Diane V. Mulligan - The Sane Persons Guide to Self-Publishing

The Sane Persons Guide toSelf-Publishing

One Indie Author Shares What ShesLearned

By Diane V. Mulligan

Copyright 2012 Diane V. Mulligan

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for the recipient. Ifyoure reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was notpurchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy.Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover Design by Diane V. Mulligan. For moreinformation about cover images, see Dianes self-publishing blog

Table ofContents

Authors Note

There are many websites referenced in thisbook. If you will like to access those websites and resources,please visit this webpage and bookmark it for futurereference.

Part I Are youready for a self-publishing adventure?

The Valueof Understanding all Aspects of the Publication Process

It used to be that writers wrote, editorsedited, design specialists set layout, marketing experts handledadvertising, and so on. For independent authors like methere wereabout 235,000 thousand self-published books in 2012, and thatnumber has gone up every year sincethe old model no longerapplies. For that matter, it hardly applies to traditionallypublished authors today, most of whom get very little assistancewith developmental editing or advertising (although they do stillget the amazing perk of having someone else design theirbooks).

The ridiculous amount of work it takes tocreate a professional product is daunting and has probablydissuaded a few people from pursuing self-publishing. I dont blameanyone who has that reaction. Nonetheless, I have found thelearning process rewarding, and Im proud to say I started mypublishing career independently.

That said, I dont want to be a spokespersonfor self-publishing. In fact, it is my sincere hope to havetraditional publisher one day. With that goal in mind, however, Isee tremendous value in the lessons Ive learned by being a part ofevery aspect of my novels development from the first word of thefirst draft to the third edition uploaded to Kindle DirectPublishing.

Here are a few of the things Ive learnedover the past two and a half years:

* I took online tutorials and learned to usePhotoshop and InDesign. Now I use those skills in my day job as ateacher, in my volunteer work at The Worcester Review, and in mypublishing. I needed the incentive of making my own books lookgreat to learn these skills.

* I learned basics of website design and bestpractices in blog formatting (little nuggets like how to use jumpbreaks and that every post should have a picture) and as a result,without spending a dime, I have a website of which Im very proud.And I can add another resume boosting skill to my CV.

* I learned which book blogs and websiteshave the biggest readerships, what kinds of costs to expect foradvertising, and what costs are worth taking on. Even if Im luckyenough to land a publisher someday, Im still going to have topromote my own work, so this is valuable information.

* I learned how to condense my pitch to a fewsentences and to take that pitch to booksellers directly. I alsolearned how graciously to accept the answer, No, thanks, we cantstock your book.

* Perhaps most importantly, I learned that Ishould have been editing more before querying agents. Soundsobvious, I know, but its true. I thought my books were wellproofread, and I also figured that if they got picked up, theyd beprofessionally edited later. Actually, though, I should have beenpreparing them as if I were about to publish them to the world.Agents and editors want finished products.

While my studies were not structured, I feellike my self-guided crash course taught me as much, if not more,than any actual course of study I could have undertaken. Someday,if I finally do have a publisher, I will be fully prepared to bepart of the team that prepares my book for market and helps itsucceed once its in the world.

If youre on the fence about self-publishing,I hope this book can offer you some good insights on the process,so that you can have a positive learning experiences, too. I alsohope you can learn from some of my (numerous) mistakes and therebyavoid a great deal of stress.

Goal Setting Part I

If you are considering self-publishing, youneed to ask yourself some questions first. Because I know that if Isend you away for a pen and paper to write down thoughtfulreflections to the following questions, you will probably deletethis book from your device and move on, Ive made itsimplemultiple choice, like a Cosmo quiz, only useful. Take amoment to answer the following questions and then look at yourresults.

1. Why do you want to self-publish?

a. I want to share my work with my family andfriends in a user-friendly way.

b. Ive sent my book to dozens of agents andeditors, I know my book is good and deserves to be read, and Imtired of rejection.

c. Im too lazy to go through the wholeagent-hunting process and want to skip right to publication.

d. I want to make lots of money and quit myday job.

2. How far along are you in the manuscriptdevelopment process?

a. Ive written a solid first-draft.

b. My manuscript is complete and has beenthrough two or three thoughtful revisions.

c. I havent finished my draft yet.

d. I have some good ideas for blockbusterfiction.

3. How much spare time do you have to devoteto self-publishing?

a. Im pretty busy with my job and family,but I can find a few hours a week.

b. If I take all the time Ive been spendingon the agent-search and devote it to self-publishing, Ive got atleast a few hours a week.

c. I have plenty of time, although I tend toprocrastinate.

d. I can make time if itll help me getrich.

4. How much money are you prepared to spendto self-publish?

a. None. I dont have spare cash forthis.

b. Some, after all, Im investing in mydream.

c. I heard you can do it for free, so Illstart there and see what happens.

d. Im willing to pay up. After all, gottaspend money to make money.

5. Do you have a support system to help youthrough the process?

a. My family and friends are verysupportive.

b. I dont want to admit to my friends andfamily that Im self-publishing. It feels like defeat.

c. I can do it all on my own.

d. Ive found some editors and book designersonline who are willing to do the work for me for a fee.

6. How technologically savvy are you?

a. I know my way around Microsoft Word.

b. I know basics of desktop publishing andIm willing to learn more.

c. I dont know.

d. I can find people to pay to do stuff Idont know how to do.

7. How well do you deal with criticism?

a. I only really care about what my lovedones think.

b. Its hard for me when people criticize mywriting. My book is my baby.

c. Haters gonna hate. Shake it off.

d. Being criticized is a sign of success.

Now tally your results and read on for theprognosis!

If you mostly identified with As:

You are a good candidate for self-publishing.Youre down to earth, you keep things in perspective, and yourreason for self-publishing is very reasonable. You can accomplishyour goals without needing to spend too much time and money, andyou arent in danger of losing your mind by checking your salesstats hourly. Be careful, however, that you arent too casual inyour approach. You want your product to be professional lookingbecause even if your target audience is family and friends, yourbook will be available for the whole world to read. Read on foradvice about manuscript preparation, book and cover design, anddistribution channels. Good luck!