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  • Self Pub 101 (Intro to Marketing)

    Heart Centered Book Sales

    Just a reminder as we move into this section that my focus is on heart centered marketing. Telling people bout your book so the right people will find you.

    If you want more strategic support for marketing I’d highly recommend taking a course from Leonie Dawson.

    Their course 40 Days to a Finished Book (affiliate link) includes practical tips on how to become an Amazon Bestseller. And their Marketing without Social Media workshop (affiliate link) is full of creative ideas to market your work outside the algorithm.

    References

    I made a lot of statements about book sales in this podcast. Here are my references.

    Authors as multi-hyphenates (Writing Excuses Podcast 18.26)

    42 Percent Decline in Authors Earnings in Last Decade (Authors Guild, January 2019)

    How Much Do Authors Make Per Book? (Book Riot, 2021)

    Book Advances (paid post from Anne Trubek, 2022)

    It’s really important to remember that only a fraction of a fraction of your audience will buy your book right away,

    “1.1% of her audience preordered or bought her book as soon as it hits the shelves. Read that again: ONE POINT ONE PER CENT.” via Nicola Washington

    And words of wisdom from a literary agent…

    “YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE ME ANY MONEY, SO JUST WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE”

    Melanie Jackson, Percival Everett’s literary agent (Source: Everett’s acceptance speech for the PEN Award)

    Let’s discuss.

    What is the spark that inspired you to write a book and share it with the world?

  • Self Pub 101 (Bits & Bobs)

    Epigraph, Authors Note & Acknolwedgements

    Which might you include in your book?

    • Epigraph

    • Dedication

    • Author’s Note

    • Introduction

    • Index

    • Appendix

    • Acknolwedgements

    Call to action

    Consider including a call to action at the end of your book. A clear ask for the reader to connect with you, hire you, or sign up for your newsletter.

    You can even mention a free download, resource library, or perks specific to book readers.

    If you’re publishing print books you’ll need to take care to make these links evergreen so your book isn’t quickly outdated. If you’re publishing Ebooks you can include links directly to your newsletter opt in. Make it as easy as possible for people to keep in touch.

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

  • Self Pub 101 (The Copyright Page)

    A book nerd’s tour of the copyright page.

    Here’s my book nerd’s tour of the copyright page…

    There’s a lot going on on copyright pages. Any questions?

    Resources

    BOWKER ISBNs (for USA)

    Library of Congress Classification

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

  • Self Pub 101 (Print Books)

    Reflection Prompts

    What element of the books you examined stood out to you?

    How do you want the design of your book to feel?

    Fonts

    How to pair fonts

    Adobe Serif vs. Sans Serif

    Typographic Ornaments

    Here are some vintage examples from the public domain:

    Weird Tales Volume 10 (1927)

    Horto (1910)

    Through a Glass Lightly (1897)

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

  • Self Pub 101 (Ebooks)

    Marketplaces & File Formats

    Are you interested in publishing ebooks?

    What marketplaces & formats are you considering?

    File Formats

    .mobi – Amazon’s standard ebook file type (required to sell through Amazon)

    .epub – most common outside of Amazon’s marketplace

    .PDF – cheapest DIY option

    Ebook Formatting Guides

    Amazon

    Barnes & Noble

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

  • Self Pub 101 (Audiobooks)

    Recording & Formatting

    Audiobook Resources & Links

    Audible

    Audible quality standards

    Distribute on Audible with ACX

    Alternative Audiobook Marketplaces

    Libro.FM (which partners with local bookstores)

    Chirp

    My Process

    My podcasting & audiobook gear1

    Ferrite Recording Studio (app for iPad)

    Vocal warm ups

    Further Reading

    Austin Kleon, How I recorded an audiobook during a pandemic.

    And an alternate opinion about when to record the audiobook that is especially relevant if you’re hiring professional narrators.

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

    1

    I’ve used different microphones in the past (including a Blue Snowball, MOVO, and AT 2020). The Blue Snowball broke. The MOVO had a headphone jack and started to have compatibility issues with newer Apple devices. I struggled with the AT 2020. I was using a cardiod condenser version (not a USB) which had to be recorded with a Zoom H4N. I’m not sure if it was postpartum baby brain, but it was a giant headache and I wanted to go back to a simple USB mic.

  • Self Pub 101 (Look at a Book)

    Book Design & Formatting

    Books I Referenced

    Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

    The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

    Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

    Creatively Conscious by Philippa Stanton

    Learning by Heart by Sister Corita Kent

    Fonts

    Google Fonts (free open source fonts)

    Creative Market Fonts (a good source for purchasing fonts for your book cover or headers)

    Adobe Serif vs. Sans Serif

    Let’s discuss.

    What books would you find on the shelf next to your own?

  • Self Pub 101 (Printing)

    Print on Demand or Short Print Run

    Print on Demand Services

    Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (known as Amazon KDP)

    Barnes & Noble Print on Demand

    Ingram Spark

    Book Baby

    Short Run Art Book Printers

    Bookmobile

    Gorham Printing

    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. I’ve written about the complexity of choosing whether or not to publish through Amazon here:

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

  • Self Pub 101 (Pricing)

    Crunching the Numbers

    Consider the costs.

    Now that you know the costs you’ll need to decide how to price your book and what investment is required.

    Here are a list of possible costs for you to consider:

    • Book Cover Design

    • Book Proofs (3-5)

    • Developmental Editor

    • Copy Editor

    • Proofreader

    • Fact Checker

    • Website Shop & Fees

    • Crowdfunding Fees

    • Shipping Materials

    • Hosting Fees (for ebooks & audiobooks)

    • Email Automation (for delivering digital editions)

    • Microphone & gear for audiobooks

    • Editing software for audiobooks

    • Interior Illustrations or Photographs

    • Professional Author Headshot

    • ISBNs

    • Advance Reader Copies*

    • Marketing Materials (stickers, bookmarks, etc.)

    • Ads

    • Conferences

    • Signage, etc.

      * Advance Reader Copies (often called ARCS) can be free PDF or cheap paperbacks. ARC are often lower quality than finished books. Or you can send finalized author copies. We talk about this more about ARCs later on.

    Running the Numbers

    Considering your costs you’ll need to consider where to price each edition of your book. How many books will you need to sell to break even? How many to turn a profit?

    Additional Resources

    Ingram Spark’s How Much Should My Book Cost?

    Bear Hebert’s Anticapitalist Guide to Pricing Your Work

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.

  • Self Pub 101 (Shipping Your Book)

    Postage & Packaging

    Shipping Services

    Here are the best resources I’m aware of to purchase your own shipping labels.

    Shipstation through Paypal

    This is what I use. It requires a Paypal account. I like this because it allows me to ship books (within the US) using media mail, which is the cheapest way to mail books.

    Shipstation

    I haven’t used Shipstation without the Paypal integration so I’m honestly not sure what the differences are.

    Pirate Ship

    I haven’t used this myself, but it’s on my radar as a way to get discounted prices for shipping through UPS & USPS.

    Packaging

    Ideally you want to package up your book babies so they arrive in pristine condition. (Unlike Amazon who chucks a book in a box and hopes for the best.) This means you probably want a rigid or bubble mailer. I’ve used a few different companies, but Eco Enclose is my favorite. If you use Eco Enclose be sure to order a few free samples and make sure the book fits nicely (sometimes it’s hard to account for the thickness of the book when choosing a mailer size.)

    Let’s discuss.

    Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.