Marketing

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  Art - Marketing - Pre-Publication - Publishing

  Make It Pretty: Commissioning Artists for Your Book’s Cover and Interior Art

  November 26, 2025 • By Heather Ashle • 10 Min Read

  

  

  We all need some kind of imagery for our books, whether on the covers or inside the pages, as well. But in a world burgeoning with AI-generated art, it’s more important than ever to not only support human artists but also to vet them for your own safety.

  Heed Your Publishing Requirements

  AI-generated content, including art, must be declared when you go to print, and you can get into serious trouble if you’re not transparent. Ignorance is no excuse. You don’t want to find yourself eternally banned from a printing or distribution platform because you made a mistake.

  But the upside of this pressure is: if you do your homework, you can support a real artist.

  I’m an art fair enthusiast. I love championing artists and sharing their beautiful wares. Cover art, truly, is no different. It represents your work, instantly bringing it to life for readers in a way that your words can’t quite do. Finding the artist who can create the perfect art for your covers, chapter head images, logos, or merchandise is important for your brand.

  Yet, much like the rest of the publishing process, it involves a lot more behind-the-scenes grit than simply drawing up a dragon or writing an epic battle.

  Timing with Publication

  The first thing to consider is when you want your art to be completed, even if you haven’t found your ideal artist yet.

  If I remember correctly, I began looking while Heir was with my beta readers. I’m no artist, but from what little dabbling I’ve done, I know art takes time to create. And good art takes even longer.

  What I do remember is what group work was like in high school. The moment you involve more people in your project—especially when it comes to creative additions because inspiration and revisions take time—the longer your timeline will stretch.

  It’s not a fault; it’s just the truth. Life gets in the way sometimes. But if you know that, you can plan for it. If you can pad out your timeline a bit—for all involved—you can avoid slowing down publication or unnecessarily rushing the creation of important components. (You may not like the final product if you hurry.)

  I contacted countless artists I admired when I began my search. Thankfully, most were too busy to take the time to create something specific for me, and my search drew on. Yes, I said “thankfully.” Because the artist I really needed (but hadn’t met along my art fair wanderings) was the incomparable Rob Carlos. When he—a dragon artist!—agreed to do my cover art, I was over the moon!

  But there was so much more to do before he could even put pencil to paper.

  Vetting Your Artist

  If you’re trying to avoid AI art, it’s important to know (a.k.a. prove) that your artist creates original artwork. If they have a website or are featured anywhere, you might be able to tell from their portfolio how their work was created. Still, it doesn’t hurt to verify (perhaps verbally or in writing) that their work is entirely original to their hand.

  Another red flag can show itself in the project’s promised timeline. If an artist needs ample time to turn around a product, that could signal that they’re swamped or poor time managers… OR it could indicate that their art is real because it takes time to create! For example, if the projected turnaround time on full cover art is one day, all kinds of warning bells go off in my head because that timeline sounds suspicious. Maybe AI can create your cover in an hour, and they’ll spend two more tweaking it before it comes back to you, but most artists need a bit more lead time to create a genuine piece for you.

  It’s also important to verify their trustworthiness and professionalism. You don’t want to hire someone you think is an “artist,” only to have them take your money and run or take forever to return a project. Check out independent reviews, ask for references, get referrals from other authors or professionals—generally, just do your research. It’s like any other purchase—verify the quality before you buy.

  Sometimes, if you’re “courting” an artist, you can even have them do a sketch for you while you work out the preliminary details. This not only helps you both understand your vision for the piece but also proves that their art is genuine (because they’re creating some of it in front of you). You can even do this over a web conference if your artist isn’t local.

  Bottom-Line Considerations

  Price will obviously play a role in your decision, too. Think about what you’re asking for—a full cover, chapter heading art, a logo, whatever. How much would you reasonably expect that to cost (you can do some research here to adjust your expectations), and how much are you willing to pay for it? Is the artist being reasonable with pricing? Or are they simply outside your budget?

  Don’t forget flexibility. You obviously don’t want to stomp on an artist’s creative freedom with countless demands, but are they willing to include your input, or are they demanding free rein? What do you want from the finished product? Do you realistically think you can work well with this person?

  You also want an artist who accepts that revisions might be necessary for you both to arrive at the ideal finished product. Ensure that you understand their process for creation and revision so you’re not left paying for revisions or a cover you don’t love, can’t change, or can’t even use.

  Bottom line in all this? Trust your gut.

  Much of this can be sorted out in a call or email chain in advance of agreeing to work together, and all of this is important to discuss. But even if you think you’ve found your dream artist, before you proceed with the project, I recommend cobbling together a contract.

  The Contract

  Look, contracts, as a concept, make my skin crawl. I find legal stuff uncomfortable because I just want everyone to treat everyone else fairly without a signed piece of paper binding them to good behavior. But, alas, even mistaken slights can occur, and everyone deserves protection as much as good treatment and good intention.

