Just Publish It

Anytime someone says to you, “Ah, you’ve written a book, just publish it.” Ignore them. Just publishing your book, be it on Amazon or ibooks or wherever, is a terrible idea. Here’s why.

 

You have a book. congrats. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back, have a beer and bask in your exhausted glory. Then you see someone write the above statement. They put their book out on Kindle or ibooks, and it did well, why can’t you? Well, I guarantee you they didn’t just write a book and publish it for a start.

 

Here’s what it should say.

1. Write a Book.

2. Edit the ever loving crap out of said book.

3. Get people to read your book. Not your loved ones or friends, but other writers or critique partners. Don’t have any? Join a writing group and get some.

4. Edit your book.

5. Research the best way for you to publish. Self publishing IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. I can’t stress that enough.

6. Write a synopsis and query letter, even if you have no intention of looking for an agent. Do it anyway, they help.

Here’s where the list diverges. 

7. You can search for an agent. It’ll probably take a long time and be full of heartbreak and woe, but if your work is good enough, you’ll get one. I got mine after my publishing deal, everyone’s way of getting one is different. Don’t loose heart.

8. You decide to self publish. Congrats.

9. Edit the book. Professionally. Hire someone.

10. Get a cover. Professionally. Hire someone if you suck at art.

11. EDIT THE BOOK.

12. Research how to get to the people who would want to read your book. Figure out how much you want to price it at.

13. Research the best platform for your work. Do you want to use KDP or have it on Kobe, ibooks etc?

14. Make sure you book is formatted correctly for every format you want it in.

Now they diverge back (mostly).

15. Start building toward a launch. Use Social Media and other methods to build buzz. DO NOT SPAM PEOPLE about your book, either now or when it comes out.

16. Launch the book.

17. Learn how to deal with people who won’t like it. Or don’t read reviews. The latter is preferable, but any writer who says they don’t ever read reviews is lying or has someone do it for them.

18. DO NOT ANSWER REVIEWS. Seriously, don’t. Not even the good ones.

19. Behave professionally. Always.

20 to 19,999,999. Work your ass off.

10,000,000. If you’re lucky and good. Profit.

 

I’ve probably missed a few ‘edit your book’ steps, and I certainly can’t emphasise that enough.

 

I know, that looks like a lot, and it is, but here’s why you never ever just self-publish your book without all the work. Well there’s 2 big reasons.

 

1. Publishing your book is a little like playing poker. There’s a lot of skill involved, but more than that is the need to have some luck. Launching without preparing properly is like playing poker, but you’re holding a tic-tac-toe board. Launching after you prepared, is like playing poker, but you’ve stacked the deck slightly. It’s still needs a lot of skill to win, but your chances of getting a lucky hand are higher.

As a self-published writer, you’re going up against other self-published writers who know how to play the game, and traditional published authors who have backing and probably an agent’s help. You go out there cold and it’s not gonna be pretty.

Those people who just throw their book out there unprepared, are the same people (usually), who complain about no one buying or liking their work.

2. Those people who just throw their books out without proper editing and cover. Other Self-published writers don’t like them. Why? Because they’re unprofessional. You need to get your book the best life it can have, you need to lavish it with attention and love. Get it edited, get it a good cover, get wise on how to market it.

 

And that’s my advice for going from writing your book to publishing it. Anyone who says, just publish it, remember it’s never that easy.