Self publishing can be a daunting task for any author, but even more so
when you are first starting out. There is a lot of advice out there on what you
should and shouldn’t do which can make even more confusing.
Here are my top 5 tips for first time authors.
1. Write a great
book. Make sure your book is as good as it can be Have it critiqued and get
feedback on it. Have it professionally edited and proofread.
2. Decide on your
personal goals. Do you want to sell thousands of books or just a few that you
hand out friends and family? For that you need to have a good plan in place
about how you will promote and distribute that book.
3. Have a
professional cover design. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but
believe me everyone does. It’s important to have professional cover design.
Having a horrible cover will put your readers off and affect your sales. But
there are plenty of affordable cover designers out there without having to
break the bank.
4. Have a budget and
stick to it. When you’re first starting out it’s easy to spend too much money
on editing, cover design and things you don’t need like lots of swag items.
Have a budget to cover the cost of cover design, editing and marketing and
stick to it. Don’t spend money on things you don’t need.
5. Have a plan in
place before you publish. Have a marketing plan set up before you publish and
start getting to know your audience and building your author platform before
you even think of publishing your book.
Tiffany Shand
was born in Essex, UK and started writing short stories when she was a child.
She has
always done writing in one form or another and started writing novels in her
early teens.
Tiffany loves
to read books and discovered her love for fantasy and paranormal romance during
this time.
She writes
both non-fiction and fiction, but mostly fantasy and paranormal romance.
After doing a
creative writing course in her early 20s she is now a freelance writer and
professional proofreader. She is currently studying for a journalism degree.
Tiffany lives
in Essex with her two spoiled cats and one very nutty hamster.
Find Tiffany
on:
@tiffanyshand
on Twitter
Tiffany Shand's newest novel:
Denai witch, Cate McCray
should be enjoying married life with her new elemental husband, Jason. But
their arrival in a new city soon has them stumbling headlong into a new case
with dangerous connections to the very people that govern their world.
Cate and Jason face opposition
from those they once considered allies. Together with their team of enforcers,
they must find the killer before anyone else dies.
With danger from all sides and
the threat of ancient, dangerous magic, the team must pull together and use all
their strength to find their enemy before disaster strikes.
Check it out here:
