5 Self-Publishing Mistakes I made as a Debut Indie Author
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- Опубліковано 5 лип 2024
- When I started self-publishing as a brand new indie author, I made some really big mistakes on my debut novel. I wanted to share in this video so you could learn from my mistakes and avoid making them with your own book!
Mentioned in Video:
◦ Cover Design Playlist: • All About BOOK COVERS
◦ Editing Playlist: • EDITING TIPS
◦ Why Covers Sell Books: • How BOOK COVER DESIGN ...
◦ My Author Story: • HOW I BECAME A FULL TI...
◦ Stone Ridge Books Cover Design: stoneridgebooks.com/book-cove...
◦ Enchanted Ink Publishing: www.enchantedinkpublishing.com/
◦ Reedsy.com (for editors and other publishing professionals): www.reedsy.com
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📚 T H E S T O L E N K I N G D O M S E R I E S :
www.bethanyatazadeh.com/thest...
◦ COLLECTOR'S EDITION / BOX SET: amzn.to/34A9wFw
◦ THE SECRET GIFT: books2read.com/thesecretgift
◦ THE STOLEN KINGDOM: books2read.com/thestolenkingdom
◦ THE JINNI KEY: books2read.com/thejinnikey
◦ THE CURSED HUNTER: books2read.com/thecursedhunter
◦ THE ENCHANTED CROWN: books2read.com/theenchantedcrown
◦ The Stolen Kingdom Audiobook: www.audible.com/pd/B088FVQNJK...
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📖 B E C O M E A P A T R O N :
Where you can receive digital early reader copies of my books, writing & publishing advice, help with your author platform, meet writer friends, and more!
/ bethanyatazadeh
💻 M Y A U T H O R N E W S L E T T E R :
Sign up for FREE exclusives (the first HALF of The Stolen Kingdom + a step-by-step self-publishing guide): www.bethanyatazadeh.com/contact
❤️ M Y M E R C H :
teespring.com/stores/bethanya...
📚 M Y S E L F P U B L I S H I N G C O U R S E :
www.udemy.com/course/novel-se...
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📒 M Y O T H E R W O R K :
◦ EVALENE'S NUMBER: amzn.to/3sZPlKi
◦ PEARL'S NUMBER: amzn.to/3Kyp63Q
◦ MARKETING FOR AUTHORS SERIES: amzn.to/3pTrbPG
◦ THE CONFIDENT CORGI: amzn.to/36aJd9m
◦ Novel Planner Notebook (mug cover): amzn.to/3hYnzYo
◦ Novel Planner Notebook (laptop cover): amzn.to/3KwvW9Z
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❤️ C O M P A N I E S I L O V E & A M A N A F F I L I A T E F O R :
◦ PUBLISH AND THRIVE: heartbreathings.teachable.com...
◦ WRITING STICKERS & the book launch planner (10% off discount code is BETHANY10): stoneridgestickers.com/?ref=Q...
◦ EPIDEMIC SOUND (where I get my music! If you'd like to try it for a month, using this link gives me a free month! Thank you in advance!): www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
◦ DRAFT2DIGITAL: www.draft2digital.com/bethany...
💬 L E T ' S C O N N E C T 💬
Website | www.bethanyatazadeh.com
Instagram | / authorbethanyatazadeh
UA-cam | / bethanyatazadeh
Patreon | / bethanyatazadeh
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Thanks for watching!
❤️ Bethany
Note: some of these links are affiliate links and will support me with a little extra income at no extra cost to you. :)
Timestamps:
0:30 - Mistake #1 with Covers
3:32 - Mistake #2 with Edits/Editors
6:12 - Mistake #3 with Unnecessary Spending
7:56 - Mistake #4 with Preorder Methods
12:05 - Mistake #5 in the writing process
#Authortube #NovelWriting #SelfPublishing - Навчання та стиль
That makes me sad that Bethany had a professor who discouraged her from writing. Don't let anyone stop you from pursuing what you think you should be doing. Your purpose.
I wrote my first book 32 years after my third grade teacher, Mrs. Deforge told me I wasn’t a good writer. Words are so powerful. Finally got the courage to hair write. Now I’m taking the next steps.
