The Dos and Don'ts of Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is a wonderful option for authors who prefer to bypass the gatekeeping and complications that come with traditional publishing and put their books directly into the hands of their readers. 

However, several dos and don'ts come along with all of that creative freedom gained with self-publishing. 

Let's dive into some of the common mistakes that will hinder your success as a self-publishing author. 

Do: Invest in Professional Editing

I believe that authors can do almost 99% of the process without any outside influence such as book covers, marketing, and formatting, but the one thing an author can not do objectively is self-edit their work. 

After spending weeks, months, or years, pouring over your work it's not going to be possible to look at it from the outside and know the best things to cut to clean up your novel because you've either grown attached to it all or you're skimming over as you read it since you almost know it by heart. 

A professional editor is essential to polishing your manuscript, improving clarity, and ensuring that your book meets standards of quality and professionalism if it's going to compete with all the traditionally published novels out there. 

Don't: Rush to Publication 

Just because you finally wrote the final paragraph in your novel does not mean that it is ready for publication. 

No first draft should ever see the light of day or the eyes of a reader. 

It can be tempting to rush books to market because "hey more books mean more money right?" But in rushing you can be damaging the quality of your books and your reputation as an author by putting out unpolished drafts. Take the time after writing to polish up your novel to the best of your (and a professional editor's) ability and spend some time marketing your book before throwing it out into the bookselling void and hoping an audience will find it. 

Do: Build Your Author Platform 

That bookselling void we just talked about? That's what you need to avoid at all costs. How do you do that?

You build an audience before your book even sees its first shelf.  

It takes time and effort to build an author's platform, almost as long as it took you to write your book. 

Building a platform builds a community of other writers and readers who will support you when the time comes for your book release so that you aren't just throwing it out into the internet void and hoping someone will stumble across it. 

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Self-publishing your work isn't the easiest walk in the park that you'll take, but with careful planning, and a willingness to learn both from your success as well as your failure you'll increase your chances of achieving your goal as a self-published author. 

Best of luck! 

With love, 

B. xo xo

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This story was originally posted on Medium.

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