Just some tips for self-publishers!

Nothing fancy today, just some random tips that have been banging around in my brainbox for the past few months. Yeah, that wasn’t a sentence in the strictest sense of the word. Ah well, I’m in Green Bay (WI) and it’s friggin cold!

As a self-published writer, you must realize that the path you have chosen is just as difficult as if you were picked by a “real” publishing house. Instead of luck, or that mysterious x-factor needed to get the attention of an agent, you must now work your ass off if you want to get the word out there. You must become marketing guru, businessman/woman and publicist. And, somehow, you still need to keep writing as you do all of this!

Fun, right?

Well, if your end goal is to truly only make your work available to friends/family, then perhaps some/all of these tips don’t apply to you. However, if you wish strangers to buy & read what you’ve written, I strongly suggest you pull up a patch of dirt and listen to Matt. He has some advice today. He’s learned from his own mistakes and hopes to save you some pain. Why is he referring to himself in the 3rd person? Who knows, it’s probably the meds…

Here we go:

Get an editor. I cannot stress how important this is, and I’m sure I’ve said this countless times on the blog. If you pay for nothing else, pay for an editor! Have this wonderful person copyedit your final manuscript (which you’ve now edited yourself many times), and also have them review your first proof copy for formatting errors. If you think self-publishing is free, you are wrong. Sorry. Though it’s cheaper than ever to get your opus out to the world, a few costs remain. Don’t ignore this one.

(thank you, Jenn – you are my shining star!)

Excellent cover art can take you places. Sometimes, it’s pretty easy to spot a self-published title by the cover art alone. Hell, I’m not saying my books aren’t just as easy to spot – it’s still something I’m working on myself. However, you can remove some of the doubt of a potential buyer by showing them some kick ass cover art. Not an artist? Neither am I:

artwork my Matthew C. Plourde... barf!

Just because you aren’t an artist doesn’t mean you need to break out a tool and try to generate your cover on your own. Face it – you don’t have “the eye.” It’s okay, embrace your crippling limitations. However, there are plenty of DAMN fine artists out there. Cruise Deviantart.com and search for something that would be a great starting point for the cover you envision. That’s how I found Axel Torvenius for Eden! I searched for “wasteland” and his art jumped right off the screen. Another great place to find an artist is conceptart.org, where you can post an “ad” for contract work. You will get responses, even if you are only offering a small amount.

You see, artists know how to use color and arrange a scene into something more complete than we non-artists can ever hope to achieve. Yoke their strength. Aim for a cover that rivals some of the junk spat out by major publishers, and buyers might just pick your book out from the Amazon lineup.

 Distribute everywhere! As a self-publisher, you are a freelancer bound to nobody. You can publish to any market you wish! So, take the time to format your book for both paperback (Amazon) and hardcover (Lulu). Besides Kindle, you will want your book on the Nook, iBooks and the many other devices via Smashwords. Don’t limit yourself to just the Kindle! Spend some time marketing to these other, smaller formats. Really build a wide audience through the many devices your book can be available on.

Why? Why not! None of the services I mentioned cost you any money, all you lose is some time. However, you gain the tremendous ability to say to somebody: “yeah, you can buy my book anywhere online.”  Until Amazon crushes all competition, I stand by this assertion.

Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. You may become disheartened when you read blogs by successful self-publishers claiming to rake-in 6 figures. Alternatively, you may read an article trashing self-published books as “garbage.” Doubts can lurk and gather in your heart until they form into a tangible entity – an entity capable of hitting your “quit” button.

My advice? Put some blinders on. If you have a well-edited manuscript for a story you truly believe in, then I say go for it! Don’t fret over keeping-up with Author Jones and ignore the self-pub naysayers. Do your own thing and let your hard work carry you forward. Stand by your product and be confident in your own kick ass-ness (kick assity?).

We’re at a point technology-wise that allows you the freedom to sidestep elitist/closed-door opinions from agents/publishers. This is an exciting time to be a writer, and if you have the talent, you can be in control of your own destiny. Grab the bull by the horns, win one for the Gipper, grab your dick and double-click –

Viva la revolution!

(/end cliché rant)