@@mayawallace7627, people often don't realize the impact their words have on others, who take it to heart, especially children. A third-grader has barely learned to join sentences together into a meaningful paragraph! Maybe she was having a bad day, and unfortunately, took it out on you.
No wonder Harlan Ellison reportedly punched out a professor who told him he shouldn't be a writer. Then he became famous.😅
As someone who has also taken 10 years to finally get out a project - it means so much to me to hear this from another creative.
Just wanted to say as a self published author myself, I really appreciate the time and advice you give out, you’ve helped me on my path sooooooo much. 🙏🏼
It has me too!!
Thank you so much Diana and Jean! That means a lot to hear!
My writing tutor is currently tearing apart my work. Some of it helps, most of it just brings me down and makes me think I'm not good enough. Thank you for helping me realise that hers is not the only opinion and that I can push past her negativity, finish this draft and move forwards as a writer.
Just remember how many times
J K Rowling’s work was rejected, Stephen Kings, James Patterson’s , Danielle Steele’s etc etc. There is always someone or someones that NEED your story ! 😊🙏🏻
@@Bravosmom1 JK traditionally published. She never did indie.
Just remember though, a finished draft is still a draft. You need to spend probably as much time editing it as you did writing it to get it to a reasonable state. That's a final draft (still a draft). Now the real polishing begins where you seek other, unflinchingly critical eyes. Then ... edit, edit, edit.
Then, and only then, are the words perhaps ready.
Next, the cover and interior design. These will take substantial time as well.
Good luck.
Write your heart out dont be discouraged by people who are hating cuz they aint done shit with their own writing.
I'm an editor and writing tutor, so I can tell you that a good tutor builds your confidence up rather than tearing it down. Tutoring requires celebrating a writer's strengths as well as offering feedback that teaches the person how to bring out their best writing. I've always gotten really great compliments on my own tutoring, but I was trained to do it within a university setting, so I came to it with the understanding of how to help rather than harm the writer's confidence. Wishing you more success and fulfillment of your current writing goals.
The ending of this video was so encouraging! And I love it when authors aren’t afraid to share things like this because it makes self publishing less daunting. Thanks 😊
Yay I'm so happy to hear that, thanks Jasmine! Self publishing is definitely a steep learning curve haha, we all have ups and downs, but what matters is that we get back up!
I've done 75 self-published books. I don't make much, but I pay a month or two of rent from my books. Everything I do now is profitable. YET, I've been publishing since 2012 but for the first 5 years I made no money. There was two issues: low sales and UNNECESSARY SPENDING! I paid no attention to what I was spending, and wasted soooo much money that took forever to reimburse. My first book JUST finally broke even this year (2023). I watch my expenses today.
I can relate to the last one. It took me years to finish my first book because I kept rewriting it. I finally bit the bullet and wrote it. And I finally published it in Oct. 2019. Now I'm on that last book of that series.
That's awesome, you got a lot further than most people who never finish a book, that's so huge!!
This video really encouraged me. I am working on my second book, which has been written and rewritten numerous times...goal to finish it! And yeah, the first book's cover. Mistake. I didn't trust the person I hired and had my own ideas which I imposed. Like yours, sold OK but to family and friends and went no further, have had to explain the idea of the book ad naseum instead of letting the cover do the work. That's now in process of getting a new cover. Live and learn... so good to hear your encouragement and experience!
I had a similar experience with my writing journey in that I allowed one person's negative opinion cause me to doubt myself. I also finished my first draft during NaNoWriMo, but I did get a decent editor and what I think to be a good cover designer. It still took me a few more years and telling myself that publishing the book would be my 50th birthday present for myself before I would pull the trigger and publish the book. Now I'm back at mistake 5 doubting myself with the sequels. This time however instead of that one person holding me back, I think I've grown enough as a writer to know there's just *something* missing with the 2nd book. If I'd just get off my butt and write it, I know I would be a lot closer to figuring out what that something is, but it's so much easier not doing that. I've joined a coaching class this month to try to get me over that hump and on to getting my second book written.
I'm so sorry you experienced that as well. And congratulations on moving forward and not giving up!
This is a valid thing. I had a total of ten beta readers, two critique partners, and one editor.
The beta readers where wonderful. A lot of their input was the same about things they liked from the story such as characters, unique stylistic elements, or plots and subplots. Which told me that, on the things that I mattered, I was doing something right.
