Recently, the amount of people who choose to self publish over traditional publishing keeps on increasing due to several reasons; just seeing the excruciatingly long process of traditional publishing, the increasingly easy and globally accessible ways to self publish make self publishing much more enticing.
While it's exciting to see more and more amazing books coming to light without having to go through the obstacles of traditional publishings, we cannot ignore the truth that most self-published authors can only make little to no sales and their books remain unknown to most.
Why is that?
The most common issue is that not many writers excel in marketing.
This is not an issue to traditionally published authors because their respective publishing houses will handle the marketing issues for them, meanwhile, self-published authors have to put in the effort themselves.
In this blog are tips on how you can increase your chances as a self published author.
Alpha & Beta readers
When you write your book and finally get that complete, rough, and ugly first draft, you'd know immediately that this is not the best version of your story yet. And so, you'd edit it. But self editing can only get you so far, because eventually, every writer needs feedback from others to further improve their story.
What are Alpha Readers and What Do They Do?
Alpha readers are the ones who would read those rough drafts and give you some feedback.
The kind of feedback they give varies depending on them and your preferences so when you get an alpha reader, make sure to tell them what kind of feedback you're expecting.
What About Beta Readers?
After your first draft goes through alpha readers, you can personally improve them before sending the revised draft to beta readers.
What's the Difference Between Alpha and Beta Readers?
In short, alpha readers get your very rough draft that hasn't gone through much editing yet, while beta readers get the draft that has been fine-tuned at least once (mostly though, several times).
How can you get Alpha/Beta readers for Your Book?
You can:
Find them through author/writer groups that you can usually find and join in through social apps like Instagram, Tiktok, or Discord. (If you're a Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction writer, you can DM me and I'll invite you to a group chat I have on Insta!)
Announce the fact that you need some alpha/beta readers through your social media (Instagram; Tiktok; etc.)
Ask friends / family to read your book. (Though, do keep in mind to choose those who can give you an honest review because sugar coated feedback will only waste your time).
Hire them through writerly websites like Reedsy or freelancers’ bases like Fiverr.
How Many Alpha/Beta Readers is Ideal?
The answer is: depends.
The type of book and length of it may influence the ideal number. Usually, people opt for more readers the longer and more complicated the book.
The widely recommended amount is around 2-5.
Because only 1 is too few and you cannot get a clear conclusion of what your book quality is. And more than five may be too much and will instead confuse you with all their differing opinions.
What Kind of Readers are Ideal?
The ones familiar with books and the genre of the book.
Plus, is interested in your book and would be someone who wants to read it should it be out in stores.
It would be numerous times better if you can find a sensitive reader* and those with actual experiences in relation to your storyline amongst those 5.
*A sensitivity reader is someone who reads for offensive content, misrepresentation, stereotypes, bias, lack of understanding, etc. They create a report for an author and/or publisher outlining the problems that they find in a piece of work and offer solutions in how to fix them.
For example, if I'm writing from the POV of a black woman, then it would be so helpful for me to have an actual black woman as one of my alpha readers. If I'm writing about a nurse, then I'd find an actual nurse and they can fact check the story details.
I know accomplishing these would be hard, but we're talking idealistically here.
However, if we're talking realistically then at the very least, they should be honest and able to give constructive criticism.
An important point to remember: When dealing with these readers, you have to keep a balanced diet of accepting their suggestions, and sticking to your ideas.
Yes, they're meant to help you and we need to take their suggestions into account to improve the manuscript BUT, it is very important to stick to your uniqueness.
DO NOT, in any way, follow them unconditionally at all turns.
This may make your book lose its uniqueness and instead become just like any other book that doesn't feel like you. Those kinds of books are grey, basic, and boring.
Have faith in your ideas!
Eye-catching Cover
Everyone says not to judge a book by its cover but in reality, we all do.
There are hundreds to thousands of books in a bookstore, and in terms of e-books, the number of choices are even more frightening. One of the most impactful hooks you can have for your book to ensure it stands out amongst the billions of existing books is to have an immaculate cover.
If you want to self publish with a very minimum amount of money investment, then you can try designing your book cover yourself with the help of apps like Canva, Kittle, or Adobe. (Though, if you have little to no designing skills then this may not be the best idea as it may instead obstruct your book's potential.)
If you have some money to invest in a professionally designed cover, you should keep these points in mind:
Budget
Alignment of Genre and Style
Preferences Regarding Add-Ons and Additional Details
Budget
Not everyone has thousands of dollars lying around to use, we get it.
Now the good news is: the price range for book covers vary a lot, and a higher price doesn't always mean higher quality.
When you find a book cover designer, whether it's through freelancing websites like Fiverr; or a writing website like Reedsy or through social apps like Instagram and Tiktok, you can usually get an enchanting, fully custom design starting from $150 while more experienced designers can charge around $500 or even more. On the lower end, you can also get a good book cover for $30-$50, though this price mostly includes only basic services, such as one concept for an ebook* with less flexibility for changes.
*This means you will only get one design for your front cover. Spine and back are not included, nor would you have much chances to make adjustments.
If you want to consider a cheaper option, you can check out premade covers* which most book cover designers usually have in stock for a cheaper price with the same quality as their custom covers.
*Premade covers: premade book covers are ready-to-go, professionally designed book covers available for purchase. These covers are typically organised by genre and are customizable to some extent, such as adding your book title and author name.
