my manuscript and me

So, you’ve written a book. Firstly, congratulations! That’s an achievement in itself - I would know. Like you, I’ve written a book, Smalltown Boy, and I want people to read it. You might not though, which is fine. But if you’re here, I assume you want to get published. You want to see your book on shelves in Waterstones and WHSmith. Feel its glossy cover and heavy hardback in your hands and smell the freshly printed pages.

Now, you might try the traditional route. Send the first three chapters, a synopsis and a bit about yourself to an endless list of literary agents and publishers and wait an excruciating amount of time for the inevitable onslaught of rejections.

But say you’ve tried that and had no luck, or simply prefer the idea of doing it yourself. Well, you can self-publish.

Until I was asked to write this article, I was sceptical and hesitant to consider self-publishing as an option for my book. But as I’ve started to read and research, I’m leaning towards it.

This is everything I’ve gathered so far. It isn’t a step-by-step guide on how to self-publish your book, but hopefully, a starting point. The basics so you can decide whether it’s for you and how to look into doing it yourself. That said...

How do I self-publish my book?

Well, you could do what I did, or planned to do, with what was technically, my first novel. Between 11 and 15, I wrote a Harry Potter fan-fiction and thought I could sell it and give the money to charity. Little did little me know that the disclaimer I put at the front wouldn’t stop Bloomsbury, Warner Bros. and JK Rowling herself from suing me. Plus, I didn’t have the ability to print multiple copies at home.

That is an option though. Open your Word document and press print. You might have to keep refilling your paper tray and change your inks regularly, and it won’t be professional and your printer will insist on jamming for no reason but I guess it’s a relatively cheap option.

Alternatively, you could do what I ended up doing with my Harry Potter novel - post it on the internet.

The internet is probably your best option for self-publishing. Unfortunately, it might mean no physical copy like you dreamed but it would still exist!

test the water

If you write fanfiction like I did, fanfiction.net is the best place for that. And if you look hard enough, you might find mine...

The other option is Wattpad. You can publish original work on there too.

Have you heard of The Kissing Booth? You probably have, it was plastered all over Netflix for months. Well, that was an adaptation of a book that was first published on Wattpad! And author Beth Reekles was only 15 when she wrote it! She’s got a career and a fanbase and is only a year older than me! Clearly, anyone at any age can be a published and successful writer nowadays thanks to self-publishing on the internet.

Wattpad has the option to monetise your stories but only if you’re popular enough on the site to be invited or if you apply to Wattpad Paid Stories. Otherwise, you’re not going to make any money from posting unless you snag a deal like Reekles.

But really, in every article I’ve read, the overwhelming consensus for the best place for self-publishing is Amazon. Kindle Direct Publishing Services, to be exact.

Before you self-publish...Finish your book.

I get it. You’ve finally finished writing your first book. Phew! The relief! You’ve spent so long on it, now people need to read it NOW!

CHECK LIST BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK OF PUBLISHING

1. Are you sure it’s ready?
2. Have you done another draft?
3. Have you sent it to beta readers? Family and friends willing to sacrifice their time.
4. Have you got feedback from peers?
5. Proofread it?

Some indie authors suggest you even hire an editor to polish your manuscript. Publishing houses would give you one as part of the process but when your on your own, you have to source one yourself.

There’s a selection of editorial services in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and on their website.

Build a community

Okay, you’ve got a book, now you need people to read it. You could post it into the online void and hope for the best, but you’re better off having an audience already.

Authors in the self-publishing section of the Writers’ & Artist’s Yearbook talk a lot about mailing lists. A direct way to let people know you’ve got a book and how to get it.

In return for their personal information, you offer then something exclusive, something free - the first few chapters for example. And hopefully, those people will want to read more and they’ll tell others. Word of mouth will grow the list and you’ll have people waiting for your next book.

Then, you need to nurture your community. Water the garden. Keep in frequent contact with your readers.