One of the critique partners was incredibly nasty, and their input was the opposite of what I got from my beta readers. For instance, “I don’t care about the characters and don’t have any questions about what follows,” when my beta readers said they were invested and were excited or anxious to know more. “Your narrative is distant, like someone watching from a drone,” where my beta readers said that they were immersed and felt what the characters felt by how I described them experiencing events and emotions.
My editor wasn’t bad and had good input when it came to fine tuning with the developmental side, but they nitpicked a lot of my terminology, such as medical or weapons terms that I knew far better about than they did (having worked in fields related to both for the greater part of a decade,) quirks of the world such as slight differences in jargon of the book’s world and Earth, or individual speech ticks of characters. Like literally, a specific character uses the term “hey now,” as a way of saying “in my defense,” (eg, hey now, that was an accident), and the editor suggested I delete every time she says it, without providing a reason. Or that I should change “peak the door” to “peak at the door,” not realizing that “peaking” something in a combat scenario means “looking through or around it,” and that would change the meaning entirely. She also corrected my use of the radio term “out,” and replaced it with “over,” even though the conversation was finished. The term is “out.” That isn’t an item that’s up for discussion.
All in all it was a hair-pulling masterclass in gaslighting, where people who were “professionals,” fellow writers or editors, demonstrated a subconscious need to tear me down, either slightly or very egregiously like the critique partner, while the reader community only had sometimes neutral, but mostly positive feedback.
This told me that, regardless of the naysayers, READERS enjoyed reading my book. So I took the negative feedback with a grain of salt and actually listened to the consumers, not the naysayers. I had done my diligence and my research. I wasn’t an upstart, even though some felt the need to make it seem so.
If one writer says your book is shit and you should quit, but ten beta readers say they absolutely loved it, that tells you you’re doing something right. Avid consumers of a certain market won’t lie about liking a product, especially if they get nothing from doing so.
Just self published my first book about our son's battle with ASD and OCD, and I think so far my big mistake is hesitating on promoting it. I was excited initially but started to second guess myself...I'm going to turn my brain off and push forward!
I took several writing courses in college and I have to say I never listened to the professors when it came to my writing style. I feel that they are trained to write in a certain way and that’s all they want. I am an out of the box thinker. I don’t like typical story endings. You have to be your own advocate. You write what your passionate about. Thanks for the video.
Yeah that describes it really well! They come across as if there's only "one way" when in reality, writing is incredibly subjective, and different people like different things! Glad you didn't listen to them!
This is so true! I had a professor change my entire ending which everyone else loved. I was so angry 😡
I appreciate this video. It's so intimidating to enter into this world of writing . Your honesty about finishing and editing is a relief that there are others in this .
This video makes me glad I found you and subscribed. Your content is believable, as opposed to people who might have lot of talk but not many books. It's very useful. I'm getting ready to release my 2nd book, so I'm considering what I learned and comparing it to the points you made here.
Why am i watching this when i havent finished writing my book yet 👀🤣😔...if only i could stop being a perfectionist. I keep rewriting my prologue...
Hi Bethany ... I'm so glad I came across this video. I needed it. Your passion for writing (middle finger to your writing professor), tips on self-publishing, and selfless take on mistakes are inspiring. I especially appreciated your comments on finishing one's work. I'm halfway through my first novel and I've stopped for some ridiculous, unknown reason (long, exasperated sigh). Anyhow, I've subscribed and am looking forward to your other vids!
S
So beautiful that you kept contact with something that brought you so much joy and not letting the envious professor to stop you.
Thanks for talking about your mistakes in self-publishing! These are great things for writers to consider when publishing their stories. I'm so saddened to hear that you had a professor discourage you so harshly. Some teachers should not be teachers!
Also, as someone pursuing a career in editing, I'm heartened to see indie authors recognizing the importance of a great editor!
I am basically in the same boat as you were back then! I started my love of writing back in high school (I'm 24 now) and i wanted to eventually publish, but my mom and sister kept telling me that it's not feasible and that I should just focus on other things. I'm still struggling to write every day because I am also a vet tech and work over 40 hours a week, but I started writing again and I am determined to finish my first book!
It is absolutely feasible!! A lot of people see creating as a big risk, and that's okay if they feel that way, but we still need to create simply for the joy of it and if it ends up being really successful, that's just a bonus! :) You've got this!
