Self Publishing is PAIN! (but here’s how to)
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- Here is my detailed experience in self-publishing my novella Breach of Peace! Otherwise known as the self-publishing how-to guide by Daniel Greene
BREACH OF PEACE LINKS:
Amazon: amzn.to/3kHsyNJ (physical/ebook)
B&N: tinyurl.com/3d... (physical/ebook)
Book Depository: tinyurl.com/2h... (physical)
Google: tinyurl.com/ab... (ebook)
Apple: tinyurl.com/rc... (ebook)
Kobo: www.kobo.com/u... (ebook)
Merch: teespring.com/...
Patreon: / danielbgreene
Discord Server: / discord
Twitter: Da...
Twitch: / fantasynews
Instagram: / dgreene101
Subreddit: / danielgreene
Podcast: afictionalconv...
Equipment:
Camera: amzn.to/3siqgHv
Lense: amzn.to/3ugGxhQ
Lighting: amzn.to/3aI3brK
Microphone: amzn.to/3pCGtWg
Tripod: amzn.to/3kd9yq1
If you have any questions about the process leave them here and I’ll answer them in a follow up video!
Are you really a goblin?
@@Nasser851000 asking the real questions
@@Nasser851000 obviously he is
Do you think that it would help to study journalism if you wish to be a writer?
How to get reviews on the book?
"Don't compare yourself to Sanderson"
"haha keyboard go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" - Brando Sando, probably
Lol
When what you've ever written is a novella, even the idea of such a comparison is completely irrelevant.
"Speed, I am speed"
- Brandon-most-probably
Professor: "And deriving from maxwell's equations and using the Lorentz corrections here, Einstein showed light is the fastest thing in the Universe, and nothing can go faster".
Brando Sando: "Challenge accepted".
Also, Stephen King.
Self-Publishers are BRAVE. And yes first drafts will make your eyes bleed.
I KNOW YOU! YOUR BOOKS ARE GREAT!
@@Alihassan9193 thanks!!!
First drafts are utter crap
Self publishing is such a nightmare but actually at the end you absolutely love it when you hold your book in your hands
Until the day you realize you and your editor missed something... and then you'll hate it for a few hours before loving it again. (But still forever be haunted a little)
@@lindsaymorrison7519 Still forver haunted a lit, actually.
However, with Amazon it's actually easy as fuck to fix it, thank god. Otherwise, I would be screaming until the end of time.
You make it sound like having a baby.
I’m a graphic designer and I’m SO GLAD you mentioned paying your artist fairly and also being detailed when giving answers and art direction 😂 for me it’s 10x more difficult when someone is vague or just says “do whatever feels right”. As a designer it’s our job to bring your vision to fruition so the more detail the better
There's a distinction between cover designers and artists that's quite important. An artist will often not do the typography, and that is really important for branding and meeting genre norms. You might find a great artist on DA or ArtStation but they may not be able to brand your book. You may also find you have to be really clear about the important part of the image being on the right hand side of the book because they don't all have experience.
I would never use a general graphic designer for a book cover because it's what sells your book. What you need is someone who can tell you what you need. Someone who knows the genre expectations and will do the typography correctly.
If you look for cover designers, you'll find people who generate art digitally or traditional illustration, but also do the typography themselves. These people should not need lots of art direction and will likely tell you to stop asking for particular things. This is because most new authors want to depict a scene from their book. Well, that's not what sells your book. What sells your book is dragons, or a silhouette of a guy running toward an identifiable capital city building, or a bloody knife (depends on genre). If you require illustration for your genre (which is rare) then you've got a bigger problem because then you have to find someone in budget, who can do the right type of art, and gets the layout requirements (like leaving space for your name and title and the top and bottom and not putting a focal point on the back!). :D
You should pay them fairly of course. All the cover artists I know have this thing called 'setting their own prices' which guarantees they're charging a fair rate. You can save money by starting with pre-made covers and it's easy to research what cover designers and artists charge in your genre so you aren't paying more or less than you should (which is of course, dictated by your funds - if you're a stock broker, you can likely afford to invest more in your first books than a student).
