Tips On How To Write and Self-Publish Your Book

Whether you are a fiction author working on your manuscript, or a nonfiction writer drafting your journal or self-help book, there’s no doubt that most people dream of publishing a book. There is a gratifying feeling to seeing your book on a shelf, smelling its scent and touching its pristine or yellow pages. Indeed, you may have a dream of becoming a bestselling author someday, especially if you love reading and writing. However, you may find this dream incredibly difficult to achieve. For one, finding the right publisher to publish your work is not an easy task. You need to hire an agent first because most publishers won’t accept unsolicited submissions.

Nonetheless, you should not lose hope. If you cannot find the right publisher, then maybe this is the time to do self-publishing. It is not easy as well because you have to do all the work—drafting, editing, designing, proofreading, and marketing. However, it will be worth it in the long run since you will be in control of everything. You will be the one calling the shots. Here are our top tips on how to write and self-publish your book.

[su_quote class=”cust-pagination”]“I enjoy self-publishing & sending publishers rejection letters. They’re like, ‘Who is this guy?’ And I’m like, ‘the end of your industry.” — Ryan Lilly  [/su_quote]

Start by Writing Down Your Thoughts

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As a writer, your main task is to write down the content of the book. However, only a few people realize how powerful writing is as a tool for documenting one’s thoughts. Most people do not even do it! Let’s say that you’re tasked with writing a thesis book about advertising. Of course, you already have a general idea about the content to write, and you’ve probably jotted down advertising and marketing points. But what how about the minor details such as controversial advertising?

How can you create a compelling book about advertising? What colors should you use to attract readers? You could have thought of that while working on your chapters, but did you note it down? Most people don’t. They keep on procrastinating,  only for them to forget! By so doing, they forget the ideas and lose the opportunity to expand their manuscripts!

The majority of people are guilty of this. To be different, write down all the ideas that come to your mind. You might not be able to use them now, but later on, they might be very helpful. By noting down ideas, you will be able to work on your manuscript with ease.

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Pick The Right Topic/Theme/Subject of your Book

Whether you’re a fiction author or not, it is important that you identify who your target audience is. You need to determine what your topic, theme, and the subject your book.  This will be the backbone of your book, and it will give you a general idea of the content you should write.

[su_quote class=”cust-pagination”] “Nowadays, the Internet decides if you’re good, not the big man in the big office. No matter how important that man thinks he is, everyone else knows that he’s not important anymore, and the Internet decides these things, here in the modern age.” –—  Alexei Maxim Russell  [/su_quote]

Hire an Editor to Run Through Your Manuscript

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One of the challenges faced by self-published authors is that they have to do everything by themselves. Unlike in traditional publishing, they have to edit the manuscript themselves. This can be tricky for those who cannot see the obvious mistakes they have made while writing. Hire an editor who will run through your draft correcting all the mistakes. An editor will ensure that the plot flows and that you connect with the readers easily.  

Of course, editors are not only limited to your manuscripts. This also refers to graphic designers and editors who’ll work on your book covers and marketing materials before your book is shown to the world.

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Publish it On Self-Publishing Websites

Once your manuscript is ready for the world to see, it is now time for you to actually publish it. The great thing about self-publishing is that it is a lot easier thanks to the Internet. There are several sites where you can list and publish your book both digitally and in print. Yes! We’re not kidding! You can visit websites such as Lulu.com, Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com and publish and sell your books! Moreover, these are all free of charge! They retain a certain percentage of your sales as a commission, though. But considering that they will practically publish, list and market your book through distributors such as Amazon Kindle, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, it is well worth it!