Along the path to self-publish my first book, The Empyrean, I came across a bunch of questions I couldn’t find the answers to. I hate that kind of situation, so I’ve decided to document it here a) to help anyone else in the same situation and b) to remind myself when I inevitably forget.
This is the landing page. As soon as I write an article, I’ll update the links here. If you have any questions or want me to prioritise a section, please ask in the comments! Some of this may also be useful if you’re pursuing traditional publishing.
Most recent guide posted: Becoming a Sole Trader (UK)
[At some point there will be a timeline graphic here]
Skip to: Planning | Writing | Editing | Preparing yourself | Preparing your book | Running a Kickstarter campaign | Marketing | Publishing | Producing an audiobook
Planning your book
Picking a methodology
Software to stay organised
Level of detail
Writing your book
Finding your pace
NaNoWriMo
Other events
Setting your own goals
Editing your book
Alpha readers
Self-editing
Beta readers
Manuscript assessments
Professional editing services
Preparing yourself to be published
Building a presence
Registering as a sole trader (UK)
Getting a business bank account
Preparing your book for publication
Front and back matter
Blurb, tagline and call to action
ISBN numbers (UK)
Formatting
Cover design
Applying for a CIP notice (UK)
Running a Kickstarter campaign
Choosing the right time
Creating the campaign
Choosing rewards and stretch goals
Marketing the campaign
Launching the campaign
Running ads
Campaign updates
Fulfilling pledges
Marketing your book
Websites
Press kits
Social media posts
Newsletters
Advance Reader Copies
The book launch
Contacting individuals/websites
Entering catalogues
Publishing your book
Updating your title information (UK)
Amazon KDP
IngramSpark
Kobo
Nook
Apple Books
Libraries and bookstores
Opening preorders
Going live
Sending copies to the archive
Producing an audiobook
Choosing a service and/or narrator
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