@@jonevansauthor yes! I am a full-time freelancer who does editing, ghostwriting and cover design in the indie author space - and market research is so much more important than people often assume it is.
It's not my job to execute the client's vision perfectly to their specifications. It's actually my job to educate my client on current market trends in their genre, and communicate with them about how we can apply these design trends to their original artistic vision.
I make covers that sell books. That's priority #1.
Your cover design is not for you. Don't pay for something you like, artistically. Your cover is for your target market. Pay for a designer who understands how to create a cover that will communicate to your consumers "hey, this looks like the kind of book I already know I like," which immediately grabs their attention, and is designed from the get go to be legible and attention grabbing at the thumbnail size.
So many bad covers out there. Writer spends a year or two or five writing a great story and then won't commit to making it beautiful. Professional I don't get it. Such a waste.
“Don’t compare yourself to Sanderson” is the absolute best advice of the whole video 😂 so true
I need to switch "Sanderson" for "Oda" though. Yes. My expectation are too high for my own good. Don't judge me.
Do. Because Sanderson is NOT best writer in the world.
@@devinreese1397 true. He is a great storyteller and I am fine with his writing but that level of writing can't be what you strive for
Daniel is writing stoned. That's the lesson I take from this. Write stoned.
Think of ideas and write them down. Don’t try writing the actual book.
@@DanielGreeneReviews sounds like good advice
@@DanielGreeneReviews stoned idea-generation sounds like it might create good absurdist fantasy
I mean look at Stephen King....some say his best work is when he was high on drugs.
Edit: Not promoting this though! I don't do drugs at all and I'm writing, maybe that's why I'm having a hard time lol
I mean Stephen King did
I've been writing for almost seven years now and I have never been able to get anything published. i might actually try self publish. thank you Daniel for giving me hope
A lot of the best books I've read in the past two years were self published like Rage of Dragons (to be fair it got him picked up by a publisher for the sequels) or Sword of Kaigen!
I heard an author say once (don’t know who, sorry) that you shouldn’t self publish because you couldn’t get traditionally published, but instead because that is the best avenue for your story
@@conormeehan. I think that advice hasn't aged all that well. A lot of new trad-published authors started self-publishing first. It creates a brand that can really help sell more books for the publisher.
It's definitely true that you're going to hate whatever you have written for a while. I've deleted so much of my work. Don't do that. Save your ideas, your future-self will thank you.
I've deleted all of my fanfic and some of it had thousands of views which hurt my fanfic reader heart.
I agree! I've been writing, mostly for myself, since I was about 9 years old. I'm 45 now and still using some of the same characters, even though there have been some significant changes due to my own increasing age (and maybe maturity). I was a child then, but I had some good stuff. And looking more recently, I've tossed out some good stuff that could be recycled the same way.
"Don't compare yourself to Sanderson," -the writing advice we all need
I do that all the time, and I haven't even read any of his books. The cloest I could get if I got really good would probably be Tad Williams (3 books in 7 years, but that last one was still 2 and a half years behind deadline).
Before Tor, I self published for 10 years, starting into 2011. And for 10 years I've been screaming for people to get their book edited. Writers like me, Michael G. Manning, Daniel Arenson, Michael J. Sullivan (You heard me. He started out self-published) and others fought tooth and nail for respect and recognition. We had zero resources and were the constant target for critics. You can't imagine how much I hate hearing someone say they don't need an editor. Or say they'll edit their book after it's published. After everything we went through and all the sh!t we had to take....yeah....get a damn editor. :)
I and the other writers I named have had wonderful indie careers. I alone sold more than 500k copies of my indie books, not counting audio. So it can be done. It makes me happy to see it when writers like you, Daniel, care enough to do it right.
Tolkien didnt have an editor. Or so Ive told.
@@gavasiarobinssson5108 He did in the sense his publisher would act as a DV. But even if he didn't we're talking about a once in a generation literary mind who defined the genre for all those who followed.
