Self-publishing - Debbie Young's Writing Life

Debbie Young giving a talk in a lecture room

My 20 Top Tips on Self-Publishing at Winchester Writers’ Festival

Posted on June 21, 2015July 18, 2016 by Debbie Young

Yesterday I was glad to have the excuse to return to the University of Winchester. After my guest lecture about self-publishing there in January, I was invited to give a quick-fire talk on the same subject as part of its prestigious Winchester Writers’ Festival. I was also available to offer one-to-one advice to delegates afterwards – a great opportunity to get know and help aspiring writers in different genres.

For my lecture, I rattled off 20 Top Tips about how to self-publish to a professional standard. To save delegates having to write them down, so they could listen instead, I promised I’d share the points on my author website here today, so here goes. I’ll be adding a further report about the Writers’ Festival later this week, once I’ve unpacked my notes and caught up on my sleep!

20 Top Tips for Aspiring Self-Publishers

Recognise the status of self-publishing. It has had a long and respectable heritage ever since Caxton’s day, with the likes of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf all publishing their own work at some point. You’re in good company! In any case, readers don’t care who your publisher is, as long as you’ve written a good book!
Decide your goals before you begin – and then plan your self-publishing journey accordingly. What do you want to get out of it? posterity, a family heirloom, a useful “business card” in book form to help with your career, profit, or just a bit of fun? Then do it your way! You’re the boss!
First, write your book! Yes, it’s fine and advisable to start planning how you’re going to market your book once you’ve published it, but always keep your writing front of mind, and protect your writing time. Without decent writing, and without finished manuscripts, the rest of the process counts for nothing.
Test-drive your manuscript with beta readers. This is a great way to get constructive feedback, for free, before you start paying out for editors and production. In case you’re not familiar with this term or process, I’ve given links at the end of this article for a couple of posts on the subject that you’ll find helpful.
Understand the different types of editing and identify which you need: structural, line editing, copy editing and proofreading. Find a good editor via the Alliance of Independent Authors’ partner members, or via the Society of Editors and Proofreaders. (This is a UK organisation, and you’ll be able to use their services wherever you live, but if you’re writing in non-British English, you should check out the equivalent organisation for your own region.)
Be aware of the formatting differences required for print and ebooks. In summary, print books are formatted similar to Word documents, but ebooks are completely different, with flexible margins, no page breaks, and no fancy characters. You can learn to format yourself, but if subcontracting, shop around for best prices and services, get references from satisfied customers, and make sure you know what you’re committing yourself too.
Name that book! Choose your title carefully, to be suitable for its genre, memorable, easy to spell and original (search Google and Amazon to make sure there aren’t dozens of books out there to play “snap” with). If it’s non-fiction, incorporate the most likely keywords and use a subtitle to give your more scope. Be ready to ditch your working title if need be.
Respect the specialism of book cover design. Use a specialist to devise your cover, someone who understands book cover conventions and essential such as being effective at thumbnail size in online retail platforms. Keep an open mind about changing your book covers as you go along to keep it looking in keeping with other books in its genre as fashions change. Even if you start out with a free cover, for budgetary reasons, consider reinvest your royalties in a more effective and professional cover later on.
Write the blurb to lure in readers who will love your book. The first thing readers look at in bookshops after the cover is the blurb on the back – “the 100 hardest words you’ll ever write”, according to Ben Cameron, Director of Cameron PR. They should prepare your readers’ expectations precisely for the content of your book – and reel them in to buy it!
Know your limits. For points 5-9 above, be realistic about what you can and can’t do. Treat your self-publishing like you would a domestic DIY project. Would you really install a new bathroom without having any plumbing skills? Nope, it would be a false economy – the kind that makes Kevin McCloud raise his eyebrows every time a “Grand Designs” couple declare they’ll lay their own bricks/install their own fireplace/fit their own electrics to keep costs down of their house restoration. If you can’t supply a professional finish yourself, call in the professionals.
Make sure your book passes the identity parade. In a line-up of books, make sure yours isn’t the one that screams “I’m self-published” in an identity parade. A growing number of self-published books are published to traditional, big publishing house standards – make sure yours is too.
