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How to Independently or Self-Publish Your Way To Fame And Fortune In Six Easy Steps

Guest post by: Teresa Bohannon

Article Overview: Do you longingly dream of becoming a published book author; but thought it could never happen to you? Well, not only can it happen to you; but you can make your dreams of becoming a published book author come true without spending a single solitary dime. Self and/or independently publishing your book is an option that is literally available these days to anyone willing to put in a few hours of work. And I'm going to tell you exactly how to do it in six easy steps, using programs freely available on the Internet.

How to Independently or Self-Publish Your Way To Fame And Fortune In Six Easy Steps

A Step-By-Step Guide, Explaining Exactly How to Self and/or Independently Publish Your Book Online

Wouldn't it be wonderful it that statement were 100% exactly, totally, completely and precisely, really true and it was just as easy as that to make all our dreams of fame and fortune a reality?

Well...I'm here to tell you that in some ways it actually, really is true, and more or less just that easy.... The reason I know that for a fact, is that I recently did it myself when I independently/self published a Regency Romance novel entitled A Very Merry Chase which I wrote 35 years ago--and you know what...it didn't cost me a single solitary dime to do it.



In fact, the honest truth of the matter is...these days the independent/self publishing part of the equation is now so simple that almost anyone can do it all by themselves!

"Really?" You ask sceptically.

"Yep." I reply with a smile, and instead of charging for this information, or charging you to do it for you, I'm going to tell you how to do it yourself, using your own time, ingenuity and tools that are freely available online.

First you write a book.

Not to be a Smart Aleck here, that's just the plain and simple truth of it. You can dream about being a book author from now until the cows come home; but its never going to happen if don't stop dreaming and start writing. It doesn't need to be a novel, it can be fiction, a self help book, a how-to book or even the story of your life. You just need to write it and own the rights to it. (And yes, you can also do this by rewriting books in the public domain to make them uniquely your own.)

One of the main differences between being traditionally published and/or independently and/or self published is that when you do it yourself, you are your own editor. You have to catch and fix your own mistakes, which means having or finding the ability to step outside the picture and take a look from the outside. Most writers have have a difficult time doing this successfully but there is help out available. (My personal bugaboo is thinking faster than I type and leaving out pesky little words and letters...and too many commas!)

For just a difficult sentence or two or even a few paragraphs you have limited grammar/spelling/punctuation help in your Microsoft Word and/or OpenOffice program. There are also some cut and paste applications online that will give you a second pair of eyes; but these are not meant for editing an entire book. So, if you need some help editing you can pay an outsider editor, get a friend to help or also purchase editing software to catch things like misspelled words, grammatical errors, split infinitives and those other things that a publishing house or paid editor would normally point out to you; but I strongly caution you--editing software, paid editors and friends should be just an extra pair of eyes. Do not let them tell you how to write your book, or cause you to edit your book to the point where your book loses it's unique voice--at least, not if you don't want to end up with something that reads like a computer--or someone else--wrote it!



The rest follows in a simple step by step pattern, using free online tools and resources.

Second you translate your book into HTML.

If you don't know HTML, you can use a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor, or translate a Microsoft Word or Free OpenSource Open Office document into an HTML file with a touch of a button. Either way, keep your HTML very simple. There are special program tips at Amazon for the Kindle and at Barnes and Noble for the Nook; but basically if you just keep your HTML very simple, the same HTML file will work as the basis for both finished product formats.



Third you prepare your cover image.

This step can be a little more complicated, especially if you do not have any artistic talent; but it also can be managed simply enough if you are willing to put some time and effort into it. You can do a simple cover with just words and maybe a public domain and/or purchased rights photograph or painting. Again check Amazon and Barnes and Noble for specific image formatting sizes and requirements.

Fourth you prepare you cover blurb.

This is where you put your best foot forward. This is the text that you hope will catch the search engine's attention so people will find your book. This is also the text that you hope will catch people's attention so they will buy your book. Short and snappy is the key here. Use relevant keywords and always, always leave them wanting more.

At this time you will also want to come up with your list of relevant keywords, and also write a brief author's bio.

Fifth you prepare your book for publication.

Important Note: Amazon is by far the simplest one to do. I strongly recommend that you put your book on Amazon and work out the bugs before attempting to load your book on Barnes and Noble.

Amazon: Let me reiterate, Amazon is by far the simplest system to use. You put all of your HTML files and images into a .zip file and then upload it to Amazon, preview it in their previewer, fill in a few blanks with information and then hit the publish button.

Price your book at $2.99 or higher so you can get 70% commission. If you are an unknown author and price it too high and you will not make any sales. On the other hand, if you price it below $2.99 on Amazon, you will only make 30% commission.

Barnes and Noble: Barnes and Noble uses the .epub format, which sounds deceptively simple when it is referred to as simply a .zip file with an .epub extension! Believe me it's not that simple for beginners. I've been working on the Internet for well over 15 years now and I got so frustrated I nearly gave up! But since my mother says I have an overabundance of bulldog tenacity, I finally figured out a workaround. Which is....

Download the Free OpenSource program Sigil. Open your HTML file in Sigil and use its Meta and Contents Editor to build your edit files. Then save it as an .epub file. Now comes the really tricky part. You must edit your .epub archive without breaking it. I use the free archiving program 7-zip to edit while it's still inside the archive. Then you go into your OEBPS folder and edit your contents file to only include the basic meta information requested by Barnes and Noble in their formatting guide. Then save your edited contents file and upload it to Barnes and Noble and preview it in their previewer. If it doesn't work, then you probably have a problem in either your HTML or your contents file, and you will need to patiently use a lot of trial and error, tinkering, uploads and previewing to locate the problem and/or problems and fix them.



Sixth you begin the really difficult part, i.e promoting your book.

Promoting your book will probably be the most difficult part of all; but the good news is, unless you are already a traditionally published best-selling author, you would have to do all of your own promotion anyway. That's right, an agent--if you can get one--will try to sell your book to a publishing house for you. The traditional publishing house will publish it and get it into bookstores and online venues for you--but unless you are already a bestselling author--from that point forward your are pretty much all on your own.

Which brings us to the Fame and Fortune part of the equation. I would be lying if I tried to tell you that you were definitely going to become either Famous or Wealthy from Self and/or Independently publishing your book. Chances are excellent that you will become neither; but don't let that discourage you; because it has happened to others and it can happen to you...just as easily as if you were to become traditionally published. In fact, self-publishing online can, and has for others, led to a traditional publishing contract. So fame and fortune can be within your grasp. It the end, it all depends on

A: How good is your book.

B: How well have you promoted it.

And so the topic of my next post will be...How to promote your self-published book online.

Smiles and Good Fortune,

Teresa Thomas Bohannon

**********************

It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent.

– W. Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

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Article Tags: editing, how to make an epub, independent publishing, self publishing, writing



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