@@gavasiarobinssson5108 Tolkien also, literally, wrote the Oxford English Dictionary.
He also spent decades writing and rewriting his books.
He was an editor himself and he knew language inside and out.
Woah, I just met you at Kansas City Comicon today and got a few of your books. So cool seeing you in the comments section here. Started reading The Bard's Blade when I got home and I'm loving it.
@@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz4676 So thrilled you're enjoying it. See you next year.
Speaking as an artist, I love it when people give detailed feedback EARLY ON. Especially since I do traditional art, someone saying, "Oh I love it!" in the sketches and pencils, and then hours of work and fifteen layers in in, saying "Oh...no the hair is wrong, it needs to be shorter!" helps no one, because at that point, it is very, VERY difficult to change things. Clarify things, ask questions, give notes, and if you're not sure or unhappy about something? Say so! It's your art and you are involved in the process!
Me at every step: Write that down, write that down!
As someone who is both a very big fan of Daniel, and an aspiring future writer, I am very thankful for this video
You write about the future? 😄
You either are a writer or aren't a writer. There's no "aspiring" for that. Now if you want to be an aspiring author, that makes sense
@@DontuseMyRealNameYTplz1425 wut?
@@jadewood3342 You can't really "aspire" to be a writer, but you can aspire to be an author. Literally anyone can be a writer because writing is a simple activity. When you are writing a text, you are technically a "writer".
@@DontuseMyRealNameYTplz1425 oh that makes sense😂
Step 1-actually finish the first paragraph of my book
Step 0-finish the the outline for my book
@@VoidLantadd not necessarily. You don’t need an outline to make a good story (George rr Martin, Stephen King)
@@conormeehan. yeah, but I need to finish the outline for my book lmao
Step -01 Make a title
@Odorless Kingsford when I’m my comment did I ever say that wasn’t true or that I didn’t believe that? Actually think before you reply
Even though I have no intention of writing a book, let alone publishing one, I found this video very interesting 😁
I was pretty curious about this, working at a publishing company. I think the biggest surprise to me was the 'you get the book and check every page; you're going to find mistakes'. We definitely don't check every single page, and there'll always be at least a few errors in the final work. These usually get sifted out after the first few printings, but not all of them get caught.
It rarely happens that the cover isn't alligned correctly, since there are pretty standard sizes and we're publishing tonnes of books a year. But I can see this being a bigger issue when you self publish.
So thanks for the insight! And congrats on publishing your book successfully :)
“This is your first draft. You are going to hate it.” Literally my creative life in two sentences . I feel very seen, at the moment. Congratulations Daniel! Hopefully we will all feel safe enough to be in a room with a bunch of people one day, and you can do a signing event for your book ❤️
But let’s be real, you give your cat your writing, the feedback will be brutal.
SO BRUTAL!
I’ve been a self published author since 2014 and it’s always a painful experience, but it’s also a very satisfying experience. I have full creative control, I get to choose who I want to edit and proof read my novel, someone I trust, and I get to choose who to design my cover and any illustrations if needed. The hardest part of self publishing I find if the marketing. Oh god the self marketing! It’s a constant battle but I wouldn’t change it for anything!
I’m not a professional artist by any means but as it’s a hobby of mine I’m definitely in the community and honestly, thank you so much for the way you talked about the subject in this video, even mentioning tipping and all. Way too often artists aren’t paid and/or valued nearly enough.
Yup, we need to have realistic ideas of what artists are charging. Book covers are a good field to get into btw, and assuming you are better at any kind of art than I am (not hard) you may find a market for your work. There are authors who are just starting out who are looking for covers of all sorts so as long as you can create things that are genre appropriate, there's some demand out there. :)
@@jonevansauthor I wasn't really planning on going in that field, but the more I read the more I just want to create art for all of these wonderful books. Maybe someday. Either way, thanks so much for this genuinely nice comment, have a nice day :)
Honestly this guide is the single video out of a dozen in the vein that makes me feel like self-publishing is something accessible and doable. Thanks
As an artist I'm overjoyed every time my clients gives me more details and even some reference about what they want instead of giving me a vague brief. Thank you so much for saying that!
