#How to self publish

[nelehjr]

How To Publish Family Histories

            I have to admit, lately I have been seriously worried I have nothing left to teach you all, my dear followers. When one of you DMs me with a question, I more often than not can point you to a blog post! Which is great! But seriously, DM me more questions. I’m running out of them. As you know, I started writing for Goshen County Library (AKA “James Bond’s Library”) in 2017– maybe 2018,…

[writertoselfpublishedauthor]

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[jasminedragonart]

genuinely wondering how some people on here haven't started their own publishing company. It's not like we don't have the skills. The amount of bookbinders, proofreaders and artists on here could rule the publishing world if they had the right motivation.

[clonerightsagenda]

I've started noticing content warnings start popping up more frequently in the front of published books, and I'm curious as to people's thoughts on that. So, poll time!

[hayatheauthor]

As a teenager who has self published in the past and is doing it rn, I've learned a lot about how to write, edit, and self publish your book on a budget.

Traditional publishing is a great option but the reality is not everyone is going to get that 'yes' they're looking for. If you've decided to opt for self publishing but are scared of the financial demand, here are some free ways you can ensure you have a polished manuscript and great cover:

(kept the read more to prevent cluttering everyone's feed because this got a little long lol)

1. Cover design

First off, remember to always ask for a book jacket not a just a cover. A book jacket includes the cover, back cover, and spine. Having a pretty cover is useless if you don't have a back cover and spine to go with it.

Simple Covers

If your book is an 'easier' genre like non-fic, thriller, etc. and you're willing to pick up a few editing skills and watch a bunch of yt vids you could make your own cover on platforms like Canva or Pixlr. I made my first book's cover like that and sure it might not be the coolest but it was still pretty good.

Complex Covers

This is probably the hardest part of self publishing on a budget, but there's an easy solution for you too! Just like there are writers who post stories etc on certain sites for free, there are also graphic designers who make covers etc for free you just need to know where to look for them.

Writing Sites: Sites like Quotev and Webnovel are known for having a large community of cover designers. That's probably the easiest free way to find a good SFF cover. In fact, I made my WIP's book jacket by myself after picking u skills from Quotev.

Goodreads & Reedsy: While all of the designers on these sites aren't free, you'll likely find at least a couple designers willing to lend you a hand.

Hire Someone: Ik what you're thinking, hiring someone is exactly what you're trying not to do. But here's the thing: you can easily find a freelance graphic designer who meets your budget by looking for designers in other countries with a lower currency. If you're a UK/US author this can be REALLY easy and you'll find someone in about 20 USD

2. Editing

Editing is another big concern that you mentioned, and more specifically, getting that final polish.

You can make your editing process easier by using these resources:

AI: I know this might seem unconventional, but AI editing, with the right prompts, can actually help a ton! Now, what you need to remember is to only use the AI as an editor, not a writer. How can you prevent yourself from mixing up the two? Just make sure to add a quick line in your prompts like 'I don't want you to completely (re)write this section but only advise me on how to improve it.' Remember, only give AI a max of 1k words to review at a time.

Free Resources: Finding a good book editor for free online is actually much easier than you would think. There are a ton of websites you can use like Goodreads where you can find experienced editors willing to lend you a hand. Sure, they might not bring you the professionalism that other, pricier editors would, but they're still worth a try. Here are some other sites:

The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) ACES: The Society for Editing BetaBooks

Most of these focus on paid services but they are honestly pretty affordable when compared to other platforms.

College Students: Second-third year uni students pursuing a degree in some form of literature look for opportunities to build their portfolio, this is where you come in. Find a college in your city/state that provides Literature-esque degrees, then go on Linkedin and look for students of that program and send them a message talking about your requirements. Be professional and mention you'll give them a letter of recommendation, certificate, and any other such perks.

Remember, someone with a Literature degree is almost as knowledgeable as a professional editor, they just lack the experience, which is what you're giving them.

Connecting With Other Writers: other self-published writers will probably be willing to lend you a hand if you ask around. The Bookstagram and Booktok communities are especially helpful in this matter.

3. Book Formatting

Once you have the perfect book jacket and manuscript, it's time to put it all together into an actual book. This might seem like a daunting task, but honestly, it's the easiest aspect of self publishing. Here are some free ways you can get it done:

DIY Formatting: You can format your book yourself using software like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or specialized formatting tools like Vellum (which offers a one-time purchase option). Many authors find templates online or use guides provided by self-publishing platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or IngramSpark.

