Self-Publishing Questions Answered | Self-Publishing
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Today we're chatting more about self-publishing. We'll talk about finding editors, formatting books for window users, starting a new pen name, newsletter advertising, giving each character their own voice, and what to do when sales slow down as a debut author.
Here are the timestamps and helpful links that I discussed!
00:35 - Finding editors outside of Facebook.
www.kboards.co...
/ editors-and-writers
/ 235450860258127
TEST ALL EDITORS BEFORE HIRING THEM!
04:43 - Formatting suggestions for windows users.
www.macincloud...
Vellum - a.paddle.com/v...
www.atticus.io/. (Have not used this so I cannot personally recommend it!)
06:47 - Starting a new pen name, KU or Wide?
12:57 - Newsletter advertising other than Bookbub.
Promo master list - bit.ly/3eH8QQ0
This has a lot of romance advertisers listed, but some do others as well.
Ram's Promo Stacker (makes it SUPER easy!) - form.jotformpr...
15:06 - Giving each character their own voice.
18:16 - What to do when sales slow down as a debut author.
Let's be Pen Pals:
Courtney Young | PO BOX 697 | Groves, TX 77619
Do you have a question about self-publishing?
ASK ME ANYTHING FOR MY Q&A MONDAY SERIES: forms.gle/fVbK...
My List of Recommended Books for Self-Published Authors:
Dear Writer, You Need to Quit - amzn.to/3at1yyk
Romancing the Beat - amzn.to/38rfc2C
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel - amzn.to/34pmNxl
Let's Get Publishing Series - amzn.to/2WvDKBP
Newsletter Ninja - amzn.to/3oPOXwx
Help! My Facebook Ads Suck - amzn.to/3as81IH
//A B O U T M E//
Pen names: Lyra Parish & Kennedy Fox (we're an author duo!)
I've been in the indie scene since 2011. I published my first romance novel in 2014 (Weak for Him). Under Kennedy Fox, we've made USA Today 5 times since 2017. As Lyra Parish, I made the top 100 list several times on Amazon.
If you're looking for those books, you will not find them. I unpublished my Lyra Parish backlist in 2020 with zero regrets. You can watch that video here: bit.ly/3k8P6pa
Want to check out Kennedy Fox's Books? Visit: www.kennedyfoxb...
___
//Searching for a Motivational Writing Group?//
I have a writing group on Facebook where you can earn stickers for writing 10K in a day or 50K in a month. You can choose your own day. It's a supportive community that's also fun. If you're international, feel free to join! I've sent stickers to people all around the world since July 2019! In 2021, those who write Half a Million or 1 Million words in a year, will be sent an enamel pin!
groups/write10kinaday
___
//S O C I A L M E D I A//
→ TikTok:
/ lyraparish
/ kennedyfoxbooks
→ instagram:
/ lyraparish
/ kennedyfoxbooks
→facebook:
/ lyraparishauthor
/ kennedyfoxbooks
→ twitter:
/ lyraparish
/ kennedyfoxbooks
→ my personal email: lyraparish@gmail.com
PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL KENNEDY FOX!
→ If you want to follow my writing partner too:
Tiktok: / brookekfox
Instagram: brookekfox
Facebook: / authorbrookecumberland
Twitter: / blcumberland
//Affiliate Links //
Dashing Divas - Nail polish stickers I LOVE because I suck at painting them!
(Get $5 off!)
bit.ly/3DBERUb
Sips by Tea Subscription Box (Get $5 Off!)
www.sipsby.com...
Vellum - Best Book Formatting Program EVER!
a.paddle.com/v...
Scrivener - Application I use to write!
a.paddle.com/v...
Otter - Dictation app I use (get a month of pro-light for free)
otter.ai/refer...
Streamyard - Best Live Streaming Software! (get $10 off!)
streamyard.com?pal=5688077045465088
Flodesk - Newsletter Sender (get 50% off). It's easy to use + afforadable!
flodesk.com/c/...
#writer #author #selfpublish #writingadvice #selfpublishing #writingtips #authortube
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I'm so excited to see your thumbnail tests. Thanks for all you do!
Eeeppp! Me too! I’m going to start recording them soon! A lot of people submitted!
I have just recently found your channel, and learning about your journey and how you had to make mistakes in order to be successful has really encouraged me. Do you have any advice for someone like me who can't afford professional cover design services? Not gonna lie, I'm a little scared to send you my cover design for my upcoming novelette because I designed it myself and I KNOW that's a big no-no. But I'm currently investing the bulk of my money in my college education and am trying to do the best I can with the skills I have.
