Thinking of self-publishing?

If you're considering going down the route of self-publishing, here are a few tips based on what I've learned on my self-publishing journey...

1. Finish your book

It may sound obvious, but the first step to self-publishing is to finish writing your book. Many people talk about it but never do it, and for good reason: it’s hard. For me it felt like running a marathon or climbing a mountain. It took me 30 years to write my novel, fitting it in between a day job, family, pets and household chores. But once you get to the finish line/summit and finally type ‘The End’, the sense of achievement makes it all worthwhile.

2. Proof and proof again

Before clicking ‘Publish’, I had already proofed my manuscript countless times. (Proofreading is part of my day job.) I ordered umpteen author copies – dummy watermarked versions you can order from Amazon at a discount so you can make sure you’re happy with your book before it goes live. I checked and double-checked copy after copy ad nauseam until I was happy and felt ready to reveal the finished manuscript.

3. Ask someone else to proof it

Even though I’d checked my novel countless times, my partner Patrick still picked up a silly spelling error I’d missed. It’s easy to become blind to errors when you’ve been staring at the same piece of text for hours on end. If you don’t know anyone who can help with proofing, my advice is to pay a professional. A book that’s peppered with silly errors can be distracting for a reader who doesn’t want to be taken out of the fictional world you’ve spent years or months trying to create for them.

4. Run it past someone you trust

Before you self-publish, ask someone you know and trust to read through your manuscript. To help me over the finish line I enlisted the help of Mary Turner Thompson, author of The Bigamist and The Psychopath. Mary read through my novel, picked up some inconsistencies and highlighted areas to improve. She also gave me valuable advice on how to set up my Kindle Direct Publishing account and how to lay out my books for both print and Kindle.

5. Design a striking cover

It’s important to have an eye-catching cover for your book. Of course, AI can make this a lot easier nowadays. But it’s much more satisfying to work with a human designer who knows what they’re doing. I designed the covers for my books myself but, as with proofreading, it’s best practice to hire a professional if you can.

6. Sit back and watch the royalties roll in – ahem!

The bad news (sorry!) is that once your book has gone live, your work isn’t over. There’s another mountain to climb to market your book. You need to get yourself ‘out there’, so unless you’ve got an agent or someone to do the publicity for you, be prepared to do the marketing yourself. Ask friends and family if they would kindly purchase a copy and post an honest review. Reviews are important because they help other readers decide whether or not they want to purchase your book. And the more reviews your book has, the higher it will rank in the bestseller lists.

Nonnie, The Quiet Little Mouse is for children aged 5-7 but can be enjoyed by anyone. So far, Nonnie has sold 31 copies and ranks 213,330 in the Literature & Fiction for Children category.

The Glens of Carnegie is a tale of duplicity and intrigue. To date The Glens of Carnegie has sold 20 copies and ranks 27,612 in the Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures category.