Self Publishing

So when I started this project of writing a book I didn’t fully understand how much work it would be involved.

While I am so proud to have accomplished this huge task I wish there were a few items I knew before hand.

 Like getting a copyright, which was pretty simple, I used Legal Zoom it was quick and easy but there is a fee.It wasn’t until I was near the end that thought about the copyright. Then there are the questions, does a copyright from one country keep you safe in another. Do I need multiple copyrights for multiple mediums of my book. These are some of the questions I wish I knew the answer to at the time.

 Buying the ISBN number was something I didn’t think about until the last minute. While $125 is a lot for one number there are some great deals for grouping them. Also you need a different ISBN for print, for e-book, for audio-book and if you decided to print another edition.

 Next step was the cover. How do you pick the perfect cover for your book.You need something that will draw in everyone just by looking. Picking the cover was a hard one for me. I had the perfect idea but not the talent to carry it out. I went through two artist, both let downs before I decided to try it myself. Word of advice if you can’t draw don’t try to make your cover it doesn’t work out that well. I ended up coming up with a cover that I didn’t love but I could use as a place saver. My saving grace was one of those sites where you can buy the rights to use a photo. I found this site two days after I published my book, and even though I wish I knew about it beforehand, I am happy that I did find it. The cover that I do have is perfect and fits my dream cover to a tee.

 After publishing my book came the hard part, and one of the most expensive parts, Advertising it. I knew I was going to sell some to family and friends but I didn’t just want to count on them I couldn’t. I needed to Advertise my book and that cost money and to do it well it cost a lot of money. So there is a slow start to getting a self-published book out to the known world. However, with Social Media the way it is today it does give you a chance put your product out there with out emptying your wallet as much. Though to truly promote it in the way it deserves it does cost money.

 When you self publish you hold many hats, the writer, editor, cover artist, agent, publisher, and marketing agent. I spend many nights just reading and trying to understand all that I need to do to get it and then keep my book relevant. I must admit there are days when I am ready to cry because it is frustrating not knowing all that I need to be doing or if I am doing any thing right. This is not an easy job. Self Publishing is not as easy as it seems there are a lot of aspects to publishing a book, but there is also a huge feeling of self satisfaction that comes with the finished product.

 Andrea Rose Washington

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