I wish I'd seen this video like 12 years ago. Started my first book series when I was 15. Ended up scrapping all but the first book. Then rewrote it 3-4 times and just finished it. 12 years later...
I'm 10 years into doing the same thing. Started when I was 12, still writing the same series (but with different characters) on and off. I've actually thrown away a lot of stuff I wrote back then, it was terrible. 😅
Congrats for finishing your book though, that's an awesome achievement, doesn't matter how long it took!
I am in the same place! Got my book published, but the market for fantasy novels for adults is reeeally small here in Sweden, so now I am translating my novel into English myself.
One thing I would say as an Editor is be prepared to going 'blind', so don't be surprised if a Proof reader misses something that another Editor/Proof Reader picks up on. Also, accept the fact that there will always be errors in your work, no matter how many times you and however many people read it, it's an accepted fact in the industry that you are not going to catch everything. And finally, if your work has some kind of stylised writing keep a style guide - its basically a cheat sheet for you and your proof readers to use when checking for consistency, so for example do all your Goblin characters speak in italics? If so, put that in your Style Guide, or do you want your work written in British English (including the correct comma style?) Then put it in your Style Guide! :)
Selfpublishing has gone such a big step in the english language... Sad that this hasn't happened in many other countries so far... Germany for example is a real shame in this area.
Well, we're always slower when it comes to almost anything to do with the digital space (except for regulations). :/
Still, there are a few German authors, who are also writing in German, that have found mainstream success through self-published works - but they're either writing in the Crime or Romance genre. But it is obviously something to note, that almost all self-published German fantasy authors that have garnered a following write & publish their books in English rather than German.
@@Grimscribe732 Yeah, we don't have to talk about the state of Fantasy in Germany... It's frightening, what out publishers think, the people are interested in this genre. Have you read when Sanderson spoke out about the trouble happening around Cosmere related Books in germany?
I really don't know in which world these publishers live
@@robinstrich2553 Exactly. That's the main reason why I write in English (and because I prefer the language). German publishers don't like the hard-magic SciFi/Fantasy blend I write, while in English it's almost the mainstream
@@robinstrich2553 That's too bad - even though you've got the strong precedent of the Grimm brothers and Michael Ende. Of course Ende published back when Germany was bifurcated, maybe that caused more of an appetite for escapism?
@@milospollonia1121 And the fun part is, that exactly this traditionalism is why so many germans dismiss Fantasy and don't pick it up. They all think that Fantasy has never subverted the tropes LotR and GoT have set.
'DONT COMPARE YOURSELF TO SANDERSON' was the advice I needed today. Thank you🥺
If you love writing, and you’re watching this and it sounds like a nightmare that you want nothing to do with-keep writing anyway. It’s good for you and there’s nothing wrong with being a hobbyist. Publication doesn’t have to be the goal. (This is for me, seven years ago. I know you’re out there.)
I hope you mentioned coffee in your acknowledgments.
Great video! I'm also a HUGE fan of Vellum. My experience in the self-publishing world is that most of the authors just don't have much money to work with. When you do your follow-up, it be super useful to include the actual costs for each of the steps: editor (word count matters here), illustrator, cover designer, vellum one time cost, ingram costs for upload and updates, audiobook (word count also matters, PFH). Almost makes me want to set up a like Venture Capitol for Authors kind of deal to help out all the amazing authors who just can't afford to publish properly!
I am going to do all of my English course assignments on a variety of ways people self-publish. Congrats on being one of my examples. 100% preordering the book. Excited to read it.
Thank you for saying all of this about an artist and a hiring one for a cover. As a freelance illustrator for 10+ years, doing exactly this kind of job, I wish We had more clients with your mindset. Good luck with the your book!
