Seattle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum has some great stuff. Check out the pictures I took while there.

Highlights include:

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The Self-Publishing Journey (Part 3)

After the work has been published, there are just a few more things to consider.

Step 11: Contributing to the Legal Deposit

Since I registered as a publisher with Library and Archives Canada, I’m expected to send my novella (hardcover and eBook editions) to the Legal Deposit. The appropriate form also needs to be sent. Incompatible will be preserved for future generations to access.

The LAC record is available to view. Here’s the WorldCat record.

bookrec

Step 12: Creating the eBook

Formatting the eBook is a little bit different compared to the hardcopy. Check out Kindle’s eBook formatting instructions. Looks at other eBooks and see how they’re set up. A few things to keep in mind when you’re creating your file:

  • Don’t include header or footer material (i.e. the page number, author, title)
  • Create a table of contents
  • Page margins are even; you don’t have to worry about physical binding. Edit the gutter to 0″
  • Font’s bigger (12-16 size)
  • Front cover is mandatory, a back cover is optional
  • Remove review comments from your document
  • The author bio can just be the last page

Step ??: Filing your taxes

This step could occur anytime, depending on the time of year.

Keep receipts of everything. If you paid an editor or cover designer, you can include that on your taxes. If you made money on your book, report that in your taxes.

Step ??: Marketing

You should have some kind of marketing plan before your work is published. There are many ways to promote a work. You can participate in literary events/readings, for example. Who’s your target audience? There are various indie author events out there.

Tell all your friends/family/coworkers about it.

Setup an online presence as an author. This can include creating a Facebook fanpage, twitter, Goodreads, etc. Kindle has KDP Select, which can help you with advertising on Amazon.

The SELF-e program provides you with an opportunity to have your eBook reviewed by Library Journal and available for library patrons to read throughout North American library branches.

Marketing will depend, ultimately, on what you want to do.

Final Thoughts

The writing, editing, and publishing process taught me a lot about myself and who I am as a writer. Planning and self-discipline are the most important things for self-publishing. The lessons learned will assist me with future endeavours. I will definitely be self-publishing more in the future!

Tokyo National Museum

I visited the Tokyo National Museum while I was in Japan.

Here’s a gallery of the pictures I took at the museum:

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Here are additional pictures that I took while in Japan:

The Self-Publishing Journey (Part 2)

Self-publishing (part 1)

Step 5: Get an ISBN

Through Kindle, you can be assigned an ISBN automatically. I chose to get one from Library and Archives Canada because I want my works registered as a part of Canadian literature.

Once you get account details from LAC you can login to your publisher’s account here. Logged in, you can get an ISBN for your work within a few minutes.

See below my tutorial on how to get an ISBN.

Step 6: Get the Barcode

Kindle generated a barcode for me; I didn’t have to go out and purchase one.

Kindle has a designated area where the barcode will be pasted on the back of your cover. You can see a preview of where the barcode is once you upload your cover.

If your book is created in multiple formats (i.e. print, ebook, etc.), you need to get separate ISBNs for each.

Step 7: Registering on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

You can sign up as a self-publisher here.

Once you sign up, you can add how you’ll receive payment and complete the tax interview.

Note: For Canadian self-publishers, you can prevent the IRS from taking 30% of your profits by using your SIN number as the Tax Identification Number (TIN) during your Tax Information Interview.

Step 8: The Cover

I used this article as a guide for writing author bios. For book blurbs, read other blurbs in your genre and get a sense of how they’re written. You can find blurbs in places like Amazon. Also browse Amazon when determining what kind of cover you want. Determine the physical length, width, and page length of your work; the designer needs to know.

Though you can create a cover yourself, I’d recommend hiring a professional to do it. You can find a freelancer through services such as Fiverr or Upwork. In terms of selecting a freelancer, check their turnaround time, portfolio, and packages they offer.

For a cover image, you can give the freelancer a picture, or you can select something within their database of stock images. You can also ask them for revisions until you’re happy with the end product.

I ordered through Fiverr. The process was straightforward, inexpensive, and took three business days to complete.

 

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Step 9: Formatting and Submitting

The manuscript itself has to be formatted as a proper book before submitting it into Kindle. Would recommend reading:

Note: After submitting your book, you may have to wait up to 3 days as Amazon reviews your work. Then your book will be public.