What I learned from Self-Publishing my First Book

In January 2014 I was at the end of a successful weight loss experiment. I managed to shed ~10 pounds of fat in a 2 month period (Oct. - Dec. 2013). Throughout the experiment I gathered a lot of data: food logs, body composition measurements, blood samples, exercise logs, and supplementation protocols - to name a few.

As weeks went by and as I started seeing the results of my strategy, I envisioned writing a very long blog post about it. It increased my confidence and also my motivation to keep moving toward my goal: a very lean physique.

The blogpost was published just before the winter holidays of 2013. It received a surprising number of reactions.

What should I do next?

In a 2 week trip to Thailand in January 2014 an idea sparked and immediately caught roots inside my mind. What if I take all the data from my experiment, expand it, and structure it in the form of a book?

As I thought about it, more ideas came to mind:

• I would search medical libraries and see the data on ketogenic diets and health
• I would write a chapter dedicated to exercise
• I would talk about my food logs
• I would discuss the potential drawbacks of ketogenic diets
• I would analyze such diets in the context of diseases
• I could even write a few personal recipes for this diet

Next thing you know, I had a lot of things to write about. And I was eager to return home and immediately rush into the project.

My Focus on the End Goal

At that time I really didn't know anything about publishing a book. All I could think of was the book itself and holding it physically in my hands. I only summarily analyzed how I would do it. I said to myself:

"I would focus on these details at the appropriate time."

What was more important than the publishing process was content creation (what I was going to write about). While still in Thailand, I drafted a quick outline of the book: the number and the specific topic for each chapter. That provided a clearer view toward reaching my goal.

Doing the work - Writing Everyday

When I got home I didn't want to lose my motivation, excitement and eagerness about the whole thing. So, I kept not-thinking about the details of the publishing process. All I needed to know was that there was this platform called Amazon Kindle where you can publish the digital version of the book and that there is at least one company that can publish the physical version of your book on demand. I knew of Createspace, another Amazon company.

Amazon Kindle

Createspace

So, one day I opened up a word document and started expanding the outline, writing subchapter titles and a few driving ideas for each sub-chapter. A few days in and I was already working on the Introduction. I had created momentum.

There were days when I would write for a few hours in the morning and some more in the evening. The book became my main focus.

I also had the advantage that it was February and it was still winter in Romania. There were not too many outside activities that I would engaged in. I tried keeping distractions at minimum.

Putting a Deadline on It

I initially thought of finishing the manuscript by the month May. Then I would do the editing, cover, and proofreading. The publishing date would be towards the end of May 2014.

But, as I progressed through content creation, the deadline kept updating. I finished the manuscript in early April.

Moreover, I didn't wait to finish the draft and then focus on the rest of the items of the book-to-do-list. I started working on the cover and the editing, while kept progressing with.

So, there were days of my life when everything revolved around the book. In my 'free' time, I would research the details of the actual publishing process.

All of these strategies contributed to me finishing with the book earlier.

Do not get lost into Details

I tried keeping things simple all the time. I didn't use fancy word processors and programs that 'would' (by the reports of other authors) ease my way through writing the manuscript.

I used a simple word processor => created the outline => write and expand on ideas.

For cover creation, I used Microsoft Paint, Kindle's Cover Editor and a few other free online editors. I have to admit, the cover is unsophisticated. But I did not put too much effort (time) to create it either. I suspect that dedicating 2-3 days for cover creation alone would have lead to a much better cover.

So:

• minimal word processor
• minimal use of other complicated software
• focus on research and writing (everyday)
• if 'free' time => do other stuff related to the book

Benefiting from the DIY

As you may see, I adopted a 'do it yourself' approach to publishing my first book. Some of the advantages:

• avoid wasting time working with subcontractors and third parties
• bootstrapping - I didn't invest any money into the process
• kept control of all the steps in the process
• getting very familiar and experienced with all the steps in the process

Some of these can be seen as a disadvantages as well. It depends on your perspective.

I had to serve the role of author, cover designer, marketer, proofreader (I had help from a few people here), editor and all-things-self-publishing. For me it was a pleasure doing all of it, so I took them as advantages.

Wrapping it all up

Once I had a good draft of the book and a decent cover, I opened an account with Amazon Kindle Publishers and another one with Createspace - both for free.

It took a couple of hours to setup Kindle Publishers:

• book title, categories, audience, price, etc.
• uploading the book cover
• uploading book content (manuscript)
• other details.

After hitting the Publish button, I expected to wait 12-48 hours for an answer on the review process.

To my surprise, a couple of hours later the book was approved and published in the Kindle Store.

In the mean time, I worked on doing the same thing with Createspace, to have the physical copy of my book. To have my dream come true.

Getting the book ready for print required more attention. It wasn't as easy as it was with Kindle. I can't say it was difficult either.

I had to make sure to select the correct layout for the manuscript file, the appropriate page size, the appropriate size of the cover, and other relevant details.

I had to go back and forth with a Createspace reviewer until I had good version of the book that would further go in print. She was very nice and very helpful. Plus, they provide assistance at no charge for DIY authors (they also have pricing plans if you want them to help you with cover design, proofreading, and other aspect of publishing your book).

As soon as the book was sent for final review, it took a few hours to get it approved for print. And in about 3 days it was already available on Amazon.

The great thing about the Amazon page of my book was that it correctly listed both of the versions: the Kindle and the Paperback (from Createspace). I assume that it happened because of both companies are part of the same mother company => easy product linking.

The first thing I did was to order author copies for my book. Createspace charged me about ~$3 + shipping.

My goal came to fruition:

Conclusion

Once the book and ebook were up for grabs, it was not like 'game over' for me.

Now I had to do the marketing, promotion, sales management and all other aspects that big publishing companies do for their authors.

Some of you may see this as a disadvantage but for me it was like an advantage because I had control of my book. More over, I enjoyed learning so much about self-publishing that I implemented the same strategy with my subsequent books. And as you may suspect, it was easier and faster than the first time because I already knew what was involved in the process.

There is so much to talk about with respect to self-publishing a book that I only wanted to give you a bird's eye view of the entire process. If this post gets some attention, I can describe each step in more detail in subsequent posts.

Remember, it all starts with an idea.
Then you have to do the work.
Always have the end goal in mind.
Adapt your plan as the unexpected happens, but not the goal.
The goal is the only constant.

Keep writing!

#writing #entrepreneur #self-publishing

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Cristi Vlad, Self-Experimenter and Author