate about the craft?

We all have “lows” in our enthusiasm. That’s part of the artistic process: the natural ebb and flow of our emotions. If you’re honest with yourself, though, you might see a lot more “ebbing” in your creativity than flowing.

If this is the case, you need to take a break from goal setting. Not from writing. Just the goal setting. Give yourself a pass for a few weeks, and just write.

Use writing prompts. Use stream of consciousness writing. Try out one of the character generator tools from Duolit and write a story about that person. Try writing a screenplay or poetry or anything new.

However you do it, discover what made you passionate in the first place.

Once you find that passion again, take time to re-align your goals. Becoming a full-time writer may not be the way for you to get the most out of life. The inspiration and experiences of your current daily activities may provide exactly the right fuel for your writing.

No matter what your future may hold for your career or writing pursuits, concentrate on finding your passions today.

About the Author: After some false starts, Michael recently rediscovered one of his true passions: helping others express their creativity. With thoughts about the creative process and directly applicable tips for writing, ReviveYourCreativity.com is meant to kick your art into high gear.

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I once took a train trip from Orlando to Philadelphia. I was moving back home after attending the University of Central Florida and I’d always wanted to make a long voyage by train. The trip was 24 hours as opposed to a two and a half hour flight. I reserved my own little roomette that had a huge window. What unfolded was one of the most enjoyable travel experiences I’ve ever had. I got to see the landscape gradually change from tropical to Southern to Mid-Atlantic. The changing view of America flashed by my window to the steady cha-chunk-cha-chunk-cha-chunk of the train speeding across the tracks. It was literally hypnotizing. And it was also the best night’s sleep of my life.

I’ve been a writer since I was ten years old and realized one day that I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. But traditional publishing never appealed to me. Imagine my joy then last year when the world of Indie Publishing blew wide open. Suddenly it’s possible to write what you love and take it directly to the readers. No agents, no endless waiting, and the only rejection is from the readers themselves not buying your book. It’s a kinder, gentler rejection. But I still write my books, I still revise and have them professionally edited, and I still set them free into the world on my own terms and watch them fly.

So far my first two novels have soared out of my hands … and up into a nearby tree to sit there and roost a while … enjoying the view … hanging out … taking a nap.

Indie Publishing is like taking the train from Orlando to Philadelphia. It’s not a quick trip. No one is going to self-publish their first novel one day and have millions of dollars in sales tomorrow. It takes a lot of work to sell your baby to more than just your friends and family. And it takes planning. You have to be in it for the long game.

I have a strategy. My debut novel, The Loyal Heart, the first in a trilogy, hit the eBook markets on September 30th of 2011. I smiled and told all my friends … and now I’m waiting. What am I waiting for? The second book in the trilogy, The Faithful Heart, was published December 24^th of 2011. And then I went on a massive media blitz and spammed everybody on Twitter and Facebook and Goodreads and shouted from the rooftops, right? Nope. I’m still waiting.

When the third book in the trilogy, The Courageous Heart, comes out sometime this Spring, then I’ll act. Then I’ll trumpet the entire trilogy. Then I’ll have postcards printed up to send to everyone I know, to take to as many writer’s and reader’s conferences as I can sign up for, and then I’ll be bugging you all to do guest posts on your blogs.

And then do you know what I’ll do? I’ll go write something else. It’s all about the writing. Always writing.

The beauty of eBooks, even more than the accessibility they give us as authors, is that they don’t go away. They never go out of print. They never get yanked off of shelves for not selling enough and they never have unsold copies mailed back to the publisher, doomed to feed a hungry shredder. I’m not entirely convinced that they’re immortal, but the whole indie publishing format gives us something that traditional publishing only offers to the top few. It give us the ability to plan long-term strategy. Time and again I’ve heard the advice that if you want to be truly successful as an Indie Published Author you need to be marketing multiple books at the same time. You need to have series.

Great, I say. Bring it on! I fall in love with my characters anyhow, so why not write as much about them as I can? Where my strategy diverges from some of the loudest advice givers is that I don’t see a problem in doing the actual book-by-book publishing now and marketing later. I will have multiple books for sale someday, five by the end of 2012 if I stay on target. In the meantime, I’ve got The Loyal Heart, The Faithful Heart, and a plan.

Self-publishing is a journey by train. It takes a long time. There are a lot of stops along the way, you might spend long hours staring at nothing, senses numb as it feels like the world is passing you by. You might wonder why you’re taking the scenic route. But every mile brings some new wonder. Every step is an adventure. And in the end if you hang in there you’ll reach your destination.

