10 Tips for Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Books (Writing Advice)
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- Learn valuable strategies for publishing and marketing your novels.
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Some channels I'd recommend for more info on publishing and marketing:
www.youtube.com/@Kindlepreneur
www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts
I'm starting to rewrite some stuff because my other ideas were awful. This is gonna sound mean but any tips on making your audience cry?
@@MovieTalker21 It really depends on WHY you want to make them cry. Are they mourning the loss of a character in the story or are you creating a loving, heartfelt reunion between lovers that were tragically separated years ago during wartime? Basically, you are really asking about creating emotion or, more specifically, emotional attachment with the reader to which the answer becomes: backstory and living with the character and their traumas. You have to make the reader care about the characters. Once they care about the characters, they will feel an attachment to them and the things that affect them will, in turn, affect the reader. This is a rather simplistic answer to a very complex subject, but I hope that helps at least point you in the right direction.
Keep in mind - I'm a character writer and very much agree with Stephen King when he says good characters are everything over planning out a complex plot (I'm softening his words a bit - he actually said, "I think that plot is the last resort of bad writers, as a rule. I'm a lot more interested in character and situations - you follow it where is goes.") Your mileage may vary, and writing is a very fluid and individual artform.
Tip #0 should be: Don't fall for predatory publishers
Yep. Avoid vanity publishers at all costs.
One of your early videos is about this.
got an example?
bro whaaaaaaaaaaat. i was just researching and thinking about this topic. till i refreshed youtube and this video popped up being just released lol. thanks like always Brandon
Haha glad to see my mind-reading skills are still sharp
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty just binge watched some of the old vids because i was in the mood. thanks for the great constant man, looking for future mind reading videos that come in time
Literally same :’) good luck with your project!
Marketing is far more intimidating than publishing to me. It's strange, I can go public and rave about other books, but whenever I go to talk about my own, I start stammering like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.
I am most afraid of Marketing, since that's the part I'm most uncertain of, especially with what I have in mind for most of my stories.
Great video! Very helpful!
Glad it helped! And I share your marketing fears. Best of luck with everything!
Once my revisions are done, I fully intend to shop my graphic novel to some actual comic publishers (only ones that allow creator-ownership though, I'm not about to give my characters to Marvel or DC), but at the very least if none of them want to publish it I'll self-publish hard copies, so this video has some good tips. I didn't even realize ISBN was a different thing from a UPC code, it's not something I've ever paid attention to.
Best of luck! And yeah, ISBNs are important. You'll actually need one for each format you release your book in (so ebook and paperback would require 2 ISBNs)
I'm glad we inspired your new video. Thanks for the advice!
Glad it helped!
My biggest concern when it comes to writing my fantasy book is definitely finding the right editors when it comes to development and formatting. I really don’t know where to begin to look for quality editors but this video helps with some insight
Thanks Brandon. Just finished my first manuscript the other day. I've been spending time reading and researching before I begin edits. Great information.
Nice. Best of luck going forward!
Couple things I’ll add more on the sales sides:
1. Know who your niche is
If I make a zine about hitchhiking, I would go to alternative bookstores, zine fairs etc. If I make a textbook, I would contact schools and teaching centers.
2. Use social media. Sounds obvious but you have to be a little annoying about constantly remind people that you have something out. Eventually, the people who think “I’ll get around to it” actually will. You can post samples on a website and people can decide if it’s for them.
Any other sales advice you guys can think of?
There is a book I’m finishing and hope to publish by yrs end. The book is nonfiction about how i lost weight and improved my health. It covers all aspects of good health and proper eating.
Note that how to get ISBN numbers depends on which country you are from. In many countries, a government agency or national library is in charge.
Good point. I forgot about my international audience.
Absolutely, I keep hearing about Bowker on a few fb groups but they fail to say that's only applicable in the US 🙄
Bigger nightmare: publishing or marketing? Let us know!
Definitely publishing
For me it’s marketing. Because I’ve learned that is something I’m terrible at.
