From the hundreds—maybe thousands—of questions that have been asked about self-publishing on the blog, or in conversations with authors over the years, I’ve learned many things. One of the biggest: having some idea of where you’re going helps a lot.
That’s how you know whether you’re on the right path, whether you’re doing the things that will get you to your eventual goal, no matter how far off it seems at the time.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve been looking forward to this third and last video in my free training series. It’s called The Self-Publishing Blueprint, and you can check it out here:
In the video I use a mind map to break the somewhat complex process of getting a book into print into 5 basic areas. This seems to really help people understand the different kinds of things you have to do along the way.
- Preparing to publish—getting your publishing company together, figuring out who you’re publishing for, what your assets are, and other infrastructure work.
- Getting your manuscript ready—making your way through the editorial process, getting peer review and prepping your manuscript.
- Creating books and ebooks—strategies, layout options, and creating final files.
- Finding distribution channels—print, ebooks, print on demand and non-traditional channels.
- Launching and marketing your book—author platform, book launches and tours, review programs and more.
Taken together, it’s a quick overview of the process we go through on each book.
I have to admit it’s been a lot of fun—and a lot of work—putting these videos together, and I’ve learned a lot. Like just the other day I discovered this button on my camcorder called “white balance.” Wow, that really makes them look better!
Anyway, go over and check this video out. Here’s the link again.
And if you have questions about self-publishing, leave them in the comments. In a couple of days I’m going to record a Q&A video to answer the best questions, and that could be a great opportunity for you.
Oh, and by the way, here are links to the first two videos in case you missed them. There were a ton of comments and it seems that they really struck a chord with a lot of writers.
8 Keys to Self-Publishing Success Today
Self-Publishing Mistakes, Screw-ups and Disasters
If you watch them, let me know what you think, I’d love to get your opinion.