Thank you for your openness and candor!!! So many passionate writers end up shutting down before they even start!!! Wonderful and encouraging video~ Kudos~
This was a great, educational video! I honestly appreciate you taking the time to post this. I made so many mistakes with my debut "Just a Little Broken" but my largest mistakes and regret lie in editing and preorders. I made an absolute mess of that, I just didn't realize how important preorders and A.R.C.'s were until much later. I was so secretive with my debut before it was officially published because I was so fearful and anxious it wouldn't even happen. As for the editing, I thought I was getting a better value for what I paid and I wish I would've hired a different editor of a different type too to improve it. It has some issues but I still absolutely love my story/book, while I'm learning from those mistakes to better benefit my current wip.
Thank you, so glad you liked it! And don't worry, you're not alone, but we learn from our mistakes and that's what is important!
Thank you Bethany for encouraging writers! And sharing your knowledge and experience!
Thank you! My novel is going live on January 31st so I can't undo much but this actually did help me build some confidence in my release. Also, I've had people discourage me too, and I am so SO proud of your for coming back to it.
I came across this video as I’ve been recently watching videos on self publishing and formatting and things of that nature. I am not an avid reader, and don’t regard myself as a writer, although I do enjoy telling stories and many aspects of writing. I’ve written several screenplays and enjoyed that process, but always felt unfulfilled when I loved the story but had no means to have it made into a movie so now I’m turning to writing my first book.
I’ve learned very quickly just in the process of starting the book that writing a screenplay and writing a book are not the same at all.
This video I am definitely going to come back to when I get closer to finishing because you mentioned things I haven’t yet considered. Seeking the review for the cover, elaborating more on the cover design speaking to the genre better.
Thank you for this video. I just subscribed and will be passively checking out more.
I honestly love these types of videos from other indie authors bc it helps ppl like me newbies know what not to do so that way we learn from more experienced authors like yourself! ❤️
Thank you so much!
Bethany...thanks so much for opening your heart and sharing with us your mistakes. This video changed how I am releasing my books. I am so grateful for you.
I have my first book signing at Barnes & Noble tomorrow but all the things that you're talking about editing cover design I really do think that I need to work on and I might even do another version of my book and get better editing and get a new cover design, but you have been the best most insightful person. I've listened to on the Internet in terms of book writing, and author information, so thank you.!
This is just what I needed and is amazing! As someone still very much learning the process I don't have a clue what I'm doing most times. I've been lucky enough to have good friends in the writing community that have helped guide me more than once.
One has even offered to be my editor when the time comes. She's a great writer herself. But I learn new things with each of your vids. Like for instance. I was going to use the cover design I have that I found through one of the free pic sites that you can use.
But I know I need to really get myself a cover designer and some beta readers, I need those too! The list goes on. But the wise words of my brother sit with me like yours. He said the same thing. My mom did too. Finish the story. The rest will come.
Thank you for the awesome videos as always.
Yay so glad you enjoyed it and that it was helpful! :D Good luck with your story and the publishing learning curve, you've got this!
Writing my most recent book has been a testament to my resilience - it took me all of three years to get to the final chapter. I'm glad I pushed through though. This was a last ditch effort to get my writing gears going again after a major bout of burnout-induced writer's block. I'm glad I finished it though and I'm glad I found your channel because I have no idea how to start getting it out there. Thanks for this.
I’m finishing up the manuscript and videos like this help immensely with making this a reality. Thank you.
Another great video that taught me loads. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Omg, sooooooo much great advice in this one video! Thank you so much! Sending you love! ❤️
Thank you for this post. One of the most encouraging and uplifting stories I've heard on book writing. It will aid and encourage many. God bless.
This is a great video. I have been writing for years, decades, and your insight into self publishing, editing, etc is really helpful. I absolutely agree with you that reviews are so important. In fact the first that catches my eye is the cover, the second, the reviews. Reviews really help guide the reader, and for me as a writer I like to read bad reviews as well as the good. What I find in the bad reviews actually helps me keep from making the same mistake. I read one review where an author made the protagonist so whiny that the reader stopped reading. Then I noticed at least 5 other reviews which had the same complaint. Great lesson!
Thank you for your videos, your wise words and help. Really helpful and appreciated!
