Guest Post: 5 Essentials for Self-Publishing Your Novel

5 Essentials for Self-Publishing Your Novel
Article by James Daniels

The internet has enabled writers and authors to broaden their horizons and find a huge audience all over the world, and one of the most popular developments has come in the publishing world, with the rise of self-publishing.

These days you can get your book online, and available to sell online in a matter of minutes, once you have done the hard work of writing and editing your novel, of course. Here are five essentials you need to self-publish in style.

A Fully Proofread Manuscript

Self-publishing received a lot of criticism in the early days because, for all the good books that emerged such as The Martian (which became a successful Hollywood film starring Matt Damon), there were a large number of poorly-edited, poorly-designed books that flooded the market, cheapening the idea of self-publishing being legitimate.

However, in recent years, self-publishing has become hugely popular with authors who are prepared to spend the extra time and money in getting a professionally edited, fully proofread manuscript out into the book world. You need to do this if you expect to be taken seriously in the book community, especially when those book reviews start trickling in.

A Quality Book Cover

The old saying that you can’t judge a book by its cover doesn’t apply here. A cover is the first glimpse and understanding a reader receives of what the novel is about, and can be one of the reasons that many self-published authors fail. The book cover design is an important part of the process to help entice the reader into finding out more about the book, and ultimately making a purchase. If you’re not confident with design, you could pay a graphic designer to make one for you, if you have the budget to do so.

Print and Digital Copies Available

Although eBooks now sell in their millions due to the rise in e-readers and Amazon Kindle getting in on the action, some readers still love nothing more than to feel paper between their fingers, and the smell of a new book. Fortunately for self-publishing authors, you can have both, with eBook and print versions possible across the marketplace. Look into publishing your novel via CreateSpace in order to get a print and digital version out there in the world.

A Willingness to Market Yourself

One advantage of going down the traditional publishing route and finding a big-name publisher to back-up your book is that you won’t have to do all the marketing and promotion yourself, which self-published authors will have to do. For some authors, this is their worst nightmare, as they would rather be writing than spending time on social media and blogging on their website. However, many traditional publishers are now taking on authors who already have a large social media and online presence, as it makes their work a lot easier, so you should definitely be willing to engage with the online world if you want your novel to find a wider audience.

An Ability To Take Criticism

Bad reviews are as inevitable as breathing, and the quicker you learn that you can’t please everybody and grow a thick skin, the more likely you are to grow as an author and keep getting those books out there. JK Rowling, Stephen King, and Dan Brown are all multi-million selling authors, but they’ve also got one-star reviews aplenty on Amazon. They just don’t read them anymore. You should take the same approach, or - if you’re really thick-skinned - get into the habit of reading them and laughing them off. The quicker you learn to ignore bad reviews, the better you’ll get on in the literary world.

James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading. He enjoys offering views and opinions on these topics.  
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