Daniel saying "wholly original art" got me mentally tacking a "Batman" on the end, and I realized Daniel would make a good Robin, the Boy Wonder
Holy original art, Batman!
Imagine Daniel in those booties 😂
"Pay your fucking artists. They have a skill you do not. Pay your artists."
I just want to say thank you as someone who does illustration work for the bit about communicating with the artist properly. Don't be shy about telling us exactly what you want up front! We're illustrating your world, not ours. We'd much rather get it right the first time than put our own spin on the details and realize we had a different vision than the author did.
My self-publishing journey was not totally unlike your own... BUT...
I am in Canada and my book was a Family history. Non-fiction books have the caveat that in writing it I had to choose an academic standard I wanted to adhere to. I spent 20 years doing genealogical research and shaping the 'epic narrative' of the book.The story went from 1655 to the present and had a cast of thousands, from the first immigrant to the new world to his youngest descendant. The book was part encyclopedia of individuals having a common blood line and their spouses and various relatives. I had sections on heraldry and historical trivia.
In the end the total page count was 550. I sent one section (I didn't have the nerve to call them chapters) to a freelance editor to do a superficial overview. She was very helpful. It was not a line by line edit, but more of a general opinion with some suggestions on style. I also asked several people from my entourage to give me tips. At 550 pages I could not afford to get a proper edit done. So I guess I am part of the problem...
I decided to write in WORD, eschewing fancy editorial software. It just seemed more practical. I was going to deal with a printer directly. Most printers will accept a PDF and print up as many copies as you can afford. They will go through the same process as a publisher, providing you with a proof or galley that will allow you to make the necessary adjustments and corrections.
A family history is a niche product that has a limited sales appeal. I could never hope to sell more than a few hundred copies. I did get a boost from the National Archives. If you register and send two copies of your book to Ottawa they provide you with a free ISBN number and you get a tax break on the printing cost. But having limited sales prospects made illustrations a problem. I had to use as many photos and illustrations as possible that are in the public domain. Again the National Archives were a Godsend. They have banks of photos that are copyright free. I used old drawings from history books that are in the public domain, etc. I only paid for two or three pieces of original artwork that I really really wanted as chapter headers. I also did a lot of graphics work myself in Photoshop and Illustrator. My wife used to be a graphic designer and coached me.
In the end I ran out of time to do one thing I really wanted, which was a person index at the end of the book. I would have had to go through the text and add a code next to each and every one of the thousands of names to compile an index. It just wasn't feasible.
We presented the book at a family reunion in New York and sold them at a very reasonable price. I needed to sell 114 copies to break even and sold 85. So I lost about 900 dollars (Canadian) on the publication of my first book. Not too bad.
Whoa, 900? How much did the book cost to publish in total??
A pretty fair run-down of the process from what I can remember from doing it 10+ years ago! On top of that, being an Aussie author, there was also tax stuff to negotiate as well as pricing to maximise the 35%/70% returns from Amazon.... I was lucky enough to find an artist who has happy to whip up some artwork for what was a reasonable price and to get his name out there. The hardest part of the whole process is kick-starting the sales, being part of groups and exchanging reviews helped to spread the word about mine. At one point I was higher than one of my fave author R.A. Salvatore on the Paid Kindle books list (in the Top 100, maybe 55ish from memory, I have the screen capture somewhere!), however that didn't last LOL.
Glad that you stress that self-published authors should get their book through a professional editing process. Something that almost can't be overstated. I haven't published a book myself yet, but have several academic publications and even with these rather dry texts, unbiased and honest editors are a crucial part of the process and need to be involved to have proper quality control.
Ah schadenfreude. The best thing to ever come out of Germany.
Ein Land, eine Nation, eine Kommentarsektion.
I prefer German engineering, but sure
@@Ryan-mech-muffin Haha very funny.
Bitteschön.
Zeitgeist, and ersatz are pretty good too.
I can tell since your book came out youre super pumped. Im happy for you, dude, congrats.
"Don't compare your self to Sanderson" is probably the best piece of advice one can give.
