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RESOURCES for Self-Publishing Essentials Workshop


FOUR QUESTIONS

Answer each in 1 sentence:
1. What is my book about/What is my main book idea?
2. Who do I envision my readers to be/Who am I writing this book for?
3. What is my goal for my book's impact/What will it do for my reader?
4. Why am I the one to write this specific book?


TRADITIONAL VS INDEPENDENT and HYBRID PUBLISHING

A thorough article from Joanne Penn at Creative Penn
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/self-publishing-vs-traditional/


Overview of companies that provide publishing services rated by Alliance of Independent Authors
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/allis-self-publishing-service-directory/self-publishing-service-reviews/


COVER DESIGN

Excellent article on designing book covers from Kindlepreneur. Focuses on ebooks, but very useful for ebook and print design both. Includes links to inexpensive online book cover services:
https://kindlepreneur.com/book-cover-design/

I make my covers in PhotoShop, but here's free book cover software from Canva:
https://www.canva.com/create/book-covers/


A guide to making your own cover from CreateSpace with downloadable template:
https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/CoverPDF.jsp


PickFU service for getting feedback on covers. I have found their 50-response service for $20 very useful. (Can also be used for trying out different titles.)


INTERIOR DESIGN

Handy CreateSpace guide to setting the margins for your book:
https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/InteriorPDF.jsp


Good article on avoiding common formatting mistakes:
https://self-publishingschool.com/5-book-formatting-mistakes-to-avoid/

Another good article on interior design - especially good section on fonts:
http://www.writing-world.com/publish/format.shtml


Helpful look at the best fonts for self published books:
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/06/picking-fonts-for-your-self-published-book/

Formatting Poetry Books
http://diybookformats.com/format-publish-market-book-poetry/

EDITING

Great article on how to choose an editor, should you decide to hire someone
https://kindlepreneur.com/book-editors/


FREELANCE HELP

Upwork has links to freelance designers for book covers and to editors
The Book Designers specializes in book design, layout, covers, editing, audio books


ISBNs

R. R. Bowker is the nation's supplier of ISBN numbers. It is the only supplier. If you get one inexpensively elsewhere, your title will be connected to their name, not yours. You will need more than 1, so get the 10-pack or see the option below with Ingram Spark.

Ingram Spark offers an ISBN service that allows you to have your own publishing house name attached to your ISBN (as if you had bought one from R. R. Bowker), but my recommendation is to buy your own. See article below

Each book in each format needs its own ISBN number, so think carefully about how many to purchase. For example, you will need 1 for your print version, 1 for large print, 1 for ebook, and 1 for audio book. If you plan to write more than one book, you can use up ISBN numbers pretty quickly, so I recommend getting at least 10 if you buy them from R R Bowker.

Excellent article HERE on why you want to buy your own ISBN numbers


CIP DATA BLOCK

Cataloguing-in-Publication. Recommended if you are intending to sell to libraries.  Here is a retired librarian who can make a professional CIP data block for you for $60. Do not attempt to make one up yourself.

Adrienne Bashista

COPYRIGHT

Once you have published your book, you can register it with the US Copyright Office if you so choose, by filling out a form, paying $35, and mailing them a copy.

CREATESPACE

CreateSpace provides print-on-demand service and allows you to offer your book on Amazon for free. CreateSpace has excellent customer service by email, chat, or phone.

Here's their step-by-step guide to getting your book published on Amazon (after you register and are logged in). Choose the guided process:
https://tsw.createspace.com/getstarted/productselection

This explains everything you need to know to work with CreateSpace - click on each tab - it even has a Royalty Calculator:

https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/


INGRAM SPARK

Ingram Spark
Yes, you want to do BOTH this and CreateSpace if you expect to have books in bookstores. DO NOT choose Expanded Distribution on CreateSpace for Amazon. Allow Ingram to distribute to bookstores and libraries. Ingram offers print-on-demand service for $49 and lists your book in their online catalogue that independent booksellers use.


Here's a page that explains how to work with Ingram Spark with easy click-throughs to get started ($49 fee for both print & ebook when done together):
http://www.ingramspark.com/how-it-works#self-publish

Use the same ISBN number, cover file, and interior file as you did for CreateSpace. Ingram will format your book for ebook distribution through its network as part of your fee, if you choose. Remember to click on Regular Discount for bookstores and Returnable, otherwise your book will not be attractive to independent booksellers.


KDP (KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING)

KDP allows you to sell your book as an ebook on Amazon. It is a free service and highly recommended, as ebooks rival print books in popularity.

SELLING YOUR EBOOK BEYOND AMAZON

Smashwords is a free service that will take your ebook and make it available to all outlets online, including Barnes and Noble Nook and Apple's iBooks. It's more finicky on the formatting than KDP, so can be a little frustrating getting through their process (reformatting and reformatting), but can be worth it since it basically covers all online ebook sellers.

How to Publish on Smashwords:
www.smashwords.com/about/how_to_publish_on_smashwords

Draft2Digital is another free service - it's newer than Smashwords and distributes to fewer retailers, but hits all the major ones. The big plus with them is that they are easier to use - they format your ebook for you and their website is easier to navigate.


GENERAL HELP

The Creative Penn (Joanna Penn's website) has some really good material on every aspect of independent publishing.
Kindlepreneur: Excellent resource for anything to do with ebooks
Top 10 Sites for Indie Authors

The 100 Best Websites for Writers 2018

REVIEWS

BookLife is the subdivision of Publishers Weekly that is dedicated to self-published authors
How Self-Published Authors Can Get Professional Reviews


SCRIVENER WRITING SOFTWARE

Scrivener is an alternative to WORD designed for authors and many writers swear by it.
Writer's Store
Literature and Latte


TEMPLATE-BASED WEBSITE GENERATORS

Weebly
Top 10 Website Builders


If you don't wish to build your own website, here is a site that creates them specifically for authors:
Author Your Website



MARKETING

Mega-List of Free Promotional Sites for Self-Published Books
The Indie Author's Guide to Free Reviews
How to Market Your Self-Published Book Without at Budget
Marketing Your Book for Self Publishers


KEYWORDS

Finding Keywords for Amazon
Google Trends
Google Trends allows you to see what hot topics are trending in social media, but if you use their search bar at the top of the page and type in a keyword or phrase, it will show you how many people are searching for that phrase or similar phrases over the last few months or the last year.
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