@@grizzly_manbanimation8436 Haha same here. I hate how marketing takes away from writing time (and life in general)
God help me. I'm finding writing the hardest so far... dreading the marketing and publishing parts
Marketing for sure. It's a minefield in an overcrowded shark tank full of deadly jellies.
4:26 regarding hardcover vs paperback prices is the Dave Thomas strategy. I heard he came up with the idea for the triple cheeseburger knowing no rational person would buy a burger that large, but compared to that, the double cheeseburger didn't seem so daunting and it sold a lot more than if Wendy's sold only single patty vs double patty versions. With only those two options double seemed too much, etc.
No kidding? Now I'm wondering if he had floated the idea of the quadruple cheeseburger...
Let's go! New story! I know I'm a month late, but I've been excited for your next piece of work.
Marketing should never be underestimated. If people don't know your product exists, they can't even buy it. So it's okay to spend extra on marketing, and oftentimes it's worth it in the long run. Remember that big companies spend ridiculous amounts on marketing. Why? Because it's works!
It's difficult to advertise explicit adult content. Neither fb or amz will let you run ads
Start a UA-cam channel and have the camera "accidentally" go out of focus to show your books behind you - got it! 🤣
But seriously - as always Brandon, great subject and thank you for your straightforward approach. I would love to see you expand on this subject as well since there is a ton of misinformation and a lot of scams.
Also with ISBN numbers, you need one for EACH type of book and format (4¼" x 6¾" pocket paperback, 6x9 paperback, audio, eBook, hardcover - that is five different ISBNs), so the 100 pack is not a bad buy if you are planning on writing more than a couple books.
BTW - Just bought your book Bad Parts (in hardcover - I'm old school!) and am greatly looking forward to reading it!
I just started to get back into writing, with the goal of publishing. Don’t know how or what method, but short, tight stories are my goal.
Thanks for this!
Thanks so much for this Brandon! I’m in the revision/editing process of my first novel and it’s so close to being done but the idea of sending it for proofreading/to publishers is daunting aha
Keep up the momentum! And best of luck
I've always been under the impression that you should never pay a publisher to publish your book. What are your thoughts on that and what should should people be prepared to pay if they do pay for an editor, book cover designer etc
I've heard "Never pay a publisher" as well. From what I understand, you don't want to pay a publisher because "Vanity Publishers" aren't interesting in helping you make money. They're just trying to drain as much from you as they can.
A friend of mine got scammed by them years ago. Invested thousands of $$$$ before finally catching on to what was happening.
You should never pay an agent or publisher, period. They're supposed to make money by selling your books.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty yeah unfortunately I made the same mistake a few years ago. I just never thought of the cost of self publishing before
I self-published my debut novel last year. It went live early September. I employed Penguin Bookwriters in NYC to do my editing, formatting and cover art. Then I paid them $5000 US (I'm an Australian author) for marketing. To date, their marketing campaign/ strategies have resulted in zero sales, and my book is on numerous platforms in many different countries. So for me, marketing is the hardest thing, and it is very depressing.
Aussie authors just don't sell as well. After all, how could we possibly write "the next great American novel" so many blogs, writers groups and youtube pundits talk about?
If you're in Canada you can get free ISBN's from the government. All you have to do is register with Library Services Canada and they will assign you as many as you need for each format.
Great stuff!
Glad it helped!
With Tip #3 I want to talk a little bit from Experience here: The cover art is not only a good tool, it is KEY. It is - in many cases - the very first impression, especially if your readers buy online. I would at least recommend buying a pre-made that fits your genre (if you don't have any experience as a cover artist), but even better: Work closely with your cover designer. LIke really, really close. Keep them up about the story, the major turns and characters, so the cover will be uniquely fitting for your story. IF that is possible (I'm in a very priviledged position, as my cover designer is my significant other and thus invested in my books no matter ^^'). But even if you hire someone, give them as many details as posible, at least a summary of your book. If not you will likely end with a generic cover that doesn't draw attention.
