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Self-publishing offers a level of control no other publishing option can rival. Control over your content, yes. But also, control over your book baby’s due date.
With you in the driver’s seat, you don’t have to twiddle your thumbs waiting for a traditional or hybrid publisher’s editors, book cover designers, or formatters. You secure the schedule. You deliver it on time.
That being said, it still has some problems. The uncharted self-publishing landscape can terrify writers, like walking into the Forbidden Forest with only a lantern. How do you know what to do and when?
Well, my friend. I’ve got ya covered. Consider this checklist your guide. And, bonus! It even hands you a timeline so you can do it in 12 months!
If you thought you could escape writing a book proposal because you’re self-publishing, I hate to break it to you.
The point of a book proposal for a traditional publisher is to determine commercial viability. The point of a book proposal for a self-published author is to stay on track and focused. (And maybe to prove to yourself your book’s commercial viability too.)
Proposals include valuable information like your audience/demographics, your marketing plan, your takeaway sentence, the table of contents, and your expertise/experience on this topic.
Once you’ve hammered out the answers to those questions, you’ll use them as your “north star.” Print it out and read over it each time you write. If you have a question while you self-edit or work with an editor, you can refer to this piece as well.
The proposal will likely change as you write, but you need a place to start.
For some authors, this feels frustrating. They’d rather write it all, then organize it later. That’s fine. If you want to write your book proposal after your rough draft, you can. But keep in mind you’ll likely have more information to sort through. This could take more time than if you wrote your book proposal and outline before.
Now that you’ve got your game plan, it’s time to fill in the holes.
If you’re writing a Bible study and want to do more research, this is your time to dig in deep. If you’re working on a nonfiction piece that requires more stories or data, then get it all done here.
The amount of time this will take depends on what you’re writing about and your expertise. Even if you have all of the information in your head now, it’s worth compiling all of it together now so you can easily input and go when it’s time to write your rough draft.
Now it’s time to put pen to paper. You’ve done a lot of the leg work up front with your book proposal. You’ve got the destination; now it’s time to drive.
Having a plan can help you power through.
Let’s say you wanted to write a 50,000-word rough draft in three months. You could either:
Or, if you wanted to write a 50,000-word rough draft in four months:
Or, if you wanted to write a 70,000-word rough draft in three months:
And, last, if you wanted to write a 70,000-word rough draft in six months:
However you break it down, a plan will help you get those words on a page.
Your biggest chance of success in this phase will be to set aside your inner critic. Absolutely do not start editing at this point. That’s for later. For now, you need the words on the page so you can edit later.
You’ve got a rough draft! Let’s celebrate! Spend a night toasting yourself to this huge accomplishment. Treat yourself with some chocolate or purchase a pretty new mug. These small celebrations will keep you going. Especially when you get to self-editing.
Enter, the hard part.
Reading your manuscript in all of its ugly, half-formed thoughts can feel like nails on a chalkboard for writers. I told you to set aside your inner critic for the writing portion but when it’s time to self-edit, it can feel like you’re inviting it back to the table.
My best tip for the self-editing process is to get your heart and mind in a right place first. Train your thoughts to think rightly about God, yourself, and your work.
For me, I write out truths almost every morning in a journal. When a discouraging thought hits, I mentally tuck it away to process through later. Mindset work will get you far not only in your writing, but in your life.
Self-editing will require reading through your manuscript at least three times.
First, start high and work your way low. Do not edit for grammar first. That’s like putting a couch in a house with no walls. Make sure that your book is aligned with your proposal. Is your takeaway statement still apparent? On a high level, are you still writing to your ideal reader?
Next, read for flow and sentence structure. Tighten sentences, eliminate fluff, beef up your verbs. This is like putting up the walls in your house.
Then, finally, you can tidy up your grammar and punctuation. This is like putting up paintings on the walls.
Some writers will be tempted to skip over this next step. It’s expensive. It’s scary. It’s overwhelming. Unfortunately, it’s not optional.
Editors are trained to see things that other people don’t see. The untrained eye only catches about 60% of errors; an editor will catch about 80%. Trust me, many of my editing clients come to me with what they think is a clean manuscript and are startled to find it marked up.
Writers often need one of three types of edits (and sometimes all three!): developmental, line, and copyediting. Developmental looks at the big picture. Line editing looks at sentences and paragraphs. Copyediting (or proofreading) corrects grammar and punctuation. (If you’re not sure what you need, read this post here!)
Give your editor a lot of time. Many writers think this will be one of the fastest steps, but it’s not. If you want your editor to give you the best feedback, give her time. Contact her two or three months before you’re ready and get on her calendar. Not only will it give you accountability to finish your rough draft, you’ll also ensure that she can do the work on time.
While your editor is polishing up your manuscript, work on your marketing plans. This includes book cover design, back book cover, Amazon description, social media posts, and more.
What should your marketing plan look like?
That’s entirely up to you. That’s the beauty and pain of marketing. There’s no one right way to do it.
But questions to ask yourself: What do you enjoy doing? What social platform does your audience hang out on? What podcasts would you love to be on? How can you best get your message across?
Ideas for your marketing include:
Marketing will also last much longer than two months. Your launch time may vary, but you will always be marketing. You can bring back up your book during Christmas time or any seasons relevant to your book.
And, I know, for a lot of writers, the marketing side feels icky. They see it as self-promoting and arrogant. But that’s only if you’re marketing wrong.
Remember when we talked about changing your mindset? What if marketing wasn’t about shining a light on yourself, but serving other people? Would it still feel icky?
Your book is written and polished to perfection. Now it’s time to launch this beauty into the world!
Getting it all pretty on Amazon takes some time, however.
The first step is formatting. Vellum is the go-to standard for formatting. But it takes a lot of knowledge with a $200 price tag. You can always hire someone on Fiverr or Upwork to format for you at a fraction of the cost.
Next, you’ll upload to Amazon. If you want to offer physical copies of your book printed on demand, then upload using Create Space. If you just want a digital copy, then upload directly on Amazon.
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Whew. And that’s it! You’ve got this, sweet writer!
It'd be my honor to work with you!
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I help women confidently publish their excellently written books.