Free Formatting Tools: Some online tools offer free book formatting services, although they may have limitations or offer basic formatting options. Examples include Pressbooks, Draft2Digital's free conversion tool, and Reedsy's book formatting tool.

Templates: Utilize free or affordable book formatting templates available online. These templates are designed to meet industry standards and can save you time and effort in formatting your book.

Community Resources: Join writing communities and forums where authors share tips and resources for book formatting. You may find members willing to share their formatting templates or offer guidance on DIY formatting.

Freelancers: Consider hiring freelancers for book formatting if your budget allows it. Websites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Reedsy have freelance professionals who offer book formatting services at various price points.

Final Notes

Overall, while this might seem like a scary venture, trust me when I say if you're willing to put in the effort and do a ton of research you can self publish a beautiful, polished book that people will love to read!

If you find yourself feeling lost I'm always willing to help out as a beta reader or editor.

Marketing itself is a whole other issue, but honestly, I have a ton of advice for that too so lmk if you're interested!

I think the main reason I'm conflicted on self publishing VS trad publishing is cause most self published authors [that I see at least] act like its the dumbest stupidest idea to publish w/o paying for a professional editor & cover designer.

Which like, I get why - people judge covers hard & it's easy to miss mistakes when you're editing your work.

But I can't afford either of those things & unless I magically come into a lot of money sometime soon, it'll be 5-10+ years before I will be able to afford either, let alone both.

It just stresses me out cause they act like unless you get these things its a guaranteed flop/1-star.

And I don't wanna do trad - at least RN or for this series, but that'd be the only way I'd not have to pay for an editor or cover design :/

[solitaireships]

I feel like I should say since there's been a recent uptick in a lot of communities I'm in/see stuff from a lot of white people pretending to be Asian, but you are not welcome here if you are in anyway stealing from Asian cultures for clout or the aesthetics of it

This includes if you're white and you give your self inserts Asian names, I truly do not care if your f/o is from an anime, you should not be using an Asian name under any circumstances. I hate that whenever I see someone using an Asian name online, I feel like I have to start searching their account to see if they're actually Asian or just a white person who likes the aesthetic of it bcs far too many white people will use Asian names here just bcs it sounds cool, with no regard for the actual cultural meaning behind it. Meanwhile actual Asian people will be mocked for their names, or treated like their names are too hard to learn to pronounce, or discriminated against based on their names

Asian cultures are not a fun little costume for people to dress up with. They aren't just a nice aesthetic, they aren't just a thing you can borrow from bcs you think it sounds cool

[rontra]

as the holder of extremely niche isako lore it's really important to me that you know i didn't make this whole writer thing up. the p3 club book brings up that she's a writer as a hobby, specifically so that it can then say she hasn't had any particular success with it. her whole profile is so hilarious but this bit really gets me. mean to her

[padfootastic]

snippets! more snippets! snippets for days!

“So, first major event was Halloween. Somehow, a troll got loose in the school, intent on causing mischief and mayhem.

“A troll?” Sirius paled. “Please tell me that’s a—a euphemism for something.”

“Siri, ew, oh my god,” Harry gagged, turning his face away from his unrepentant godfather and his ‘it’s still better than an honest-to-Merlin troll, Harry James’

“Suddenly, I’m very glad that there troll was not a—was just a troll. It was during the Halloween feast—“

“I do wonder about that day, you know. It feels so cursed.”

“You have no idea,” Harry muttered bitterly before continuing. “Anyway, so, it was the middle of the feast, Quirrell comes to warn us about the mountain troll in the dungeons before doing a dramatic faint right there, in front of everyone, and Dumbledore sends us all off to our dormitories.”

There’s a beat of silence before—

“The dormitories?”

Harry looked up to see Sirius staring at him, aghast. A small smile tilted his lips on one end. “Mhm.”

His godfather takes a deep breath. “Let me get this straight. You have a mountain troll in your school, which is supposed to be warded to high heaven and back, and your Headmaster tells you to wander through the hallways, where said troll could be lurking, to get to your dormitories??”

Harry nodded. “Yes.”