Press the “publish” button at the right time. My friend and mentor Orna Ross, founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors, always says that many authors publish too soon, because it’s so easy to, using digital and print-on-demand technology. Only publish your book when you’re sure it is the best it can possibly be – and then stop tinkering with it. If you need to keep changing it, maybe you published too soon?
Write another book. That’s the best piece of marketing advice an author can get – write another, and another, and another… The most books you have out there, the more visible your work will be. And if readers enjoy your first book, they’ll be ripe to be sold another. Better still, write a series – get them hooked on book 1 (at a specially low price, if you like), and watch the sequel sales grow.
Ring the changes. Although you shouldn’t keep messing about with the content of the book after publication, do play around with the keywords and categories in online retail listings till you find the right ones that help you shift the most sales. As with cover designs, the metadata needs will change with fashion over time, too, so keep an eye on them.
Spread your risk of success online. Don’t put all your eggs in one retail basket. Don’t focus solely on ebook or only on print – you’ll sell more books overall if you have both. Equally, put them into all the main retail outlets online – Nook, Kobo, iBooks, etc, rather than just Amazon. Although early adopters often went with only Amazon, the others are fast seizing market share, so don’t miss out.
Market yourself, not just your book. Marketing is a huge topic that falls outside the scope of this talk, and for more on that score, read my handbook, Sell Your Books! – but apart from point 13 above, the key take-away point about marketing that I’d like to share is that when planning your marketing, include your own back story. Too many authors don’t realise that their own lives and personalities are part of their pitch – readers love to hear about authors, especially in the modern digital age, so don’t be shy! Otherwise when it comes to marketing, stick with what you’re comfortable with, and don’t try to do too much at once, or you’ll quickly get overwhelmed.
Respect the real estate of bookshops and libraries. Contrary to rumour, bricks-and-mortar bookshops are happy to stock self-published books, provided they’re of professional standard and you can convince the bookseller that you’ll drive sales through their store (for libraries, drive loans). Think of their shelves as rental accommodation – each book needs to pay its rent by being sold on a regular basis. For more advice about how to sell your books through bookshops, read the guide I co-authored for ALLi, Opening Up To Indie Authors.
Set up your own shop window online i.e. create an author website. This should be the hub of all your marketing, and the authoritative guide to your authorly pursuits. This needn’t cost the earth – a great entry point is to use the free WordPress.com software (I use it for mine) – you only start paying if you want to add extras such as a URL without the .wordpress.com suffix (which I do).
A writer’s website is never done! Unlike your published books, the development of a website has not deadline, nor should it. Instead, it should evolve as your writing career evolves. Build followers with an e-newsletter sign-up form, consider a blog to keep it current and lively, and keep it up to date with your book news. It’s great for fine-tuning your voice and building your writing confidence and fluency too.
Associate with other successful self-published authors. Success breeds success, and the community of indie authors is extremely generous, readily sharing best practice and advice. The best way to run with the pack and to learn by osmosis is to join the Alliance of Independent Authors, whose author advice blog I edit, and which, not surprisingly, I heartily endorse! It brings together the most professional, cutting-edge self-publishers around, as well as welcoming those still starting out on their writing journey. More about how to do that here: www.allianceindependentauthors.org.

Last but not least, here’s a bonus point #21 – CELEBRATE! Be proud of your achievements as a self-published author, you’ve done what many only talk of doing but never achieve. You are right to be excited about your future, so stay optimistic, open-minded and opportunistic, and enjoy this heady ride.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to read:

For more information about Winchester Writers’ Festival, here’s their website: www.writersfestival.co.uk.

For more information about joining the Alliance of Independent Authors, visit our membership website.

Events, Publishing, Writing

My Interview on the Prestigious Creative Penn Website

Posted on February 26, 2015July 18, 2016 by Debbie Young

A new post about my appearance on Joanna Penn’s Creative Penn website/podcast/videocast

Joanna Penn, authorpreneur

Not 15 minutes of fame, but 45 minutes for me today, as my recent interview with the author and entrepreneur Joanna Penn goes live on her fabulous Creative Penn website.

