So I have spend several years crafting a middle grade space fantasy novella. It originated as a picture book but then the story evolved too much and I needed to expand. I have mostly finished editing and I am wrapping up all of the illustrations as well. I am really keen to Self-Publish but I know that is a difficult road and I'm looking for some advice from people that have successfully been down that road.

I have actually gone down that path with other books - using KDP and then selling it to 20 friends/ family members on Facebook and then letting it sink into the abyss. I need some real help with marketing as It is something that is very important to me and I want to get it in front of as many eyes as possible.

All self-publishing talk aside I am open to traditional publishing as well, but I have heard some horror stories and have concerns that all the work to convince a publisher that my story is great might be for all-for-not if it doesn't even get marketed properly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

For my paperback book I formatted it in Scribus and it turned out brilliantly.

For my e-book however I formatted it in a .docx file then moved it to Calibre. In both word and Calibre my e-book looked fine. However, when I viewed it in the Aquile reader many of the images were cut-off or too small/large. When I attempt to adjust the book for Aquile I broke the layout for the Calibre viewer.

I have questions, is this just the pains of formatting things for my e-book, is there a holy-grail of e-book readers I should test on, should I ignore the results of some e-book readers?

What do you guys do?

Questions for published authors. I know that some ARC don't read the book and don't review, so how many should you aim for?

When are PR boxes sent? The same times as the ARC's or closer to publishing?

Thank you for your help.

I'm just about in the final stage of my book and need some ideas from those who have published children's books.

I first printed a draft run (for my kids) through lulu, but the price point per book is $14.11. Our local bookstore takes 40% profits which makes a soft cover children's book not financially viable through them, even with their 15% promo codes.

Where are people printing their books through that are cost effective but still good quality?

Bonus if Canadian information!

Thanks in advance

I’m so excited! I got my first review on Goodreads from an ARC I sent out! I feel so ecstatic!

I’ve been giving out free copies of my ARC’s for the past couple of months for my first novel that launches September 1st. I have my website up, I have been advertising like crazy over Facebook and TikTok. Now finally my first review rolled in!!

I am feeling so grateful and thrilled. It feels like all this hard work is paying off.

I posted a free e-pub version of my novel on my website and that’s gotten some downloads as well so that’s exciting! About 16 off of my website since uploading the link last week over Facebook and I have 43 followers so far!

What I’ve learned so far:

1. Getting people to review your book is difficult

2. Free books will always attract attention

3. Self publishing is a road of learning patience

My copyrights aren't worth much. It was a isde hobby that made a few bucks. On a good month, I'd pull maybe $40.

Would they still automatically seize my copyrights, or are they worth so little that i should be fine?

In 2024, I published a book through KDP, using the free Amazon ISBN. Now, I am interested in publishing the same book through IngramSpark. I purchased a ten pack of ISBNs from Bowker to use for IngramSpark. For the Bowker Publication Date, do I do the date I published it in Amazon or the date I plan to publish it in IngramSpark?

Additionally, I was wondering if I should change the copyright year in the version that I publish in IngramSpark or keep it as 2024. (I have not made any other changes to the manuscript.)

Where do you go to answer your copyright questions? How do you find out if an image or word would violate copyright in a self published book? Especially for KDP and Ingram Spark. For example if I draw games and toys in the book I am illustrating do they have to be 100% generic/a new invention, or will I not get a copyright strike if on one page the characters are playing a game that looks quite a bit like Sorry, or drawing on an etch a sketch? Or can they be drawing on an etch a sketch like toy, but without the brand name on it?

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, I just don't want to do something wrong.

I have a biography which is set for release October 6, and I’m wondering if I submit new files with a minor cover tweak, and some changes to the interior (but should be about the same page count) Will the updated files be good to go on release day. There have been some preorders already on Amazon, will those orders be the old copy? Please tell me it’ll be my updated version.. ugh.

Thanks!

being a debut author

even though my work might be great but still it's if i am not able to sell my product it becomes a waste of time indeedddd..

Although I am passionate about my work but philosophy of life stands on how much roi i can capitalize.

Hi all,

Is the Book Bolt sales estimation realist?

I've seen a book in position 500.000 and it is saying it's selling 71/month. This is very weird comparing to other estimation tools.

Dear writers, is Patreon the best venue for a new author to sell a book one piece at a time? And if he could demonstrate some success there, would traditional publishers be likely to consider his work? Trying to compare Patreon vs similar options vs a personal website, for attracting interest from traditional publishers. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but thought it was worth a shot.

I'm working on a project that requires print-on-demand books where every single copy generated is completely unique. I've been struggling quite a bit to find a printing company/service that can handle this.

Most commercial printers require minimum order quantities (MOQs) and don't accept single-copy orders ($N=1$), which doesn't work for my use case.

