When I did the #AtoZ blogging challenge in April I had one wish .I wanted to try writing a book.Since nonfiction is my niche I started researching the self publishing route.
Here are my 5 steps to getting your book published .This is the first post in a series.
1)What do you write about?
Your book topic.This can make or break the issue .2 Resources I used for this are :
- Will it Fly by Pat Flynn
- Blog to book
While fine tuning the topic you write about in the nonfiction category .Research a lot and think even more.The topic should have a demand and also kindle your passion. Otherwise if you are bored writing .People will be bored reading .
Important to remember:Interesting topic with demand in market
Health fitness,Making money ,losing weight are popular categories.
2)Where to write?
Write it in mIcrosoft word.
Seriously this is to avoid future irritations.Kindle allows several formats for uploading .But I used word as that had the best feedback from almost all sources.
3)Proofreading and editing
There really is no replacement for professional proofreading and editing service.But what if you are bootstrapping and just didn't have the budget for it ?Then grammarly and the dictionary function in microsoft word can help to some extent.
Mayuri author of “26 Foods and little bit of me”,with 13 years of professinal bloging experience ,suggests reading out aloud .This helps ,as what sounds weird ,is most likely not correct and needs editing.
Writing even nonfiction should not be stilted or a lecture .It should flow smoothly from the introduction to the conclusion wit the aim to impart a few nuggets of information.
When everything is done.Keep it aside for a few days .Author Cheryl Sterling suggests
Change the background colour of your page and start reading again !
That's a very useful advice.I tried it and mistakes which I was skipping over, jumped at me.
Use Beta readers
Beta readers can be your friends ,your email subscribers who will receive the initial copy of the book and give their feedback about its utility and errors of any .
4)To Kindle or not
Amazon changed the face of publishing books forever .While self publishing was always an option from time immemorial ,it’s costs and challenges was not for the faint hearted .
If you are planning to self publish a book with no clue .KDP select will be your choice.
When you enroll for KDP select ,your book gets locked into Amazon love for 90 days .
Good thing about it
- Amazon muscle behind your book.
- Its offered to read for free to Kindle unlimited library members.You are paid a royalty for the number of pages they read.
- You have 5 free days of promotion where you can make everyone download it!
- Amazon likes to sell useful books.When people download your book that’s a great signal .
- Authority and social proof are important for whicever field you are in.
Cons
You cant have your ebook anywhere else or on your blog during this 90 days of KDP select lock in period.
Don’t want KDP select but still want to self publish?You can do it .Remember to keep the prize on Amazon lowest (It’s in the terms and conditions.
You can also have various versions of your book on your blog and sell through Instamojo .
5)If you are planning on Publishing on Amazon what should you keep in mind
Formatting your book for amazon
This sounds scary and can make or break your book.The simplest font change and styling can look weird on Kindle.
If you are a novice like me ,your best bet is to remove all styling ,bold ,italics bullets,fancy images ,everything!
Amazon kindle device has an option to choose your font size and type .So it will really not matter too much what you use.But since kindle app is available for android and laptop if you use a difficult to read font ,it can make the book unpopular .
I used Arial size 11 for my entire book .
Use H1 for your headings .Dont forget to enter a clickable content table in your ebook.
This option is available in word itself.The look inside feature on amazon allows people to browse the topics ,your content table acts as a sneak peak to entice .
Check and double check the font size .Insert page breaks only after a chapter ends .
Use the book Make a Killing on KIndle the best book I read to get your book Kindle ready .
Choose your keywords with care .Amazon allows upto 7 keywords you can target .
Choose your categories after hauntin populat books in your niche .Amazon allows upto two categories for your book.
Write your book description and author page .Both these are important elements of getting your book the attention it deserves.
Get a good cover made.This one I am still exploring.I used the Kindle cover creator and really want to invest in a great book cover.But what can you do when you are a bootstrapping author?
Now you press publish .Then what ?
Wait for part 2 in this series.What to do after you self publish your first book!
Disclaimer:There are some affiliate links in the post ,which if you click on I earn a small commission.This in no way affects the prize of the product for you.I have used each of the resources I have mentioned. before recommending them.