Joanna invited me to appear on her prestigious online show to talk about the work I do with the Alliance of Independent Authors, the not-for-profit global organisation of whose advice blog I’m Commissioning Editor, and for who last year I co-authored an important book facilitating better relationships between self-published authors and the book trade: Opening Up To Indie Authors. We’re both members of ALLi and our paths often cross at events and online in the world of self-publishing.

Cover of Opening Up To Indie Authors — My latest book, co-authored with Dan Holloway, explains more about the book trade

Joanna, who was an early adopter and trailblazer of self-publishing in its modern form, is a seasoned podcaster, with a back catalogue of over 200 podcasts available on her website, but for me this was a first.

Although I really enjoyed chatting with Joanna online, I was nervous of how the final podcast would turn out, knowing it was going to run as both an audio and a video broadcast. This is not least because I am never entirely on top of the technology with my computer, hence the slightly ghostly look to me in the video, while Joanna is wreathed in a much healthier golden glow!

However, I’m really pleased with the result – and astonished at how much information we fitted in to the session, which seemed to fly by on the day. Big thanks to Joanna for her time and attention, and for this opportunity to share ALLi’s messages and my own thoughts on her prestigious platform.

VIDEO LINK
To watch the video on YouTube, click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xofWBleDf4

PODCAST LINK
To read a summary of the key points and listen to the audio podcast, click here:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/02/26/bookstores-debbie-young/

MORE ABOUT JOANNA PENN
If you’re an aspiring authorpreneur in search of a great role model, follow Joanna’s blog and read her non-fiction books here:
www.thecreativepenn.com
If you love to read supernatural thrillers, check out her fiction site here:
www.jfpenn.com

Publishing, Reading, Travel, Writing

An Afternoon with Virginia Woolf, My Self-publishing Hero

Posted on October 4, 2014July 18, 2016 by Debbie Young

(A post about my recent trip to London, of special interest to anyone interested in self-publishing or the work of Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press)

Having to attend an evening meeting in London of the Alliance of Independent Authors earlier this week provided a great excuse to spend an afternoon as a tourist in what used to be my home city.

I was born and raised in the London suburb of Sidcup, and I still regard it as the centre of the world, and in particular Charing Cross Station, the central London terminus for the suburban line from Sidcup into town. Although the train from where I live now in the Cotswolds goes into Paddington Station, my first instinct is usually to hop on an Underground train and head for Charing Cross.

This visit was no different, as I wanted to catch the Virginia Woolf exhibition, running until 26 October, in the National Portrait Gallery, a stone’s throw from Charing Cross, just around the corner from Trafalgar Square.

Why I Admire Virginia Woolf

I have always admired Virginia Woolf since first reading Mrs Dalloway at university, where my tutor for a couple of terms was Woolf’s biographer Hermione Lee (before she was famous). I remember reading it in a single sitting, late into the night, curled up in my student study-bedroom, haloed by my anglepoise lamp. Ever since, I’ve had a photo of Woolf on my desk as a role model of an impassioned, purposeful writer not afraid to break conventions.

Virginia Woolf, Self-publishing Author

Cover of Mrs Dalloway published by Penguin — The old copy from my university days

Since becoming immersed in the world of self-publishing, there’s been another reason for my interest in Virginia Woolf: she is often cited as being an exemplary self-publisher. The National Portrat Gallery exhibition included not only photographs and portraits of Woolf and her family, and poignant artefacts such as her final letters before she took her own life, but also some of the early self-published editions of her books. These were produced via the Hogarth Press, set up with her husband Leonard, using a hand-press that they kept in their home. This required plates to be made up using moveable metal letters, the old-fashioned way. They had acquired only a limited number of letters, so they were restricted to making up only two pages of each book at a time. Because Leonard had a congenital tremor in his hands, most of the typesetting was done by Virginia herself.

Now, I’ve always been irritated whenever I’ve read in an interview that an author was inspired to write books by the acquisition of a typewriter (as if buying a paintbrush would make you a painter!) But I am much more accepting of Virginia Woolf’s statement that having her own press encouraged her to be more experimental in her writing, because she could print whatever she liked, without a publisher’s intervention.

