Telling it as it is – The Early Days of Self-Publishing

When I first set out to self-publish I avoided taking action because I always felt there was still more to learn.

Does this sound like you?

I had to ask myself why I was so busy without having anything to show for it.

In the early days when I was learning everything there was about publishing I suffered from overwhelm. I discovered much later that this was a common theme amongst most authors breaking into the self-publishing arena.

Arena pretty much describes the environment I found myself in; a den of conflicting advice from instructors and marketers with half-baked solutions.  The challenges seemed insurmountable. I was hyperventilating, trying to fit the publishing puzzle together.

To cap it all self-publishing is a lonely, insular business which sadly can lead to depression.

Self-Publishing Anxiety

For two years I followed the internet and publishing gurus always searching for the ultimate answers which never materialised. When I spoke to other authors they nodded their heads in despair, agreeing ‘me too, me too’ confirming my own feelings that we’d all become the stooges of the so-called experts.

I purchased so many different trainings that I became more bewildered as time passed. Again this is something other authors said they were guilty of. It’s almost like I felt there was a missing link. I had to find that link before I could progress. Sadly these were all excuses. Perfectionism, my fear of not being good enough or sufficiently knowledgeable is what held me back from taking action.

Is this what you might be feeling too? Out of your depth with the whole publishing thing?

A Self-Publishing Transformation

I took one final course before I abandoned all fear of self-publishing. At the latter end of 2015 I took the necessary steps to self-publish my first set of books. Within days those books made it into the bestsellers in the UK with very few reviews and no marketing!

What pushed me over the edge to brave self-publishing you ask?

One word: PASSION.

I’d found something I felt strongly about and wanted to see it through to its bitter end. I jest there was no bitter ending just euphoria.

Discovering the Right Niche Market

The niche I’d settled on was trending dramatically. I worked like a demon to make my books happen fighting the urge to give up or fall victim to perfectionism. I was now working to my strengths.

Formatting Kindle books with pictures had proved an almighty disaster. Kindle technology was frustrating.

Previously, the idea of formatting physical books was a huge, scary hurdle.

Finding an exciting niche with all sorts of possibilities and one that allowed me to use my graphic skills propelled me into action. I was no longer afraid of the mechanics of self-publishing. I needed that extra boost in confidence one that fuelled the adrenaline.

I could say that the passion for my topic came to my rescue. I now had a reason and a why to continue.

How to Maintain the Self-Publishing Momentum

So I found my first niche and it has helped me produce books that sell.

The next obstacle was how do I keep going? How do I keep producing books in different genres? More importantly how do I stop myself from falling into the old habits of not feeling quite good enough?

It’s hard, I hear you say, to take that initial step to create a book, to continue producing further books, but once you do you won’t regret it.

For me I have to discipline myself and work to a daily plan.

Five Strategies that Promote Action

To some of you this plan may seem too simple, may even be irrelevant. It might even be missing some hard and fast components.

1. Goal Setting with a Timetable

This is a must, a way of being accountable for everything I do.

When I first started creating a timetable I didn’t allow for circumstances that could upset the whole plan. I plotted every conceivable hour without any thought for emergencies or proper breaks. The cramming in of so much was fine for a robot but not a human being.

It took me some months before I realised that I was stretching myself to impossible limits. I was unable to maintain my workload per day. I demanded too much from myself and ended up being unhappy with the lack of results.

I had to sit down and rehash the whole timetable. I added short achievable goals and long-term moveable goals. I built a plan that was flexible and adaptable one that contained the bigger picture of my goals. So far it appears to be working.

2. Creating a Daily to Do List

Every night I prepared a ‘to do list’ or reminder for the following day. This supplemented my timetable. I had to be careful that the list was feasible. I’d concentrate on the most pressing items that needed to be executed for that day. If I had to learn new skills I set aside an hour or two.

3. Learning from the Experts

It goes without saying that technology and the whole industry of marketing is changing exponentially.

As a novice in self-publishing it took me over two years to go through the swathes of people who referred to themselves as experts or an authority in marketing. I made a lot of mistakes on the way. I listened to a lot of people spouting useless information.

Most people like me were reaching fever pitch to make a living online. Notice how I avoid using the title ‘making money online’. This very idea has been the downfall of hard-working, entrepreneurs. 

It’s been a difficult journey and I’ve learned lessons the hard way. I was easily distracted for all the wrong reasons. When you are in complete overwhelm and a novice your sense of judgement goes through the window. I was gullible and didn’t know any better. In my situation I bought everything because I thought I might be missing out.

If I’d only known what I know now I could have avoided the unnecessary pitfalls. So many others I know who are beginning their journey into self-publishing and marketing are saying the same thing. It is like some infectious disease.

So to avoid some of this hysteria I’ve got a very short list of marketers I will only listen to and buy from. These marketers display integrity in a market place full of charlatans.

