Book marketer Lynn Serafin of Spirit Authors has laid out a detailed breakdown on how to make your self-published book look professional to marketers, potential buyers, and readers alike.
I’m direct linking here to another blog, but I found the information to be well presented and crucial for a new indie author to understand.
The problem with the mark of being a self-published author is that the term “self-published” is often not a good sign for book buyers. To many, a self-published book means unprofessional, poorly designed, bad formatting, and a lack of editing. Self-published authors tend to skimp on the polishing of their projects, which is a shame after how much work they had already put into their books. Potential readers do not want to buy unpolished books. Their money is worthy of a complete piece.
I urge each and every writer to take a look at the following blog links. The information is vital to your success and the growth of the indie book market. Though the information is targeted toward non-fiction authors, nearly all of it carries over to fiction authors.
- Must-Do #1: Choose Your Title and Subtitle METICULOUSLY
- Must-Do #2: Find a Highly-Recommended Professional Editor and Proofreader
- Must-Do #3: Find a Highly-Recommended Cover Designer
- Must-Do #4: Create a Publishing Company
- Must-Do #5: Get Your ISBN Numbers
- Must-Do #6: Setting Up Your Title, Prices and Categories with a POD Company
- Must-Do #7: Working through your edits and proofs
- Must-Do #8: Obtaining endorsements for your book
- Must-Do #9: Blurbs, back cover and back pages
- Must-Do #10: Formatting and finishing touches
