5 Easy Steps to Self-Publish Your Book Like A Pro

Gone are the days when indie writers used to look up to publishers to get their books the value they deserve. Now, indie-publishing has shifted the power paradigm towards the authors themselves, and they can now publish their books by themselves. But here comes the question: How?

In this article, we are going to provide a step-by-step guide for you to crack the nut of indie-publishing. From finalizing your manuscript to marketing it, this article will acquaint you with everything you need to know.

So stay tuned!

What is Indie-Publishing?

After writing a book, writers have 3 ways to go: They can either publish it traditionally through a publishing house, they can self-publish it, or they can opt for hybrid publishing, which offers the best of both worlds.

But today, we are going to talk about indie-publishing.

Indie-publishing, or self-publishing, is when you take complete control of your book. From editing the final draft to formatting, designing, and promoting it on relevant channels, you do it all by yourself.

Self-publishing enables you to retain the rights of your book. You can edit it whenever and however you want to, without any limitations. It gives you full creative control of your book, allowing you to publish it much faster while making higher payouts.

The Ultimate Checklist for Indie-Publishing:

After understanding what self-publishing is, and what benefits it offers, let's move on towards how it's done.

Here is the ultimate checklist with clear goals and action plans to make your indie-publishing dream a reality.

Finalising the Manuscript:

As an indie author, when you are self-publishing your book, the pre-publication phase holds immense importance. It sets the pace for how swift your whole publication process will be. If you manage things from the very start, you can launch your book sooner.

Editing the First Draft:

After completing the book, the next step is editing. You can either do it yourself or hire a professional for it. Even if you decide to hire a professional, proofread the first draft yourself.

Here, you will see the raw parts of the text which you can better yourself. You can fix typos and grammatical errors by using online tools such as,

• Grammarly
• ProWritingAid
• Hemingway editor
• Slick Write

However, to edit your book on a professional level, hiring the right guy for the job is always preferred.

Book Design:

No matter how many times we ask people to not judge a book by its cover, they will always do that. Hence, give it your best. Remember that your cover is the first thing that potential buyers see about your book, and if they are not impressed, they will not even turn it around to get to the description.

As an indie book writer and self-publisher, you have the right to have a say in how you want your front cover to be but hiring a professional for this job is always preferred. They know how to make your cover genre-appropriate and eye-catching.

Book Description:

Then comes the next most important part, the book description. Mostly, the description is the deciding factor for readers. They gauge the value of your book through those two to three paragraphs only. Start your blurb with a hook, do not give away too much of the plot and leave the reader wanting more.

ISBNs and Legalities:

When you are self-publishing your book, it is not essential to own an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). However, it is still advised to purchase one. It helps your book to be recognized and listed in bookstores online and offline.

Moreover, registering the copyright and mentioning it in the book protects your work from illegal distribution.

Building the Author Platform:

Once the manuscript is finalized, it is now time to build your author platform. You can do that by either creating your own website, or you can market your book through social media or email marketing.

Branding:

Building your own indie author website helps you brand your work and adds a sense of authentication to it. Here, you can familiarize people with yourself, and your book. You can also optimize your website by putting up relevant blog posts.

Social Media Marketing:

Social media is a great way to connect to your target audience and enhance the visibility of your book. Here, you can promote your book through images or teasers before launch. Even posting a statement or two from the climax can work, if the goal is to intrigue the audience.

You can also collaborate with other authors and local influencers to promote your book and offer promo codes to their followers.

Email Marketing:

Another way to market your book online when indie-publishing is through emails. Sending organized and well-written emails to people who sign up is a good way to keep reminding them of your work. You can also offer them deals and discounts.

Building Momentum for the Book:

When self-publishing your book for the first time, you need to know what you are doing at all times. And to make that happen, you need to plan each step before you take it.

Set up long-term goals and pave the path with short-term goals to reach your destination.

Book Metadata:

The key while marketing your book is the metadata. It helps your book rank higher on search engines when potential readers navigate through them.

By entering all the essential information and relevant keywords into the system, you can enhance the visibility and sales of your book to a great extent. Hiring a professional to optimize your book metadata also boosts traffic.

Review Strategy:

Getting reviews on your book is a great way to fine-tune it before launching. Here’s how you can make a review strategy.

• You can offer Advance Review Copies (ARC) to local influencers or reviewers in your genre who can provide valuable feedback. This will help you identify plot holes and weak points of the story.
• You can send your book to other indie authors in your genre to get their point of view of your book.

If a well-known author endorses your book, it will make you credible in the eyes of readers. Mentioning this endorsement on the cover will help sales too.

Pricing the Book:

The next step in the indie-publishing process is to set up a price. Setting the right price is crucial because if you put it too high, you might make good money from the books you sell but sell fewer books altogether.

Similarly, if you set it too low, you might sell more copies but earn less in total.

In the past 10 years, 1,200 traditionally published authors and 1,600 self-published authors have earned $25,000 or more annually from their books.

To strike the right balance, research. Look at the books in your genre. Draw a comparison of indie publishing vs traditional publishing, and focus on the pricing in each method.

Setting the price on the lower end at the start is a good way to attract readers. Once you build that reader base, you can increase the price range.

Choosing Publishing Platforms:

The next step in our self-publishing journey might be the most important one so far: choosing the right indie publishing platform. It is the channel through which your readers get their hands on your book, and hence, should be given a thoughtful consideration.

Book Backr is a remarkable platform designed to help authors publish their books without manual effort. As a subscription-based platform, it allows you to publish ebooks, share serial fiction and access features like reader magnets and group promotions.

Book Backr also helps you reach a larger audience through an expanded email list and manage their subscriptions easily. You can self-publish, promote and earn, all with a single platform.

Planning the Post Launch Strategy:

With that, you have successfully self-published your book. However, the job is not finished yet. Self-publishing is a continuous process. Once your book is out in the market, you need to keep working to enhance sales. Here’s what your post launch strategy should look like;

Continued Marketing:

After the launch, keep marketing your book to enhance sales and visibility. Run advertisements on social media, keep collaborating with fellow writers, and attend events to expand your reach.

Engaging with Readers:

Engaging with the readers is a great way to build a community. Here’s how you can engage with your audience:

• Acknowledge reader reviews and feedback, and implement them in your future work.
• Offer them discounts, promotions and giveaways.
• Conduct meet and greets or book signing events to connect with your audience.

Gauging Success:

The last step in this self-publishing journey is to keep monitoring your success. Keep track of what is working for you and what isn’t. Do not invest in things that do not give results. Keep improving your marketing strategies and do not settle.

And there, you have a laid-out map of how and where you can self-publish your book. By following the above-mentioned steps, you can turn your first draft into the next bestseller of your genre. Work on your design, build an author platform, market your book far and wide, and get it out through the best publishing platform.

Remember that every great indie writer starts from scratch. Engage with your readers and build a community of avid and devoted fans. Best of luck for your self-publishing journey – Book Backr is happy to be a part of it!