Two of my books, Zirkulum and Neshka, didn't draw much audience by their genre (they are cyberpunk mysterys), but I had people coming up to me an telling me that they bought the books - solely because they liked the cover art that much.
Also, if you make a bad cover, make it spectacularly bad and keep this up as a style (looking a you, Tingle).
Sure, I'll judge a book by its cover now and then. Certainly tips the scales as I sift through unknowns for something fresh. Doesn't hurt
Excellent points as usual, Brandon! Congratulations on the new book! 📖📖📖
Thanks so much!
I would love to create more comics, but I need to sell more as well. So I'm taking notes...
Congrats on the publishing
Thanks!
#2 definitely (keep things short) won't work for fantasy fiction.
Even though fantasy novels are typically larger than other genres, you can still make an effort to keep things as tight as possible. Look for scenes to cut or trim, combine two supporting characters into one multi-dimensional person, etc.
When it comes to publishing, I aim to go down the traditional publishing route, with an agent and a publishing company. It is much easier to get your book into book stores, like Barnes & Nobles, and offloading the task of things like designing the book's cover art to professional, specialist illustrators/graphic designers. I don't wish to deal with the business side of this occupation any more than necessary, which is why I don't want to do self-publishing at all, hopefully done by Audible.
I want to go to the same publisher who works with Brandon Sanderson.
I want to turn my novella into an audiobook too, since I personally prefer audiobooks.
Definitely shoot for top-tier agents. If you go the traditional route, ideally you want to get a great agent who can sell your book to a Big 5 publisher. Best of luck!
The Cozy Creative has an informative video on traditional versus self publishing. If you have already researched this in detail, ignore my comment.
@@kit888 I have done research on the topic, but not seen that channel/video specifically. I will check it out
I'd love a video on self publishing vs. traditional and why you chose the method you chose. I'm still deciding what to do for my novel.
You make great videos Brandon and I loved your book Entry Wounds, but with more than 100K subscribers, you have to fix the focus issue you have in many of your videos. I notice that I often stop paying attention to what you're saying because I'm distracted by the out of focus image. You're a professional UA-camr now, and it's an easy fix! 😉
I’ll have to look into this. Thanks for calling it out
Thanks, great advice, lots of topics to follow-up on.
the video I didn't know I needed. May have to return to this in the future
Answer to your question: Marketing.
I have had the impression that self-publishing was strictly a hobbyist/vanity route and that if the book was really worth reading/selling, an agent and traditional publisher would want it. Plus, agents and publishers presumably have large marketing and distribution networks to get folks to see what I have to offer. I fear that self-publishing will be ineffective. But, finding an agent is proving very difficult since I'm not trying to get into a niche market pushing a social message. I just want to tell a fun and interesting story.
So, here are my questions for you. Assuming (as it appears) that you are self-published, why did you choose that over traditional publishing? And how has that worked out for you financially? That is, did revenues at least cover expenses?
I'm finishing the last chapter of my first novel. Great video. Thank you.
Off-topic, but I just want to hear other people's opinion on this idea: My book has 7 elements, which include Fire, Water, Earth, Energy, Wind, Ice and Lightning. But today I came with an idea: What if there was a character who could control time and space itself? A mysterious character who breaks the fourth wall by telling some of the characters to follow by the script. This is heavily inspired by the G-Man from Half-Life but I thought my book could use some out-of-this-world type antagonist. To create immersion and raise questions. He would serve the role as some kind of author in-universe who makes sure the story follows the script and doesn't go off the rails.
The whole process is scary haha but marketing is def scarier to me than actually publishing because it's really how you steer the success rate of your published work, so if your marketing is poor that hurts the chances of success
At last I'm up to date with these videos. Now, to get back to editing with the information I got.
Brandon, I look forward to your video each week. Best of luck on the new book, I hope it sells tons!
My story is 25k words and it feels complete. I'm hesitant about self-publishing for many reasons (cost mainly) and would like a professional publisher to pick it up. I've heard you need 40-50k minimum for them to show interest because short stories don't sell. People have told me to post it online for free just to get name recognition first. Is that the best strategy or is there still a way to get a publishing company to pick up a short story?
