The self-publishing journey begins

So, I’m going for it. I’ve engaged an editor and a graphic designer and have been reading on Amazon’s website like mad. If all goes well, I’m going to self-publish next month. This is all very exciting and very scary at the same time.

There’s so much to do in so little time I’m not even worrying about whether people will like it or buy it…yet! That dread will come I have no doubt. In the meantime, I’m trying to get organised with a to do list.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
I have decided to go with Amazon as they do seem to be the leader in this market. The information they provide is also very comprehensive to a complete newbie like me. The main draw though is the ability to publish an e-book as well as a softback. They print on purchase so I don’t have to put up money up front or store any stock, which is incredibly useful.

I’ve got to get my account set up and make sure I am fully schooled in what to do and what to expect, including things like technically being self-employed…did someone say self assessment tax return?

Budgeting and Strategy
I didn’t want to do this by halves. You hear horror stories of poor writing and bad marketing when reading about self-publishing, so I have budgeted some money to go about this endeavour as professionally as possible. I’m a marketer by trade so hopefully I already have that covered. I just need to get a strategy together, especially on what I might want to spend marketing money on.

Social Media
I definitely need to transform my Twitter and open a Facebook business page. I always told myself as well if I self-published I would start vlogging. This is quite significantly out of my comfort zone but is still a popular and effective medium to communicate and market, so I’ll need to set up a YouTube as well. For all of my social media channels, I’ll need a content plan, so I need to get on that too.

Editing
I had initially contemplated doing this myself, but quickly talked myself out of it. With such a short amount of time, I knew I couldn’t proofread and copyedit as well as organise all the other things I have to do, as well as working the 9-5. So, I have engaged an editor to do this for me. Ultimately, a fresh pair of eyes after so long is a good idea. Plus, this is someone who can dedicate time to the whole project and see it subjectively, whereas I’m always going to see it as my story. I’m excited and nervous to see what she comes back with.

So it’s full steam ahead! If anyone is a self-publisher or a vlogger, say hello in the comments!