Being a published book author has always been in my heart. When I escaped a life I wasn’t in love with, it was always in the pages of a book written for teenagers by other women my age. I loved escaping reality in something paranormal and angsty. I wanted to give that to someone else one day, and I wanted to write my own book.
Traditional Publishing
I followed authors, agents and publishers on Twitter. They were a huge resource in traditional publishing. Agents, publishers and editors want the next big book as much as you want to be the next big author, so they will tell you exactly what they’re looking for, and how to submit your work to them. They’ll tell you when they’re closed to submissions because their work is so exclusive, they get many requests to represent new work, and they need time to weed through their emails for that diamond in the rough.
Authors know the work involved in writing, editing, and editing some more and they are often happy to share the magic formula that resulted in a sigh of relief as they typed, “The End.”
I learned about story arcs, writing software, setting up a writing nook, outlining, and keeping multiple projects for writer’s block. I was aware of the many things I didn’t use to get my book done.
What I’ve described above is traditional publishing. For this, there are no up front costs outside of the cost of landing your agent with mailings, calls and your time. Vanity Publishers or some self publishing companies will charge you to publish your book. The overall consensus is these are not to be trusted.
What Wasn’t Working for Me
I have had Scrivener for years but never felt motivated in using it. It was a lot to learn when I just wanted to write. I bought color coded index cards so I could outline and shift my outline around on a cork board. I even tried using Trello for lists. I started writing fiction years ago, in MS Word. I often got about thirty to forty thousand words in before my tendency to run on, rabbit trail or repeat myself would take over and make me scrap it. Or my internal babble would take over the story and it became something I lost interest in.
I wanted to create my writing nook, but it didn’t start as a writing nook. I needed to work from home. My job spoils me with a huge second monitor (such a gift when you’re looking at numbers in finance all day) and a standing desk at the office. I wanted to repeat that at home. I didn’t need a second monitor when I had a second tv. I added a desk with room for my laptop, and mounted a 22” tv to the wall. I bought the same exact mouse and keyboard combination I had at work. I can swap out my personal and work laptops with ease. It was nearly a year before I would use this desk to write for myself.
I failed to write my book for years. One day I decided I was ready, and there was no stopping me. That sounds far more aggressive than it was.
I didn’t want to go the traditional route. It wasn’t about control, but about time. I wanted to get my book out there without waiting the minimum of six months it takes once your agent signs you to a publisher.
Creating my Manuscript
I was going to work. It’s a 20 mile commute, where I drive under 20 mph, both ways. I came home and made dinner after picking my little one up from my Mom first. I was still stopping at my Mom’s house when she needed me. I took a day to spend time with my cousin and hit some golf balls. I was living life, per usual. I was also coming home to write. After years of trying to schedule writing and make it a routine, it came down to deciding I wanted it bad enough to make an excuse to write every single day. I had something to say and I wasn’t taking excuses for why I was not ready to write it. I mainly wrote after work, late at night, but there were some weekend days when it was my priority. There were lunch breaks that were spent writing out things I might have forgotten in a chapter I wanted to revisit.
Getting Started
My outline took less than an hour and I wrote it after my big A/R push on the last day of the month in August. A lot of the novels I had tried to write were pantsed instead of plotted. This means I was writing from the seat of my pants, making up the storyline and plot as I went. This never ended well. For my memoir, I wanted to start with the many things I wanted to share, and it had a general outline but I was willing to move it around as it grew and shifted.
The next day I began writing. Each main topic became a Google Doc. When that main topic rabbit trailed too far, I would cut and paste it into a new doc. Eventually I abandoned my outline. My Google Docs became my fleshed out, living outline. Eventually it became one large Google Doc that I copied and pasted into one. This was shared, one copy at a time with my beta readers and editor.
Final Draft
When all of my feedback was reconciled with the finished work, I then copied and pasted it into Microsoft Word. I visited the websites of the publishers I focused on. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo will tell you exactly what they expect for the best possible user experience. They have video tutorials to teach you how to set Style Templates and edit margins.
Formatting
Publishers want you to publish. They make it easy. My taxes might be harder than following the step by step instructions that are easily available online and through video tutorials. To simplify things, I saved (each version) as a word document and PDF for my Amazon and Barnes & Noble Paperbacks.