I haven't published any novellas (25K would be a novella, I believe), so I don't want to steer you wrong with any bad advice.
That said, you may want to check The Submission Grinder and search for short story markets that accept stories of the 25K length. That would probably be your best bet.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Thanks, I'll check into that and see what options there are. Much appreciated.
Publishing was nothing. I hired professionals from TellWell self publishing agency and almost everything went smoothly.
Marketing my book "Unveiling Shadows of the Past" with a NEW GENRE, Reader's interaction, and a competition with a $300,000 prize within the book.
That's the hard part. Marketing.
Really interesting and informative. Thank you! Could you please discuss the pros and cons of getting an agent? I don't think I'm the sort of person to cope with all of the publishing, especially the marketing, stuff. I'm just not confident enough.
Should you try to find an agent who specialises in a particular genre or two, or look for someone who will - if they think the book is any good, of course - deal with most/all genres?
Thanks again for the info here, it's been very illuminating!
Marketing scares me more. I am writing a module for D&D, but I do not have a big social media platform or other viewerbase
Honestly, what scares me is the publishing since I don't know what makes for a good publisher or how to tell whether an expensive publisher is better or worse than a slightly cheaper one
Marketing. Publishing feels daunting but also exciting while marketing is outside of my ballfield. Trying to learn it is difficult especially since it's a constantly changing process
9:58 both
It's like discussing X's and O's with Jon Gruden. Intense. He's peering into your very soul, look out.
10:00 I never had experience with neither.
I'm most scared about marketing. Once it's out there I get insecure about what people will think. Which is why I will be using a pseudonym. 🤫😁
Can I get a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Thanks again, Brandon for the video. I was wondering. Is it better to write your story as a book first rather than an original screenplay? Then, that way, the public gets to see your story the way you intended before Hollywood ruins it by replacing you with other writers.
Thank you for making this video! very informative and helpful! I have a question about tip #4, do you think it's safe to come out with digital formats at the same time as your printed format? I'm concerned about making it easy for people to share it around and just piracy in general. Do you think it's better to get the digital format out maybe a few months after your printed format comes out?
Sanderson, "regarding number 2, from one Brandon to another, why keep it short when you can write one book the length of 6?"
Brandon has various videos about this: editing from the end, editing from the middle, removing scenes that don't work, having someone read it, only write what the story needs, ...
@@jesusromanpadro3853 it's a joke regarding Brandon Sanderson who writes novels that are all over 1,000 pages long. I didn't need actual help.
@@madmartigan21 oh, ok.
My biggest fear is the technology. Like I'm always afraid I'll accidentally delete my book, or do the PDF wrong. Or something. I know it's not that hard, but it feels hard lol
I save my novel with the date at the end of the name, something like [novel name_yymmdd]. Only saved the first draft as PDF for the moment because I wanted to print it. But is a safe way to have a copy that you cannot delete the text inside.
Try to save it in various places: your computer, a pen deive, in the cloud, ... At least in 2 places.
I think that gmail includes free cloud storage, to a limit.
I save my document with a different name each day. Something like [novel name_yyyymmdd].
Also, save in at least 2 different places: your computer, the cloud, a penndrive, ...
PDF are good if you want a copy that you can not delete the text inside, as a backup of a version.
@@jesusromanpadro3853 thank you! That helps a lot. I really should take lessons on how to use my computer right lol
I am from theatre and studio production and $10,000 didn't seem a lot for the first book so I turned it down.
They just offered me $80,000 for a signing fee for the first two books 😁
Thank you for the video! I do wonder, would you recommend self publishing instead of going to a publisher?
I'd recommend shooting for a top-tier agent first. I mean, why not? Send out some queries, give it a shot. If you get a great agent who can sell your book to a Big 5 publisher, that's a win.
On the other hand, if the big agents don't bite, you might be better off self-pubbing than targeting mid-tier agents. I'd recommend doing plenty of research before making a final decision.
