Self publishing controls

Writing a book and publishing it yourself gives you something that not many occupations can - at the end of it you hold a physical manifestation of your hard work in your hands. All of those hours, all of those emotions and all of those words come together to leave a tangible mark.

As we've discussed, the appeal of self publishing are the controls you, the writer and creator, can exercise over your book. You can decide on a title, how much to sell it for, what it will look like, when it will be published and how you will market and sell it.

Do invest in an Editor because if nothing else, they will tighten up your writing, plot, characters and story line and let you know if you have a good idea - and how that good idea could become a great idea. Don't give up if the initial feedback results in more revising. It almost certainly will. However, this doesn't mean you aren't ready for publication and never will be. Do those revisions to create the best book you possibly can FOR YOU - but don't be so quick to give up your autonomy.

Maintaining the book's integrity is something we all worry about. I have an idea for this. Put the first few chapters up on story sharing websites. Gain an audience first through the numerous social media channels to see what people think. After all, they will be the people who buy your book when you eventually put it out there.

Digital printing and print-on-demand has paved the way for quick and economical book distribution not only for your readers, but for you as well. The elimination of financial exposure means you can experiment with marketing throughout the product cycle.

Don't rush to publication. I think I did with my debut. The problem was I didn't know what I wanted. I took so long to write the damn thing, I couldn't wait to get it out there so I could move on to the next one. I didn't realise I was doing everything in reverse. I didn't do my homework. I ended up with substandard editing, an ok book cover and a doomed price. It could have been so much better. And it will be - because we owe it to ourselves.

Self publishing isn't a last resort. Self publishing is a choice. I love having the freedom to experiment, to correct experiments that didn't work out and to push myself to make it better next time. Writing and publishing is a journey. I consider my debut an investment in my education.

Within days your book can be in the hands of your readers and within days you can see if anyone is buying it.

Unlike Trads, we are willing to share information about everything - pricing, formatting, marketing tips and tricks. There is a community feel to the way the industry has evolved. The Trads have shrunk but the freelancing market is brimming with experts to help us.