  Perhaps, if your artist is a friend, you’ll feel comfortable operating without a contract, but I still don’t recommend it. Everyone can receive piece of mind from being on the same page, and if a friendship dissolves or changes its terms, it might be helpful later to have some guidelines in place.

  Now, creating a contract doesn’t necessarily mean becoming covetous or adversarial or even involving a lawyer if you can’t afford one (and I most certainly am not one). If you and your artist can come to amenable terms and get them in writing, especially with use of a standard contract as a template, you might be okay. Only you can decide what you feel comfortable with.

  But let me say this: if building your contract together is more discussion than battle, you’ll probably both end up happier with the results.

  Rob already possessed a contract he used in art commissions. This instilled confidence in me because he exuded both professionalism and kindness as we worked together to flesh it out and adjust it for our mutual benefit and protection. In the end, although we both possessed every intention of treating each other well, I believe we both felt more comfortable with its contents and how we would behave toward each other going forward to honor our respective art. (A contract also provides a nice reference later if either party has a question about your agreement.)

  All I can tell you is my experience (again, not offering legal advice here), but here are some things you might want to consider when putting together a contract with your artist.

  • What art is included?
    • Full cover – front, back, and spine
    • Chapter image(s)
    • Logo, etc.
  • Delivery Format
    • What format will this art be delivered in?
    • Will the artist help if you need another format later?
  • Revision Process
    • How will revisions be conducted?
    • How many rounds of revisions are included?
    • At what point must you start paying for revisions?
  • Due Date
    • What is the schedule for the various stages of delivery during revisions, etc.?
    • When must the final art be completed and the finished product delivered?
    • What are the ramifications if these timelines aren’t met (be reasonable)?
  • Terms of Payment
    • What will the art cost?
      • Get this itemized if multiple pieces are being delivered.
    • How will this amount be paid and by what due date?
      • Installments
      • Digital payment
      • Invoicing, etc.
    • Grant of Ownership
      • The author will likely want first reproduction and marketing rights without time limit.
      • The artist will likely want to keep the copyright, trademarks, and IP rights and may want the right to reproduce the art for marking and print sales of their own.
      • Does the artist receive royalties on or samples of merchandise, etc.?
    • Editorial Privilege
      • Can you make changes to the art, if necessary, to suit your publishing needs?
      • Will the artist want to provide permission for edits (or remove their credit if edits are unsatisfactory)?
    • Confidentiality
      • Should your association remain private?
      • Are other non-related associations protected from disclosure?
    • Credit
      • What kind of credit must you give each other when using the product?

  You may want or need other elements in your contract, but this should, at least, get you started.

  Enjoy the Process

  One more reminder: this should be fun.

  I’m a control freak, and I still love this part of preparing for publication. An artist is bringing some element of my imagined world to life for people to see, not just read and imagine. I got lucky—Rob really understands my vision, and I thrill whenever he sends me a mockup because he captures my imagination on the page. It doesn’t mean we get it right the first time, but when we finally do, it’s truly magical.

  So, build in some extra time—don’t rush it.

  Consider the art slowly and carefully—don’t agonize over it.

  Give you and your artist some grace—don’t jump to frustration.

  You’re an author; use your words. You are capable of conveying what you want, and if you found the right artist, they’re capable of delivering it, so just trust the process a little, eh?

  Good luck with your search and happy art-ing!

  -HA

  Have an artist you love? Give us a name and a description of their style, medium, or preferred subject matter. Let’s promote each other’s incredible talents!
• 

  Marketing - Publishing

  There Be Pirates (and NOT the Fun Kind…)

  October 13, 2024 • By Heather Ashle • 11 Min Read

  

  

  The last thing you want to think about when you’re creating your next masterpiece is how someone else will try to rip it off. Yet, once that work is ready to be shared with the masses, you might consider some preventative measures to protect your art. (Naturally, there are still no guarantees.)

  I’ve mentioned the Kindlepreneur team in my blogs in the past, usually in tandem with the KDP Rocket program (which I highly recommend, and I’m not paid to say that). I’m a strong supporter of their brand and their exhaustive efforts to support and safeguard the writer community. Their newer product, Writer Watch (formerly Readerscout at the time of this original post), is no exception. This free tracker keeps an eye on Amazon and alerts you to any changes in pricing or product rating.

  Why is this more than just a method to mainline the odd ego boost whenever someone leaves a review? Because there are proverbial “bad actors” out there ready to hijack your listing and steal your profits. In the author world, these pirates create inferior copies of your published works, resell them as genuine copies connected to your listing, and shark your royalties. If left unchecked, readers receiving low-quality items may begin leaving dissatisfied reviews, tanking your ratings in addition to your profit margin.

  It’s happened to authors.

  I feared it happened to me.

