May 20, 2025 • 36 mins
Congratulations! You've finished writing your novel, and you've set your sights on self-publishing. But now you're staring at your manuscript, wondering, "Where do I start?" If you're feeling overwhelmed by the self-publishing process, you're not alone.
Most first-time authors don't realize just how many decisions the self-publishing process involves. From choosing file formats and pricing strategies to designing covers and optimizing metadata—every choice you make directly impacts your book's success in the marketplace.
This is exactly why having a roadmap to follow before diving into self-publishing is so crucial. Just as you wouldn't build a house without blueprints, you shouldn't publish your novel without a clear plan of action.
That's exactly what I'm providing in this episode—a comprehensive 10-step guide that will transform your manuscript into a professionally published book readers will discover and enjoy.
You’ll hear me talk about things like:
- [02:42] The critical mindset shift most first-time authors fail to make—and why adopting a publisher’s mindset is key to your self-publishing success
- [06:04] How to build out your publishing team (including why skimping on professional editing is the costliest mistake you can make)
- [11:51] Why you should start building your author platform and growing your email list now—even if your book isn’t entirely ready to publish just yet
- [21:19] How to decide which distribution channel is best for you and your book (and why this choice impacts everything from your marketing to sales)
- [25:49] How to develop a flexible pricing strategy that positions your novel correctly in the market while maximizing your revenue and/or reach
Whether you’ve already set your sights on self-publishing or if you’ve been researching self-publishing only to feel more confused than ever, this episode will give you the clear, strategic roadmap you need to confidently self-publish your novel like a pro!
🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:
- Your Self-Publishing Roadmap: 10 Steps To Self-Publishing a Novel (Free Guide)
- Ep. #83 - What Kind of Editor Do You Need For Your Book?
- Ep. #106 - 5 Steps To Building Your Author Platform
- Ep. #107 - Email List Building Essentials For Authors
- Ep. 163 - How To Find & Work With A Book Cover Designer
⭐ Follow & Review
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week!
Click here to register for my FREE training: 3 Things You Need to Write Your Novel in 2025.
👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
One of the most persistent myths about
self-publishing is that you haveto do everything by yourself,
and nothing could be furtherfrom the truth.
In fact, I believe that tryingto handle every aspect of
publishing yourself is just arecipe for disappointing results
and burnout.
Welcome to the Fiction WritingMade Easy podcast.
(00:21):
My name is Savannah Gilbo andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming, so each week,I'll bring you a brand new
episode with simple, actionableand step-by-step strategies that
you can implement in yourwriting right away.
So whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
(00:42):
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, we're goingto talk through 10 steps to
self-publishing your novel, andwhether you already know you
want to self-publish or if maybeyou're not sure which
publishing path is right for you.
Either way, this episode is foryou.
I'm going to give you acomplete blueprint that will
(01:04):
help you take your finishedmanuscript and turn it into a
polished and published novel.
But before we get into whatthose 10 steps are and what the
blueprint looks like we have totalk about the elephant in the
room.
Many first-time authorsdrastically underestimate how
many decisions they'll need tomake when it comes to
self-publishing their novel Fromfile formats to pricing
(01:25):
strategies, from cover design tometadata optimization and all
the things in between and eachone of these choices will impact
your book's potential successin the marketplace.
So, if you are planning toself-publish your novel, or if
you're thinking aboutself-publishing your novel, you
need to know that this path isgoing to require a lot of
strategic thinking as well as alot of careful planning, and
(01:47):
because of this, it's easy toget stressed out and overwhelmed
.
I've seen it happen to a lot offirst-time authors, which is
one of the main reasons why Iwanted to tackle this topic
today.
So, again, I'm going to breakdown the entire self-publishing
process into 10 steps.
We're going to start with theessential mindset shift that
every author needs to make.
We'll then explore how to buildyour publishing team, discuss
(02:09):
the critical importance ofprofessional editing, and I'm
even going to share some of thestrategies that have helped my
clients and studentssuccessfully publish books that
not only look professional butactually reach their target
readers and generate consistentsales as well.
So, whether you're putting thefinishing touches on your
manuscript or you've beensitting on a completed draft
wondering what the heck to donext.
(02:31):
Today's episode will give youthe clear roadmap you need to
confidently bring your book intothe world.
So let's dive in, starting withstep number one, and that is to
cultivate a publisher's mindset.
So, before you take a singlestep toward publishing your book
, you need to embrace a reallyimportant shift in how you think
about yourself and your work,and that's because you're no
(02:52):
longer just a writer, you'realso becoming a publisher as
well.
I know this might sound obvious, but it's this first step and
this mindset shift that isreally going to lay a nice
foundation for everything thatfollows.
It's also something that manyfirst-time writers overlook so
many first-time writers.
They will approachself-publishing as simply an
(03:13):
extension of writing, but it'san entirely different endeavor
that requires new skills,perspectives and decisions.
So this kind of professionalpublisher mindset really just
means viewing your book as bothan artistic creation and a
product that's going to be inthe marketplace, and while
traditional publishers canseparate these functions across
(03:33):
different departments, as aself-published author, you need
to wear both of these hatssimultaneously.
Now, this doesn't meancompromising your artistic
vision in any way.
It just means giving your storythe professional treatment it
deserves.
So let's take a look at whatthis kind of publisher's mindset
might look like.
Number one it looks liketreating your book as a business
(03:54):
investment.
So you need to understand thecosts, the returns on those
costs and the strategicdecisions that you're going to
be facing and have to make alongthe way.
Number two it means thinkingabout your readers as customers,
so considering their needs andexperiences at every stage of
the publishing and marketingjourney.
Number three it means makingdecisions based on industry
(04:16):
standards and your own marketresearch, so not always just
personal preferences, althoughof course, you can do whatever
you want.
It is your book.
But you know, if you want tohave a career as a successfully
published author, then you willneed to kind of look outside of
your own personal preferences.
Number four it means seeingyour book as a part of a larger
author career, so not just a onetime creative project.
(04:38):
And then, number five it meanstaking ownership of the quality
of your book at every singlestage.
So no cutting corners orsettling for something that's
good enough, right, we want totake ownership of quality at
every stage.
So that's kind of what thispublisher's mindset looks like
and some of the most commonself-publishing pitfalls.
So things like having anamateurish cover, poor editing
(05:01):
or ineffective marketing thingslike that.
They almost always stem fromapproaching the publishing
journey as just trying to getthe book out there as fast as
possible and just kind ofgetting it off their plate,
instead of taking the time, careand attention to launch a
professional product.
Now a little pro tip from mestart your publishing journey by
creating a simple business planfor your book that includes
(05:24):
things like your goals, yourbudget, timeline and target
audience.
Even if you don't have all ofthe answers just yet, you can
continue to fill this out as yougo and as you make decisions,
and the goal is for thisdocument to really become like
your North Star.
So not only will it be a quickreference for you, but it will
also help you make difficultdecisions throughout the entire
publishing process as well.
(05:45):
And the cool thing is is thatyou can start that at any time,
even as you're working on yourfirst draft, all right.
So that is step one tocultivate a publisher's mindset.
And with this publisher mindsetfirmly in place, you're ready
to begin assembling the teamthat will help you bring your
vision to life.
So that's step two.
You want to build yourself-publishing team.
You bring your vision to life,so that's step two.
(06:06):
You want to build yourself-publishing team.
One of the most persistent mythsabout self-publishing is that
you have to do everything byyourself, and nothing could be
further from the truth.
In fact, I believe that tryingto handle every aspect of
publishing yourself is just arecipe for disappointing results
and burnout.
If you look at some of the mostsuccessful self-published
authors, you'll see that they'vebuilt a team of professionals
(06:27):
who elevate their book farbeyond what they could
accomplish alone.
So, to piggyback off of what wejust talked about around
cultivating a publisher'smindset, what I want you to do
is think of yourself as the CEOof your book project.
