business plan

Self-Publishing Paths: Week 5, Editing & Cover Design

G'morning Blogitons! Please join Susan Spann and I on Spann of Time for the continuation of the self-publishing series. This week we look at the second most essential component of publishing a novel, the presentation. This includes editing, proofreading, and cover design. Thanks to all who've commented how much you've enjoyed this series so far. Next week will be the final post and discusses the juggernaut of marketing. Take care!

Sometimes, most of the time even, new authors are consumed by and utterly immersed in their first few writing projects, often to the point of having absolutely no brain cells left over for any other creative or “businessy” endeavors. I’ve been there; I understand it. Nothing is more exciting to a writer than the story you are bringing to life.Somewhere along this creative journey, however, new authors generally come to a decision about whether they will publish or simply allow their novel to be extant. It’s a question of public attention and acknowledgment vs. personal satisfaction and self-acknowledgment. (Here’s a little something I wrote on the subject of why we write that talks more about this public vs. personal dialectic). Once an author makes their choice, it’s time to get serious about carving out the time to include all those ancillary steps to the actual writing that will lead to your finished—and publishable, if that’s your goal—novel. Continue here.

Full Series Posts:Week 1: Research. An overview and comparison of the self- vs. traditional-publishing paradigms.Week 2: Business Plans. What an author needs to know to create and adhere to business plans and deadlines.Week 3: Distributing Your Novel. The general considerations regarding distribution sites.Week 4: Creating eBooks. Details to consider in regard to ebook creation, and why and how to do it.Week 6: Marketing & Promotion.

Self-Publishing Paths: Week 4, Creating eBooks

G'day Blogolicioussians. Please join me today at mystery author Susan Spann's blog where the series on self-publishing continues with week 4. This post goes into more detail about things to consider in regard to ebook creation, and why and how to do it. Enjoy!

For someone unfamiliar with HTML or CSS, creating an ebook may seem like black magic. But that doesn’t have to stop you from making ebooks your main self-published medium. Hundreds and hundreds of ebook creators have their shingle up, and a quick web search will find them for you. Better yet, if you’re part of a group of likeminded writers who’ve already gone through the process of having their novels formatted as ebooks, ask them who they used and if they would or wouldn’t recommend this service. Continue here.

Full Series Posts:Week 1: Research. An overview and comparison of the self- vs. traditional-publishing paradigms.Week 2: Business Plans. What an author needs to know to create and adhere to business plans and deadlines.Week 3: Distributing Your Novel. The general considerations regarding distribution sites.Week 5: Plan ahead to hire an editor, proofreader, and cover designer. At minimum, start looking six months before you plan to publish.Week 6: Marketing and Promotion.

Self-Publishing Paths: Week 3, Distribution

Hello Blogdrodites! Welcome to the third week of my guest post series on the many considerations of self-publishing. Please join me at (world's coolest) mystery author Susan Spann's blog, Spann of Time, to learn about the things to consider when choosing your distribution sites. You may also want to visit this older post of mine that has a more concrete (though dated) look at the many options. Thanks to the many who have stopped by to peruse these posts. I hope you're enjoying them and getting some good tips. Cheers!

There are two kinds of people in the world (outside of those who write and those who don’t), and they are those who obsess about the details and those who think of details as esoteric thought experiments that have little bearing on the obviously more important process of writing the next novel. But here’s the thing, and it bears repeating once again: Treat your writing like a passion, but treat your novel like a business. In a successful business model, the details are what matter the most. Continue here.

Full Series Posts:Week 1: Research. An overview and comparison of the self- vs. traditional-publishing paradigms.Week 2: Business Plans. What an author needs to know to create and adhere to business plans and deadlines.Week 4: Creating eBooks. Details to consider in regard to ebook creation, and why and how to do it.Week 5: Plan ahead to hire an editor, proofreader, and cover designer. At minimum, start looking six months before you plan to publish.Week 6: Marketing and Promotion.

Self-Publishing Paths: Week 1, Research

G'day Blogtasticans. Join myself and fellow author Susan Spann at Spann of Time today where I'm discussing the many nuances of self-publishing. This is a six-week long series, and week one covers the wheretofors and whathaveyous of choosing the self-pubbing path. Thanks, Susan, for having me!A sneak peek:

Isaac Asimov said, “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” And that is the first thing you must do in order to fly your indie flag at its grandest height. Researching and learning the business from both the traditional and the independent or self-publishing perspective is the essential ingredient to making the best choices for your own writing career. Each person must decide for themself what fork in the path they want to take in regard to going trad or indie, but to make a good decision, you must be as informed as possible about what you’re gaining and/or losing in either choice. Continued here.

Full Series Posts:Week 2: Business Plans. What an author needs to know to create and adhere to business plans and deadlines.Week 3: Distributing Your Novel. The general considerations regarding distribution sites.Week 4: Creating eBooks. Details to consider in regard to ebook creation, and why and how to do it.Week 5: Plan ahead to hire an editor, proofreader, and cover designer. At minimum, start looking six months before you plan to publish.Week 6: Marketing and Promotion.