We have had the pleasure of helping clients achieve their dream of becoming self-published! While it can be a daunting task, it is not an impossible one. We have compiled 5 need-to-know tips for getting you started on your dream to self-publishing your book! 1. Edit it once, edit it again, and then, edit it again…You have, amazingly, finished your book! (Or what you perceive as being finished. Sorry, the truth hurts.) Before you hand it over to our able-bodied team for editing, we strongly recommend that you edit it once, edit it again, and then, edit it again. Why? When we are in the editing process with our clients, sometimes our authors realize that they want to add more, remove something or further clarify a character or a point. Only you can make your story the best it can be. We will then work with you to finalize the proofreading and editing process ensuring grammar, spelling and punctuation corrections and help you to spot other things that could raise questions by your audience. 2. Your story is everything, but the cover invites the audience in…We can’t stress this point enough; if you are not a Graphic Designer, or have some background in this area, please, please (yes, we are begging you) get your book cover professionally designed. You do not want your book cover to look like you designed it yourself; sorry, again, for another truth we only want you to take with the best of intentions. If you are stuck with brainstorming ideas for a cover design, we can construct mood boards to jumpstart the creative process of getting a book cover you will love! 3. To sell on Amazon.com or not?Selecting the best source for publishing of your book can be daunting. First and foremost, what is your ultimate goal for publishing your book? Believe it or not, not everyone wants to publish to make a lot of money. The reasons can range from publishing as a form of charity, your own way of giving back by giving your books away to your target audience, to having a beautiful book to be simply shared amongst family or friends, or to make money at it. Once you determine this goal, we will work with you to examine all options and implement those that help you achieve your end goal. If you are seeking a way to earn revenues, having Amazon as part of an overall selling solution should be seriously considered because you can offer incentives such as discounts or free shipping, especially for Amazon Prime shoppers, which according to Chicago-based analysis firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), has been estimated at 44 million American consumers as of Amazon’s 20th birthday – June 2015. (By the way, according to CIRP's July 2015 report, Prime members spend $1,200 annually on Amazon, while other customers spend $700.) Important to also know, Amazon offers an author page! 4. Offer your book in an eBook formatWe strongly encourage you to offer your book in an electronic format. Many people use Kindle, Nook and other book delivery platforms. You want to tap every portion of your market as possible! 5. Promote your workThis self-publishing tip may seem obvious to you, but after you have tried selling your book to friends, family and your immediate circles of influence, it may (or may not, depending, again on your goal for publishing in the first place!) be time to truly get out there and promote! Think about introducing yourself to your local bookstore and offer a reading, or you can consider the SELF-e program, established to help distribute self-published eBooks into the library market. You should certainly have a website with the capability of purchasing your book on it and a social media presence, so you can Tweet, blog and Facebook; just be mindful to not toot the ‘buy my book’ horn too frequently. Instead, share some insights about yourself and perhaps your motivations for why you enjoy writing! Even better, share some lessons-learned to your followers. SBC Agency would love to help you bring your book into reality. Contact us today by filling out the form at the bottom of this page. We can discuss where you are, where you want to be and how our teaming together can help you realize your dreams of becoming a self-published author.