So you're responsible for thefinal decisions and the overall
vision.
But you can rely on specialistsfor their expertise in certain
(06:48):
areas and, like any good CEO,your first task is going to be
assembling the right people tohelp you execute your vision a
developmental editor who canhelp you strengthen your story
structure, character developmentand overall narrative.
If your manuscript still needsthis kind of big picture work,
(07:09):
it could include a line editorand or a copy editor, who can
help you polish your prose,correct grammar, spelling and
inconsistency issues.
It can include a proofreaderwho catches those final typos
and formatting issues beforepublication.
It could include a coverdesigner to help you create a
professional andgenre-appropriate cover that
will attract your target readers.
(07:30):
Your team could include aninterior formatter, who ensures
your book looks professional onthe page and functions properly
as an ebook.
If you want to create anaudiobook, you might need an
audiobook narrator and or aproducer.
And then, finally, your teamcould also include someone
that's a marketing consultant orcontractor, so someone to help
develop strategies for reachingyour target readers, whether
(07:53):
that's through email, facebookads, social media, getting in
catalogs, going to book fairs,whatever that looks like.
So, again, these are allpotential roles that you could
fill on your self-publishingteam.
Not every author is going toneed every team member and your
specific needs are going todepend on your skills, your
budget and your goals.
The key here is honestself-assessment.
(08:14):
So where do you needprofessional help to ensure that
your book meets industrystandards?
That's where you want to start.
Now a little pro tip from mestart building relationships
with your potential team membersbefore you need them, so you
can do this by joining writingcommunities where professionals
hang out, follow serviceproviders on social media or get
(08:34):
on their email list and evencollect recommendations from
other authors.
And this is important becausethe best and most high-quality
professionals will often havewaiting lists.
So planning ahead and gettingon their radar ahead of time is
really important.
All right, so that is stepnumber two to start building out
your self-publishing team.
Now, with your publishingmindset established and your
(08:56):
team beginning to take shape,it's time to focus on one of the
most important aspects of yourbook's success, and this is
ensuring the manuscript itselfis truly ready for the prime
time.
So step number three is tofinalize your manuscript with
professional editing.
Now.
Even if you've already workedwith beta readers, revised your
manuscript extensively and feelconfident about its quality,
(09:18):
professional editing remains anessential investment for
self-published authors.
This step is going to ensurethe foundation of your book.
Its actual content isstructured, sound and polished.
And again, this is reallyimportant because, no matter how
skilled you are as a writer orhow thoroughly you've
self-edited, you're never goingto catch all the issues in your
(09:38):
own work.
It's just a fact of life.
Try as hard as we might, we arenever going to catch all the
issues in our own work, and thisis where professional editors
come in.
Professional editors bring bothtechnical expertise and
objective distance to yourmanuscript.
So they're going to see whatyou can't because you're too
close to the work, and thisfresh perspective is invaluable
(10:00):
in terms of taking your bookfrom good to great.
Now, depending on where you arein the revision process, you
might need different levels ofediting.
I have a whole episode on thistopic.
It's episode number 83.
It's called what Kind of EditorDo you Need for your Book?
I will link to that in the shownotes.
But to give you a quickoverview, a developmental editor
is someone who's going to helpyou focus on the big picture of
(10:21):
your story.
So does it work?
Will on the big picture of yourstory?
So does it work?
Will it satisfy readers and areyou delivering on the
requirements of your story genre?
A line editor is someone whowill focus on the craft and flow
of your writing at the sentencelevel.
A copy editor is someone whowill address technical issues
like spelling, grammar,punctuation and consistency, and
then a proofreader will providethat final quality check to
(10:43):
catch any remaining errors.
So again, just a very highlevel overview.
If you want to go deeper intothis, go check out episode
number 83, which I will link toin the show notes.
Now, many first-time authorsmake the mistake of skipping
professional editing to savemoney, only to receive negative
reviews highlighting the veryissues editors would have caught
(11:03):
.
I see this happen all the timeand it makes me so sad.
What's important to remember isthat readers don't give you a
pass on quality just becauseyou're self-published.
They're going to compare yourbook to everything else they
read, including traditionallypublished books.
So again, my two cents youdefinitely don't want to skip
this part.
Now a little pro tip for me toget the most value from
(11:25):
professional editing, you wantto prepare your manuscript
thoroughly first, so do as manyself-editing passes as possible
and or enlist the help oftrusted beta readers before
hiring a professional.
This will allow the editor thatyou do hire to focus more on
the subtle issues present ratherthan the obvious problems that
you could have fixed yourself.
All right, so that is stepnumber three.
(11:47):
Finalize your manuscript withprofessional editing.
And while your manuscript isbeing polished to perfection,
there's another parallel processthat you should be starting,
one that many authorsunfortunately leave until after
publication, and that parallelprocess is step number four,
which is to start building yourauthor platform.
(12:08):
An author platform really justencompasses your ability to
reach your readers directly, soit's the collection of channels
and relationships that allow youto connect with your audience
without any intermediaries.
And while it might seem alittle early to think about your
platform before your book ispublished, the truth is that
building an effective platformtakes time, which is why I
(12:29):
recommend starting now, whileother aspects of your book are
being developed, because here'sthe truth your author platform
isn't just a marketing tool.
It's the foundation of asustainable self-publishing
career.
The most successfulself-published authors don't
just release books into the voidand hope they sell.
They build direct connectionswith readers who will buy not
(12:51):
just their current book, butfuture books as well, and this
direct relationship with yourreaders is your most valuable
asset as an author.
So what are some key componentsof an author platform?
Well, number one is your authorwebsite.
So this is your digital homebase where readers can learn
about you and your books.
It could include your emaillist, so how you directly
(13:11):
communicate with yoursubscribers anyone who's bought
your books interested in buyingyour future books, whatever it
is.
This could mean having apresence on social media.
If you choose to be on socialmedia, this could look like
content creation, so gettingyourself and your book out there
by writing blog posts,appearing on podcasts, creating
videos or any other kind ofcontent that allows readers to
get to know you and your books alittle bit more.
(13:33):
If you do any kind of speakingor events, so in-person or
virtual opportunities to connectwith your readers and it could
even include things likerelationships with the media or
any kind of influencers.
So bloggers, podcasters youknow people like that who speak
to your target reader.
If you want to go deeper intothis topic, I will link to
episode number 106 in the shownotes.
(13:54):
That episode's called FiveSteps to Building your Author
Platform and that episode goesinto a lot more detail about the
kinds of things you can includeon your author platform, where
I recommend starting and thingslike that.
All right, now, don't feelpressured to have all of these
things I just mentioned, anddefinitely don't feel pressured
to establish all of these thingsat once.
I recommend starting with thefoundations, so a simple author
(14:16):
website and an email list atbare minimum.
If you want to get a littlefancier, maybe that looks like
including a social mediaplatform you enjoy or that
you're already on.
You know something like thatand then build from there.
I will always suggest focusingon depth over breadth in your
platform building efforts.
So, for example, one socialmedia platform where you
(14:36):
regularly engage with readers isgoing to be far more valuable
than being on five platformsthat you don't like and rarely
update.
So choose where to invest yourtime, based on where your target
readers actually gather andbased on what you enjoy doing as
well, and remember thatplatform building runs parallel
to your other publishing tasksand continues long after your
(14:58):
book is published.
Also, remember that consistencymatters more than immediate
results, so hang in there andaim for progress over perfection
.
Now, as you begin establishingyour author platform which,
remember, that is step fourthere's one component that
deserves special attention, andit's an element that's so
powerful and so valuable that itwarrants its own step in our
(15:20):
10-step blueprint.
So step five is to start growingyour email list.
It's the single most valuableasset that you can build as an
author, far outweighing socialmedia followers or website
traffic in terms of actual booksales and career stability.