The Hogarth Press’s first publication using the newly-acquired hand-press was a slim volume Two Stories, one by Virginia (The Mark on the Wall), the other by Leonard (Three Jews). They produced 150 copies. The Hogarth Press went on to publish not only more of Virginia’s books but also groundbreaking work such as Katherine Mansfield’s The Prelude and T S Eliot’s The Wasteland. It was very exciting to be able to view some of these early works on display at the exhibition, with their distinctive cover designs by her sister Vanessa Bell.

If the Hogarth Press doesn’t vindicate self-publishing as a source of important, significant fiction, I don’t know what does! They were, incidentally, offered first refusal of James Joyce’s Ulysses, but, presumably mindful of their laborious two-page-at-a-time process, turned it down because of its length.

The Unexpected Book

Photo of Virginia Woolf — Virginia Woolf – an inspiration to any self-publishing author

But there was another book on display that made an even more powerful impression upon me: a thick hardback the size of a household dictionary, and one that I’d not seen before. This was a Nazi directory listing all of the British citizens that in the event of a German invasion and victory would be arrested and executed. The page was open at the end of the W section, and there on the page were the names of both Leonard and Virginia Woolf, with brief descriptions in German. (I think hers just said “Schreiberin” – authoress.) Ironic and heartbreaking that in the same display case lay the walking stick that she had used on her final walk down to the river in which, pockets weighted with stones, she took her own life, unable to face another episode of the mental illness that had plagued her since her youth.

Unfortunately photography was not allowed in the exhibition, so I can only describe these things from memory, and can’t show you pictures. But if you happen to be in London between now and 26 October, and have anything to do with writing or self-publishing, do stop by. I promise you, you’ll return home freshly inspired to write what you believe in and to wear your self-published status with pride.

For more information about the National Portrait Gallery, visit its website: www.npg.org.uk

Publishing, Reading, Writing

My Interview on Alison Morton’s Blog

Posted on July 24, 2014July 18, 2016 by Debbie Young

Selfie of Debbie Young with Alison Morton — Selfie with Alison Morton at the Romantic Novelists’ Association annual conference in July 2014

This post gives you the link to my interview by thriller writer Alison Morton and fills in a bit of background.

I’m very pleased to be interviewed on Alison Morton’s action-packed author blog, under the deeply flattering headline “Debbie Young – Marketing Superstar”. (She knows how to charm, does Alison!)

In it, her interesting questions include a query as to whether I’ll ever write a novel and, if so, what would it be about. Hop over to her blog to find out the answers, and also to read more about her terrific Roma Nova series of alternative history thrillers (or alternate history, as the Americans call it, to the irritation of purists everywhere).

Here’s the link: Debbie Young’s interview on Alison Morton’s blog

More about Alison Morton

I’ve known Alison for a couple of years, during which our writing careers have been running in parallel.Not long after SilverWood Books published my authors’ marketing guide Sell Your Books!, Alison launched her first novel, Inceptio, assisted by SilverWood’s excellent author services.

Although Alison is energetic, computer-savvy and tremendously clever – in short, capable of doing all the self-publishing work herself – she preferred to delegate it to SilverWood, freeing up her own time to devote her time to writing and marketing her books.

At the SilverWood Open Day last September

Her strategy paid off, because she’s now published three books in the series – Inceptio, Perfiditas and Successio – and is writing the fourth. Her books have had fabulous reviews (including some from me here), they’ve won all sorts of awards, and she’s just been snapped up by A for Authors agency for her subsidiary and foreign rights.

Ironically, although Alison now lives and works in France, and I live in England, I’ve seen her more often than any other SilverWood author lately, our paths crossing at the London Book Fair, SilverWood’s Open Day, at the RNA Conference earlier this month, and other authors’ launches.

Cover of Successio — Alison’s latest book in the Roma Nova series

Or maybe it just feels that way because she has such a high profile on line. She’s also guested on my Off The Shelf Book Promotions blog, her latest appearance being to share her top tips for book promotion here.

Either way, she’s a great role model for any aspiring self-publishing author, and, as you can see from our selfie above, a lot of fun.

