We're at the final email for the mini-series on writing, publishing, and marketing your book. In this edition, we'll be focusing on part 3. In case you missed parts 1 or 2, you can click on them below to review.
Make sure to stick around to the end for my new giveaway.
Part 1: Research, Planning, and Writing
Part 2: Self-Editing, Beta Readers, Getting a Professional Editor, and Choosing a Publishing Path
This Week: Part 3: Cover Design & Blurb, Formatting & Distribution, and Marketing & Promotion
We're so close to the end now that we can see the destination out the window. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; there are still a few stops left to make.
We've gone through steps 1-7, so this week, we'll dive right into step 8.
Part 3
8. Cover Design and Book Blurb
If you’re self-publishing, you’ll want to find a book cover designer. It’s not advised for the author to do this in-house. Your cover is the first detail that will catch a prospective reader’s eye. It needs to fit your genre and your story.
If you can’t afford a $100-$300 professional cover, there are sites that offer these services cheaper and will likely still be better than what the average author can design themselves.
With all the hype that book covers get, it can be easy to forget another essential ingredient in the marketing recipe: the title. I’ve seen self-published books with titles like Searching for [insert fictional place here]. Believe it or not, I saw a memoir titled Too Much. Those titles aren’t going to sell.
Take a look at popular (or even classic) book titles. They’re intriguing and creative. You spent countless hours writing. Don’t waste it by giving your book a subpar title.
A note on popular book titles: fads rise and fall. Some readers are turned off by overly used formulas. If you write certain romantasy tropes, A Noun of X and Y may work fine, but know that some readers are tired of seeing that and may actively avoid books with that framework title.
Next up: the dreaded blurb. Why is the book blurb harder to write than the book?
While your cover artist is designing the cover, this is a good time to work on your book blurb. The blurb is the enticing bit of marketing on the back cover that tells your reader what to expect. This is not a plot summary. It’s not a space to ask questions. Will the hero save the day before it’s too late? Write a concise, interesting snapshot of your book and leave some room for the reader to ask questions.
When the reader wants to know what happens, they’re more likely to buy the book.
9. Formatting, Printing, and Distribution
If you’re traditionally publishing, the publisher will take care of this step.
If you’re self-publishing, you’ll need to do it. The good news is that it’s easier than ever to format and print a book.
DO NOT PAY a company to format and publish a book for you. This is at best an unnecessary expense and at worst a scam. Beware of scammers—they prey on the unknowledgeable.
You can pay for programs that help with formatting; some authors swear by them. I didn’t bother because both KDP and Draft2Digital (publishing platforms) offer formatting for free. That’s not to say you’re 100% off the hook. You will want to keep a few formatting considerations in mind when you’re writing.
- Books are not left justified, they’re full justified. That means each line (except for a partial line at the end of a paragraph) is stretched all the way across the page evenly, eliminating ragged right edges.
- The first paragraph of a chapter or new scene is not indented.
- Paragraph indents are 1/4 inch (as opposed to the standard 1/2 in. from the tab key in Microsoft Word).
- Avoid windows at the end of a chapter. Don’t let a few words or a single line dangle on its own page. This will take a bit of work to tweak the spacing of some chapters on Kindle Create. Draft2Digital takes care of this for you.
- You’ll still need to decide on a book size. This will depend in part on the length of your book. A 5.5”x8.5” may look nicer than a 6”x9” for a 300-350 page book. It also comes down to personal preference. Hardcovers tend to run slightly larger than paperbacks.
- When it comes to printing and distribution, you’ll want to find a self-publishing platform or multiple platforms. Your book will be listed online and offered as print-on-demand (POD). POD reduces costs by only printing the book once someone orders it. This is how indie authors sell books at places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Keep in mind that the more platforms you list your book on, the more work you’ll create for yourself every time you have to make an update. Not all places allow unlimited free updates to print versions. KDP does, while Draft2Digital limits users to one free update to a physical copy per 90 days.