Why is that?
Well, it's because your emaillist is the only platform that
you truly own and control.
(15:41):
I'll say that one more timebecause it's so important.
Your email list is the onlyplatform you truly own and truly
control Social media algorithmschange, platforms come and go,
but your direct connection toreaders through email remains
constant.
Also, when someone joins youremail list, they are literally
inviting you into their inbox.
(16:01):
They are giving you permissionto email them, and this is a
privilege that comes withunparalleled opportunity for
meaningful connection.
So if that is not enough reasonto start building your email
list, here are some additionalreasons why you should start
doing this now, well before yourbook is published.
Number one, you can startbuilding anticipation for your
(16:22):
upcoming release.
Number two, you'll have anaudience ready to buy, review
and recommend your book when youdo launch it.
Number three, you'll establishrelationships with readers that
extend beyond one single book.
And number four, you'll createa foundation for sustainable
book sales, independent ofalgorithms.
Now, in case you're wondering,starting an email list is
(16:43):
technically pretty simple.
All you need to do is sign upwith a provider like MailerLite,
kit or MailChimp.
There are a bunch of emailservice providers out there.
I go into this in more detailin episode number 107.
That's called Email ListBuilding Essentials for Authors.
I will link to that episode inthe show notes.
But, like I said, starting anemail list is technically pretty
(17:05):
simple.
The challenging part is goingto be showing up consistently
and communicating with yoursubscribers on a consistent
basis.
So, again, I go into moredetail about this in episode
number 107, but please don't letthis step intimidate you.
It doesn't have to be as hardas a lot of people make it out
to be.
Now a little pro tip from me, ifyou haven't already create some
(17:27):
kind of compelling readermagnet.
If you've never heard this termbefore, it's essentially a free
piece of content related toyour book that entices people to
join your email list.
This could be something like aprequel short story, a character
interview, a deleted scene oreven the first few chapters of
your upcoming book.
No matter what you come up with, you want to make it
(17:48):
substantial enough andinteresting enough that readers
feel like they've received realvalue in exchange for their
email list.
In episode number 107, I alsohave a few additional ideas of
what you can do for your readermagnet.
If you're not sure where tostart with that, all right now.
Like platform building, listgrowth is a gradual process that
is ideally happening alongsideyour other publishing tasks.
(18:10):
So start small, focus onquality subscribers who
genuinely connect with your work, and be patient with the
process.
It's not going to happenovernight, but once you get to
the stage of actually publishingand marketing your book, you
will be so glad that you startedthese efforts ahead of time.
All right, so that is step five.
Start growing your email list.
And now, with your audiencebuilding efforts underway, it's
(18:32):
time to shift focus to thevisual and design elements that
will make your book stand out ina crowded marketplace.
So step number six is to createa professional book cover and
interior design.
Now, I know we've all heard theadvice don't judge a book by its
cover, but the reality is thateverybody does exactly that,
especially in the digitalmarketplace, where your cover is
(18:53):
often reduced to a tinythumbnail that's competing with
countless other tiny thumbnails.
So I think it goes withoutsaying that a professional book
cover is really, reallyimportant.
And a professional coverdoesn't just make your book look
good.
It communicates importantinformation to your potential
readers in an instant, so it cangive them insight into things
like what genre your bookbelongs to.
(19:14):
The tone and emotionalexperience that readers can
expect from your book, the levelof professionalism they'll find
inside, and even whether thisbook is for them or not.
And one of the most commonmistakes self-published authors
make is underestimating theimportance of a professional
cover design.
An amateur cover doesn't justlook unprofessional, it actively
(19:35):
signals to potential readersthat the content inside might be
equally amateur, which, afterpouring so much blood, sweat and
tears into your book, that'snot something you want right Now
.
A little pro tip from me Ifyou're not really sure what you
want your cover to look like orwhere to start, go research
best-selling covers in yourspecific sub-genre before hiring
a designer.
(19:56):
Look for patterns and colorschemes, typography, imagery and
the overall feel.
These patterns exist becausethey signal to readers what kind
of book they're getting.
In an ideal world, your coverwould be unique while still
clearly belonging to yourgenre's visual language.
Alright, now, in terms ofbudgeting for your book, I do
recommend prioritizing yourcover design investment.
(20:17):
At the time of this recording aprofessional cover typically
costs anywhere from $300 to$3,000.
So there is definitely a widerange of pricing and investment
options there, but the return oninvestment through your
increased visibility and salesmakes this one of the wisest
investments in your publishingjourney.
So just my two cents on that.
(20:39):
Now, the same principles applyto interior formatting, though
to a lesser degree.
A well-formatted book interiorenhances the reading experience,
while poor formatting createsfriction and frustration for
readers.
If you want more information onbook covers and book interiors,
go check out episode number 163.
That one's called how to Findand Work with a Book Cover
(21:00):
Designer, and I will link tothat in the show notes as well.
All right, so that is stepnumber six create a professional
book cover and interior design.
And so now, with your book'scontent polished and its visual
presentation professionallydesigned, it's time to make
important decisions about howand where readers will be able
to find and purchase your novel.
Which brings us to step numberseven choose your
(21:22):
self-publishing platforms anddistribution channels.
Now, this step represents a keydecision point that will
significantly impact your book'sreach, your income potential
and your marketing strategy.
But a lot of authors make thischoice without fully
understanding the implicationsof different distribution
approaches.
What's most important to knowis that the platforms you choose
(21:43):
determine not just where yourbook is sold, but how you're
going to market it and whatbusiness model you're going to
follow.
And there are two primaryapproaches to self-publishing
distribution.
The first one is exclusivedistribution, and this approach
makes your ebook availableexclusively through Amazon.
It enrolls you in KindleUnlimited, where your
subscribers can read your bookfor free and you're paid per
(22:05):
page read.
It will provide additionalpromotional tools like countdown
deals and free book promotions,but it does require 90-day
commitment periods.
So that's option one.
Definitely some pros and consin there, depending on your
goals.
Option two is wide distribution,so this makes your book
available across multipleretailers like Amazon, apple
(22:25):
Books, barnes, noble, kobo, etc.
This helps you reach readersworldwide who prefer platforms
other than just Amazon.
This option allows direct salesthrough your website or other
platforms that make thatpossible, and it provides more
stability through diversifiedincome streams.
However, this option willrequire more complex management
(22:45):
or the use of aggregators likeDraft2Digital.
So that's option number two.
Again, there are pros and conswith that option as well.
Now, like I said, neitherapproach is superior.
The right choice will depend onyour specific genre, your goals
and your marketing strengths.
For example, there are a lot ofauthors in certain genres like
romance, thriller, sciencefiction that find exclusive
(23:06):
distribution through Amazonhighly profitable due to Kindle
Unlimited readers.
On the flip side, there areauthors in other genres or who
have strong direct platformsthat will often earn more money
through wide distribution.
So, again, it comes down toyour genre, your goals and your
marketing strengths.
For most authors, amazon is thelogical starting point, given
(23:28):
its market dominance, but don'tlock yourself into exclusivity
without understanding whatyou're giving up Now.
That being said, this decisiondoesn't have to be permanent.
Many authors switch strategiesas their career evolves, or they
experiment with differentapproaches for different books
in their catalog.
All right, so that is stepnumber seven choose your
self-publishing platforms anddistribution channels.
(23:49):
Step number eight is to developyour book's metadata and
marketing copy.
So now that you've chosen yourpublishing platforms, it's time
to make sure readers canactually find your book in a sea
of millions In the digital bookmarketplace.
Your book's metadata is asimportant as its content when it
comes to discoverability.
In case you've never heard thisterm before, metadata includes
(24:11):
all the information thatdescribes your book to retailers
and readers alike.
So the title, the subtitle,description, keywords,
categories and things like thatand well-crafted metadata helps
the right readers find your book, while poor metadata leaves it
invisible, regardless of quality.