Don’t limit this to an exclusive mailing list though. Not everyone wants that. You can build a following on social media.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Not everyone uses the same one and you might prefer one to the other, but wherever you choose to create a profile, remember to stay on brand. Be consistent. And don’t be problematic. We don’t want you to get cancelled.

If your books are going to be online, it’s best to be immersed in that world and it’s a wonderful place for writers to network with each other! As well as readers, publishers... and critics. Don’t get into any fights if someone doesn’t like your book though, please!

Study the market

Where does your book lie in the landscape? What genre/sub-genre is it? Who is the audience? Even if it’s niche - especially if it’s niche - you need to understand who you’re targeting your book at.

That’s not to say write a book that capitalises on whatever’s popular. No, write in whatever genre, for whatever demographic. There will be someone out there to read your book and it’s essential that you know who for when you’re categorising it.

Okay, but how do I actually self-publish my book?

That part’s actually pretty simple...unless you want it printed.

Publishing your book on Kindle Direct Publishing Services and Wattpad appears to just be a case of uploading a manuscript, a cover image and the necessary details - synopsis, genre etc.

But if you want your book to go to print, you can either search around online for a place to do it or, again, check out the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. They have a selection of self-publishing services and a more in-depth guide to printing your book.

Pros of self-publishing :

Independence

“The independent author is, well, independent” - Harry Bingham, Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2020.

There’s no publishing company whose priority is sales breathing down your neck. No sales targets or expectations or deadlines - just the ones you impose on yourself.

You are your own boss.

It’s (relatively) cheap & easy

You can publish an ebook on Amazon for free and all you have to do is upload a file. It’s available to everyone around the world and unless you invest in editing, cover designs, marketing and actual print publishing, you shouldn’t be paying anything to publish your work. Don’t let any companies convince you otherwise.

It sells

According to Harry Bingham in the Writers & Artists’ Yearbook, Amazon and indie book sales “account for a stonking 42% share of all adult fictional sales”.

Everyone you know has a Kindle so it’s safe to say digital sales are only going up.

Plus, unlike the traditional route, where if your debut novel doesn’t make enough sales in the first week it gets taken out of shelves, your ebook will be on the store forever. And when you’re publishing yourself, you can give yourself as many chances until you succeed. No publisher to drop you when you don’t hit a target. You can only fail upwards.

You can! In the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, author Nick Spalding talks about being a hybrid author. “One who uses as many different paths to publication as possible...keeps his or her options open. Someone who keeps a foot in as many camps as possible.”

Spalding started as a self-published author on Amazon until his success led him to being offered a deal with Hougher & Stoughton, which he took. Yet, he still continues to self-publish his own books.

He says it’s a lot of work juggling the different ways but worth it for the potential revenue. Plus, even though self-publishing is a great way to establish a career, an agent and a publisher are still the best way to secure longevity.

Which leads me to...

Don’t do it alone

Just because you’re an independent author doesn’t mean you can’t have help. There are other people you can trust to do their jobs. Publicists, editors, secretaries, accountants. They know what they’re doing and if you can form a solid working relationship with people like them, your books stand a better chance and you won’t be stressed and drowning in bureaucracy when you should be writing.

This doesn’t just apply to professional relationships or self-publishing either. Stay (reasonably) sane when you’re writing by relating to other authors on Facebook groups like ours or #WritingCommunity on Twitter, venting to your friends and family etc.

Sure, writers are often these isolated Gollum-like creatures but sometimes we need to get out of our Hobbit holes, squint in the sunlight and chat to another human being.

Or comment on this article ;) Let us know your thoughts on self-publishing. Have you self-published yourself? Are you considering it like me?

help is out there

For more informative information on self-publishing:

• Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2020
• Writers’ & Artists’ Guide to Getting Published
• Writers’ & Artists’ website for editorial & self-publishing help
• Kindle Direct Publishing Services
• Wattpad

Good luck!