N.B. I’m not an affiliate for any of these people.

Richard Bullivant is really the person I have to thank for my self-publishing Eureka moments. He started me on the path to self-publishing. He implemented outsourcing in his own work over three years ago. I was sceptical of utilising this method but two years later I backtracked realising it had potential.

I took a further course of his ‘How to self-publish children’s books on Kindle.’ You’ll find this course on Udemy.com, He demonstrates inspiring techniques for a variety of books.  

Amy Harrop.has a natural ability to teach others with simplicity that defies complexity. I’ve always liked her style. I’ve purchased her self-publishing products of which there are too many to mention here. Check out her link:

http://amyharrop.com

She’s always helpful and approachable. As a publisher she’s focussed on the products which help her in her own business. As a self-publisher you’ll find lots of great tools to assist you in your book production.

David Lee Martin is an excellent trainer in Scrivener. I learnt so much from him. His pace and pitch is right for just about anyone wanting to learn how to use the software effectively. He shows you how to organise your entire book with amazing ease.

learnscrivener.net

Just recently he released his ‘In the Trenches’ an invaluable volume. He informs you of his experiences in self-publishing as well as the advantages of writing in sub genres. There’s a lot of great honest insight here on how to run a successful publishing business.

Paul Coleman hints at self-publishing innovation. When I first came across him I was both amused and taken by his sense of originality. There was the element of experimental and thinking outside the box. He pulls no punches and only recommends those he feels are worthy of a mention.

Want to produce a bestseller book and find the right genre? Use Yasiv.com to assist you. It’s certainly a different approach; one worth considering.

http://www.blog.bookpumper.com/

Derek Doepker has self-publishing down to a fine art. I’ve read his ‘Hooks for Books’ a great eye opener when it comes to finding that ‘compelling’ title. He has self-publishing training courses and in his own words ‘loves sharing his experience to help other aspiring authors get their message into the world.’

http://ebookbestsellersecrets.com

http://expertslegacy.com

Raj – of Curationsoft – is a digital marketing guru and author of “How to Build a Blog that Counts” (Amazon, 2015).

CurationSoft is the web’s premier content curation tool. You can quickly and easily build impactful and rich blog-posts, white papers, and articles consistently.

CurationSoft has built in content gathering, authoring and auto-publishing features that simplify content creation for any blogger.

Imagine following in the footsteps of Huffington Post that collects information from all over the world. With great research at your fingertips you can finesse your blogs with some inspiring ideas, optimising it with ‘authority boosting content’.  It will help to draw people to your blog/website.

4. Outsourcing Work

The very thought of employing others to do my work through ‘outsourcing’ went against my principles. Of course that’s a perfectionist talking; thinking I could do everything myself.

When I heard and saw what results others were achieving over a shorter period of time I realised I needed a rethink. 

Changing my ‘mindset’ was hard. There were all sorts of factors that came into play. The major one was lack of funds to implement outsourcing. I reminded myself that I was running a business which requires a budget. While creating a book is free all the other bits need some cash.

I’ll be truthful it took some time before I began to see the wisdom of outsourcing. Most, including myself, expect it to be freebies all the way! Going into self-publishing with blinkers on is a sure fire way of failing. In theory I knew it was true in practice I held onto my skewed ideals. Doing everything alone wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Not outsourcing holds you back and I was wasting so much time! Then I juggled with the concept of what kind of outsourcing I required and affordability. I’m still on a learning curve with that one! However, what little outsourcing I do execute has helped towards speeding up my production.

Some of the following outsourcing companies are worth looking at:

Upwork.com (creatives, writers, web/mobile developers, virtual assistants, etc)

Fiverr.com (illustrators, graphic design, translators, video animation, audio, etc)

iWriter.com (custom content for blogs, press releases, articles, ebooks, etc)

99Designs.co.uk (logos, branding, biz cards, packaging, t-shirts, etc)

5. Practicing Mindfulness

Finally, this is the last strategy which has brought me some peace in a noisy world of self-publishing.

I’m an advocate of living in the ‘NOW’. In essence I’m not going to beat myself up over finishing something off by the end of the day if it’s unrealistic to do so. This discipline surprisingly keeps me focussed and attentive to the task in hand. There’s no time to dwell on past failures. There’s no time to waste on future hypothetical scenarios that may never happen.

This form of therapy has brought tremendous peace and calm in what otherwise would have been a tortuous path of self-publishing.

Once I realised the sense of committing only to what was possible in a single day then things began to become easier. I won’t say that I never ever stumble but I always manage to pull myself back to the present which helps deflect the negatives.

Being and performing in the present moment is the only real action. It’s helped me face the fear of self-publishing.

What has Helped You to Take Action in Your Self Publishing Business?

What problems have you had to overcome in self-publishing?

Do you have a daily plan that works for you?

Please leave a comment that you think will help other self-publishers.