Now what's important to know isthat each element of your
(24:32):
metadata serves a specificfunction.
So the title and subtitle arethere to catch attention and
signal to the reader the book'sgenre and or its content.
The description or blurb isthere to entice readers to buy
through that compellingmarketing copy.
The keywords are there to helpyour book appear in relevant
searches.
The categories exist to placeyour book where browsing readers
(24:53):
can find it, and your authorbio establishes your credibility
and your connection withreaders.
Now, the most importantprinciples for effective
metadata are relevance andspecificity.
You want your book to appear insearches and categories where
it truly belongs and willsatisfy readers' expectations.
Misleading metadata mightgenerate initial clicks but will
(25:15):
inevitably lead to disappointedreaders and poor reviews.
So just something to keep inmind.
Now a little pro tip from me.
I always think it's a valuableexercise to study the
descriptions and keywords ofbest-selling books in your genre
and your sub-genre.
Take note of the specificlanguage they use, the way they
structure their blurbs and theemotional triggers they employ.
(25:36):
This research will beinvaluable in crafting metadata
that resonates with your targetreaders and gets your book in
front of those target readers aswell.
All right, so that is stepnumber eight develop your book's
metadata and marketing copy.
Step number nine is to set yourpricing strategy.
Now.
Pricing your book effectivelyrequires balancing multiple
factors perceived value, marketpositioning, reader expectations
(26:00):
and your own revenue goals.
There's no one-size-fits-allanswer to this, but there are
principles that can guide youtoward the optimal price point
for your specific book.
Something to keep in mind,though, is that your book's
price is not just about revenue.
It's a marketing tool thatsignals quality and positions
your work in the market.
With that being said, some keyfactors that should influence
(26:21):
your pricing decision includethings like genre norms, so
different genres have differentprice expectations.
Your book length also factorsinto it, so longer books
sometimes command higher prices.
You'll also want to think aboutseries position, so if it's the
first book in a series, thoseare often priced lower as entry
points.
You'll also want to think aboutthe format of your book, so
(26:43):
different formats whether it'sebook, paperback, hardcover or
audio all have different pricingstandards.
You want to think about yourlaunch strategy, so new releases
might warrant special pricingor some kind of special
promotion, since you'relaunching your book out into the
world.
And then, of course, consideryour overall goals.
So is your goal to make moneywith this book, or is it more
about reader acquisition?
(27:04):
And this one's important,because sometimes it makes more
sense to go out as a first-timeauthor targeting reader
acquisition versus targetingmaking a bunch of money with
your first book.
So just something to keep inmind.
Now a little pro tip from me Ialways advise to plan your
pricing strategy withflexibility in mind.
So consider different pricepoints for different seasons of
(27:25):
your book.
For example, you might havelaunch pricing where the goal is
to generate early sales andearly momentum.
Then you might shift intohaving regular pricing, which is
your standard price point foryour book.
Then there might come a timewhere you have promotional
pricing for special occasions ormarketing pushes or things like
that.
If you're writing a series, youmight have different prices for
different books in the seriesand things like that.
(27:46):
All right, so that is stepnumber nine.
You want to set your pricingstrategy.
Step number 10 is to secure yourbrand assets.
As you approach publication,it's key to ensure that your
author brand is consistentlyrepresented across all platforms
and all touch points with yourreaders.
Your brand assets are thevisual and textual elements that
(28:10):
identify you as an author andcreate a cohesive experience for
your audience.
And this is important because aconsistent author brand builds
recognition, professionalism andtrust with your readers.
So the key author brand assetsthat you'll want to secure
before publication includethings like number one a
professional author website,which ideally you would have
started working on already.
Remember, this is your digitalhome base where readers can
(28:32):
learn more about you and yourbook.
Number two would be consistentauthor accounts across any
social media platforms that youplan to use.
Number three is a professionalauthor photo, so ideally you
would have a high quality imagethat represents you and your
vibe appropriately.
Number four is an author logoor some kind of visual identity,
so this could include usingconsistent colors, fonts and
(28:55):
design elements when you do goout and market yourself in your
books.
You'll also want to secure yourauthor central account, so these
are your claimed authorprofiles on Amazon and other
retailer platforms.
If you don't have aprofessional email address
already, you'll want to securethat, so you can do whatever you
want here, but I alwaysrecommend having an email
address with your author domain,so, for example,
(29:17):
yournameatyournamecom,savannahatsavannahgilbocom,
something like that.
And then, lastly, you'll wantto finalize your author bio,
because you probably will needto use this more than you think
and it's not something you wantto have to recreate every time
you need it.
All right, so these are all ofthe brand assets that I would
recommend securing beforepublication, and while some of
(29:38):
these assets do requirefinancial investment, others
simply require careful attentionto consistency.
So, for example, using the sameauthor photo, bio and header
image across all platforms isn'tgoing to cost you anything, but
it creates a cohesive andprofessional impression.
All right, now a little pro tipfrom me.
I recommend investing in aprofessional author photo if you
(29:59):
can.
This will be one of your mostreused assets and it will
significantly impact how readersand industry professionals
perceive you.
Now, that being said, a goodauthor photo does not need to be
expensive.
What's most important is thatthe picture is clear, you're
wearing appropriate attire foryour genre or your vibe, and you
have good lighting.
So I would say those are thekey elements of a great author
(30:22):
photo.
Alright, so that is step 10,secure your author brand assets.
Now, before I share some finalthoughts with you, I just want
to recap those 10 steps, becauseI know we covered a lot.
So step number one was tocultivate a publisher's mindset.
Remember that whenself-publishing, you're no
longer just a writer, you'rebecoming a publisher as well.
(30:42):
Step number two is to buildyour self-publishing team, so
this includes everyone, from theeditors, the proofreaders,
cover designers, interiorformatters, audiobook narrators
and producers, and evenmarketing consultants.
Again, you don't need all ofthese people on your team.
Just think about where you needprofessional help to ensure
that your book will meetindustry standards.
(31:02):
Step number three is to finalizeyour manuscript with
professional editing.
Step number three is tofinalize your manuscript with
professional editing.
Step number four is to buildyour author platform.
So, remember, I said at thebare minimum, this would be your
author website and your emaillist.
Step number five is to startgrowing your email list, so not
only getting your email list setup, but also creating some kind
of reader magnet and startingto get subscribers on your list
(31:23):
as well.
Step number six is to create aprofessional book cover and
interior design.
Step number seven is to chooseyour publishing platforms and
distribution channels.
Step number eight is to developyour book's metadata and
marketing copy.
This includes things like title, subtitle, description,
keywords, categories, author bioand things like that.
(31:44):
Step number nine is to developand set your pricing strategy.
And then, lastly, step number10 is to secure your author
brand assets.
Now, remember, I have puteverything we've gone over in
this episode into a PDF guidefor you.
So if you go to savannagilbocomforward, slash, self-publish
all one word One more time.
That's savannagilbocom forward,slash, self-publish, all one
word, One more time.
That's savannagilbocom forward,slash, self-publish.
(32:05):
I'll send you a nice littleguide that includes everything
we went over today.
Now I know that the path fromfinished manuscript to
self-published book involves alot of important decisions and a
lot of dedicated work, but it'sa path that's well worth taking
.
I hope that the 10 steps we'vegone over today have given you a
structured roadmap that breaksdown that seemingly overwhelming
(32:26):
task of self-publishing yournovel into smaller, more
manageable pieces.
I hope you can see that eachstep builds on the one before it
, helping you create a reallysolid foundation for your
self-publishing success.
Remember that every successfulself-published author has stood
exactly where you stand now,manuscript in hand, wondering
how to transform it into a bookthat readers will discover,
(32:48):
enjoy and recommend.
Use these 10 steps as yourguide and be patient with
yourself and trust the process.
