Updated April 2023

You’ve decided to self-publish your book—smart choice! Many authors are choosing to self-publish their books in just months, rather than attempting the potentially years-long traditional publishing route. But the experts at Self-Publishing Relief know there are a few things you should be aware of before you sign on with a self-publishing platform to begin the process. Here’s what you must know before self-publishing your book.

4 Things Writers Should Know Before Self-Publishing In 2023

The Buck Stops Here

When you self-publish your book, you get to be your own boss. This means you get all the perks, but also all the responsibilities. You get to set deadlines and make final decisions—but that means it’s up to you to meet those deadlines and research the choices. Putting off—or worse, skipping—important tasks like formatting and proofreading will delay your project or be reflected in a shoddy-looking book. Sure, you want to get your book into the hands of readers as soon as possible, but not if the end result isn’t worth putting your name on!

Proofreading And Editing Are Vital

No one wants to read a book riddled with typos and grammatical errors. If your book is filled with mistakes, it’s going to reflect poorly on the quality of your writing. Readers will assume someone who was so careless with proofreading and editing is not a writer worth reading. Plus, you’ll run the risk of bad reviews! Nothing tanks a book’s sales quicker than poor word of mouth or bad reviews.

You could choose to outsource the proofing and editing job, or you can use an editing checklist to ensure you don’t miss anything important.

You Are Your Best Advocate

As a self-published author, it’s up to you to advertise your book and utilize every potential resource (this is becoming more and more true for traditionally published authors as well!). You’ll need to fight off any misplaced modesty or introvert tendencies and act as your own book publicist. Schedule reading events, post on social media, provide sales incentives, consider offering a loss leader, and use smart SEO and keywords online so your book shows up in online searches.

People Do Judge A Book By Its Cover

Despite the well-known adage, readers will in fact judge your self-published book by its cover! So it’s important that your book cover reflects the genre of your work and is eye-catching. The book’s cover is your point-of-purchase marketing tool, and you only have seconds to stand out from the competition and grab a reader’s interest. You don’t want rookie mistakes like poor quality, blurry artwork or crooked text to scream “amateur” to any potential buyers.

If you’re not a professional designer, we strongly recommend you outsource your book cover design to ensure it includes all the elements that are vital to its success.

While these are the most important points to consider, there are many other steps needed to successfully navigate the self-publishing process. If you don’t want to walk this road alone, the experts at Self-Publishing Relief are ready to help! We’ll guide you through the entire process from manuscript to a professional-quality published book. Schedule your consultation today!

Question: Which of these four elements do you feel is most important to the success of a self-published book?