Self-publishing? Don’t do these things!

As I mentioned in my last article I recently self-published, and like everything else I do in my life, I jumped in head first without a full-proof plan.?

If you want to self-publish a book...

Don’t do it this way?

Proof read the same peace of work on re: Pete (see what I did there?)

• Take your time. You can read and write, which means, if you take your time you can proofread your own work.?

For me, I’m a strong editor… for other people, and while I can edit my own work from a content standpoint I am possibly the worst at proofreading it. Meant tile but typed title? I won’t notice until after it’s been submitted for a contest or published on my website. Even then it probably won’t be on my first readthrough.?

• Switch projects, read a book, start a new hobby, do anything BUT look at what you just finished. Whether it’s for a few days, a week, a month, however long you want… just wait, then when your brain has stopped hyper-focusing on it, sit down and with the eye of a stranger read your work out loud. It is a proven way to ensure you wrote what you meant and did it in a way that flows.?

• If you can afford it: hire someone to proofread and edit your work. It’s worth it. Hop on Upwork and find the right fit for your work.?

Blindly Use a Third Party Service?

• Skimming through the instructions for uploading files, the guidelines, the fine print, etc. is going to add up. Financially and in the amount of time you’re going to spend making mistakes and fixing them.?

For my first self-published novella I used Lulu. You know what I didn’t do? Read the specifications for global distribution or for properly formatting the cover or the different versions/how they work. You know what I did? Got really excited pre-approved the final version before I received the proof and immediately after ordered 25 copies that are the unedited version. That adds up $$$

• You are creative, you wrote a book! Maybe you don’t feel artistic but you are capable of creating a cover that will make you happy. Most of the programs you can possibly use for self-publishing will have templates for covers and things like that… Lulu has a template for the inside pages and the covers.?

• And, if you’re really stuck and/or if you can afford it, hire someone. Upwork might be the answer here depending on how deep your pockets go. Just make sure that you find the right fit for your work. After a very stressful experience on a different freelancer platform for a personal project, I really can’t stress this enough.??

So my first copy of my first published work has a cover I like, not love, with the wrong version printed inside. My second one is better, still missing the info required for global distribution (for the physical copy, by the time I got to the e-book I was better prepared), but it could have been great if I wasn’t so inclined to – wait for it –?

RUSH!

• Deciding to do something is a large part of getting it done. I think I heard it on a true crime podcast once, but supposedly once you have thought about something, planned it, visualized it, you have – for all intent and purposes – done it! Making the decision to self-publish is no different.?

• Now that you’ve chosen to jump in, to put your work out there, you don’t have to rush that final proofreading, the cover design, the setup of your product or your website – however, you can rebuild your entire website from a WordPress site to Wix in three 16-hour days if you don’t mind intense overwhelm… NO! Just stop, take a breath, and instead make a plan!

A plan??? Yes!?

Do this instead…?

Make a list of everything that needs to be done, then break that list down, and most importantly, set manageable goals.?

Remember everything you’re doing is enough. Every step you take is bringing you closer to what you want. So do it, baby! Just remember to breathe and in the words of The S.O.S. Band (albeit with a different context), “we can do it… take the time… do it right.”

Learn from my mistakes. Trust me, I have made enough of them across the board and in a variety of ways, that someone should get to reap the rewards!?

Here is the plan I have put together after my first release in December; it is built on what I have learned. Maybe after the second novella in the standalone-series drops in February 2025 I will have learned more, but for now, here is EVERYTHING I will be doing to prep for my second release:?

• Proofread (allot two weeks or hire someone on Upwork)?
• Create title page
• Register work with the U.S. Copyright Office
• Create copyright page with ISBN
• Design cover
• Upload as book & e-book to Lulu
• Order proof, depending on time, rush delivery?
• Approve proof after you actually receive it
• Order bulk copies for special edition boxes
• Setup pre-order on website
• Announce pre-order for book & special edition boxes
• Marketing?
• Breathe?

You’ll notice that there are a lot of breathing reminders scattered throughout and it’s because getting overwhelmed, getting distracted, or hyper-focusing so much on something that I forget to eat or drink (despite my water being within arm’s reach at all times) is easy for me.?

BUT when I remember to take a deep breath and recenter myself, (I recommend five seconds in, hold for five, and exhale for five) I can remember that this is fun. Breathing allows me to acknowledge those moments of doubt before I banish them from my thoughts or to refocus on what I need to be doing, and in most cases, it’s to take a sip of water before I dehydrate.?

So breathe.?

Make mistakes (or seriously, learn from mine).?

Just do it!?

Don’t be afraid to download your dreams from that beautiful computer-like brain of yours and make them a reality, no matter what it is that you want to do. I believe in you and I’m here to cheer you on. Breathe, write, have fun and succeed!?

If you want to learn more about me, my writing, the novellas I’ve published, or my podcast, check out my website: elizabethscozzari.com. Share with me your lessons learned in self-publishing or in whatever ventures you’ve started.