Some days will bringbreakthroughs and others will
feel like you're taking stepsbackward.
This does not mean there'sanything wrong with you or your
book.
It's just part of how theself-publishing process goes.
So take a deep breath, embraceyour new role as publisher and
get to work.
(33:11):
So that's it for today's episode.
As always, thank you so muchfor tuning in and for showing
your support.
If you want to check out any ofthe links I mentioned in this
episode, you can find them inthe show notes listed in the
description of each episodeinside your podcast player or at
savannahgilbocom forward slashpodcast.
If you're an Apple user, I'dreally appreciate it if you took
(33:32):
a few seconds to leave a ratingand a review.
Your ratings and reviews tellApple that this is a podcast
that's worth listening to and,in turn, your reviews will help
this podcast get in front ofmore fiction writers just like
you.
And while you're there, goahead and hit that follow button
, because there's going to beanother brand new episode next
week, full of actionable tips,tools and strategies to help you
(33:52):
become a better writer.
So I'll see you next week anduntil then, happy writing.
One of the most persistent myths about
self-publishing is that you haveto do everything by yourself,
and nothing could be furtherfrom the truth.
In fact, I believe that tryingto handle every aspect of
publishing yourself is just arecipe for disappointing results
and burnout.
Welcome to the Fiction WritingMade Easy podcast.
(00:21):
My name is Savannah Gilbo andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming, so each week,I'll bring you a brand new
episode with simple, actionableand step-by-step strategies that
you can implement in yourwriting right away.
So whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
(00:42):
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, we're goingto talk through 10 steps to
self-publishing your novel, andwhether you already know you
want to self-publish or if maybeyou're not sure which
publishing path is right for you.
Either way, this episode is foryou.
I'm going to give you acomplete blueprint that will
(01:04):
help you take your finishedmanuscript and turn it into a
polished and published novel.
But before we get into whatthose 10 steps are and what the
blueprint looks like we have totalk about the elephant in the
room.
Many first-time authorsdrastically underestimate how
many decisions they'll need tomake when it comes to
self-publishing their novel Fromfile formats to pricing
(01:25):
strategies, from cover design tometadata optimization and all
the things in between and eachone of these choices will impact
your book's potential successin the marketplace.
So, if you are planning toself-publish your novel, or if
you're thinking aboutself-publishing your novel, you
need to know that this path isgoing to require a lot of
strategic thinking as well as alot of careful planning, and
(01:47):
because of this, it's easy toget stressed out and overwhelmed
.
I've seen it happen to a lot offirst-time authors, which is
one of the main reasons why Iwanted to tackle this topic
today.
So, again, I'm going to breakdown the entire self-publishing
process into 10 steps.
We're going to start with theessential mindset shift that
every author needs to make.
We'll then explore how to buildyour publishing team, discuss
(02:09):
the critical importance ofprofessional editing, and I'm
even going to share some of thestrategies that have helped my
clients and studentssuccessfully publish books that
not only look professional butactually reach their target
readers and generate consistentsales as well.
So, whether you're putting thefinishing touches on your
manuscript or you've beensitting on a completed draft
wondering what the heck to donext.
(02:31):
Today's episode will give youthe clear roadmap you need to
confidently bring your book intothe world.
So let's dive in, starting withstep number one, and that is to
cultivate a publisher's mindset.
So, before you take a singlestep toward publishing your book
, you need to embrace a reallyimportant shift in how you think
about yourself and your work,and that's because you're no
(02:52):
longer just a writer, you'realso becoming a publisher as
well.
I know this might sound obvious, but it's this first step and
this mindset shift that isreally going to lay a nice
foundation for everything thatfollows.
It's also something that manyfirst-time writers overlook so
many first-time writers.
They will approachself-publishing as simply an
(03:13):
extension of writing, but it'san entirely different endeavor
that requires new skills,perspectives and decisions.
So this kind of professionalpublisher mindset really just
means viewing your book as bothan artistic creation and a
product that's going to be inthe marketplace, and while
traditional publishers canseparate these functions across
(03:33):
different departments, as aself-published author, you need
to wear both of these hatssimultaneously.
Now, this doesn't meancompromising your artistic
vision in any way.
It just means giving your storythe professional treatment it
deserves.
So let's take a look at whatthis kind of publisher's mindset
might look like.
Number one it looks liketreating your book as a business
(03:54):
investment.
So you need to understand thecosts, the returns on those
costs and the strategicdecisions that you're going to
be facing and have to make alongthe way.
Number two it means thinkingabout your readers as customers,
so considering their needs andexperiences at every stage of
the publishing and marketingjourney.
Number three it means makingdecisions based on industry
(04:16):
standards and your own marketresearch, so not always just
personal preferences, althoughof course, you can do whatever
you want.
It is your book.
But you know, if you want tohave a career as a successfully
published author, then you willneed to kind of look outside of
your own personal preferences.
Number four it means seeingyour book as a part of a larger
author career, so not just a onetime creative project.
(04:38):
And then, number five it meanstaking ownership of the quality
of your book at every singlestage.
So no cutting corners orsettling for something that's
good enough, right, we want totake ownership of quality at
every stage.
So that's kind of what thispublisher's mindset looks like
and some of the most commonself-publishing pitfalls.
So things like having anamateurish cover, poor editing
(05:01):
or ineffective marketing thingslike that.
They almost always stem fromapproaching the publishing
journey as just trying to getthe book out there as fast as
possible and just kind ofgetting it off their plate,
instead of taking the time, careand attention to launch a
professional product.
Now a little pro tip from mestart your publishing journey by
creating a simple business planfor your book that includes
(05:24):
things like your goals, yourbudget, timeline and target
audience.
Even if you don't have all ofthe answers just yet, you can
continue to fill this out as yougo and as you make decisions,
and the goal is for thisdocument to really become like
your North Star.
So not only will it be a quickreference for you, but it will
also help you make difficultdecisions throughout the entire
publishing process as well.
(05:45):
And the cool thing is is thatyou can start that at any time,
even as you're working on yourfirst draft, all right.
So that is step one tocultivate a publisher's mindset.
And with this publisher mindsetfirmly in place, you're ready
to begin assembling the teamthat will help you bring your
vision to life.
So that's step two.
You want to build yourself-publishing team.
You bring your vision to life,so that's step two.
(06:06):
You want to build yourself-publishing team.
One of the most persistent mythsabout self-publishing is that
you have to do everything byyourself, and nothing could be
further from the truth.
In fact, I believe that tryingto handle every aspect of
publishing yourself is just arecipe for disappointing results
and burnout.
If you look at some of the mostsuccessful self-published
authors, you'll see that they'vebuilt a team of professionals
(06:27):
who elevate their book farbeyond what they could
accomplish alone.
So, to piggyback off of what wejust talked about around
cultivating a publisher'smindset, what I want you to do
is think of yourself as the CEOof your book project.
So you're responsible for thefinal decisions and the overall
vision.
But you can rely on specialistsfor their expertise in certain
(06:48):
areas and, like any good CEO,your first task is going to be
assembling the right people tohelp you execute your vision a
developmental editor who canhelp you strengthen your story
structure, character developmentand overall narrative.
If your manuscript still needsthis kind of big picture work,
(07:09):
it could include a line editorand or a copy editor, who can
help you polish your prose,correct grammar, spelling and
inconsistency issues.
It can include a proofreaderwho catches those final typos
and formatting issues beforepublication.
It could include a coverdesigner to help you create a
professional andgenre-appropriate cover that
will attract your target readers.
(07:30):
Your team could include aninterior formatter, who ensures
your book looks professional onthe page and functions properly
as an ebook.
If you want to create anaudiobook, you might need an
audiobook narrator and or aproducer.