Thank you Bethany ... your suggestions have been encouraging and very helpful. i"m a first time book writer and am researching how to get my book finished and published. I have subscribed to your channel and hope to learn more from your videos. Thank you again and keep up the good works!
Thank you for this, especially point #5. I found it very encouraging!
I really enjoyed this video. I just published my first book. Release date April 2024. I learned a lot from this video. I'm glad that I had your 1st 2 points down (cover and editor). Those were 2 very important things to me from the start. Sad that your professor discouraged instead of encouraged you. We can discourage ourselves when it comes to writing a book. We don't need help from others. However, I'm glad you pursued your goal as an author, which has led so many of us to this video! Keep up the good work!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have not yet published my first book (though I have finished it🤩), so these insights were super helpful. The number one tip I'm taking to heart is the value of investing in a good editor. This was a big question I had, as I have a very small budget, but your reasoning convinced me this is a high priority for my limited funds. Blessings to you on your channel and writing pursuits. Sorry about that prof. Good for you to overcome!
An excellent video. I pushed myself hard last year and really slowed down again. I almost had my first book ready for copy editing but there was so much developmental work needing done and life got in the way. Now I'm gearing up to get back on the saddle but it's such a difficult and vulnerable process. Hearing your words of encouragement are helpful and it's so good to know that mistakes are an inevitable part of the process that will help us grow as writers. 🙏
So glad it was helpful, you've got this!
Congratulations on pushing through the discouragement and not letting go, even if it took a long time to finish your first book! That is very admirable. (I'll look into setting up pre-ordering on Amazon. Thanks for that tip.)
thank you! and so glad it was helpful!
Absolute mondo help, Bethany! I'm a retired Soldier and now also just retired from the Veterans Health Administration. With that, I'm finally at the place in my life that I have looked forward to for 30 some years. Writing books! I'm just researching the intros and beginnings, hence how I came across your video. Thanks to your courage of honesty, you've probably saved me many frustrating headaches. I love how you make clear that "mistakes" are actually opportunities to learn and grow. Because they are! I also have always believed that things happen for a real reason. Even if we don't know what it is at the time. No matter how bad or good it is. And as a beginner, I have all the rest of your videos to watch.😁 I had to search for what an "Indie author" is. That's how green I am. But like I've said to so many throughout my life as a trainer in the US Army, High School History teacher, and Veterans I provided for at the VA, "You have to start somewhere." I'm not that educated on novel type of writings so non-fiction would be my main area. At least at first. Probably, due to all the papers I had to write through college up into grad-school. If I did do a novel it would be based on some historical event. I'm sure this as all TMI. I'm just very grateful for your video.
Excellent!
This video came up in my news feed on my phone this morning. I enjoyed it and was definitely very helpful.
Thanks for sharing,
James
So glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this good video and tips even tho I knew most of them. I like your title of this video. It's easier for me to listen to someone who teaches form a humble place from their mistakes. I'm Glad you finished the book even after your teacher's discouraged you with their wrong opinions. This was encouraging. I want to learn more about. I want to learn more about kick starter. This book was inspiring
Thank you for your honesty ! Bravo Bethany, i am writing my book right now and i will take your advice :)
This was very helpful. I love that you went from paying for Kirkus Review to teaching us how to do this on the cheap. That's growth ;)
Also the bit about your professor telling you to quit writing was incredibly sad. Even if they didn't LIKE your writing isn't the whole point of their job to teach you how to refine and hone your craft? Even if it took you 10 years to circle back around to it, I'm glad you did. I love your books and tbh they mean a lot to me. I'd love to hear the rest of your author journey!
Thanks Erica! And I agree, it's really disappointing to look back on and realize it could've gone very differently. But it's also the story that led me to where I am today, so I can appreciate that maybe it helped me care less what other people think when I came back to writing haha... So happy to hear that you love the books, thank you so much!
I find authors make the best content videos. Nice work!
Yes Torally Incredible helpful encouraging video..Bless your heart Mightily and continued grand success in your future draft writings and Books....
Thank You,
Blessings & Peace 🕊️
Hi I can relate. I made some similar mistakes with my children’s book. Thank you for sharing.