  WHAT TIPPED ME OFF

  I’m always on high alert when the Writer Watch icon glows red in my browser extension tray. Usually, it’s some benevolent reader taking time to leave a review, and I’m always excited for the feedback.

  This time, though, my heart sank when I clicked on the notification bell. A price change alert on An Heir of Realms.

  I wasn’t running any promotions.

  At first blush, the price appeared to be the same, and I had no idea what had triggered the alert. But closer inspection yielded my answer: a third-party seller was offering a copy of my book at my list price. According to the red-lettered inventory notice, she only had one copy.

  One copy was heartening… if accurate. I scoured the seller’s shop page. She had all kinds of second-hand books and movies for sale, most in various conditions of use. But she had listed her copy of Heir as new.

  Not “Like New.” “New.”

  “New?” I asked aloud, as my fiancé, James, peered over my shoulder at the computer screen, eyes squinting. “As in, she bought it but didn’t read it? Never even cracked a page and is now reselling it?” (This was not a question of ego; it was a question of listing accuracy. How new was “New?” Pirated, inferior copy new?)

  I looked up the seller’s details. She was local. Had she picked up a copy at one of my shows? If so, it would almost certainly be signed, as most people ask for a signature when they buy from me in person. Signed isn’t “new.”

  Most articles about Amazon hijackings warn not to “engage with the seller in any way.”

  I promptly broke Rule #1.

  Using my personal (rather than my authorial) account, I contacted the seller.

  I’m looking for a signed copy. Do you have one?

  Her reply came with shocking speed.

  No, sorry, I don’t.

  Again, if true, this almost certainly meant she had come by her copy via my Amazon listing.

  I’m a fledgling author. As a relative unknown, someone would have to know about my book (or see an Amazon ad) to buy it. If the seller were to be believed, she ordered the book, never touched it, and then resold it, unread. “New.”

  Oh, but why? my ego whispered.

  Not the point, I whispered back, shushing it heartily.

  IN CASE OF PIRACY, SEND OUT A NEWSLETTER

  The second-hand seller’s motivation for listing at my price was less than obvious. Fearing the birth of a scam, I kept an eye on the listing for a few days. The quantity remained at one, and the price continued to match mine. I eventually wrote off the listing as a legitimate third-party resale.

  Until Writer Watch burned red again.

  Another price change.

  “No, no, no, no, nooooo,” I moaned as I inspected my listing. The price was lower than I’d set it and lacked any promotional indicators. Usually, during a sale, the original list price will be struck through in favor of the crowing sale price.

  My price, struck through or otherwise, featured nowhere.

  Not to mention, the third-party seller was undercutting this reduced price by pennies.

  Rambling about some grand conspiracy in which the reseller lulled me into a false sense of security while the scammer stole my listing, I consulted Writer Watch’s how-to article about next steps. To my surprise, it was less than Kindlepreneur’s usual brand of thorough. I clicked their link to the Amazon KDP contact page for reporting fraud and was met with two choices under the “Content and rights notifications” section.

  

  Uncertain which to select, I clicked on the first, “Notification about rights review or content guidelines.” What populated looked like little more than a FAQ page.

  

  I backed out and surveyed the second option. My book is copyrighted, so I figured it made sense to “Report copyright infringement.”

  

  Faced with another seeming FAQ, I scrolled down and found a button to “Start a report.” After submitting my concern, I received a startlingly quick reply.

  

  As I had reached their page through the KDP contact page, this reply was befuddling. I explained my process and confusion in my response with a plea for better instructions for how to properly proceed. Suffice to say, they reiterated their assertion that I needed to contact KDP directly for assistance.

  Despondent and rather panicky, I returned to door #1 on the KDP contact page: “Notification about rights review or content guidelines.”

  It turns out, when you hit the “Contact us” button at the bottom of that FAQ, a form opens below it, asking for the same information I had filed in my first “misdirected” report. 

  

  I retyped my inquiry, submitted it, and collapsed in an anxious fit at the prospect of another circular request.

  KDP is realm-near impossible to contact nowadays, and the idea that Amazon’s site was directing inquiries to the wrong department—especially when there was seemingly no way to report it—was horrifying. As far as I was concerned, an octopus-faced Davy Jones was pumping out eight cockamamie copies of Heir at a time and “shipping” them all over the East Indies… or wherever. (You have the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song in your head now, right? Ditto.)

  The response came quickly again, realms bless them. But this time with better results.

  

  That’s right: Amazon had chosen Heir for a price promotion, which, upon further correspondence, I learned they had no obligation to inform me of. I wasn’t being hijacked. Amazon was promoting my book to try to boost my sales at no cost to me.

  Exhausted as I was from the emotional rollercoaster, I was thrilled and honored to have been selected for the promotion. I switched mental gears at a speed that threatened to strip them and put together a newsletter. I had to inform my Readers, Riders, and Exchangers of the discount!