And then, finally, your teamcould also include someone
that's a marketing consultant orcontractor, so someone to help
develop strategies for reachingyour target readers, whether
(07:53):
that's through email, facebookads, social media, getting in
catalogs, going to book fairs,whatever that looks like.
So, again, these are allpotential roles that you could
fill on your self-publishingteam.
Not every author is going toneed every team member and your
specific needs are going todepend on your skills, your
budget and your goals.
The key here is honestself-assessment.
(08:14):
So where do you needprofessional help to ensure that
your book meets industrystandards?
That's where you want to start.
Now a little pro tip from mestart building relationships
with your potential team membersbefore you need them, so you
can do this by joining writingcommunities where professionals
hang out, follow serviceproviders on social media or get
(08:34):
on their email list and evencollect recommendations from
other authors.
And this is important becausethe best and most high-quality
professionals will often havewaiting lists.
So planning ahead and gettingon their radar ahead of time is
really important.
All right, so that is stepnumber two to start building out
your self-publishing team.
Now, with your publishingmindset established and your
(08:56):
team beginning to take shape,it's time to focus on one of the
most important aspects of yourbook's success, and this is
ensuring the manuscript itselfis truly ready for the prime
time.
So step number three is tofinalize your manuscript with
professional editing.
Now.
Even if you've already workedwith beta readers, revised your
manuscript extensively and feelconfident about its quality,
(09:18):
professional editing remains anessential investment for
self-published authors.
This step is going to ensurethe foundation of your book.
Its actual content isstructured, sound and polished.
And again, this is reallyimportant because, no matter how
skilled you are as a writer orhow thoroughly you've
self-edited, you're never goingto catch all the issues in your
(09:38):
own work.
It's just a fact of life.
Try as hard as we might, we arenever going to catch all the
issues in our own work, and thisis where professional editors
come in.
Professional editors bring bothtechnical expertise and
objective distance to yourmanuscript.
So they're going to see whatyou can't because you're too
close to the work, and thisfresh perspective is invaluable
(10:00):
in terms of taking your bookfrom good to great.
Now, depending on where you arein the revision process, you
might need different levels ofediting.
I have a whole episode on thistopic.
It's episode number 83.
It's called what Kind of EditorDo you Need for your Book?
I will link to that in the shownotes.
But to give you a quickoverview, a developmental editor
is someone who's going to helpyou focus on the big picture of
(10:21):
your story.
So does it work?
Will on the big picture of yourstory?
So does it work?
Will it satisfy readers and areyou delivering on the
requirements of your story genre?
A line editor is someone whowill focus on the craft and flow
of your writing at the sentencelevel.
A copy editor is someone whowill address technical issues
like spelling, grammar,punctuation and consistency, and
then a proofreader will providethat final quality check to
(10:43):
catch any remaining errors.
So again, just a very highlevel overview.
If you want to go deeper intothis, go check out episode
number 83, which I will link toin the show notes.
Now, many first-time authorsmake the mistake of skipping
professional editing to savemoney, only to receive negative
reviews highlighting the veryissues editors would have caught
(11:03):
.
I see this happen all the timeand it makes me so sad.
What's important to remember isthat readers don't give you a
pass on quality just becauseyou're self-published.
They're going to compare yourbook to everything else they
read, including traditionallypublished books.
So again, my two cents youdefinitely don't want to skip
this part.
Now a little pro tip for me toget the most value from
(11:25):
professional editing, you wantto prepare your manuscript
thoroughly first, so do as manyself-editing passes as possible
and or enlist the help oftrusted beta readers before
hiring a professional.
This will allow the editor thatyou do hire to focus more on
the subtle issues present ratherthan the obvious problems that
you could have fixed yourself.
All right, so that is stepnumber three.
(11:47):
Finalize your manuscript withprofessional editing.
And while your manuscript isbeing polished to perfection,
there's another parallel processthat you should be starting,
one that many authorsunfortunately leave until after
publication, and that parallelprocess is step number four,
which is to start building yourauthor platform.
(12:08):
An author platform really justencompasses your ability to
reach your readers directly, soit's the collection of channels
and relationships that allow youto connect with your audience
without any intermediaries.
And while it might seem alittle early to think about your
platform before your book ispublished, the truth is that
building an effective platformtakes time, which is why I
(12:29):
recommend starting now, whileother aspects of your book are
being developed, because here'sthe truth your author platform
isn't just a marketing tool.
It's the foundation of asustainable self-publishing
career.
The most successfulself-published authors don't
just release books into the voidand hope they sell.
They build direct connectionswith readers who will buy not
(12:51):
just their current book, butfuture books as well, and this
direct relationship with yourreaders is your most valuable
asset as an author.
So what are some key componentsof an author platform?
Well, number one is your authorwebsite.
So this is your digital homebase where readers can learn
about you and your books.
It could include your emaillist, so how you directly
(13:11):
communicate with yoursubscribers anyone who's bought
your books interested in buyingyour future books, whatever it
is.
This could mean having apresence on social media.
If you choose to be on socialmedia, this could look like
content creation, so gettingyourself and your book out there
by writing blog posts,appearing on podcasts, creating
videos or any other kind ofcontent that allows readers to
get to know you and your books alittle bit more.
(13:33):
If you do any kind of speakingor events, so in-person or
virtual opportunities to connectwith your readers and it could
even include things likerelationships with the media or
any kind of influencers.
So bloggers, podcasters youknow people like that who speak
to your target reader.
If you want to go deeper intothis topic, I will link to
episode number 106 in the shownotes.
(13:54):
That episode's called FiveSteps to Building your Author
Platform and that episode goesinto a lot more detail about the
kinds of things you can includeon your author platform, where
I recommend starting and thingslike that.
All right, now, don't feelpressured to have all of these
things I just mentioned, anddefinitely don't feel pressured
to establish all of these thingsat once.
I recommend starting with thefoundations, so a simple author
(14:16):
website and an email list atbare minimum.
If you want to get a littlefancier, maybe that looks like
including a social mediaplatform you enjoy or that
you're already on.
You know something like thatand then build from there.
I will always suggest focusingon depth over breadth in your
platform building efforts.
So, for example, one socialmedia platform where you
(14:36):
regularly engage with readers isgoing to be far more valuable
than being on five platformsthat you don't like and rarely
update.
So choose where to invest yourtime, based on where your target
readers actually gather andbased on what you enjoy doing as
well, and remember thatplatform building runs parallel
to your other publishing tasksand continues long after your
(14:58):
book is published.
Also, remember that consistencymatters more than immediate
results, so hang in there andaim for progress over perfection
.
Now, as you begin establishingyour author platform which,
remember, that is step fourthere's one component that
deserves special attention, andit's an element that's so
powerful and so valuable that itwarrants its own step in our
(15:20):
10-step blueprint.
So step five is to start growingyour email list.
It's the single most valuableasset that you can build as an
author, far outweighing socialmedia followers or website
traffic in terms of actual booksales and career stability.
Why is that?
Well, it's because your emaillist is the only platform that
you truly own and control.
(15:41):
I'll say that one more timebecause it's so important.
Your email list is the onlyplatform you truly own and truly
control Social media algorithmschange, platforms come and go,
but your direct connection toreaders through email remains
constant.
Also, when someone joins youremail list, they are literally
inviting you into their inbox.
(16:01):
They are giving you permissionto email them, and this is a
privilege that comes withunparalleled opportunity for
meaningful connection.
So if that is not enough reasonto start building your email
list, here are some additionalreasons why you should start
doing this now, well before yourbook is published.
Number one, you can startbuilding anticipation for your
(16:22):
upcoming release.
Number two, you'll have anaudience ready to buy, review
and recommend your book when youdo launch it.
Number three, you'll establishrelationships with readers that
extend beyond one single book.
And number four, you'll createa foundation for sustainable
book sales, independent ofalgorithms.
Now, in case you're wondering,starting an email list is
(16:43):
technically pretty simple.
