Where do I go from here?

[tha_lioness]

Ok, I've written away and finished my book. Formatted, edited cross checked and even ran a regular print and bind workout. Facing my first hurdle on what to do next, cos I as thinking of handing it out to a publisher who promised to market and advertise as well, but thanks to Timothy I know better, and saved a bunch from  being wasted there. But I'm feeling swamped by the prospect of having to do everything by myself too, because time is money and I have to chip in the hours to keep my income while I drive this mission.
Long story short.. any advice on how to streamline the way forward would be greatly appreciated!

[TimothyEllis]

There's a few cover artists here that do pre-mades. Go to their sites and see if you can find a cover which suits your book. A lot of them start at $10.

If not, then Google premade book covers and the genre, and keep looking until you find something.

If you intend doing the paperback, then sign up with Draft2Digital. They have a paperback formatting facility which is free to use, and the download from that can be uploaded onto KDP. You don't need to publish there to use the site. The cover for paperback is harder, but if you know some basic Photoshop skills, you can be talked through it. Whoever you get the premade from may do a paperback version for not a lot more.

If you find multiple potential covers, use the cover area here to ask for help choosing one. And even if you only find one, post the thumbnail here so people can tell you what might be wrong with it.

Use the blurb area here to ask for help writing your blurb.

Don't be in a hurry to publish. Better to find what might be wrong before you do that.

[Bill Hiatt]

I haven't used it, but doesn't Amazon still have a cover generator for paperbacks (so you'd just need the ebook cover image)? If not, in the old Createspace days, Amazon used to have cover templates. Is that still a thing? I seem to recall that the spine width (the tricky part) was calculated for you.

[TimothyEllis]

I haven't used it, but doesn't Amazon still have a cover generator for paperbacks (so you'd just need the ebook cover image)? If not, in the old Createspace days, Amazon used to have cover templates. Is that still a thing? I seem to recall that the spine width (the tricky part) was calculated for you.

The templates are for paperbacks. You load the right one into Photoshop, and then assemble a cover over the top.

You get that after first putting it through D2D, and knowing the paper, size, and number of pages used by the pdf. That gives the right spine, and you just have to size it inside the lines.

The cover generator is very basic, and most of them are easily picked out as such. Much better to spend $10 on a pre-made in my opinion.

[Bill Hiatt]

Yeah, it sounds as if premades would be a much better deal.

[LilyBLily]

Start writing your sales copy now, and choosing your keywords, and putting together a brief autobiography. All the major online bookstores will ask for those. Find a professional-looking photo of yourself to put with the bio. (You don't have to put up a photo.)

Amazon Author Central often smashes sentences together so use two spaces between sentences you put there. But concentrate on what you'll be putting on the sales page of your book, which comes first and is done through KDP. And by the way, establish author accounts at all the main ebookstores: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo. Create a Draft2Digital account for libraries and other places; I also use it for Apple because I find Apple annoying. Create a free online bank account with a bank such as Ally, so you can get paid. You link it to your regular bank account and fund it from it as needed.

Make sure you have a PayPal account to pay providers safely.

If you haven't already, identify the tropes your book hits, and make sure to include them in your keywords if not in a subtitle. Also create a logline for this book and one for your brand. For the book, also called the elevator pitch, one good sentence telling what this story is about and the essence of its tone. For your brand, a few words to express what kinds of books you write.

There's more. You just take it one bit at a time.

[alhawke]

You just take it one bit at a time.

I agree.
Tha_lioness, it used to take me a month to publish a book. Now the whole process is probably about an hour of my time.
Good luck! It gets easier once you're copying and repeating what you've done before.

Long story short.. any advice on how to streamline the way forward would be greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately the learning curve takes time. It's gonna take time to learn how each platform works, how to format, where to get the best resources, etc. I'd sift through forums and good 'ole Google for steps on how to proceed. And please send us posts again if you get stuck.

[Post-Crisis D]

Make sure you have a PayPal account to pay providers safely.

