It’s not easy to be a self-published author. It will take a lot of work and dedication on your part to make it happen, especially without a huge publishing house promoting your book for you. Never fear, writers. It is possible to be successful and publish your own novels! Look at the success of Fifty Shades of Gray author E.L. James, and others like sci-fi author Hugh Howey (Silo) and indie publishing phenom Anna Todd, whose book series After is now a hit series on Netflix.

If you know you want to publish your own novel, we’ve got a guide to help you navigate the landscape and be as successful as possible as a self-published indie author. 

Step One: Write Your Bestseller

One myth floating around in some writers’ minds is you need an MFA in creative writing to be an author, but anyone with the desire, dedication, and ambition to be a writer can become one. Before you jump into chapter one, however, it’s a clever idea to take time to plan your novel. This will save you so much time later down the road in the editing stages, as you won’t write endless pages of needless content. Click here and here for outlining tips, and check out these writing tips for beginners.

Having a routine is also important when it comes to writing. It is possible to make a habit out of writing, even if you’re time-strapped (and who isn’t these days?). Here’s how to stop procrastinating and create a writing routine that works for you. 

Step Two: Editing

After you’ve written your first draft, give yourself a pat on the back! Then put that manuscript away for a few weeks. Some authors let their manuscript sit for two or three weeks, but Stephen King recommends six weeks away from your book baby. 

Why? This allows you to distance yourself from your work so you can come back to it with fresh eyes. You’ll discover plot holes, needless dialogue, and other problems you didn’t see during the writing process. 

If you have the cash, you can hire professional editors online, but if you’re a newbie author with little change to spare, you can get writer (or reader) friends to give your book a once over. 

You can also find a critique partner who writes in your genre for free as well. Some self-published authors want to skip this step to get their work out faster, but you want a second set of eyes on your work so it’s as polished as possible.

Step Three: Formatting and Cover Design

Once you’ve had your novel edited, it’s time to design your book cover. The cover is the first thing people see when scrolling digital bookshelves, so you want it to be eye-catching and professional. You can hire professional book cover designers on freelance sites or social media if you have the money to spare. If not, Canva’s Book Cover Maker lets you make professional book covers for free.

Next is formatting. Again, you can hire professional formatters between $200-$2000 (that’s an estimate). However, if you publish on sites like fiction platform Fictionate.Me, the formatting is done for you, so it’s one less step you have to take before you publish. But if you want (or need) to format your own book, here are some great tips to get you started.

Step Four: Pick Your Platform

Now you’re ready for the big leap! It’s time to pick a platform to self-publish your work. Many authors automatically gravitate toward Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, but there are other platforms available where you can publish for free and grow your fanbase! 

Some great alternatives to KDP:

Fictionate.Me: Naturally, we want you to publish your novel on our awesome fiction platform. Publish completed manuscripts or WIPs in minutes, keep 100% of your profits, and engage with your fans to improve your writing. Since it’s a newer platform, your work will get more attention on the site, which is always a plus!

Wattpad: No royalties here, but you can publish for free in just a few minutes and possibly get a lot of exposure, as they have millions of readers that will engage with your books. The only downside to this is with so many authors on the platform, you can get lost in the crowd.

Royal Road or Web Novel: Both are for great publishing serialized fiction and LitRPGs. No royalties, but you can put links to both your PayPal and Patreon for donations. Readers are incredibly supportive and both sites have forums, so you don’t have to go on your writerly journey alone.

Smashwords: Not only is this platform a publisher of ebooks and print books, but they’re also the largest global ebook distributor in the world, so this is an effective way to get your book out to the masses. Earn 60-80% royalties.

Keep in mind you don’t have to only publish on one platform, especially if you choose a platform like Wattpad or Fictionate.Me. Since you’ll retain the rights to work, you can publish in multiple places at once, increasing readership and royalties.

Step Five: Marketing and Promotion

This is a daunting step for many self-published authors, and for good reason. Without a marketing team promoting for you, it all lands on your shoulders. But you can do it! Utilize the Internet and social media ads, price promotions, book promotion Facebook groups, giveaways, Goodreads promotion tools, and automated email lists, to name a few. 

Self-publishing sites also promote their authors with contests and various boosts, like Wattpad’s Rising Stars or The Wattys, which help writers get more exposure. Here’s a helpful video with more tips on how to launch your book in the beginning to get more sales and help grow your audience.

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