Many thanks to Jessica Allowski, my editor for How it Feels to Me, for generously recording this bonus module.
Hi! I’m Jessica Allowski, founder of Cozy Cottage Editing. I work primarily with introverted indie authors to strengthen and refine their manuscripts for self-publication. I’m here to describe the main types of editing and offer tips for finding the most suitable freelance editor for your project.
https://instagram.com/p/CmFD-upg2hL/
What do you want your cover to communicate about your book?
What type of imagery comes to mind?
What type of fonts?
What colors?
What textures?
Don’t miss the module recorded by of A Book Designer’s Notebook about how to work with a cover designer. I’ve also linked up some of his Substack posts with tips about designing your own cover. So this is worth a listen if you plan to design the cover yourself.
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
What size do you want your book to be?
Will people be carrying it around?
Will they be writing in it?
What size and shapes are the books you examined earlier? Why do you think they chose that size?
How long is your manuscript? How many pages?
Check your printer and see if there are any page count requirements. There may be a minimum page count for hardcover books for example.
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
Do you have the funds or financial backing to order your books in bulk?
Would using a print on demand service make self publishing more accessible to you?
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (known as Amazon KDP)
Barnes & Noble Print on Demand
(Note: I am not endorsing any of these companies. I am sharing the information I have at hand about your options. My personal experience is limited to print on demand through Amazon KDP.)
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
Choose 2-5 physical books from the same genre as your book.
What would it be shelved by?
If you don’t own these books try the local library or browse a bookshop.
Look at their binding. Are they hardcover, softcover, spiral bound?
What size are they?
Are they illustrated?
Are the pages blank ink or full color?
What is the paper texture?
Are they designed to be written in?
Which would you prefer for your book?
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
What type of books do you read? What would your audience prefer? What are the costs and time involved?
Ebook
Audiobook
Hardcover
Paperback
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
How would you like to fund your print run?
Crowdfund
Preorders
Personal Savings
What type of preorder would you prefer?
Preorders through your own website
Preorders through Amazon (or another marketplace)
Crowdfunding
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
Think about your motivations for writing and publishing this book.
Why did I write this book?
What inspired me?
Who did I write it for?
Did I write to help, to inspire, or to entertain?
How does my book do that?
What books would it be shelved by?
Why is this book important to you?
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
This is a learn-at-your-own-pace course.
Each module will have a short podcast. You can listen or tap transcript to read. I’ll also include a short summary with some reflection prompts and links to any resources I might have mentioned in the module.
You’re invited to ask any questions in the comments below each post.
Think about what you need as you move into the self publishing process.
How can you support your nervous system and mental health?
How can you kindle your creativity as you move into an logistical project?
Who is your support system?
How can you be kind to yourself during this process?
What can you take off your self publishing list? (Ex. audiobook, etc.)
If you want to dig deeper into your creative process you may be interested in my book Discover Your Creative Ecosystem & Journal Companion.
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
Hullo all,
I’m quite enjoying the white space of sending 1-2 emails a month.
That said, I had a lot to say this December. I didn’t mean to send so much at once, but it all bubbled up. 😂
I’m sending it all today so I can shift into holiday mode. So I’ve created a Choose Your Adventure email for you. You can read one or all of these. Or keep a tab open to catch the rest later.
First, here’s an update on my picture book collaboration with ! So many of you supported this project and we wanted to give you an idea of where we are in the process.
It’s on offer right now if you want to grab an unbundled hardcover for $25 and ebooks & audiobooks are marked down to $10 each for the month of December.
Part of that process was digging up all of the process photos and videos I posted to Instagram. If you want to follow that process in real time you can see it unfold here:
This post is a reflection on neurodivergent note taking and my new hybrid system (part digital + part analogue.) It’s something I’ve been playing with this since September and it feels like it’s here to stay (and evolve and grow with me.)
Ok, that’s it for the choose your own adventure programming. Maybe we’ll do this again? I kind of like the flexibility of publishing posts in my own time and then sharing them to your email inbox once or twice a month.
More scope for the imagination as Anne Shirley would say.
Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this month.
If you love word games I’d really recommend Gubbins.
It’s fun and quirky (and accepts names and lots of informal words that most word games just won’t).
And, if you upgrade to paid, 10% of the proceeds go to charity because it’s backed by Hank Green & Nerdfighteria.
Or you can play once a day for free. 💫
https://instagram.com/p/Czow0-vvTGd/
I don’t often mention my day job as an adjunct university instructor. But I teach a postgraduate class about musical theatre. When I give my students a chance to give a presentation on their favorite musical someone always chooses Hadestown. I’ve not yet seen it myself, but it’s been on my radar for a few years.
When Dónal Finn1 was cast as Orpheus on the West End I fell down the Hadestown rabbit hole and found this book about the show’s lyrics.
It has some evocative quotes comparing the creative process to gardening,
“You’re raking around in the dirt, pulling up weeds. Flowers you love and find beautiful die on you. But not for nothing; they go back into the soil, and they nourish it. It’s the act of raking that prepares the ground, and it’s the seeds of those dead beautiful flowers that replant themselves in it and eventually come up right. The “right” thing could not exist without the “wrong” ones.”
The whole read was a delightful insight into the creative process. A very slow collaborative development that improved through iterations for well over a decade.
(More of my favorite quotes in my chronofile.)
I’d love to hear from you.
Drop a link to something you’d like to share below. Or tell me something you’re looking forward to working on in the new year.
Cheers,
Dónal Finn also plays Mat Cauthon starting in Season 2 of The Wheel of Time