And, if possible, use a credit card to pay through PayPal.  That way, you may have double protection in the event of issues.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Decide if you want to enroll your book in Kindle Unlimited or not.  It's a big decision, and not one to be taken lightly.  An ebook that's in KU can only be sold on Amazon.  You can't have it on Apple, Kobo, etc.  This exclusivity rule only applies to the ebook, though, not paperback or audio or whatever.

Your marketing strategy will be highly dependent on this decision, because marketing a book in KU is very different from marketing one that's not in KU.

[baldricko]

All excellent advice from the thread.

One thing, I see in the OP you are talk only about a print copy. Print books are an important market to pay attention to, but what about the digital format? That's where you make your money initially, usually.

I recommend as a first time author having it in KDP Select. At least for the first three months. It is an effective way to get more eyes on your title. This won't affect your print distribution through D2D and Amazon, libraries etc.

[tha_lioness]

Thank you everyone! I am soaking in all the wisdom and experience, and I feel much clearer now, so glad I found this awesome place. One thing that I am very concerned about though, is copyright, how have you all handled that? Cos where I am, plagiarism and pirating ideas is a real thing.

[TimothyEllis]

Thank you everyone! I am soaking in all the wisdom and experience, and I feel much clearer now, so glad I found this awesome place. One thing that I am very concerned about though, is copyright, how have you all handled that? Cos where I am, plagiarism and pirating ideas is a real thing.

Ideas cannot by copyright, and rightly so.

Stephen King proved you could take the same basic premise and write 2 totally different novels from it.

Any given idea will get combined with other things inside the head of who hears it, and what then springs forth will be unique.

The only thing that matters is the finished story, and that has copyright.

Plagiarism isn't a big thing, and when it happens, it's big news. You can't be worried about it happening, and the fear of having their book stolen before it gets published is a new author thing that simply doesn't happen. Editors and proofreaders are professionals who care about their reputations. And you shouldn't be letting anyone else read your book before publication.

Piracy is a thing, but the vast majority of pirate sites are phish schemes, and they don't have your book, just a copy of the sample. Those pirate sites which are real are frequented by people who will never buy your book in any case, so you've not lost anything when they download it. And you never know, someone they talk to about it might even buy it from a legit source.

Piracy is whack-a-mole, and not worth worrying about. Especially since most of the sites don't actually have a real copy of the book.

Get your book finished, professionally edited, professionally proofread, and then get it out there. Once it's out there, the copyright is established where it can be clearly seen.

[LilyBLily]

Registering your copyright will not stop pirates. However, on the remote chance that some person might actually plagiarize your work, registering provides you with enhanced rights to compensation in a lawsuit. Bear in mind that a lawsuit usually costs at least 20k. A "cease and desist" letter from your lawyer might only cost a few hundred dollars and is the first step in a plagiarism action. Or a DMCA notice to a website hosting plagiarized text or an illegal copy of your book, which costs nothing. Don't know what a DMCA notice is? Google it. Lots of info available. Most of us do not go to the trouble of sending DMCA notices to skeevy websites. Such notices don't make pirates stop pirating, and unknown websites can be dangerous to your computer.

Many indie authors do not register their copyright, but I always do. It's easy to do online. You create an account, and then you see a page where you have registration options. The least expensive is not the top choice on the page. Instead of "Register a Work," and under it "Standard Application," choose the second group: "Other Registration Options," and under it, "Register One Work by One Author." Costs less.

[TimothyEllis]

The reality for most authors is, they can't afford a court case anyway.

I had someone copy one of my books and put it up on Amazon 5 times with different covers and author names. One of my fans found 2 of them, and I found the other three. I had to do the Amazon take down form for each one, and it took a month to action, but all 5 were removed. Only one of them got a rank in the millions, so there was no real money involved.

[alhawke]

One thing that I am very concerned about though, is copyright, how have you all handled that? Cos where I am, plagiarism and pirating ideas is a real thing.