Loved it!!! I have started my book but haven't finished it yet. However, Thanks for the inspiration and motivation! 😁
Great tips, it’s always so hard to talk about mistakes but thank you for sharing. I learned a lot that I can use right away. Thanks
Absolutely! So glad it was helpful! :)
all of your videos are so helpful Bethany! Thank you for taking so much time on your videos and sharing so much information:)
Yay thank you Sarah, I'm so glad you like them!
Hi, thanks for sharing your so called “ mistakes” I have just completed writing my memoir, and looking for a good editor, I was also thinking of designing the cover but not anymore ☺️
This was so helpful and encouraging. Need to listen again to take notes. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Thank you for sharing. Professors, teachers and mentors who aren’t careful with a budding author can do so much damage. We have a responsibility to nurture. You are such an inspiration.
Agreed! Thank you so much!
Bethany, thank you very much. I am looking at 7th July for my first book to be published on Amazon, you've made me realise that I have a ton of stuff to do between now and then. Thank you thank you thank you!
This was so nice to hear. I also made mistakes with my first book and feel like I've grown so much as a result. Still, definitely not fun at the time. I'm still kicking myself for a few of them.
Yeah I can relate to that, making mistakes sucks, but it teaches hard lessons like nothing else haha! Don't worry, you're not alone, we all make mistakes!
Gosh, you are good at this. Thank you so much!
You encourage me! I totally relate to rewriting the begining again and again. Going to try NanoWrimo this year!
Very clearly articulated. Thanks for sharing.
Your videos have been really helpful. Thank you!
I'm so glad!
It's always wonderful to have two editors or one editor who does both a developmental and style editor and one for line editing. When I was in college my professor for my creative writing course actually mentioned who so few editors actually do developmental and style editing and actually had me focus on my style and development more than just what words went on the page. I ended that class with an aesthetic style all my own and felt like I got more out of my writing than I ever did with someone just going line by line. I actually felt able to go line by line was easier once it was aesthetically mine.
I'm finally getting back to trying to finish something that I started in middle school. The first versions (which I never finished) were pencil on paper. I got lots of positive feedback from teachers on my writing, but life kept getting in the way. The kids are grown now so I've been trying to make this my main focus. Looks like it's a lot easier to get published now compared to when I started.
Very encouraging, and great information, Bethany. God bless you❤️🙏
Great video! Super helpful and informative. Subscribed!
Thank you for sharing your writers journey - I am really taking what you say to heart.
So glad it was helpful!
I've worked on a novel for more than 20 years. Lots of life issues got in the way over the years, but in the last two years the time was right and I was able to focus on finishing the first draft and I'm nearing completion of the second draft. Then it will be officially onto the third draft soon for beta-reader feedback. I've outlined my second book using the post-it method. So I plan to have the third draft into the hands of beta readers in November while I join in on NANOWRIMO for the first draft of book 2. December will be querying agents or setting up for self-publishing. Thanks for all the information you share. It is much appreciated by all of us rookies.
I'm currently writing a book, thank you for this video. It's encouraging and informative.
I learned a lot about how to publish as indie from your videos. I used to have a bad experience regarding the choice of cover, then I learned from you how to choose a cover artist. It meant so much to me. Thank you so so much. And I think thank you is not enough. God bless you, Bethany
I'm so glad you enjoyed the videos and that they've been helpful! :)
Thank you for sharing this! Very helpful advice for new authors! I have the second version of Evalene's Number cover, but I also like the look of the first one. I get it that the second one represents the genre better, but I just wanted to let you know that both covers look great!
Yay so glad it was helpful! And that means a lot that you like the original cover too, thank you! :)
This video was very helpful. Most of my professors liked my writing, but I got distracted with other things and never had the time or courage to pursue publishing. I needed to make a living, and getting what I wrote published and earning a living at it seemed like a long shot and too much to risk. These lessons might make the difference I need.
I have been on the self publishing and writing advice rabbit hole, but I think this video above all else gives clear advice and motivation to future authors.
Glad it was helpful!
I'm a self published author and I totally understand having to market harder before strangers will consider the book. Your tips are very helpful!
Hi am trying to publish my project work of over 8 years by myself. I have watched your UA-cam videos, is quite helpful.
Thanks for the info; this is really good stuff
Great stuff Bethany!!
