Writing a novel is hard work. But if you love telling stories and you subscribe to the B-I-C (butt-in-chair) method of slogging through it, you will eventually finish it. And let me tell you, it is a wonderful feeling, after weeks or months of doubt that you actually did finish it. I'll talk more about the B-I-C method in another post. But for now, let me just say, it means actually sitting down in the chair and writing, even if you are not sure the words will come.
If you are an Indie (independent) author, now is when your phase 2 begins. Get the best editor(s) you can. You can pay a professional, but for most full length novels, that's going to cost you around $1500. Not the best decision before you've sold your first book, unless you happen to be sitting on a pile of cash. And it will also be the first of many obstacles that may make you toss in the towel. DON'T!!! Enlist the help of two friends and ask them to read it and give you honest feedback on the story. Did you leave a character hanging out to dry half-way through? Did you call a character Sue for the first half and Sally for the second. Believe me, these things happen. Don't ask them to do the spelling and grammar editing, but if they like to point them out when they see them, all the better.
Then, turn your book over to Word for spelling and grammar.
I actually took an online class on self-publishing and I highly recommend it!! You can find them at your local college or at ed2go.com. I learned a ton about kindle formatting, MSWord editing and also book covers. My class was $99. It was the best investment I've made yet in self-publishing.
The writing and editing can all be done before you decide to publish it yourself, and if you do, which company to use.
I publish first with Amazon. They have tons of tools to help you. If you publish with createspace.com (Amazon's paperback publisher) first, you can use their cover designer to make professional covers that can be used with both the paperback and as an image for your ebook. They will step you through the whole process, including getting your ISBN (id number for books, essentially). Then once your book is approved, they will also take care of the Kindle version for you.
They are the world's biggest bookstore and nearly the world's biggest everything store now. People shop there. You can also take advantage of their lending library and their subscription service if you enter into an exclusive deal with them. They pay authors well, pay on time, give you reports and tons of visibility into your sales and your rank. They have an author's page and will link to your blog. And they have a lot of marketing help if you search for it and follow the suggestions. They also recently bought an audio book company and now audio book production is also fairly easy. (More about that in another post.)
Smashwords is the second company I have published with. The biggest advantage of Smashwords, by far, is that they distribute to nearly all other ebook sellers, including B&N, Apple, Sony, and the smaller or international companies. They also have a list of resources of professional companies that will edit and format your book as well as do the cover. These services are reasonably priced, but certainly not free and, again, can be financially restrictive before the first book sells. The biggest disadvantage that Smashwords has vs. Amazon is eyes on your title. Through Amazon, by book sales have been good. Through Smashwords, practically nil.
So if you're new to this, and you want to self-publish, I would recommend Amazon as your first partner!! I personally think they are great!
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