How I Self-Published My First Book of Poetry - Part 6 - Final Thoughts
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In today's final post in this series, I will be going over a few final notes that will help you on the path toward self-publishing your book.
Don't Be Afraid
The reason many people don't go through with self-publishing a book is that they are afraid for various reasons. Maybe they don't think they can actually publish a book, or maybe they don't think that anyone will like it. My advice is to just do it. Think of the worst case scenario. Nobody buys your book, or only family and friends buy it, you still have a published book for sale on Amazon. You can call yourself a published author!
Ask for Help!
If you run into anything that you're not sure about, ask for help! The Create Space forums are full of helpful people that have done this before and will be happy to answer any questions that you have. I only ever asked one question and that was about white or cream paper. The consensus was that the cream coloured paper allowed the text to stand out more, so that is what I went with. Don't be afraid to make use of that resource!
Test, Test, Test
Test the cover design. Run it by your Facebook friends, your family, your co-workers. There are self-publishing groups on Facebook that will gladly critique your cover design, your title, or anything else. Remember that you can always go back and change things around until the last minute. Make use of all of the information that you can lay your hands on in order to make your book the best it can be.
Have Fun!
This is the most important part. Unless you are a great marketer that already has a great following, you are not going to make a ton of money on your book. Have fun with the whole process and use the first one as a learning experience. I have learned a lot that I will use going forward with my next book. This is something that you should enjoy and be proud of. Make the most of it and enjoy the hell out of it!
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial series. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need advice. I am happy to help.
Click for part 1 of the tutorial
Click for part 2 of the tutorial
Click for part 3 of the tutorial
Click for part 4 of the tutorial
Click for part 5 of the tutorial
Images are my own or screenshots.
To buy an ebook please send me what you think the book is worth to you in Steem or SBD and send your email address in the memo and I will send you a PDF version of the book.
Whenever I sit down to write any poetry I don't think: I am good enough, that my vocabulary isn't wide enough, that it isn't enthralling enough. I might just go for it and as you said 'Have Fun!'
Man, we all go through that! Even if you just publish it for yourself and sell or give away copies to friends and family, you still have a book that YOU WROTE on your bookshelf. Do it! :)
Awesomeness. Good vibes. I have actually self published about 8 poetry books. Some in hardcover and some in kindle format. It is a real good feeling. :)
That's great man! I'll have to look for them on Kindle. What should I search for?
Thanks. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Billy+JnoHope&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Billy+JnoHope&sort=relevancerank
Thanks friend. I'll have a look!
Cool. Thanks. :)
Just bought Hands in Flux. Looking forward to reading it. :)
Wow thanks friend. Thank you poet. Means a lot. 😊
Send me a link to yours.
My pleasure man. Always happy to support another poet.
Here is mine: https://www.amazon.com/We-Own-Sunset-Sky-ebook/dp/B06VWRMHCL/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498672526&sr=1-2&keywords=we+own+the+sunset+we+own+the+sky
I have really enjoyed this tutorial series @sgtechservices.
After experimenting with createspace since your second tutorial post I am comfortable with the features and ease of use.
It has given me some confidence that i can do it for myself.
I will be self publishing work through them in the the future
Thanks for sharing!.
You're very welcome! It makes me happy to know that I have helped and inspired someone to go through the self-publishing process. I look forward to seeing what you publish. :)
This is helpful post for the authors who need information on self book publishing.
Thank you. :)
Fantastic series. Good luck for success of your work! I am hoping one day I can step into a similar zone myself.
Few doubts I have is, if I have published the work on a personal site already can I still make a book and claim royalty? Also did you try other sites apart from createspace? Did you opt for their premium service or you managed all of this with their free service?
Yes, you can publish something that you have already published on your own site. Most of the poems in my book appeared on Steemit and my own website before I published the book. As long as you own the rights you can do whatever you want with your work.
I only used the free service. I didn't make use of any of the premium services. If I was making a lot of money from my books I might hire someone to make a nice cover but I am quite happy to do it myself.
I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial. :)
Such a nice tutorial! Upvoted and Promoted!
Thank you very much. :)