I copyright everything, including audio, but I live in the United States and different laws apply everywhere.

When you see how many titles I have, it's been a costly endeavor ($65 per title) But I'm still doing it. For me, it's insurance for unforeseen problems. I view it a lot like ISBNs. You don't have to have them, your book is still identified on publication, sure, but weird things can happen and you might need proof of your identity with one wide retailer or another for takedowns or to help prove identity.

For fun, and also for better library access, I also submit all books to the Library of Congress. This process is free, but it has to be done before your book is released.

[She-la-te-da]

My advice to noobs with fiction books is to focus on ebooks first. Don't worry about print, or audio, until you are selling ebooks. Use that money to finance print. Once you can sell print, think about audio.

To be honest, most people won't sell enough to make doing all versions, especially hardbacks, economically viable. Especially not a first book, and the only book. You still have to learn how to do ads, and that's going to mess with your brain to begin with.

[LilyBLily]

I would disagree with one aspect of that advice. It's such a thrill to hold one's published book in one's hand that it is worth the extra money and aggravation (not that it's a lot) to produce a trade paperback along with the ebook.

Yes, concentrate on ways to help the ebook sell. Expect ebook sales will be the main source of revenue. But do a print edition, order yourself a copy, and get someone to take a photo of you proudly holding your baby. It's a great moment.

[alhawke]

Also, don't forget that Amazon shows a strikethrough comparing your paperback price with your ebook.

I recall reading books talking about this perk when I started out. If you have the funds, adding a paperback version is worth it.

[tha_lioness]

But do a print edition, order yourself a copy, and get someone to take a photo of you proudly holding your baby. It's a great moment.

omg I do love that bit, yeah I can totally relate.
Still in limbo, but I'm getting plans and ideas slotted in a real way now.

[Vijaya]

Great advice here. I'll add that I actually sell more paperbacks than ebooks, so you never know what your readers will prefer. I say, do both. I earned back what I spent on the cover designer within 3 months. It was well worth it. The rest is gravy. Little gravy, mind you, because I'm not a big seller

[She-la-te-da]

I can get that about holding your book in your hands being a thrill. The thing is, most people focus on getting all the things, and they can't even get an ebook right. They redo a print version over and over, and complain about how Amazon won't let them change anything. New editions all over. Blocked books everywhere.

Most people out there, they aren't like us, who learned this stuff, who understood that print was a different thing. They want "AI" audio books, and someone else to just let them fix stuff without having to use up ISBNs, and they think everyone wants their hardcopy blank journal.

There's basically two different groups "self publishing". One learns how to write, they study how self publishing works. They have basic knowledge about what would sell.

The other is the get rich quick schemer group, who thinks uploading whatever fell out of their head is going to make them rich by tomorrow, who doesn't want to learn anything, or spend any time or effort or money, and expects others to tell them "do this, that, and then this other thing", and the money is going to just drown them.

The first group, we can understand, the second is just the growing flood of people who are out for only the money with no grasp of reality. Nothing you say will help them.

[Jeff Tanyard]

The first group, we can understand, the second is just the growing flood of people who are out for only the money with no grasp of reality. Nothing you say will help them.

My hope is that the second group of people will migrate to YouTube and participate in the ongoing flooding of that site with AI videos.  There's a ton of that stuff already, so it definitely seems to me to be the currently popular "get rich quick" scheme.

Some of that AI video stuff is actually pretty good, by the way, though Sturgeon's "90% of everything is crap" rule still applies.

[Post-Crisis D]

My hope is that the second group of people will migrate to YouTube and participate in the ongoing flooding of that site with AI videos.  There's a ton of that stuff already, so it definitely seems to me to be the currently popular "get rich quick" scheme.

I think they're mostly on Facebook.

On YouTube, if I get tricked by a low-quality video, I click out as soon as I realize it's junk and YouTube's algorithms seems to be able to recognize that I did not like that kind of video and doesn't show me more of the same.