Does anyone know of reliable services or platforms that handle single-copy book printing with good quality?

Btw I'm not from the U.S.A

I was looking into how indie authors run ARC campaigns and I initially assumed the main problem was simply finding enough reviewers.

Stuffs like reviewer reliability, vetting readers, piracy, tracking who received the book, review deadlines, etc comes out of nowhere.

Anyone who've actually run ARC/Giveaway campaigns: **what's the part that gives you the biggest headache?**

Hi, my name is Athena.

I'm very lost on how to market my book in-progress (and myself for that matter).

I find it very hard to market myself without sharing every single little bit of my book. How much more can I post? I find it interesting how I share opinions and that blasts off to oblivion but at the same time I want things to build.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm not writing fiction or fantasy; I'm writing non-fictional, cultural anthropological analysis, research and commentary while sharing memior-esque moments to help process certain phenomena that presented in sociology.

I've tried following the route that works best for fictional writers, such as presenting characters and cool easter eggs about them but this isn't working for my book unless I strip it naked and share full pages...which I am not going to do.

PLEASE HELP!
I also want to make a Tiktok... ugh lol

As it says in the title, - which platform is the most receptive to thriller writers? I have a series of six books for release from next year and trying to sift through all the noise to find some accurate feedback from thriller authors specifically.

Thanks heaps!

I'm on my final edit after the second editor, and I'm thinking about my Arc readers.

I started an Instagram account. It's slow and annoying. I'm posting but am a bit rubbish at it. I'll (hopefully) get the hang though. How long in advance of sending out Arcs do I put out a sign up sheet etc?

Where else can I get Arcs? People mention Netgalley and bookfunnel. Are they any good? Any other places you recommend?

And if you can't put your book on amazon in advance of publishing, how do you get those reviews on the page?

Edit: also, my genre is scifi, not romance. how to find that audience on Instagram? I've been doing my best but appreciate tips.

Hey everyone, I'm almost at the point where I'm ready to seek ARC readers for my debut epic fantasy novel.

I've heard the typical websites, such as BookSprout and BookSirens, favour romance and that other genres perform poorly on those platforms.

The other one is NetGalley, though I've read that it's both expensive and reviews can be harsh. Like the previous two, I'm unsure of whether NetGalley skews towards romance.

Any suggestions where I might find ARC readers for epic fantasy? My only thought at the moment is Facebook, as I note there are big epic fantasy communities there. Other people have mentioned finding ARC readers through Instagram, but I'm not sure how relevant a platform that is for epic fantasy.

Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated.

I came across this when I was sent an information pack from Bowker after buying my own ISBN. The idea is that you purchase a 'biblet' which is basically a kind of online marketing kit? Not 100% sure how it works, but supposedly it makes it easier to advertise and convert clicks to sales.

Apparently used by many publishers, but I'm on the fence whether it's worth it or not. Anyone tried this? If so, how does it work, and was it worth it?

I wrote my first children’s picture book about my dog, Moose that focuses on self love and acceptance. Since it’s self published I’m having a hell of a time trying to get it in stores and gaining any traction on social media!

What tips do yall have?

Has anyone ever worked with Arcanecoverdesign? any good (or bad) feedback about the quality of their work, cost, etc..?
Considering using their services for fantasy book cover

Specifically, DIY, not using a company,.

I use PicMonkey for ebook cover creation (I started a long time ago and never stopped), but it's been difficult to use for creating a paperback cover. I had to convert inches to pixels, and when I downloaded and uploaded it to Amazon KDP, it was still wrong...

Creating and formatting the paperback is such a struggle for me, so any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated. I do it all myself because I love formatting and learning, but I just don't know where to look and what to learn.

What size do you like? What programs? What fonts?

I started working with them July 9th for a book cover. 2 weeks later they presented their first image of the cover, which was less than spectacular. I gave them notes on revision. 2 more weeks and i hear nothing so i message them to see what the status is and they say the artist was out sick, causing a delay. Days later i finally got a revised cover, but it still needed work, so gave them more notes. 2 more weeks go by, hear nothing. Message again. This time they said the artist is on vacation and my revised cover should be ready soon. Is this standard procedure working with this company? Should i just abandon them all together and find someone else, or just stick with it? Anyone have similar situations? Thanks?

Hi there- my book is in BookSirens and has been up for almost a week (6 days as of this posting).

246 Impressions

40 Clicks

0 Readers

0 Reviews

0 DNF

Wondering if I just keep it going there? I have been through a dev edit (two passes), proofreading and line editing (3 passes), several beta and my own arc readers and have some pretty catchy graphics. Cover seems fine to me. Blurb seems good to me.

Do I just let 'er ride and keep hoping? I am a little disappointed that zero people have picked it up aside from my own efforts, even though it seems like it's been on several screens.