And if you’ve read this far without visiting my interview on her blog, do it now! Here’s that link again: Debbie Young’s interview on Alison Morton’s blog

Publishing, Reading, Writing

How To Find Beta Readers

Posted on June 6, 2014July 18, 2016 by Debbie Young

Following my post yesterday about how I’ve used beta readers to help me fine-tune my next book, you may be wondering how I found such a fine band of willing volunteers! If so, read on…

How do you find beta readers, willing to give up their time to help you further your writing project? Well, you just ask. “But who do you ask?” I hear you cry. “And why would they want to do it?”

Who to Ask

Cover of Quck Change flash fiction collection — Just back from beta reading – to be published 21 June 2014

Best not to choose friends and family, who might be tempted to tell you what they think you want to hear – that it’s the best thing they’ve ever read. Worse still, they might hate it – not great for the relationship!

If you belong to a writing circle, commenting on each others’ drafts is probably something you already do – but if not, make the suggestion. You may find others are keen to do this, but just didn’t want to appear egotistical by being the person to raise the idea!

Equally, if you belong to a book group, ask for volunteers there. After all, people attend because they enjoy reading, and those who aren’t writers themselves may be pleased to be invited.

I recently read a short book called The Beta Reader by Elizabeth Eyles, who kindly offers to match up writers with beta readers. If you’d like to take advantage of her generosity, I’d suggest the decent thing to do is to buy and read her book before you do so. (I didn’t realise this until she’s volunteered to beta read Quick Change for me – she’s obviously practising what she preaches!)

Who I Asked

I found most of mine by putting a call out for volunteers on a private Facebook forum that I belong to – the Alliance of Independent Authors. This is the not-for-profit organisation that brings together the best self-publishing authors from around the world – i.e. those who take their writing seriously and aim for professional standards. I’m well known there because I edit the group’s advice blog, so I quickly had a list of volunteers. But it’s such a supportive group that I’m sure that anyone else would have had the same response, had they put up an engaging pitch for their manuscript.

The international element of the group is a bonus because it means I’ve had beta readers from other countries. I’m conscious that I’m a very British English writer, and I want to maintain that feel to my work, but without puzzling overseas readers with unintelligible Anglicisms.

In addition, I called on an online friend whose flash fiction I’ve enjoyed, Helena Mallett, author of Flash Fraction, a clever collection of 75 stories each 75 words long. As one of the stories featured a GP at work, I also called on my friend, Dr Carol Cooper (also a member of ALLi) to check it for accuracy. She’s not only a GP, but also a medical journalist, non-fiction author and novelist (where does she find the time?!) Her excellent debut novel, One Night at the Jacaranda, by the way, is currently on special offer on Amazon UK for only 99p for the rest of this month.

Why Would They Do It?

Volunteers who are not authors will be

interested in seeing what goes on behind the scenes of producing a book
flattered that you value their judgment enough to entrust them with your precious manuscript
be glad to have a sneak preview of your book before it’s published

The last two of those reasons also apply to volunteers who are authors. In addition, this group of people will be:

interested to see how another author’s work looks pre-publication
pleased to feel that they are helping an author friend produce a better book
possibly hoping you’ll return the favour

My Experience of Beta Reading

I’ve been a beta reader for several author friends and have always found it very satisfying to feel I’ve contributed to the fine-tuning of their books:

I’ve picked up factual and grammatical errors that might have slipped through until an eagle-eyed reviewer complained post publication
I’ve highlighted confusing plotlines.
I’ve spotted repetitive words and phrases that the author hadn’t realised were cropping up so often as to become funny, e.g. so many characters rolling their eyes that it was starting to sound like an affliction

All of these things were very easy to fix, and the authors were always grateful. It’s also rewarding to receive an acknowledgement in the book when it’s finally published and a free copy of the book (signed, if it’s a print edition). After all, who doesn’t like seeing their name in print?

Go For It!

If you still need justification for asking, bear in mind that if your beta readers enjoy your manuscript, they may be persuaded to post up early, positive reviews when your book is finally published.

I hope this overview gives you the courage to seek beta readers for your own books. Good luck and happy writing – and reading!

In case you missed it, I wrote another post about beta readers here:

“Why Beta Readers Make Better Books“