#indiepublishing
What happens after you write a novel? You can pursue traditional publishing or indie self-publishing. Camille Collins, a resident NaNo participant and indie published author, offers her advice on how to indie publish your novel.
Writing a book in hopes of becoming a best-selling author is only half the journey. You have to publish your novel first!
For those with completed manuscripts, congratulations! You’re halfway to your goal of becoming an author. One way to skip the stress and time consuming process of querying required by traditional publishing is to independently publish your book by yourself.
This can be done through websites such as IngramSparks, CreateSpace, Wattpad, and of course the largest book selling website on the internet, Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Your choices are not limited by any means, but for the best results, Amazon is the way to go for first time publishers.
Once you have your final manuscript, you can easily format it through Amazon’s free software called Kindle Create, or by downloading your book as an epub file from your preferred writing software. Once formatted, you can open KDP and begin the publishing process. After clicking on the “create new title” button, there are 3 pages of information you need to enter before your book goes live.
- Book Details: This section will ask basic information about your book, such as the author’s name, the book’s title, and the blurb, as well as keywords and categories. It is important to do SEO research beforehand to know exactly what keywords and genre best fit your book. Your book’s subtitle and blurb are the places to squeeze in that information.
- Book Content: To ISBN or not to ISBN? That is the question a lot of writers don’t want to think about when it comes to book expenses. Fortunately, Kindle offers free ISBN numbers for ebooks. If you plan to publish one or two ebooks, claim your free ISBN and forget about the hefty price of purchasing your own codes; however, for the serial author with a long list of future titles and big plans for marketing, purchasing ISBN codes from Bowker is essential for printing paperbacks on Kindle, as well as publishing on other platforms. I paid about $275 for a 10 pack of ISBN codes, so start saving up!
- Book Rights & Pricing: How do you choose a price for your book after all the time you spent laboring over it? The answer is $0.99 or $2.99. To keep things simple, these are the most common prices for indie ebooks on Amazon, and having your first novel be affordable means you have a higher chance of making a sale. Debut novels and the first book of series do better with lower prices.
After passing through the hurdles of KDP’s publishing process, all you have left to do is wait for your book to be approved and go live. Once again, congratulations! Writing is not easy, and most indie novels never reach print. Taking the time and effort to put your novel out there sets you apart…
Now all that’s left is to master the art of marketing!
Camille Collins is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University who has participated in NaNoWriMo since 2014 after her first win. Her first WIP, The Krown’s Curse Trilogy, is a fantasy romance featuring a siren and werewolf on opposing sides of a war. Camille loves the trope of found family and writes novels for people struggling with genuine connection. She has published 4 books in the last 2 years and has plans for many more.
Check out her books: www.amazon.com/Camille-Collins/e/B07ZBLJDG3
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