I so needed to hear this, right now. Today, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Awe bless you, thank you for your insights a brave share 🙌🏼
You are so sweet to share these things with us. Thank you.
You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
One of things I'm so grateful on a taking class when I was younger was a creative writing class. My English teacher was also my creative writing teacher and she got me into really love writing more than I already was. What made it even better was that she was into so many genres and she loved stories as well! She would get so excited talking about books, poets, stories, movies, etc. I'm hoping to see her to show the current story I'm working on and catch up on life with her.
She was like a second mom to me in high school and she loved the way I write but she would always give me pointers and explain even though creative writing is a free for all in style you should still follow basic elements of writing. At the end of the day you should make sure the reader can understand what you are saying. And not baby spoon your readers lol
Can you pleasssseee do a video of the genres and what a cover must have in it? A updated video with the most common genres or as many as you want. I'm still learning to research them
Thank you for sharing. Best wishes going forward 😊
OMG this was super helpful!! I am not sure if you have any time for a quick chat, but I am first time children's book author and I teetering between a pre-order launch or Kickstarter campaign
This was so helpful!! Thank you so much!!
So glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the valuable information👍🏾
Thanks Bethany! You're such a credit to the indie community ☺
Thank you so much!
Very helpful ideas/recommendations from Bethany...thanks!
Glad you enjoyed!
This was very encouraging. ❤️
Best way to learn is from our mistakes, thanks for sharing!
The video made self publishing much more clearer to me. Thanks for sharing it. Btw you are so sweet 😊
Yay so glad it was helpful! :)
I wold loved to know how you set up your Kickstarter with the tiers! Thanks for sharing all of this info and your personal journey. I'm so sorry that your professor was so discouraging. No teacher said every tell a student they are not good at something (coming from a previous college English and Literature teacher)!
To be honest, I just followed the advice videos and blogs on the kickstarter website haha! I'm not sure I was an expert, but it was fun! And thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this video. As a self-published author who has had several bad plays with smaller publishers, I went back to self-publishing. Editing has been my sore spot. With many eyes and editors, I keep finding errors. and it's kept me from releasing book 3 in my series. Readers who love the series, keep asking about book 3. Every republish I do puts those readers off although, I have found new readers. its exhausting and depressing to have to keep go over the manuscript over and over again.
Hi Bethany, My 10 yo and I are working on her final draft and artwork for her first published book (she has another book she's still writing-all self-directed by her-she is my hero!). We are learning so much from you, she is a talented author, and her target audience is for this book (although it was not written with her audience in mind-she was simply writing her feelings and thoughts after several experiences within our family and in life-sort of journaling). I was reviewing her work and came across this little book/journal within her school work and read it and it screamed- "Publish me!" I discussed this with her, as she was already writing a fantasy book with the intent of publishing it and she agreed we should publish her work. She has many goals in life, one of them is to be an author. We homeschool and it's been such a joy to see her grow and learn and to be her biggest fan! Thank you for all your energy, thoughts, time and sharing your journey with us. Thank you again!
Thank you! Great, valuable information.
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for your honesty. Can I ask what do you think about using Grammarly or Word when editing a book? I ask as funds are very tight for me when it comes to paying a professional editor. Any thoughts please thank you.
Thanks Bethany for all the information you are sharing. I want to publish my first book and still feel lost on what to do. I just purchased your Udemy course about self-publishing and hope it helps me on this journey
From the start we all make decisions based on our knowledge and as time passes our experience changes, and our decisions are more informed. ♥️ I have a list as well, maybe I should do a video lol
Very true! And you should! :)
I've been watching your videos on Self Publishing, Thank you! Do you happen to have a video on how to properly cite quotes used in your book?
Hi Bethany, I fully sympathize with the editing aspect I made the same mistake and realized I should have hired a copy editor.
Thank you for sharing!!
I have made all five mistakes and tried to get my book out to publishers but Damn they wanted any where from $3000, to $5000 to do all the things she just explained here! Thank you! I have so much to learn!
You are a wealth of good and important information. I watched 3 of your videos after discovering you earlier today. I have the basic meat of a book. It is just seeming to be a bit to short. I want to add to it, but I do not want to make it longer just for the sake of having a book that feels thick enough. I am a minimalists and quite succinct. What would you suggest to help make it thicker (larger font, wider spacing, an interesting forward, etc)?