My Self-Publishing Resources Guide

Hi Everybody,

I hope you and your families are having a safe and wonderful Easter.

I said in a post about a week or so ago that I was going to post up about the resources that I’ve used in my quest to get my hiking book self-published.

But then something wonderful happened: those wonderful people at WordPress HQ started doing daily prompts and I became distracted in that. I found myself writing poems and reminiscing over my youth. It’s been a happy journey doing that and connecting with new people. I’ll carry on doing the prompts over the next few weeks. However, it’s important that I remain focused on editing my book and learning about self-publishing too.

So, in part, this post is also an attempt to help me refocus, share a little knowledge and the resources I use. I decided to do this in a Q and A style as it seemed a good way to organise my thoughts.

WHY DID I CHOSE TO SELF-PUBLISH?

I chose to self-publish because over the the last few years I’d read books by a few authors that had gone down that route and it encouraged me to do the same.

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT?

The book is called ‘Adventure Dayze’. It recounts my hiking journeys in the build up to tackling Ben Nevis – the UK’s highest mountain – in 2018 and how I attempted to overcome my fear of heights and bad sense of direction. (‘Dayze’ is a mix of the words ‘day’ and ‘daze’ as I’m always in a daze on a day out).

Next, I look at 2019 and how, despite my poor navigational skills and fear of heights being issues, with the help of my friends I walked up the highest mountain in Ireland.

I wanted to write the book as a way to encourage the reader to get out and walk and know that they can overcome obstacles blocking the way.

WHAT STAGE AM I CURRENTLY AT?

I received my manuscript back from my editor, Jessica Grace Coleman (www.colemanediting.co.uk), about 3 weeks ago. I wouldn’t be where I am or as dedicated as I am without Jessica’s support and encouragement. I’m currently working on the changes suggested. I think it’ll take me about another three weeks in all. After that, it’ll be one final check for grammar and I’m ready to publish. I’m hoping for a release date of late summer this year.

HOW DID I GO ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING?

Firstly, I watched a lot – and I mean a lot – of YouTube videos on the subject. Two people stood out for me, so I watched their videos some more. The first person was Ellen Brock. Her engaging style left me feeling inspired after every video. The second was fantasy author Natalia Leigh. When I watched her video on her self-publishing checklist I was delighted when she recommended to signing up to her website to receive the checklist as a PDF (visit www.natalialeigh.com).

This checklist then formed the basis of my approach to self-publish.

Even though Ellen Brock and Natalia Leigh live and work from the USA, I feel a lot of the advice they give out is universal and was really helpful to me in the UK.

WHAT BOOKS ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING HAVE I USED?

I’ve only used two:

The first is ‘The Indie Author Checklist’ by Adam Croft. This was highly recommended to me by Jessica Grace Coleman. This has been extremely invaluable so far and will continue to be in the months ahead. The advice given in this book has stopped me feeling overwhelmed about the whole process.

The second is ‘The Writers Room’ by Rick Wood. This is a handy little book I found myself on Amazon. This book deals well with explaining the various pitfalls that may be encountered in self-publishing, so I find it really useful in giving me a reality check.

Both Adam Croft and Rick Wood are successful authors, and so I find their honest accounts of self-publishing a real bonus to my arsenal.

WHAT HAVE I GOT LEFT TO DO?

A lot!

I mentioned in a recent post that I’ve gone about matters in a semi back-to-front way. The absolute focus for me was getting my manuscript to a stage where I was happy to send it over to Jessica Grace Coleman. Only recently have I begun to look at other parts of the process whereas if I’d have been following Natalia Leigh’s checklist earlier I’d have a fair few more boxes ticked.

I’m so glad this website is up and running again. The true joy of WordPress is the connections that you make with other people.

I’ve written a blurb of sorts for the novel too.

I’m gathering info on cover design, ISBN numbers, formatting for different platforms, setting up mailing lists, marketing and a whole list of other stuff.

All of it can make me feel overwhelmed, I admit.

However, determination and perseverance are gathering pace within me. Jessica – who is also a self-published author herself – has been really great with encouraging me step-by-step. So, with her sage advice and the other resources I have, I know I can make this happen.

Admittedly, I’ve got a lot to learn. As I learn each of the component parts of self-publishing in more detail, I’ll share my findings and any other resources here.

Thanks for reading. If you’re really interested in self-publishing, I hope this article has helped. It’d be interesting to hear from anybody out there about any advice they may have.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