This was really insightful! You've done an awesome job, mate. A proud Goblin, you should be.
THANK YOU for hiring professional editors. I have had so many bad experiences with self published books that are borderline unreadable. I already have my pre order! Best of luck Daniel 🤟📚🤗
I don’t want to self publish a book (maybe one day my confidence level will get there) but I just watch every video you make regardless. Very informative and interesting.
I have zero interest in ever writing, let alone publish, a book. But this video was really interesting to watch! It's always nice to see what people need to get through for us to read their work!
Pips had some great advice in his segment.
Also, love that you pointed out to pay your artists and specifically paying them half up front. So many artists get duped when they don't ask for money up front, but some artists are awkward people that don't like to push for money. Not to mention the huge amount of people asking for free art or art for "exposure".
Can't wait to finally read your hard work!
I came here to thank the Greene for laying out how to treat your artist fairly. It's so hard if a client wants something specific but won't tell us till after we get all the work done 😭
Thank you for this video!! 🎬📽
“Sign your soul away” - what kind of rights do you sign to a publisher like Ingramsparks? I thought one of the bonuses of going indie was keeping more rights.
You do! But you also can sign exclusivity things to make more money if you want to. I can get more into that in the future.
Thanks! Exclusivity makes sense. I’d love to hear more in the future!
Can definitely relate to many things in the video, Daniel. I’m also trying self-publishing here in Brazil, and… let’s just say that “pain” sums it up pretty well. Waiting for the release of the digital version of your novella so I can also have my copy! Really happy for you and for this project!
Bookmarked this video for some unknown time in the future when I actually write the thing.
Let's watch a video on how to avoid pains of self-publishing, so that when I self-publish I will be able to look back and say "Oh right, I could have avoided all of that.".
ZERO DISLIKES, humanity must have grown sense
I dont get why ppl dislike this kinda videos, like did a rock fell over their head or smth???
Pre-ordered!
Thanks Daniel for opening my eyes to the world of Self-Publishing. I knew it was a thing, but you opened me up to the incredible world outside of mainstream fantasy.
I'm proud to say my first purchase of a self-published author is your book!
Thanks for all you do
Daniel, it will be super okay and everyone will have fun reading your book. You made no promises, you went for a novella, because you wanted to leave that room for practice, you went the hard way although you are a prominent influencer and chose self publishing and going through the process all by yourself and it shows how serious you are about this and how much it means to you. Just because of this, all your viewers will love to read this book, since you put in so much care. It will be okay, go read a book and be happy you made your dream come true!
Good luck Daniel. Your channel got me into fantasy last year. I preordered your book to support you and looking forward to reading it.
I'm trying to write a book. And one thought has crossed my mind a few times on how I'm going to get it published.
You should have consulted with Michael J. Sullivan about self publishing (he has been labeled "the most successful self published author").... He has written extensively on many sites about every conceivable detail regarding the self publishing process, and comparissons with traditional publsihing (which he also did for a few books). And he is always willing to answer anyone's questions about this. Just a great dude.
Thx
This was so helpful Daniel! The chances of me sitting down to read a book are slim to none, but if I ever want to, I’ll definitely come back to this video!
I really love this video. I am trying to self publish a book, and what you said has really helped me get into the headspace to power through and making my dream a reality! Thank you so much for this!✨
Ordered it when you did the first post! Cant wait to read it Ganiel :D
Your dedication is incredible - the amount of learning and upskilling you need to do ON TOP OF writing the blasted thing in the first place is enormous. Your detailing of the various companies involved in getting the final product into hands was especially enlightening, I had no idea what was involved re: print and distribution.
Realising I've got a hell of an ace up my sleeve in this game, though. I'm a graphic designer...that's what keeps the lights on in my house. I'm also an artist, albeit rusty af. Publication has been my bread and butter for years, so I legit got excited about the possibility of laying up an entire book in InDesign and finagling details like an obsessive magpie...being able to let the font nerd FREEEEEE and impose my views on an unsuspecting audie-...err, I mean, making excellent functional decisions for the ease of use. Cough.