I have friends who SWEAR by a few designers on Fiver. They’re cheap, fast, and can make a good cover for less than $30! Cheap alternatives exists if designing isn’t your strong suit! ❤️❤️
Yay, thanks for answering my question! I’m so excited to go wide now. Halfway through writing book 3 of my series before I start publishing. Building my backlist first. Awesome video! Considering submitting my book 1 cover but I’m scared 😱 lol
You're so welcome! :) Hahahahahaha, well after I do one, then decide! LOLOL!!
This has inspired me to overhaul a series. I was working on the best way by tightening up a few things and changing the structure of the series.
Yasssss! I’m so excited for you! It can be so beneficial because your work lasts forever! Might as well help it keep making you money!
Thanks Courtney. I appreciate your effort so much. I find your channel very helpful. You have the best Authortube channel on here. Thanks again.
Thank you so much! Appreciate the kind words!
These q&a's are so useful and they always answer questions I have myself. Like the editor thing, I am just about to start looking for a line/copy editor and I didn't think to "test" them by putting in a known mistake. I was thinking of self-editing that sample to perfection so that I can see what they can do, how they could make my writing better. But I think I will let a couple things slip through now 😄.
Yes, do it! Then you’ll know if they are worth their weight because edits aren’t always cheap! ❤️ So glad you’re finding these helpful.
I can't wait for the cover deep dives!
Me too! I’m really excited about it!
I always laugh at your KU rants XD
😆😆😆
So glad you’re back. Missed your videos ♥️
Thank you so much!
I love Courtney's AuthorTube channel! 💜
Thank you!!
Is the cover test to send you just for fiction authors? I'm non-fic x
It can be any genre! I'm going to look up what's currently selling in the market. :)
Thanks so much for these awesome Q&A videos! I love learning such important information and gaining through your experience.
I’m so glad you’re finding these helpful! ❤️
This is such helpful information!!
❤️❤️❤️
It’s will be an incredible journey. I decided 2022 is my renewal year. I have removed 8 books so far from all platforms and I have 3 still in KU and 4 only on kindle no KU but I will be removing them soon. I am almost freaking out about removing those but I will get there. Then I have 3 wide from my publisher that I will get right back this year to 2 off them then the last in 2023. I am a one time USA Today best selling author but I am taking time off from that and diving into my first open name this year. ~Panic attack lol lol
You’ve got this! 🙌🙌🙌🙌
@@TheCourtneyProject we got this boo! ♥️♥️♥️
I do have a question--i started my series as YA. but now my main character is 22--and the series is expected to go for many more books. do I graduate to adult or stay where I am at?
That’s a hard one when you cross genre lines and also depends on what the content is. Are they doing “adult” things?
@@TheCourtneyProject the content is pretty consistent--and yes on some adult things --but very clean versions
What is KU other than paying for the same thing you already have to pay for as a library? *unpopular opinion* ???
I think you get more choices in the library network and it’s not $10 a month. Also, you can’t be in the library network if you’re in KU.
@@TheCourtneyProject Oh I meant this from the reader end--as in why do readers do this?? :P
all authors should be on Facebook? this is my first time hearing this. why?
Because you have the ability to make Facebook ads, have a Facebook page, and have access to a lot of amazing groups for self-published authors. Lots of benefits!
@@TheCourtneyProject interesting, thanks so much for answering me!
I 💜 Q & A Mondays!!! 😍😍😍
Aww yay!
Loved it-even after a year of self pub-still learning 😍😍
You never stop learning! :)
This was such an interesting video. I haven’t written a book, except on wattpad for fun. After watching this video, I think I might just give it a shot. I don’t really know much about self publishing, but I’m interested to know all about it.
Wattpad is a great place to start! Anna Todd went viral on wattpad writing One Direction fanfic. She's published books with big publishers solely because of Wattpad. She used to write the chapters on her phone while she worked at Target. It can help you hone your skills too!
Happy New Year :)
You too!!!
Thank you so much for answering my editing question! I never would have thought to put in mistakes on purpose, that's great advice.
You’re welcome! ❤️❤️❤️
I love that you go through giving all of us little newbies all of this information! You're awesome, thank you for helping the ones that don't really know anything besides that we want to write a book. :)
Aww, I'm happy to share! You're welcome and thank you for being here. I'm glad you're finding my channel helpful!