Alignment of Genre and Style
Different book cover designers have different genres they specialise in, and even with designers who specialise in the same genre, their styles are bound to be different. And this is why, before you decide on a designer to choose, make sure you've browsed through their portfolio and are certain that their style suits your book best.
Let's take me as an example. I am a book cover designer myself and while I want you to consider me as your book cover designer, if your book is a romance drama I may advise you to pass on the job to someone else as I specialise in fantasy book cover designs.
But what if you think my style suits your romance book?
Then sure, let's work on it.
Book cover designers specialising in one genre doesn't mean they can't/won't do other genres after all.
In the end, it's your call on how you want your book cover to look
Preferences Regarding Add-Ons and Additional Details
When requesting a book cover, your designer will usually offer some add-ons which you can have for an additional price. These include but are not limited to: audiobook cover, a dust jacket design, social media promo package, cinema-sized posters, and merchandise designs.
Many times, these additional details are what makes your book cover so pricey.
So, whilst it's a good idea to have these add-ons, if you want to minimise the cost and don't think you want those add-ons too early on, then you can get that lower priced set that gets you only the things you do want.
Establish an Author Platform
We all know how important having social media presence is in this day and age, and that is especially true for those who want to sell something. However, a lot of indie authors still neglect this point, or are unsure how to manage it.
To begin with, there are a lot of options you can choose to create your social media presence. You will have to start off by choosing a platform.
What platforms can you have?
Websites
A good website makes you look more professional and trustworthy and yes, your potential/seasoned readers will definitely check it. People who come across your page and are curious will also check it, so having a website is a must.
If you want to keep it simple, then hire someone to get it done for you. The good old Fiverr can help you find them. But if you want to do it yourself, then website builders like Wordpress, Wix, or even Canva can help you. With those website builders you can even make an amazing website for free.
Of course, these websites have a Pro option that will require you to pay.
But even without it, you can still create a great website. Ensure that you really need the extra features before you upgrade to the Pro option so you won't waste your money on things you won't use!
Social media
Instagram, Tiktok, Threads, Twitter, Pinterest, the list goes on. Personally, I recommend Instagram and Tiktok amongst all of these.
Why?
Simply because the amount of bookish people who are active in those two platforms are immense! Especially younger audiences like Gen Z. The number of posts under #writergram alone is way over the 300k mark and is climbing higher everyday, meanwhile #writertok has an even larger number, reaching over 900k.
But how can one become popular on social media?
Make an account and follow fellow writers on the platform!
Spend some time stalking fellow writergram and writertok accounts to see what kind of posts you would like to see and list them out as inspirations for your own posts.
Posting aesthetics and edits on these platforms will help you grow people's attraction towards your book!
Some good examples of writers with interesting contents on both Tiktok and Instagram are:
@jbryderauthor Author of The Forgotten Colony.
@amiewalker.writes Author of The Dawn of Ruins.
@thelaylaverse (Instagram) (@thelaylaverse0928 on Tiktok) Author of The King Knights Opening.
@thchloegong Author of These Violent Delights.
And of course, me, because I'm iconic. (I'm not.)
@melifluousgelatoo.writes (Instagram & Tiktok)
An important thing to note: Do not get too focused on the numbers, be it the numbers of follows and unfollows you have or others in your account’s insights.
This can easily make you discouraged.
Because no, not all your posts will blow up and many of your followers may unfollow you with little to no reason at all. This is the truth and it's not always your fault (though, if you're unsure whether it really is your fault, then do your research and google it or ask some of the writergrammers/writertokers you know.)
Instead, make a community.
Genuinely interact with people. Comment on their posts, reply to their stories, and get to know them.
These people are ultimately the ones who will be there for you in times of need and the ones who will be happy for you whenever you accomplish something–not mere numbers. So focus more on establishing a connection with fellow writers than making a viral post.
Writing Sites
You can also spread your name through writing websites like Wattpad, AO3, Webnovel, or WeInk.
Ultimately, they are similar. You can post your stories, engage with readers, and opt to generate income from the platform. But at the same time, they are distinctively different from each other.
AO3 focuses more on fan fiction, while Wattpad is more well known for the cliches, and it has a wide range of genres too. Another example is WeInk, where you can even share the books you have officially published in print.
Other:
There are also sites like Patreon or Ko-fi if you want to give your readers extra ways to support you. The se two examples are quite similar to each other. Both being platforms that allow creators to connect with their communities and make money from their creative work.
Personally, I use Ko-fi because:
It's so easy to use. I spent very little time trying to get the hang of it and everything works seamlessly.
Less fees. Only 0-5% platform fees and 3% transaction fees, whereas Patreon has 5-12% platform fees, plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees.
Quick pay outs. Whenever someone buys one of the products I sell through the platform or get any tips, Ko-fi sends it immediately to my bank account. Patreon, however, offers monthly payouts.
Through those sites, your fans can send you little gifts that you can transfer into their bank account later! This is definitely helpful especially when you're like me (a broke teenage writer).
Not only that, you can also sell things such as book merchandise and bonus content.
The next part about ARC readers, reviews, and more will be coming out next week, so follow @rewritethestarsreview to know when it drops!
Follow MG @melifluousgelatoo.writes for writing tips and prompts or @mgsdesiigns for book cover commissions.
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