I'm glad you reinforced in the strongest of terms to PAY YOUR ARTIST and give proper feedback, though. Art and design are two of the least appreciated industries in the world despite being one of the many flavours of glue that stops it from imploding on itself completely; artists and designers have been ruthlessly exploited and disrespected throughout most of modern history, and it's utterly rampant today like never before. Youngsters and new entrants especially tolerate lowballing and being absolutely fleeced in a way they absolutely shouldn't. Been there, done that. Anyone who tries to pull the "this will be a great portfolio piece!" or "this is for the exposure!" needs to be taken out to the back paddock. Please, keep yelling this from the rooftops. You wouldn't believe the number of people who still don't get it.
Also, congratulations on Breach of Peace imminently landing in the world's hot little hands. It can't be said enough!
Keep up the good work my friend. Excited to read your book!
As as graphic designer I learnt a lot from this video! I've recently been doing more book covers and I want to learn about the entire process of what my clients go through, so I can provide a better service. My advice to authors would be - there are talented designers that will create the artwork, the fonts, the layout AND make sure the formatting is right for whatever print service you are using. Just to say you don't have to work with three different professionals if you find the right designer. Also, be clear about what you want upfront, OR be clear that you want consulting and different concepts presented to you. Best of luck to you authors on your self-publishing journeys 🌟
This is SUCH a good guide. Thank you for taking the time to make this Daniel! I learned a bunch.
Wow this really shows me how much I have to do once I finish writing
Oh, this should be interesting, given that I've self-published several. I love hearing others join in on the bitching. But man, there are major upsides if you learn to manage a Facebook and Amazon business account. When I market/advertise consistently, boy do my books sell. The key, however, is consistency. And I love the creative freedom with the cover and content.
And editing can be very expensive, especially when you're writing 250k+ word tomes. But, yes, it still needs to be done.
Also, a couple more things. Draft2Digital is a great ebook publishing platform that can get your book on a lot of reputable platforms. I prefer its interface and functions to Smashwords, but obviously it's all opinion. If you don't have a large audience (a writer who doesn't have readers lined up out the door), consider Kindle Unlimited through Amazon KDP. Your ebook will only be available on Kindle, but it makes your book available to millions of additional rabid readers. With someone like Daniel, who has established his own platform and massive audience prior to releasing his book through the hard work he's put into this channel, he doesn't need KU.
As for the other piece of advice: learn how to advertise. Do a deep dive into Amazon Advertising, Facebook Advertising, and Bookbub advertising. If you don't use these tools, your book won't sell (unless you have an established audience already of tens of thousands of people). Learn promotional tools like Bookbub and other similar websites.
@@davidf.farris6619 Agreed. I wouldn't recommend anyone publish their first books outside KU. Obviously Daniel has done fabulously but going wide as a strategy is more about long term philosophy than making a living and few authorities recommend it for starting out. Not the least of the problems is learning how to publish on multiple platforms, and then the fact that only Kobo is any good (and you may as well publish direct through them). Most people publish direct to Amazon because you get higher royalties (Smashwords, PublishDrive and Draft to Digital take a cut and offer some other services for it - for instance distributing to lots of tiny niches like Google and Apple).
I like the little clip of Daniel giving extra tips with pips right by the camera. It is now the only type of writing advice I wanna see from all other authors
EXTREMELY helpful vid. I just finished self edits on my manuscript and started the querying process for traditional publishing, but after seeing how dour that whole business is I decided to look into self/indie publishing.
Appreciate you highlighting candor with artists, feel like artists and writers are two sides of the same coin
Preparing to be self publishing my debut in December. This video is a massive help, thanks Daniel!
I follow a few UA-camrs who've self-published and even been on the ARC/street team for some, and you sir have just put out the most down to Earth and honest self-publishing process video I've seen yet! Also the funniest.
I love the way you had your video. You are the first person without hesitations who convinced me that what I have in my is true. You are also entertaining. Hope to meet you and discuss how to help me publish mine. Thank you so much for the help. It is true. It is not easy to write a book but having an accomplished one is a legacy.
