Self Printed

So far here on Self-Printed: Self-Publishing Stories, we've heard from self-publishers who are either in the midst of their adventures or looking back over the first six months or a year of them. But what does it feel like to be just starting out on the long road of self-publication? Today author Claire Ridgway is going to tell us just that, as well highlighting the importance of having an existing platform before you start out. Over to you, Claire...

If there's one thing I've learned about self-publishing over the last two years, it's that if you're not a coffee addict before you start, you will be by the time you've finished. But if there's two things I've learned, the other is that the best way to prepare yourself to self-publish is to see how others have done it before you. The experiences of authors who have already self-published will help you estimate how much work will be involved, answer any burning questions you may have on your research list and inspire you with ideas, tips and tricks for marketing and selling your book. You never know, you might even find something to add to your "To Read" list as well. That's why I'm going to start using Self-Printed to share the stories of some of the self-publishers I've encountered along the way. Pens and notebooks at the ready...

Today we have a guest post from Laura Pepper Wu about combining the best aspects of both self-publishing and traditional publishing to achieve your desired result: a published book, readers and income from your writing. 

In the next of her guest posts Catherine Ryan Howard talks to Shauna Bickley about why she decided to self publish...

If there's one thing I've learned about self-publishing over the last two years, it's that if you're not a coffee addict before you start, you will be by the time you've finished. But if there's two things I've learned, the other is that the best way to prepare yourself to self-publish is to see how others have done it before you. The experiences of authors who have already self-published will help you estimate how much work will be involved, answer any burning questions you may have on your research list and inspire you with ideas, tips and tricks for marketing and selling your book. You never know, you might even find something to add to your "To Read" list as well. That's why I'm going to start using Self-Printed to share the stories of some of the self-publishers I've encountered along the way. Pens and notebooks at the ready...

If you're considering self-publishing but don't know where to start, a self-publishing course might be just the solution for you. And as luck would have it, I have two coming up! One with Faber Academy in London in February, and one in Dublin in early March. Read on for details. 

Whether you self-publish or are lucky enough to have someone else do the publishing for you, seeing a book of yours on Amazon for the first time is quite the exciting moment. But once your book becomes available to buy, it's not long before the novelty begins to wear off and a frightening obession takes it place... 

Long before your self-published book comes out, you should have established an online home using "The Big 3" of social media: blogging, Twitter and Facebook. 

So you've made the decision to self-publish – now you just need to let the world know. But how will you friends, family and fellow writers react? 

Once upon a time I was a certifiable Self-Publishing Snob (SPS). Now a year and a half after I self-published a travel memoir, I'm about to self-publish my fourth book, I blog about self-publishing and I've even written a "how to" guide which I (of course!) self-published. But what had me being so snobby about it in the first place? 

Why self-printing and not self-publishing? Because self-publishing with a heavy dose of realism needs a word all of its own... 

You may have seen or heard of a "book trailer" – a little promotional video that advertises a book in the same way a movie trailer advertises a movie. If you can use Windows Movie Maker or iMovie (or you know someone who can!), you can create one of these yourself. But what should be in it? And do you really need one? Do they sell books? 

Welcome to the new-look Self-Printed blog!

Previously Double-Spaced, we've changed the name to reflect the new self-publishing focus I'll have in these parts, starting today with Why Self-Publishers Need to Start Minding Their Manners. This was a guest post I wrote a while back for Taleist, a great resource for any writer who has published to Amazon's Kindle or is considering doing it, and it's my attempt at bringing some humility back to the ranks. In the coming months I'll be telling you all about my own self-publishing journey and hopefully inspire and help you to start on your own. Don't miss our interview with one half of the biggest self-publishing story this side of the Atlantic, Mark Edwards, who self-published a novel on Kindle that ultimately got him a six-figure deal with Harper Collins. You'll find it on the main Writing.ie page. 

Welcome to the final week of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book. This week - now that we’ve successfully published a paperback with CreateSpace and e-books with Smashwords and Amazon KDP – all that’s left to do is collect the rewards. 

Welcome to Week 6 of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book. This week, we’re going to publish our e-books.

Welcome to Week 6 of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book. This week, we’re uploading our paperback files to CreateSpace, checking our proof copy and clicking the "Publish" button. 

Welcome to Week 5 of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book. This week, we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty: formatting your paperback interior.

Welcome to Week 4 of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book. This week, a very thorny subject amongst self-publishers: pricing. 

Welcome to Week 3 of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book. This week, the biggest hurdle standing in the way of successful self-publishing: cover design.

Welcome to Week 2 of a Self-Printed Summer here on Double-Spaced and Writing.ie. The idea is that over 8 weeks I’ll take you through the self-publishing process, telling you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it in to successfully produce a Print-On-Demand (POD) paperback and Kindle e-book.