And I'm excited...really excited.
I'm doing a lot of research. I've had many friends who've gone before me who are willing to help out. I'm designing the cover. If this one goes well, I may just do them all this way and forgo traditional publishing all together. Who knows?
Any of you out there self pubbed? If so, how's it going?
I will be self-publishing my book in the late summer/early fall. I'm pretty excited. It's A LOT of work...but well worth it to have all the control and feel like you have a stake in your success. Good luck...I will be following your journey!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jade, good luck to you too!!! Let's talks later on and compare notes!
ReplyDeleteA few random, relevant thoughts to share:
ReplyDeleteMake sure any images you use for the cover you have appropriate rights to use. Unless an image specifically says you may use it for commercial purposes AND modify, adapt, or build upon (Creative Commons is a good place to search for this), it is a violation of copyright for you to use. Even so, you may still need to secure permission from the image's owner/creator.
I can almost guarantee you will not have much success selling self-published works unless you are releasing new material frequently and regularly. I have averaged a new release (either novel, short story, or collection) every month, and I'm doing pretty well with this online sales thing.
Unless you're weird, the bulk of your sales will happen on Amazon, but that doesn't mean you should ignore B&N's PubIt, Smashwords, or Kobo Writing Life. Note: You also need to learn how to do your own file conversions so you have them in your possession.
It will be tempting to overcharge for your work. It will also be tempting to undercharge for it. Figure out what works best for you. You can make canny use of free pricing and KDP Select (but to use it, you have to pull it from all other online retailers).
There's probably more I could talk about, but I don't have all night. LOL
I've been really researching it and asking people who've found success with YA sales. I'm going to be going online and print. I've already got a lot of connects with teachers, librarians, and book sellers, so I'm sure I can get my book in stores and schools. Thanks for the advice Ian, it's much appreciated.
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