We make all of these checklists thinking about what we would want + how it would be helpful in our own journeys’. By us actually using them, we can tweak them to make them as practical as possible for you.
Whether you’re writing, editing or self publishing your first book, or just need to know your on the right track, you are guaranteed to find a checklist that can help.
Looking to launch a blog? The thought of launching a new blog can be scary. Good news is starting a blog is easier than you think, regardless of your skillset. When you’re starting, you’re prone to make a lot of beginner-level mistakes; it doesn’t have to be that way. I put together a checklist of things you need to do in order to launch a blog.
Once you’ve written your book, there’s at least one more step: editing. It’s something a lot of writers dread. Sound familiar? So what do you do when you’ve written a book and want to make sure you’ve done your best work? Find the perfect editor, competent and affordable. You’ll sound smarter and reduce roadblocks that could prevent you from publishing.
Before you self-publish a book, make sure you’re ready. Too often, new authors get carried away with all the excitement of becoming a published author. But without creating the necessary marketing and promotional tools beforehand, it then becomes a never-ending game of catch up.
At any given time, there seems to be a 1,000 different ways to market your book. It’s not only hard to know what you should be doing. It’s also hard to keep up with all the options that are available. So here is a checklist to help you navigate some of those sea of options. Here is what you should be doing in preparation to help market your book properly to the masses.
First, you need not do everything on this checklist today. I would advise doing one item a day for the next several days. This is the list of what I wish I’d known when I started out. I had to “just figure it out.” There’re a ton of resources out there now—and doors are open to indie writers. I know it’s tempting to make your book the face of everything. There is a place for that. But if you are planning on publishing more than one book, you need to be the face of it.
Yes, writing a book is a joy. No doubt there, it’s rewarding preparing a manuscript and sharing what you’ve written. If writing is more than a dream, then you must think with your head and your heart. Writing a book is a practical business decision—a chance to stand out as an expert, get noticed, and solidify your reputation. However, there many other things you could be doing, you’ll see.
Whether you’re completely new to the publishing process or an old pro, it can be helpful to have a to-do list to guide your self-publishing project to completion, to ensure you don’t miss any important steps, and also to help you plan well enough to hit your target pub date. I detail the distinct stages of the editorial, production, and sales/distribution process.
The decision to write a non-fiction book doesn’t always come at the most rational of moments. You have a huge idea, or you realize you’re great at something and want to share this with the world, or you just have an urge to write—something indefinable but persistent. If you’re happy to write with no notion of reward or readership, that’s great, go ahead.