Publishing on more platforms also increases the places you’ll need to track sales on.
There’s a difference between a single platform and a wholesaler or distributor.
KDP can be a single platform, but they also offer the option for extended distribution, which will allow Amazon to list your book on other markets like a wholesaler. This is probably the easiest option, but it lowers your commission.
Since Amazon is my largest market, I don’t do the extended distribution because I want the full 70% (ebook) and 60% (print books) commission. I take my books to Draft2Digital (D2D) for their wider distribution. They used to focus solely on ebooks but in recent years expanded to POD for physical books as well. With D2D, my ebook and paperback book are automatically listed in other stores like Walmart (online), B&N, Apple Books, and more.
IngramSpark is another wholesaler, but they don’t offer free formatting. If you format with D2D, you can download the PDF file of your book and take it to other sites.
As a note: all of these sites are free to list your book—they just take a portion of your sales (you get paid 70% on KDP; they keep 30%).
These sites also offer free ISBNs if you don’t buy your own. If you use KDP’s free ISBNs, you can’t take them elsewhere, so you’ll have different ISBNs if you go to D2D or IngramSpark. Personally, I don’t see why this matters, and I just let my books have different ISBNs on each site.
10. Marketing and Promotion
- Create a Marketing Plan: This is a strategy for promoting the book. This could include book tours, interviews, social media campaigns, and book signings. I used social media for my book launch (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and BlueSky). Some authors report success with BookTok (TikTok).
- Press Kits and Media Outreach: You can provide press kits with information about the book and author to journalists, bloggers, and reviewers. Consider offering a free advanced reader copy (ARC) to bloggers and influencers to feature your book.
- Book Reviews and Launch Campaigns: Generate buzz by securing reviews (from critics or readers), using platforms like Goodreads, and organizing online or physical book launch events.
This is harder if you’re an indie author. Goodreads allows you to list a giveaway, but it’ll cost $110. A better way, in my opinion, is to do a giveaway yourself on social media in exchange for signing up to your newsletter.
You can also reach out to book reviewers to review your book for free to give it the social proof it needs.
I donated a copy of my book to my local library. They’re planning a local author event.
- Author Platform: Build an online presence with a website, social media accounts, and a newsletter. You can start with a free website on Wix or WordPress if you use their domain. Newsletters are the slowest and hardest to build, but Substack helps with that. Offering a lead magnet also helps grow your list. I offered my first book for free for sign-ups to my Kit newsletter.
- Ongoing Marketing Efforts: You’ll need to continue marketing the book to sustain interest. You can offer discounts, contests/giveaways, or participate in virtual book tours.
Once you get some reviews, you can try your hand at ads on places such as Facebook and Amazon. (You’ll want to go ahead and turn down pretty much everyone who messages you on Facebook to offer their services. They stalk authors on that platform. Scammers also lurk, pretending to be Meta and threatening to deactivate your account if you don’t fork over your login credentials.)
- Fan Engagement: Connect with readers through book clubs, social media, and events, fostering loyalty and support for future works.
- Don’t get discouraged: Publishing a book is easy. Seeing results—not so much. Set realistic expectations. Most authors I hear from either have another job, rely on a spouse’s income, or have at least five books published. Your first book isn’t likely to be a bestseller. Move on to the next book. (And it’s probably not the best idea to start out with a trilogy like I did. If people don’t read the first book, they’re not likely to read any of the others).
Helpful Links and Resources
8 Tips for Writing a Novel
Beta Readers: https://blog.reedsy.com/beta-readers/
I’ve compiled all my free programs and sites I used for self-publishing into a PDF. You can download “The Ultimate Writer’s Resource Guide” from my Kit landing page HERE.
If you’re interested, check out my book Beyond the Water’s Edge.
P.S. Ready for a giveaway?
My book, Beyond the Water’s Edge, is part of The StoryGraph’s giveaways between Feb. 19 and March 18, 2025.
Click HERE to enter.
Happy Writing!
Janine Eaby
