The point of my blog is to note my progress and what I know and have researched about self-publishing. I don’t want this to become just facts and information that I get from other books or online. I really intend to keep this on a personal level – and keep in mind that this is what I am doing. Others have probably done different, better or worse. Just sayin’.
So now what am I doing? Well, I am really focusing on the pre-launch stuff. There seems to be so much to do and every time you talk to someone, you get another idea and add it to your list. I have attached my ‘to-do’ list so far. Just click here: To Do What I have highlighted, is already done. The list grows everyday and by the time I post this again, it will be twice as long – guaranteed. I will be the first to admit, this isn’t a very good system but at least it is a system. You need something to keep you focused and moving forward. I promise to develop a checkpoint of some kind for my authors so you feel like you have a handle on things.
My pre-launch consists of first – creating a website and blog. You have to direct people somewhere once you get their attention so a website has to be first. I went to wordpress because Mira (my work) had used it and I felt a bit more comfortable. There are other options for blogs and free sites (godaddy, blogspot, etc). I will actually be blogging about setting up a blog. LOL. Definitely start with what is free. You can get to all that fancy stuff later once you have made a few bucks.
Social Media – Wow. I have 2 small kids, a full time job and now this book. Who has time for this social media stuff? I am lucky to flip through facebook at 9pm for 10 minutes before I fall asleep. Anyway, this is the most challenging for me, by far. I have done the following (and will get more in depth with social media once I figure them all out) – Linkedin, facebook, twitter, reddit, tumbler and digg. I know nothing about reddit, tumbler and digg. Luckily, my brother is one of those guys that read a lot of articles about anything and everything so he is a pro with this site. I handed this job over to him so let’s see how it goes. I know that on my blog I instantly saw about 9 hits come through reddit. He also said that people see things on this site way before facebook and other sources. The point of this rant was – don’t be afraid to ask for help!
I have also done the layout on postcards and business cards. They need to look similar to your book cover – same colors, fonts etc. This is what building your brand is all about. You have started a business now with your book, so treat it like one. You should always keep business cards and postcards on hand. Leave them anywhere you can w/o being too obnoxious. Don’t be afraid to spread the word. There will always be opposition to your success. Most great people faced this when they started. Ignore the haters and move on.
This is getting long so I will end on that note.
There are many other things to do pre-launch and that is all based around the genre and nature of your book. Be sure to check out my previous manuscript and cover blogs – just look to your right under ‘recent posts’. My next few blogs will be on ISBN, barcodes, LOC and copyright. Be sure and hit the little follow button on the top left of your screen.
As always, I appreciate any comments, suggestions or feedback. If you have a blog topic you want me to cover – send it over.
…and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.
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