Also, depending on what genre you write in, getting an agent might be difficult. Some genres like horror and erotica can be a hard sell to traditional publishers. Others like fantasy are usually in high demand. Pay attention to trends as well--vampires may have been hot in the past but not now.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty thank you so much! Also, I grabbed your newest book “The Half Murders” the other day with the Kindle Unlimited (so that strategy clearly works) and I must say it is very good so far 🙏 Definitely inspiring me to do better with my own writing 😅
I'm failing hard at tip number 2 😂😂
Book 1 is around +350K words, book 2 is already over 210K...
Are you secretly Brandon Sanderson?
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty no, but i hope i get the same success lol
But how do you find a trustworthy editor? I'm afraid of someone stealing my work
I found my copyeditor through another writer. Sometimes writers thank their editors in the backs of their books.
Also, I’ve heard that Reedsy.com is good for finding editors, though I haven’t used it personally
I'm a CPA, so hit me up if you have questions about #7 or turning your book into a business. I'm also a fantasy writer, so I'm not the usual fuddy duddy accountant =P
If this is one more way for me to get into the writing community, I'm happy to help!
hey brandon! i’ve been struggling with my inciting incident. could you do a video on that?
Sure! Surprised I never did a video devoted to the Inciting Incident. I'll put it near the top of my request list. Hoping that my next three videos will be Character Reactions, Bad vs. Good Dialogue 4, and Inciting Incidents
omg, I was thinking of the same thing!
@@WriterBrandonMcNultythank you so much! i don’t know if you remember me, but i’ve been a fan for almost a year now. i show everybody your videos
I appreciate all of this advice.
It got me thinking that there is a hidden technique in this video: direct audience engagement. You've sold me two books already just by having this UA-cam channel. I've discovered (or rediscovered) a number of other authors through their blogs, or through other projects that took me to their web site, and hey, this person is also an author. I bought a book that someone on a forum I frequented wrote, just because they posted about it and started a conversation.
As an extreme case, when Taylor Swift was starting out, she would bring a video camera backstage before her shows and post clips to social media; she built an extremely devoted following because of how personal it felt. She was an online friend to a lot of people, and you want your friends to succeed... so you buy their art!
I'm curious if you think that arranging signings or attending conventions might be effective. I will always buy something from a lonely, self-published person sitting surrounded by copies of their own book, and I might even spend a few minutes listening to their enthusiastic rambling about their inspirations. Maybe it's because I'm going in there with a buying mindset. But I don't really have a grasp of how productive it is. (Having made many such purchases, I was nodding along enthusiastically to the advice about getting a good copy editor....)
What about having an independent author website for branding purposes?
I feel like I’ve never seen a comic book with my art style before so I’m worried about marketing my comic book
Do you work with a literary agent and/or traditional publisher? Or are you an independent author? Just wondering.
It’s all me
Buy ISBN? Here in Poland they are available for free...
You’re lucky. Someone from Canada mentioned the same thing… I didn’t realize it was different outside the US when I recorded this video
Is $10,000 and a editor a good signing fee if you have submitted the first three chapters of the first book and the breakdown of the Trilogy?
Marketing is advertising right? If so that's gonna be hard for me to do.
Same. It’s something I’ve tried and failed at many times.
Paid advertising is part of marketing. Alternatively you can research bloggers in your genre and offer to give an interview. You can approach local schools, universities, and offer to give free talks. Contact your local newspaper with your local author story.
Yeah, marketing and advertising overlap. And they are both a pain
Marketing is far scarier. Publishing at least has a mostly-defined process, steps you take to get it done. We live in a world where marketing is arguably more important than the quality of the product. This is scary in an industry where we all want the cream to rise to the top--and over time it probably still will...
How much cost in total to publish a book ?
Hey. Can u fix or analyze RWBY story problems? It's in a mess
Bro you look like you had just smoked right before this video. 😂
Writing and publishing is fun, but marketing and promoting will kill your soul. I've had absolutely no luck in the latter, it's just a vast sucking void.
Keep your book as short as possible. Stephen King just bought another 10 million acres of Canadian forest.