All you need to do is sign upwith a provider like MailerLite,
kit or MailChimp.
There are a bunch of emailservice providers out there.
I go into this in more detailin episode number 107.
That's called Email ListBuilding Essentials for Authors.
I will link to that episode inthe show notes.
But, like I said, starting anemail list is technically pretty
(17:05):
simple.
The challenging part is goingto be showing up consistently
and communicating with yoursubscribers on a consistent
basis.
So, again, I go into moredetail about this in episode
number 107, but please don't letthis step intimidate you.
It doesn't have to be as hardas a lot of people make it out
to be.
Now a little pro tip from me, ifyou haven't already create some
(17:27):
kind of compelling readermagnet.
If you've never heard this termbefore, it's essentially a free
piece of content related toyour book that entices people to
join your email list.
This could be something like aprequel short story, a character
interview, a deleted scene oreven the first few chapters of
your upcoming book.
No matter what you come up with, you want to make it
(17:48):
substantial enough andinteresting enough that readers
feel like they've received realvalue in exchange for their
email list.
In episode number 107, I alsohave a few additional ideas of
what you can do for your readermagnet.
If you're not sure where tostart with that, all right now.
Like platform building, listgrowth is a gradual process that
is ideally happening alongsideyour other publishing tasks.
(18:10):
So start small, focus onquality subscribers who
genuinely connect with your work, and be patient with the
process.
It's not going to happenovernight, but once you get to
the stage of actually publishingand marketing your book, you
will be so glad that you startedthese efforts ahead of time.
All right, so that is step five.
Start growing your email list.
And now, with your audiencebuilding efforts underway, it's
(18:32):
time to shift focus to thevisual and design elements that
will make your book stand out ina crowded marketplace.
So step number six is to createa professional book cover and
interior design.
Now, I know we've all heard theadvice don't judge a book by its
cover, but the reality is thateverybody does exactly that,
especially in the digitalmarketplace, where your cover is
(18:53):
often reduced to a tinythumbnail that's competing with
countless other tiny thumbnails.
So I think it goes withoutsaying that a professional book
cover is really, reallyimportant.
And a professional coverdoesn't just make your book look
good.
It communicates importantinformation to your potential
readers in an instant, so it cangive them insight into things
like what genre your bookbelongs to.
(19:14):
The tone and emotionalexperience that readers can
expect from your book, the levelof professionalism they'll find
inside, and even whether thisbook is for them or not.
And one of the most commonmistakes self-published authors
make is underestimating theimportance of a professional
cover design.
An amateur cover doesn't justlook unprofessional, it actively
(19:35):
signals to potential readersthat the content inside might be
equally amateur, which, afterpouring so much blood, sweat and
tears into your book, that'snot something you want right Now
.
A little pro tip from me Ifyou're not really sure what you
want your cover to look like orwhere to start, go research
best-selling covers in yourspecific sub-genre before hiring
a designer.
(19:56):
Look for patterns and colorschemes, typography, imagery and
the overall feel.
These patterns exist becausethey signal to readers what kind
of book they're getting.
In an ideal world, your coverwould be unique while still
clearly belonging to yourgenre's visual language.
Alright, now, in terms ofbudgeting for your book, I do
recommend prioritizing yourcover design investment.
(20:17):
At the time of this recording aprofessional cover typically
costs anywhere from $300 to$3,000.
So there is definitely a widerange of pricing and investment
options there, but the return oninvestment through your
increased visibility and salesmakes this one of the wisest
investments in your publishingjourney.
So just my two cents on that.
(20:39):
Now, the same principles applyto interior formatting, though
to a lesser degree.
A well-formatted book interiorenhances the reading experience,
while poor formatting createsfriction and frustration for
readers.
If you want more information onbook covers and book interiors,
go check out episode number 163.
That one's called how to Findand Work with a Book Cover
(21:00):
Designer, and I will link tothat in the show notes as well.
All right, so that is stepnumber six create a professional
book cover and interior design.
And so now, with your book'scontent polished and its visual
presentation professionallydesigned, it's time to make
important decisions about howand where readers will be able
to find and purchase your novel.
Which brings us to step numberseven choose your
(21:22):
self-publishing platforms anddistribution channels.
Now, this step represents a keydecision point that will
significantly impact your book'sreach, your income potential
and your marketing strategy.
But a lot of authors make thischoice without fully
understanding the implicationsof different distribution
approaches.
What's most important to knowis that the platforms you choose
(21:43):
determine not just where yourbook is sold, but how you're
going to market it and whatbusiness model you're going to
follow.
And there are two primaryapproaches to self-publishing
distribution.
The first one is exclusivedistribution, and this approach
makes your ebook availableexclusively through Amazon.
It enrolls you in KindleUnlimited, where your
subscribers can read your bookfor free and you're paid per
(22:05):
page read.
It will provide additionalpromotional tools like countdown
deals and free book promotions,but it does require 90-day
commitment periods.
So that's option one.
Definitely some pros and consin there, depending on your
goals.
Option two is wide distribution,so this makes your book
available across multipleretailers like Amazon, apple
(22:25):
Books, barnes, noble, kobo, etc.
This helps you reach readersworldwide who prefer platforms
other than just Amazon.
This option allows direct salesthrough your website or other
platforms that make thatpossible, and it provides more
stability through diversifiedincome streams.
However, this option willrequire more complex management
(22:45):
or the use of aggregators likeDraft2Digital.
So that's option number two.
Again, there are pros and conswith that option as well.
Now, like I said, neitherapproach is superior.
The right choice will depend onyour specific genre, your goals
and your marketing strengths.
For example, there are a lot ofauthors in certain genres like
romance, thriller, sciencefiction that find exclusive
(23:06):
distribution through Amazonhighly profitable due to Kindle
Unlimited readers.
On the flip side, there areauthors in other genres or who
have strong direct platformsthat will often earn more money
through wide distribution.
So, again, it comes down toyour genre, your goals and your
marketing strengths.
For most authors, amazon is thelogical starting point, given
(23:28):
its market dominance, but don'tlock yourself into exclusivity
without understanding whatyou're giving up Now.
That being said, this decisiondoesn't have to be permanent.
Many authors switch strategiesas their career evolves, or they
experiment with differentapproaches for different books
in their catalog.
All right, so that is stepnumber seven choose your
self-publishing platforms anddistribution channels.
(23:49):
Step number eight is to developyour book's metadata and
marketing copy.
So now that you've chosen yourpublishing platforms, it's time
to make sure readers canactually find your book in a sea
of millions In the digital bookmarketplace.
Your book's metadata is asimportant as its content when it
comes to discoverability.
In case you've never heard thisterm before, metadata includes
(24:11):
all the information thatdescribes your book to retailers
and readers alike.
So the title, the subtitle,description, keywords,
categories and things like thatand well-crafted metadata helps
the right readers find your book, while poor metadata leaves it
invisible, regardless of quality.
Now what's important to know isthat each element of your
(24:32):
metadata serves a specificfunction.
So the title and subtitle arethere to catch attention and
signal to the reader the book'sgenre and or its content.
The description or blurb isthere to entice readers to buy
through that compellingmarketing copy.
The keywords are there to helpyour book appear in relevant
searches.
The categories exist to placeyour book where browsing readers
(24:53):
can find it, and your authorbio establishes your credibility
and your connection withreaders.
Now, the most importantprinciples for effective
metadata are relevance andspecificity.
You want your book to appear insearches and categories where
it truly belongs and willsatisfy readers' expectations.
Misleading metadata mightgenerate initial clicks but will
(25:15):
inevitably lead to disappointedreaders and poor reviews.
So just something to keep inmind.
Now a little pro tip from me.
I always think it's a valuableexercise to study the
descriptions and keywords ofbest-selling books in your genre
and your sub-genre.
Take note of the specificlanguage they use, the way they
structure their blurbs and theemotional triggers they employ.
