If you’re a writer, your ultimate goal in life is typically that of getting your book published. I am here to help you achieve this goal! By following these steps, and applying yourself diligently to the path, your dream of getting your book published will soon be a reality. You’ve taken the first step by coming to this site!
How do I know these steps will help you get published? By following these steps I now have published over three hundred books. I have both self-published and worked with traditional publishers. I have used literary agents and worked on my own. My books include:
* Medieval Sweet Romance Adventures – fourteen book series
* Sutton Massachusetts Mysteries – four book series
* Mused Literary Review – over ten years of quarterly art-and-literature issues
* Low Carb Cookbooks – Thirteen book series
* Lisa’s Full Library of Published Books
I have published paperback and ebook. I’ve published fiction and non-fiction. Full length novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories. Standalones and serials. I have personally used CreateSpace, Lulu, CafePress, Nook, Apple, SmashWords, Kobo, D2D, and many other sites. My experiences explained here are all from my first hand knowledge of using those to publish books.
Here is my step by step guide with over 1,000 pages and images to help you in getting your book published! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments on this material. I’m happy to help.
Overview of Self Publishing a Book
Setting the Stage
Preparing Yourself for Writing
What Software to Write your Book In
Typing your Novel vs Speaking with Dragon
NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month
Writing the Book
Get Your Book Written – The Basics
Losing Data / Files while Writing
Punctuation
Writing Style Notes
Writing Style – Sparse to Lush
Using “Said” When Writing Dialogue
Indicating the Speaker in Dialogue
Writing in Past vs Present Tense
Avoiding Feeling / Felt as Modifiers
Technical Details of Document Setup
Spacing vs Tabs for First Line Indent
Images in a Book
Book Length
Short Story vs Novella vs Novel
Dividing an Epic into Single Books
Parts of a Book
Editing / Reviewing the Book
Offering Constructive Criticism
Handling Criticism from Reviewers
How to Correct in a Word Document
Organizing / Copying Kindle Notes
Book Title Notes
Setting Expectations for Book Length
Why are Books Titled with A Novel at the end?
Preparing Your Book for Publication
Printers Key on Copyright Page
External Trademark Mentions in your Book
Plagiarism Parody and Homage
Legal Issues of Writing a Parody
Book Cover Basics
Book Covers – Paperback vs Kindle
A Book Cover Should Match the Content
Book Cover Good vs Not-So-Good
Designing a Book Cover – Weddings and Courtships
Designing a Book Cover – Aspen Allegations
Designing a Book Cover – Knowing Yourself
Book Cover Technical Details
Technical Steps for a Book Cover – Simple
Technical Steps for a Book Cover – Advanced
Book Spine Text – Left or Right?
Special Features on a Cover
Box Set
Hiring a Cover Designer
Basics of Hiring a Cover Designer
Using Freelancer for Cover Design
Publisher Options – main page
Overview of Publishing Options
… Pros of Traditional Publishers
… Cons of Traditional Publishers
… Pros of Small Press Publishers
… Cons of Small Press Publishers
… Pros of Vanity Press Publishers
… Cons of Vanity Press Publishers
Finding a Traditional Publisher
Traditional Publishing – main page
Overview of Traditional Publishing
… Query Letter Issues to Avoid
Working With the Publisher or Agent
Working with a Vanity Press / Payment-Required Publisher
Publishing On Demand – fee based
Thoughts on Paying Up Front for Publishing
Lightning Source – fee based POD
Self Publishing Overview – **ALWAYS FREE**
Self Publishing Summary Process Start to Finish
Publishing On Demand – What Is It?
Preparing for Self-Publishing
Self Publishing Paperback Options – **ALWAYS FREE**
Publishing On Demand Options – FREE
Publishing On Demand – FREE comparison chart
Working Directly with a Printer
CreateSpace Publishing On Demand Step By Step
CreateSpace Step by Step – main page
Loading Up the CreateSpace Book
Channels and Pricing on CreateSpace
Problems and Issues with CreateSpace
Lulu Publishing On Demand Step By Step
Lulu Self Publishing – Setting Up the Book
Formatting your Book for Self Publishing
Ebook Basics
Ebook vs PDF / What Is an Ebook?
Summary of a 8-Hour Ebook Creation
Step by Step Making an Epub / MOBI File
Summary of Putting Ebooks Live
Amazon Kindle Ebooks
Creating an Amazon Kindle Ebook – overview
Kindle Ebook – Start to Finish in 24 Hours
Combining your Kindle and Paperback Entries
Lisa’s Kindle Book List
Draft2Digital (iTunes, Nook, Kobo, etc.)
Load your Ebook Into Draft2Digital
SmashWords Ebook
Load your Ebook onto SmashWords
WattPad Ebook
Lulu Ebook
Google Play Ebook
Load your Ebook on Google Play
GoodReads Ebook
Self Publishing FAQs
Money Earned from Selling Books
Making a Non-Rectangular / Non-Square Book
What Do I Do With Old Version Books?
Book Crafts – Uses for Old Books
Markting and Promoting your Book
Prerelease / Prereleasing Your Book
Running a Virtual Launch Party
Promoting Your Book on the Web
Reading Trends – Book Reading by Decade
Pricing Techniques
Getting Book Reviews
Basics of Getting Book Reviews
GoodReads – Getting Reviews for your Books
Goodreads Book Giveaways
PaperBackBookSwap – Book Review Site
Common Mistakes when Seeking Reviews
Review Swapping – Why to Avoid It
Amazon
Selling Your Book on Amazon’s Marketplace
Amazon Advantage vs Amazon Marketplace
Paying for Newsletter/Online Promotion
Basics of For-Pay Newsletter and Online Promotion
Book Shows / Book Festivals / Book Stores
Making an Author Business Card
Contests and Awards
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Short Stories via Traditional Magazines
Tips for Submitting Short Stories
Selling Written Content / Writing on Demand
Freelancer.com – a content marketplace
Social Networking Basics
Social Networking and Book Publicity
Klout Social Networking Rating
Facebook Groups – FREE book promotion
Facebook Ads – an Absolute Must
Twitter Tips
Building Traffic for your Twitter Account
Maintaining Multiple Twitter Accounts
Twitter for Authors
TweetDeck – Free App for Twitter
TrueTwit – Prevent Twitter Spam
Tweepi – Manage your Followers
ManageFlitter – Follow and Unfollow
FollowerFilter – Great Free Follower Management Tools
DVDs
Selling DVDs on your Own Website
CreateSpace – Amazon DVD Sales
My Steps for my Origami DVD Sales
My Books and DVDs I Have Published
Lisa’s Full Library of Published Books
Lisa Shea Full Library of Published Books
Friends who have Published Books
Lisa’s Full Library of Published Books