If you’re an aspiring author, you’ve likely heard of self-publishing. In a nutshell, self-publishing is the process of publishing your work on your own without the help of external publishers. This helps you have more control over your work and allows you to have better insight into the publishing process. But before you set off to self-publish your masterpiece, here are some things you should know.
The Benefits of Self-Publishing
Self-publishing has several advantages for authors. For one thing, it gives you complete control over your work, from the content itself to the pricing and marketing efforts behind it.
Authors can also benefit from a larger share of royalties compared to traditional publishers. Traditional publishers will issue an advance, but not pay anything else in royalties (about 15% tops) until that advance has been recouped. As a self-published author, you can earn as much as 80%, depending on the platform you choose. And those earnings are available to you relatively quickly, depending on the platform’s payment schedule. (Amazon is 60+ days, while others are sooner. Check each platform to find out when they pay.)
Additionally, self-published works are usually published much quicker than traditionally published books due to the lack of intermediary steps in the publishing process.
(In my early days of self-publishing, having complete control over my book was important. And it is to this day.)
10 Point Submission Checklist for Authors
Preparing Your Work for Publication
Once you decide that self-publishing is right for you, there are a few steps involved in getting your work ready for publication.
First and foremost, make sure that your written content is polished and error-free by having someone else proofread it or using software such as Grammarly or AutoCrit.
Also, ensure that all images used in your book are properly licensed so that you don’t encounter any copyright issues down the line. (This includes any images you have used within your book and the cover.)
Finally, hire a professional editor if your budget allows; this will help give your book an extra layer of quality assurance before it goes out into the world!
Marketing Your Work After Publication
Now that your book is published and available for readers to purchase, how do you make sure that people actually find out about it?
There are several ways to do this depending on what kind of budget you have available. One option is to use social media sites such as Twitter or Instagram to reach potential readers by creating targeted ads based on interests related to your book’s topic or theme.
Or if you’re willing to spend some money on advertising campaigns, consider setting up campaigns with Google Ads or Facebook Ads in order to further increase visibility for your work online.
Finally, consider reaching out directly to industry contacts who may be interested in reviewing or promoting your book—this can go a long way toward increasing awareness among readers!
Self-publication isn’t easy but it can be incredibly rewarding when done right! With just a bit of preparation and effort on behalf of you, the author, you can make sure your work reaches its intended audience while retaining full control over its publication and promotion processes. If you’re an aspiring author looking for ways to make their work known without relying on traditional publishers—self-publishing might just be the right path for you!
Are you, or have you considered, being a self-published author? let me know in the comments below.
Birchbark Publishing 
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