On Facebook, if you get tricked by a low-quality video, it doesn't matter if you click out right away or not.  Facebook will present you with ten more of the same.  You have to ignore like two dozen before Facebook's algorithm figures out that you don't want to watch those videos.

[Jeff Tanyard]

I think they're mostly on Facebook.

I wouldn't know.  I've never had a Facebook account.  But I'll take your word for it.

[Bill Hiatt]

I can get that about holding your book in your hands being a thrill. The thing is, most people focus on getting all the things, and they can't even get an ebook right. They redo a print version over and over, and complain about how Amazon won't let them change anything. New editions all over. Blocked books everywhere.

Most people out there, they aren't like us, who learned this stuff, who understood that print was a different thing. They want "AI" audio books, and someone else to just let them fix stuff without having to use up ISBNs, and they think everyone wants their hardcopy blank journal.

There's basically two different groups "self publishing". One learns how to write, they study how self publishing works. They have basic knowledge about what would sell.

The other is the get rich quick schemer group, who thinks uploading whatever fell out of their head is going to make them rich by tomorrow, who doesn't want to learn anything, or spend any time or effort or money, and expects others to tell them "do this, that, and then this other thing", and the money is going to just drown them.

The first group, we can understand, the second is just the growing flood of people who are out for only the money with no grasp of reality. Nothing you say will help them.

I'm not sure that I would give up on the second type of self published author. Some people may become less set in their ways if they get beaten down enough in the marketplace. Whatever we think of AI, I think we all agree that spewing unedited AI out into the marketplace is not a workable strategy at this point. Some people will just give up, but other people will start to wonder what they're doing wrong.

In any case, yeah, people trying to use AI as a cure-all are numerous, but there are probably just as many people like us as there always were. If you really want to be a writer, you might use AI as a tool, but you're not going to be satisfied with using AI to do the writing for you. And some people do have trouble with paperback formatting, but the persistent will figure it out--or get Vellum or the PC equivalent to automate just that part of the process. It used to take me a week to do an ebook interior. Now it takes thirty seconds.

[TimothyEllis]

And some people do have trouble with paperback formatting, but the persistent will figure it out--or get Vellum or the PC equivalent to automate just that part of the process. It used to take me a week to do an ebook interior. Now it takes thirty seconds.

Draft2Digital. Upload docx. Choose options. Download PDF. Easy.

[Post-Crisis D]

I've never had a Facebook account.

Lucky you.

[Bill Hiatt]

Facebook used to be a very effective vehicle for finding new readers. For the most part, it no longer is.

[Post-Crisis D]

Facebook used to be a very effective vehicle for finding new readers. For the most part, it no longer is.

It's good for finding poorly edited cat video compilations and also discovering that a good chunk of your old online friends have completely lost their marbles.

Other than that, I don't know what Facebook is good for.

[Lorri Moulton]

Facebook used to be a very effective vehicle for finding new readers. For the most part, it no longer is.

It's good for finding poorly edited cat video compilations and also discovering that a good chunk of your old online friends have completely lost their marbles.

Other than that, I don't know what Facebook is good for.

Parties!

[cecilia_writer]

There are a few very good groups on Facebook which are well moderated and mostly manage to keep people on topic. UK Crime Book Club does author interviews and real world events, and a group I know for women writers and editors etc provides quite a bit of useful up to date information.

[Bill Hiatt]

Yes, I should have listed author groups as an exception. i haven't been active in any for a long time, but I understand that some of them are still good ways to get information.

It's also good for parties if you have a reliable following. I used to get some mileage out of online release parties.

[Vijaya]

Facebook used to be a very effective vehicle for finding new readers. For the most part, it no longer is.

It's good for finding poorly edited cat video compilations and also discovering that a good chunk of your old online friends have completely lost their marbles.

Other than that, I don't know what Facebook is good for.

   I recently joined FB, mostly to go over rehearsals for my barbershop group and discovered those cat videos:  It's been great to see more family pictures and reconnect with some old friends. It's strange how some people found me right away.