I received Joanna’s Penn’s email, and she included a video where she highlighted 7 steps to successfully self-publish. I find it to be very helpful. Just to give a summary, the 7 steps are as follow:
- Define your success – what does success mean to you, your goal will determine your action.
- Set writing process – schedule time to write, use timed writing, set word count goals, and set deadlines.
- Understand your target market – think about who they are, keep a list of books that are similar to yours, refer to the book covers, what readers expect in the genre. A full understanding of the genre and audience may come later
- Write books that people want: genre, write what you love and what sells
- Write books that people want: search, use Amazon keyword search in both your country and others. Use meta data, and put your book in the proper categories. Make sure you have a killer back blurb and sales page – can model successful books, and use keywords. What to include – For fiction – use hyperbole and hook. For non-fiction – include table of content. Tip: model other books by copying out how other authors write their blurbs/sales page.
- Write in series, and use free as marketing tool (take advantage of the binge consumption culture)
- Think multiple streams of income – global, multiple platforms (ebooks, prints, audio)
What will you do in the next 90 days?
I learned so much from this video. Joanna gave a lot of tips and tricks.
For myself, my aim is to get my colouring trip planner close to finish by the end of March. That means I will need to finish all the illustrations, and put the book together. I still have a lot to learn, and I have a lot of questions in regards to whether I should start my own publishing business or not. I will keep at it one day at a time!
I hope that you find inspiration in this video too! What would be your goals for the next 90 days?
Pursue the Spark 