My ebooks were a little more complicated. I have it ready for the Nook and iBooks, but I’m taking advantage of Amazon’s exclusivity for 3 months before I go live again elsewhere.
Amazon has their Kindle Create app. I uploaded my word doc and had to reformat it based on their app. They give you step by step instructions.
My iBook version needed me to use a MAC computer. I copied the text of my Word document and put it into iAuthor. Once it was formatted, I saved a version for iBooks as well as an .epub file for the Nook.
After it was created, I needed to get iProducer from the Apple App Store. I needed to set up a special password for that app. Once I uploaded the iBook version onto iProducer, I needed to go to iTunes Connect to get it live.
Distribution
Each publisher requires tax forms, setting prices, and their quality check before it can go live and be sold.
Cover Art
My cover was done through Fiverr. It has a bit of a fantasy look to it. I’m a Warrior Dragon Slayer. That makes me a bit of a mythical creature, right? German Creative was the most appealing artist for me. She was patient and fast. She was a gift and I can’t recommend her enough. My cover has so far been the greatest cost, and it wasn’t that much. (Paid advertising hasn’t started.)
I like Fiverr but you really get what you pay for and it’s possible to pay more for better quality work. There are other ways to find freelancers, including UpWork.
Pricing
Once everything was uploaded (step by step as the publishers will tell you what they want and how to get it to them), I set the price. I look at similar books in my genre. I check for the number of pages and guess at the value of my words, balancing the cost of the publisher cut with my royalties. How much you charge will dictate how much you profit, per book. Last, I hit publish and wait for their quality review. It took hours for Amazon. It was days for Barnes & Noble as well as iBooks.
Marketing
The challenge for me right now is marketing. It’s mainly internal.
Most writers set up mailing lists. I don’t like mailing lists. If you’ve clicked on the contact form on this site, you would see that I’m not always the best at checking my emails. It comes down to having too many irons in the fire and too many emails in my inbox from things I’ve signed up for and regretted. Ideally people sign up for things they want to read, but I hate the idea of taking such a huge part of someone else’s day without adding significant value. (Again, it’s internal for me.)
One of the best ways to support an author is to leave a review of their work on whichever site you bought their books. It’s one of the reasons I’m waiting on paid ads. I want a paid ad to direct my reader to reviews that tell them more than I can about what they can expect when they buy my book.
There are options for book signings. Some people will set up in a restaurant, bar or bookstore. Some people use their homes or the home of a friend. Right now I’m also working on my insurance brokerage outside of my 40 hour a week day job, and haven’t focused on marketing that can’t be done in the wee hours of the morning.
Author Presence
My book was written like a series of blog posts (which I’ve been doing since January of 2016. It was also written like any other essay. You pick your thesis statement and hammer it out with evidence. My title came from referring to a Warrior Dragon Slayer several times throughout my blog archives. It’s about creating a title for a type of person, while borrowing the SEO magic I’ve been growing since 2016 at this web address. This means you’ve been consistently able to find the phrase “Warrior Dragon Slayer” at this site and it’s Search Engine Optimized for this phrase. I didn’t plan that, but I’m taking advantage of it.
I took the time to claim my author profiles so any curious reader can look for me and see my picture with a few 3rd person details about who I am.
Eventually, talking to local small bookstores and libraries about readings and signings would be on my plate.
Beyond the Book
Some authors use their book to launch a platform. This platform can lead to all sorts of business opportunities. There are coaches willing to help you get to that next level. I know several. There are networks of dreamers and entrepreneurs that are out there, chasing that dream and leading others toward that same goal. You can be that person. I’m not sure that I am. Teaching is an extension of who I am, but it’s not where I find my passion.
Autographs
Someone asked me how I felt about charging more for autographed books. It was a small increase in the book price. I thought of an account at my day job. They wanted a signed letter from my boss that we would cancel their account and not pursue any further payments. I wrote the letter and signed it, but he wanted my boss’s signature as well. Both of us signed it and our signatures were worth $1,000. Realistically, it wasn’t the signature but the peace of mind that was valued at the $1,000 payment waiting for a two person signature. You can charge for your signatures, but I feel the value is in my book. If my words could encourage and support someone through something difficult . . . If I could show you the world in a different way than you started with, that’s where my value lies.