Character profiles - they sound incredibly helpful!
They are VERY helpful!
Wait, what is a 'free-quel'?
Besides the obvious...Book 2 is set as free?
A freequel is a prequel novella that’s written with the intent of always being free to lead people into your series. Usually around 15k-30k in length.
@@TheCourtneyProject Ahhhh, the prequel! I've accidentally hit a couple of those! Thanks!
I love Q&A Monday. I always learn something new. That being said, I have a question 🙈 So a little while back, I started another pen name. You know that I mostly write and publish contemporary romance. But I started out as a YA author. I have one book with another one in need of more editing and a cover so I went ahead and created a separate pen name with its own logo as well as signing up for an email service and everything else.
As of right now my main focus is my contemporary books. YA isn’t where I’ll publish a lot of books (it may just be one or two series). So since I don’t have a lot of new things for that pen name, how often would you suggest that I send out an email? Or focus on posting on SM? I was thinking maybe once a quarter for email and a few times a month for SM. What do you think I should do?
I think once a quarter would be good. If you don't have much to say then don't bombard them with crap emails just to send one, you know? But you do want to keep reminding them that you're subscribed and what you're working on, other YA books you've read that you like. :)
@@TheCourtneyProject Okay! I’ll just do every quarter. That’s one worry off my shoulders for now. I can always share what’s going on in my life and an update about what I’m working on YA related. I like the idea about talking about YA books I’ve read and liked. And maybe even add the Authors corner aspect to that as well. Thank you so much! That helps so much ♥️
Happy New Year Courtney! Your wink had me cracking up for about a full 5 minutes lol there's no wrong way to wink. You just need to be confident with it lol. Yesss i would definitely be in for a thumbnail test. Is that different from the cover critique video? I use freelance editors on Upwork for now because of the crazy release anxiety I get. It's like I finish a book and want to publish it as soon as it can be. But then I find I get overcharged. Hopefully, this is the year I can fall into a good writing schedule so I can find a dedicated editor that will work with the release dates I have in mind.
Happy New Year! It's not different, but the same thing! :) I can always send you my editors info when you're ready. She's quick, good, and easy to work with!
@@TheCourtneyProject Oh ok lol 😆 I have actually bookmarked Jenny's website from last November from the front of your books. But hesitated to reach out to her because I figured she would need to be booked months in advance. I'm my own worse enemy I tell you.
@@skyewinterbooks nah, she’d prob fit you in immediately. She quit her FT job to edit so she had more availability these days!
@@TheCourtneyProject Okay I promised myself that I was taking this month to try to get myself ahead on a writing scheduling and plan out releases for the year. So, when if I can get myself in order, it may be my golden opportunity to see if she can pencil me in. I just have to not let my anxiety talk myself out of reaching out.
@@skyewinterbooks I’m cheering you on!
I totally agree on the benefit of slipping test errors into a chapter for sample edits for copy-editing or proofreading. Paying for a developmental edit or story assessment typically doesn't include that type of grammar edit, but ppl who think it's unfair to put copy-editing work into a sample of copy-editing work are missing the point. I have 2 family members who copy-edit and neither would mind.
I personally write sci-fi/sci-fantasy and need a big pic editor to pat my series on the head and tell me I'm the right kind of crazy. I'm extremely facebook-phobic, anti-facebook, never-booker, I'm sure there's a term out there. But I just need to find my ppl and if Courtney says this is the starting place, I'll give it a shot. I can lead with my pen name, that should be fun.
Speaking of, does anyone have tips on setting up social media for a pen name?? How extensive can/should I be in creating her backstory?
Don't let on to Facebook that it's a pen name, I think my account got suspended for it not being my real name. (Their automated email was pretty ambiguous about it.) It's a really dumb rule but that's fb for you
@@paintedcrow yeah, their whole thing is knowing exactly who everyone is so they can most accurately sell our info. I'll try getting my email set up a bit before I go to fb. Thanks for the tip!
I’ve had my Lyra Parish facebook friend account since 2013 and have had no issues. I’ve even had to send them my drivers license because my ads account was suspended at one point. And well, my legal name and pen name are completely different, so I showed my DBA documentation. :) I think it’s fun to have, even if just to use the groups option for promos, cover designers, tip and tricks, PR, bloggers, and even editors. It can be SO beneficial for those who are starting out, but with that being said, I understand hating it. Lol, I have a love/hate relationship with FB.
Thank you for q&a Monday