“What about the damn Slytherins? Their dorms are literally in the dungeons. They might be annoying but they don’t deserve to be killed by a thirty feet tall idiot with bad breath.”

“You know,” Harry mused, head tilting in thought, “you might just be the first, and only, adult to consider that. I’m not sure it ever even hit me until now.”

“What.”

“No one cares about the Slytherins, Sirius.”

“What—“

“I mean, I’m not saying they shouldn’t, just that they don’t. Don’t look at me like that, c’mon.”

“Harry, I have no idea what’s going on right now. It feels like I went on a weekend bender and never woke up, you’re literally two minutes in and there’s a mountain troll, a weird professor, a latently homicidal Headmaster, and still no Voldemort. How do I even react to this?” Sirius’ hands moved around frantically as he spoke, getting daste and more erratic with each word.

[berntkat]

I’m available for freelance comic print work! I’ll do all the prepress for you and your project. If you or someone you know is looking for help self publishing, send me an email with details to berntkat(at)gmail(dot)com

And to view examples of my past work visit: Berntkat.com/design

I can help with consultations on running a Kickstarter, printing with your own manufacturer, cover design and more!

[lucky-slice]

low key i think to deny Riko's trauma is to deny his narrative importance in the story.

like Riko's trauma related to his father parallels neil's. His concept of brotherhood adds complexity to Andrew and Aaron's relationship. He acts not just as an antagonist but as a foil to other character's relationship to trauma and violence.

to solely view riko through the lense of his actions is to miss the point. He is a character in a story, not a real breathing human being.

[howdoyousleep3]

where do you read original work that isn’t published through kindle? a website? wattpad? patreon?

[writertoselfpublishedauthor]

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[misterghostfrog]

Alright I haven't been on here for a while but I'm a man on a mission. A week ago my sibling published their first poetry anthology! They've been working on the collection for years through a lot of different parts of their life and it covers a lot of their experiences as someone raised as a woman with a lot of neurodivergence and disability. And they've begun trying to do marketing work and so far it's going...

Very poorly

They've only gotten traction on tiktok... because a group of people started sharing the video around making fun of their voice (they have a speech impediment) and are mostly just getting harassed and made fun of for their disability. And since I'm not allowed to hunt people for sport I'm taking their book to the spite and gay people website in hopes of helping them find an audience

In their words

Little Girl is a book of poetry encompassing my personal journey from childhood to adulthood. The works speak on larger social issues, as well as a troubled home life, and the effects of being an adult diagnosed with neurodivergence. Melancholy and hopeful. Truthful, but never cynical.

The book itself has several years worth of work and has a cheerful rhythm reminiscent of Shel Silverstein to contrast the more serious topics. Such as child abuse, sexism, and disability. Its a long-term labor of love, and I hope it'll find the right folks on here

Only ten

Clean hair, nice clothes,

‘What will your father think of those?’

From the tender age of ten.

Taught how to dress for men.

The line between pretty and a whore.

‘Oh you cannot go out that door’  

While the boys grew out of their clothes.

Girls turned into short skirt shows. 

[tychodorian]

Hey writers! 📚✨ Welcome back to Manuscript Monday, where I answer your burning questions about writing and self-publishing. Today’s question is one we’ve all faced: ‘Do you have any advice on writer’s block?’

Absolutely! Here are my personal tips to break through that block:

Set a Writing Schedule: Consistency is key. Even if it’s just 10 minutes a day, setting aside dedicated time can help you push through those tough spots.

Write with Friends (Body Double): Writing with someone else can boost your motivation. It’s like having a workout buddy—except you’re flexing your creative muscles!

Listen to Your Characters: If you’re stuck, focus on your characters. Ask yourself, ‘What would my characters do in this situation?’ Character-driven stories often work best, so let your characters guide the plot.

Character Generata/Questionnaires: These tools can help flesh out your characters and give you new insights, which might just be the key to pushing through writer’s block.

So, if you’re feeling stuck, give these tips a try and see if they help you find your flow again!

Happy writing, and remember—your story is worth telling! ✨📝

[maelancoli]

ima say something controversial but not brave. the problem with writing around tropes is a lack of payoff. for example, the one bed happens because of the plot itself and the bonus is building the romantic subplot tension. the story does not revolve around trying to reach the tropes. tropes are the filler, they are the spaces between the major beats which deepen the whole tapestry.