About the Author: Merry Farmer is an award-winning author of Historical Romance and Romantic Science Fiction. Her debut novel, The Loyal Heart, a swashbuckling medieval romance with a modern kick, is now available. She also loves writing about History and hot guys for her blog and lives near Philadelphia with her two cats who keep pestering her to write them into her novels…or maybe they just want to be fed.

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Last month, we announced a new feature: the reader mailbag! Here we take your questions about anything involving writing, design, publishing, marketing or any other self-publishing related topic and answer them here on the blog. Have a question? Tweet @duolit or give us a shout via our contact form! 

From @JeremySenko: I have a great idea for a story, but I seem to rush the plot. Tips on how to slow myself down?

Toni: Even though I’m not a traditional writer/author, I can totally sympathize with Jeremy’s plight. I’m definitely a compulsive creative and, when I get an idea, I shoot from zero to 60 in no time flat. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of started projects and considerably fewer finished ones.

To keep myself on track, I’ve implemented a waiting period system (yeah, kind of like buying a gun or getting married). When I get an idea, I’ll write down the steps it’ll take to reach my end goal and assign each a time period. Whenever I want to rush ahead, I’ll refer to my checklist to make sure I’m not getting too far ahead of myself.

Shannon: Are you rushing the plot as you’re writing it–as in, jumping straight from the start to the turning point without much build-up? If that’s the case, I’d go ahead and get the major plot points written out and then go back and fill in between the points. Maybe come up with a sub-plot so you’re not just throwing in pointless scenes, you want to be sure there’s a palpable build-up and then a satisfying decline to the wrap-up.

From @TheDeguello: Should I get a professional book trailer made?

Toni: Book trailers are everywhere, and, when done well, they can be quite effective. Whether or not you should take the plunge to get one made, however, depends on a big question: How does the book trailer fit into your overall book marketing plan? I’m sure you guys get sick of reading this, but coming up with a cohesive and comprehensive book marketing plan is crucial to your success.

If you’re getting a book trailer just because it seems cool, but you’re not sure how it’ll actually help market your book, don’t take the plunge into paying for a professional trailer. On the other hand, if you have a plan for how your book trailer will go viral and shoot you to the top of the sales charts, go for it!  Like any business decision, it comes down to the return on your investment (both in terms of time and money spent).

Shannon: I completely agree with Toni (I know, that’s a total surprise). It’s worth the investment if it’s part of your overall marketing plan. If you’re not sure, maybe start with something small you can do yourself with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker (that’s how we made ours for Duolit Indie Ninjas).

From @Vogelian: Where do I start? I’m so clueless. I have a book of short stories and poems. What do I do with it?

If you’re totally new to the world of self-publishing, we highly recommend signing up for our mailing list to get the free download of Self-Publishing Basic Training. This will give you an overview of the self-publishing process, from writing to publishing to marketing, and help you explore your options. You can also check out our Getting Started page for more info.

Since your book is already written, the first thing to would do is to pay for professional editing. If there’s one place to spend good money during the self-publishing process, it is in editing. While your book is being edited, take some time to work on your marketing plan. Who will buy your book? Figure out your target market and how best to appeal to them.

After you have your edited book in hand and a good marketing plan laid out, choose your publishing service. An eBook publishing service like Smashwords is a great place to start. It offers a low-cost way to get your book published and distributed so you can start implementing that marketing plan and selling books almost immediately.

What’s YOUR Question?

Do you have a question or situation we can help out with? Tweet @duolit or fill out our super-simple contact form and we’ll do our best to answer it on our next reader mailbag! Remember, the more details you give us, the more specific and helpful our advice will be!

Do you have any additional advice for the questions above? Chime in in the comments!

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So, we want to hear from our author friends: how much does it cost to self-publish a book? Tell us:

• Approximately how much have you spent on all phases of publishing your book (editing, design, publishing, marketing, etc)?
• What format was your book published in (eBook/print/both)?
• Where did you spend the most money? Was it worth it?
• Looking back, where do you wish you spent MORE?
• What cost more than you originally anticipated? What cost less?
• Time is money, too — how much total time do you think you’ve spent on your book? Include all phases of publishing, or break it down into phases.
• Was your investment worth it (in terms of money, time or both)?

To join the discussion, please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input! Note: We know that money is a super-personal issue, so, of course, just share whatever insight and information you feel comfortable with.

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. 

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