You Are Not Alone

One of the saddest stories I’ve heard involves a certain publishing school. (I won’t mention names to protect privacy), but this particular school enrolls students in a pricey course on editing and publishing. After paying nearly two thousand dollars, the students are left with a “ready to publish” book and a marketing plan consisting of promotional products for fairs and flea markets. Some of these services even print the books in China for a “cheap price,” leaving the author with an attic full of books they were promised would sell like hotcakes.

I call that manipulation. It is an abuse of people’s dreams.

Instead

In my case, I took an introductory class on self-publishing at a local community college. The cost was only seventy-four dollars. That class provided me with resources and the names of programs I could use to format my own books. It taught me the “ins and outs” of the industry: finding my ideal audience, BISAC numbers, metadata, ISBNs, genres, and cover design.

My Path

It was an excellent introduction, but the truth is that the amount of information is overwhelming. You don’t truly learn until you are in the thick of the work. Still, between the class and the eighty-dollar textbook, I started with a solid foundation. Not bad, right?

The Scale of Four Books

As I’ve mentioned before, the first book is the key to every door. By finishing it, you gain confidence and learn the trade. You might get inspired—or you might feel like giving up. I say this because I have felt, at times, that I can’t do it anymore. I’ve felt that the competition is enormous, that I’m not good enough, or that there are already too many books in the world. But the more I read, the more I realize that I have unique stories to tell. You have unique life experiences, too. As a reader, I’m telling you: I want to read your story.

To stay grounded, I created the Rule of Four:

1. Book One is the Key.
2. Book Two is the Door.
3. Book Three is the Entrance Room.
4. Book Four is the Home.

Easy Does It

Nothing happens overnight. Every success story you see out there took years of silent, consistent work. Those authors studied the market, followed their competition, and attended every seminar they could find until they found their key and opened the door. And remember: once you have a “home,” you have to handle the upkeep and improvements. The work never truly ends.

Baby Steps are Giant Steps

You have a finished manuscript (congratulations!) and you want to publish it. Here is what you need to do next:

1. Research your genre: Read books similar to yours. You need to know what has already been done so you can create more original plots, titles, and characters. Rewrite if necessary.
2. Polish the manuscript: Get it as clean as you possibly can.
3. Use Beta Readers: Send that 20th draft to at least three beta readers.
4. Listen to feedback: Use their critiques to make the manuscript better.
5. Find a professional editor: Choose someone who specializes in your genre.

Only then will you be ready to self-publish.

Self-publishing isn’t necessarily hard, but it is tricky. I’m confident you can do it—that is why I write these blog posts. However, a quick note: if you are using AI to write and edit your book, this blog isn’t for you. I don’t use AI. I work with real editors, and I love the process. They help me learn and grow as a writer.

Books to be Read

In the meantime, I invite you to read Bec, a recently published novel about Private Investigators and obsessions. Set on the Jersey Shore, this novel features a vintage tone as the author takes the reader back to the 1980s. I am currently enjoying it for the second time. The author’s flourishing, enticing narrative drags me in every time.

Find “Bec” here at the author’s personal link