(25:36):
This research will beinvaluable in crafting metadata
that resonates with your targetreaders and gets your book in
front of those target readers aswell.
All right, so that is stepnumber eight develop your book's
metadata and marketing copy.
Step number nine is to set yourpricing strategy.
Now.
Pricing your book effectivelyrequires balancing multiple
factors perceived value, marketpositioning, reader expectations
(26:00):
and your own revenue goals.
There's no one-size-fits-allanswer to this, but there are
principles that can guide youtoward the optimal price point
for your specific book.
Something to keep in mind,though, is that your book's
price is not just about revenue.
It's a marketing tool thatsignals quality and positions
your work in the market.
With that being said, some keyfactors that should influence
(26:21):
your pricing decision includethings like genre norms, so
different genres have differentprice expectations.
Your book length also factorsinto it, so longer books
sometimes command higher prices.
You'll also want to think aboutseries position, so if it's the
first book in a series, thoseare often priced lower as entry
points.
You'll also want to think aboutthe format of your book, so
(26:43):
different formats whether it'sebook, paperback, hardcover or
audio all have different pricingstandards.
You want to think about yourlaunch strategy, so new releases
might warrant special pricingor some kind of special
promotion, since you'relaunching your book out into the
world.
And then, of course, consideryour overall goals.
So is your goal to make moneywith this book, or is it more
about reader acquisition?
(27:04):
And this one's important,because sometimes it makes more
sense to go out as a first-timeauthor targeting reader
acquisition versus targetingmaking a bunch of money with
your first book.
So just something to keep inmind.
Now a little pro tip from me Ialways advise to plan your
pricing strategy withflexibility in mind.
So consider different pricepoints for different seasons of
(27:25):
your book.
For example, you might havelaunch pricing where the goal is
to generate early sales andearly momentum.
Then you might shift intohaving regular pricing, which is
your standard price point foryour book.
Then there might come a timewhere you have promotional
pricing for special occasions ormarketing pushes or things like
that.
If you're writing a series, youmight have different prices for
different books in the seriesand things like that.
(27:46):
All right, so that is stepnumber nine.
You want to set your pricingstrategy.
Step number 10 is to secure yourbrand assets.
As you approach publication,it's key to ensure that your
author brand is consistentlyrepresented across all platforms
and all touch points with yourreaders.
Your brand assets are thevisual and textual elements that
(28:10):
identify you as an author andcreate a cohesive experience for
your audience.
And this is important because aconsistent author brand builds
recognition, professionalism andtrust with your readers.
So the key author brand assetsthat you'll want to secure
before publication includethings like number one a
professional author website,which ideally you would have
started working on already.
Remember, this is your digitalhome base where readers can
(28:32):
learn more about you and yourbook.
Number two would be consistentauthor accounts across any
social media platforms that youplan to use.
Number three is a professionalauthor photo, so ideally you
would have a high quality imagethat represents you and your
vibe appropriately.
Number four is an author logoor some kind of visual identity,
so this could include usingconsistent colors, fonts and
(28:55):
design elements when you do goout and market yourself in your
books.
You'll also want to secure yourauthor central account, so these
are your claimed authorprofiles on Amazon and other
retailer platforms.
If you don't have aprofessional email address
already, you'll want to securethat, so you can do whatever you
want here, but I alwaysrecommend having an email
address with your author domain,so, for example,
(29:17):
yournameatyournamecom,savannahatsavannahgilbocom,
something like that.
And then, lastly, you'll wantto finalize your author bio,
because you probably will needto use this more than you think
and it's not something you wantto have to recreate every time
you need it.
All right, so these are all ofthe brand assets that I would
recommend securing beforepublication, and while some of
(29:38):
these assets do requirefinancial investment, others
simply require careful attentionto consistency.
So, for example, using the sameauthor photo, bio and header
image across all platforms isn'tgoing to cost you anything, but
it creates a cohesive andprofessional impression.
All right, now a little pro tipfrom me.
I recommend investing in aprofessional author photo if you
(29:59):
can.
This will be one of your mostreused assets and it will
significantly impact how readersand industry professionals
perceive you.
Now, that being said, a goodauthor photo does not need to be
expensive.
What's most important is thatthe picture is clear, you're
wearing appropriate attire foryour genre or your vibe, and you
have good lighting.
So I would say those are thekey elements of a great author
(30:22):
photo.
Alright, so that is step 10,secure your author brand assets.
Now, before I share some finalthoughts with you, I just want
to recap those 10 steps, becauseI know we covered a lot.
So step number one was tocultivate a publisher's mindset.
Remember that whenself-publishing, you're no
longer just a writer, you'rebecoming a publisher as well.
(30:42):
Step number two is to buildyour self-publishing team, so
this includes everyone, from theeditors, the proofreaders,
cover designers, interiorformatters, audiobook narrators
and producers, and evenmarketing consultants.
Again, you don't need all ofthese people on your team.
Just think about where you needprofessional help to ensure
that your book will meetindustry standards.
(31:02):
Step number three is to finalizeyour manuscript with
professional editing.
Step number three is tofinalize your manuscript with
professional editing.
Step number four is to buildyour author platform.
So, remember, I said at thebare minimum, this would be your
author website and your emaillist.
Step number five is to startgrowing your email list, so not
only getting your email list setup, but also creating some kind
of reader magnet and startingto get subscribers on your list
(31:23):
as well.
Step number six is to create aprofessional book cover and
interior design.
Step number seven is to chooseyour publishing platforms and
distribution channels.
Step number eight is to developyour book's metadata and
marketing copy.
This includes things like title, subtitle, description,
keywords, categories, author bioand things like that.
(31:44):
Step number nine is to developand set your pricing strategy.
And then, lastly, step number10 is to secure your author
brand assets.
Now, remember, I have puteverything we've gone over in
this episode into a PDF guidefor you.
So if you go to savannagilbocomforward, slash, self-publish
all one word One more time.
That's savannagilbocom forward,slash, self-publish, all one
word, One more time.
That's savannagilbocom forward,slash, self-publish.
(32:05):
I'll send you a nice littleguide that includes everything
we went over today.
Now I know that the path fromfinished manuscript to
self-published book involves alot of important decisions and a
lot of dedicated work, but it'sa path that's well worth taking
.
I hope that the 10 steps we'vegone over today have given you a
structured roadmap that breaksdown that seemingly overwhelming
(32:26):
task of self-publishing yournovel into smaller, more
manageable pieces.
I hope you can see that eachstep builds on the one before it
, helping you create a reallysolid foundation for your
self-publishing success.
Remember that every successfulself-published author has stood
exactly where you stand now,manuscript in hand, wondering
how to transform it into a bookthat readers will discover,
(32:48):
enjoy and recommend.
Use these 10 steps as yourguide and be patient with
yourself and trust the process.
Some days will bringbreakthroughs and others will
feel like you're taking stepsbackward.
This does not mean there'sanything wrong with you or your
book.
It's just part of how theself-publishing process goes.
So take a deep breath, embraceyour new role as publisher and
get to work.
(33:11):
So that's it for today's episode.
As always, thank you so muchfor tuning in and for showing
your support.
If you want to check out any ofthe links I mentioned in this
episode, you can find them inthe show notes listed in the
description of each episodeinside your podcast player or at
savannahgilbocom forward slashpodcast.
If you're an Apple user, I'dreally appreciate it if you took
(33:32):
a few seconds to leave a ratingand a review.
Your ratings and reviews tellApple that this is a podcast
that's worth listening to and,in turn, your reviews will help
this podcast get in front ofmore fiction writers just like
you.
And while you're there, goahead and hit that follow button
, because there's going to beanother brand new episode next
week, full of actionable tips,tools and strategies to help you
(33:52):
become a better writer.
So I'll see you next week anduntil then, happy writing.
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