This advice is the best, thank you so much Daniel!
As an artist I can't say how much I appreciate that!!!
You are so helpful and valuable to me and my writing journey. Thanks a million my dishevelled goblin.
Oh boi, I hope I don't look like Daniel while writing😂😂 but I probably do. Unfortunately I can't match the wonderful rainbow watch though😂
I'm SO excited for your book to come out!
Enjoy these a lot. Thank you so much, from one starving artist to another.
Now I'm even more excited to get my copy.
Aaand I wait and I wait and I wait 😵🕒
Thank you for this guide. I've been writing my first novel, which is an sff novel and I've wanted to write it for years. I figured that its going to be self published as I don't think any publishers would want to publish it and I'm grateful for the tips and advice to do that.
I am an aspiring novelist working on my first novel. I am going to do the self publishing route myself. Thank you for sharing this video I had no idea how big of a process this is, but it sounds like it is worth it. I
I can agree. Pain describes the experience, though my process certainly remains the most meaningful and rewarding thing I've done. And I doubt anything will top it.
THANKS DANIEL
You are so funny and so right about everything!!!! I went through all what you described.
I just finished my first draft. Waiting for feedback from my two beta readers. Then, I have to edit and send it off to the manuscript critique. *I have a 20 step system.*
Woah I'm interested, what kind of book are you writing?
@@manuvillada5697 Its based on Japanese mythology, and inspired by anime and manga. There's going to be six or so books and has a low fantasy feel. Here's the tag:
*"In a Japan where the Shogunate never fell, humans live alongside creatures known as Ayamatsu."*
It also is an alternative universe to our own and has touches of other mythologies.
You can follow me on Facebook at: Ayamatsu Chronicles. I do updates and the like frequently.
I just read the firts few pages of Breach of Peace and was really hooked on the story. I will buy the ebook and put in my TBR of april for sure. Great job Daniel. Big hug from Havana jajaj yes you have readers here too
17:50 it looks like Daniel's eyes cross from the pure, unadulterated frustration of all the waiting. I can feel it.
Thank you for the insight. This information is always wonderful to hear from any party.
I write with my head too. ❤❤ So happy to see I'm not alone.
Excited for my daily dose of Daniel
Very glad you do this. Thank you.
Love this video! So relatable and informative
thanks for your help... I subscribed to your channel and liked the video while literally crying cuz I'm stuck on my way to self publish
So glad im getting back into writing! It's been a whole year since I last opened Scrivener or google docs and im excited to get back into it! Hopefully before im 30 I'll have a published book LOL
Thank you your info was very helpful as I am now in my process of publishing my first book.
Thanks again
Love Always
John Maurice ✌🏾
I'm nowhere near close to starting this process but this is such a helpful and clear explanation. Saved the video for when the time is right. Thank you! Can't wait for Breach of Peace.
Love Daniel. Such a great guy.
Yes! Thank you! This has been super helpful. I'm in the first professional editing phase of what is book one of an accidental trilogy. You have splayed open my idealism and sewn in a healthy cynical symbiot that is now telling me to slow down and take it one step at a time.
Annnd breathe....
I am far off self-publishing yet but it's on my radar and I am exhausted after watching this video. Super useful though, it's always better to know what you don't know! Thanks for the video!
FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF TIME I'M GONNA RECOMMEND THIS VID TO ANYONE (INCLUDING MYSELF IF THAT'S POSSIBLE), IF THEY HAVE AN IDEA FOR A BOOK THAT THEY WANT TO GO THE SELF PUBLISHING ROUTE WITH. DANIEL, YOU DID A GOOD JOB ON THIS ONE (AS YOU ALWAYS DO ON ALL OF YOUR VIDS)
THIS ONE IS 10/10 ABSOLUTE GOLD!!!!!!!!
I'LL DEFINITELY BE TRYING THESE STEPS FOR SURE!!!!!!