  But it wasn’t just one discount. Writer Watch glowed red again and again over the next 18 hours as Amazon put Heir through a tiered sale: 3% off… 6% off… 8% off. I couldn’t believe it! A small fish singled out by Amazon for a tiered promotion? Perhaps the tiering is standard operating procedure, but Heir’s selection was delightfully shocking. Of course, with the delay on the KDP dashboard, I would have no idea whether anyone took advantage of this sudden sale until after its conclusion.

  But the real question was whether readers would buy from me or from the third-party seller. I monitored the listing, my eyes flitting repeatedly to the reseller’s single-book offer. As Amazon dropped the price, so did she, undercutting me by a quarter or two. 

  Who would make the sale?

  I’LL GIVE YOU TWO GUESSES

  She did. But maybe not the way you think.

  One of the things the hijacking articles tell you is if you strongly suspect foul play, buy a copy of the possibly pirated material to check its quality.

  So, when the listing got to 8%, we guessed it had reached the steepest discount planned. The reseller’s copy was at its lowest price, too, and likely to net her only a few cents from what she’d probably picked it up for.

  My fiancé pounced. “We have to know if it’s a legitimate copy,” James said, adding it to his cart and submitting the order.

  It took a few minutes, but once it registered as “sold,” her listing eventually disappeared. This was a good sign—but only if the listing didn’t reappear in the future.

  Two days later, the listing was still gone, and the book arrived.

  WELL?!

  It probably should have been marked “Like New.” It boasted a price sticker over the printed barcode on the back cover and the remnants of some other sticker on the spine. This book had changed hands a few times and clearly made its way into at least one physical shop for resale. I’ve only placed my books with a single local shop that doesn’t (as far as I know) re-barcode, so I don’t know where it ended up or how it got there. A worn corner or two and the pristine spine told me it had probably never been read. 

  I cracked it open and checked for a signature—I hadn’t signed it, so it almost certainly hadn’t come from a show. That meant it came from that local shop or Amazon.

  I flipped to the back. It was printed in December of 2022—four months after the novel’s release. It was from one of the earliest runs!

  Again, I was stymied. Someone purchased a copy of my book shortly after its release, seemingly didn’t read it, passed it on to a shop for resale, and sold it to someone who also didn’t read it and put it back up on Amazon.

  Then it came back to me.

  I stared at the thing, awed by what little I could extrapolate of its grand journey. I was sad that it went unread because that’s what books are made for (and, in my personifying mind, long for), but I was so wowed by the extent of its travel that its homed sister copies hadn’t experienced. The sensation was immense. My book went out into the world, moved around in it in the most mysterious ways, and came home. It was like the bookstore version of Milo and Otis or Homeward Bound or Toy Story—but with something I created.

  We’re keeping the book.

  WHATCHA GONNA DO?

  KDP recently announced a plan to verify author accounts with government-issued IDs. Account owners unable or unwilling to prove their identity when queried will have their accounts closed—hopefully preventing those with ill intentions from pirating others’ works. While the program is in its infancy and will be rolled out over time, theoretically targeting more suspicious accounts first, it holds promise for the increased protection of legitimate authors. 

  It’s heartening to see this initiative, but in the end, pirates will be a concern as long as people try to game the system. While I copyrighted book one to help protect my work from these kinds of scams, doing so provides a legally defendable line of ownership rather than some kind of impenetrable barrier from being ripped off. It’s been a couple years since I last researched trademarks and other creator protections, but that’s next on my list. When I know more, so will you.

  Thankfully, there are indie heroes out there, working for the betterment of the tribe. If you’re an author or aspire to be one, here’s that link to Kindlepreneur’s Readerscout  (now Writer Watch) again. My sincerest thanks to them for helping out their fellow creatives; it means so, so much.

  Remember: when one of us is pirated, we all suffer. Please avoid the emotional gymnastics for your own sake. Protect yourself and your work as best you can. 

  -H.A.

  Do you have any recommendations on protecting your work? Please, share for the good of the collective! 
• 

  Marketing

  Why You Shouldn’t Read My Books

  January 21, 2024 • By Heather Ashle • 6 Min Read

  

  

  For some time now, I’ve been following Derek Doepker, an author and marketing guru, who recently recommended a concept called Anti-Marketing. I’ve seen this before, but I’ve never taken the time to apply it to my own brand. What enticed me to give it a try was Derek’s insistence that it is much more fun than the typical pleading or problem-solving self-promotion that most of us stoop to, to try to sell a product. 

  I’ve engaged in my share of standard marketing ploys, and the force is draining out of me. (Sick to death of it, I am.) So, it’s time to try something new, if for no other reason than to preserve my sanity.

  Anti-Marketing is just how it sounds: you reverse-engineer the finer selling points of your product to explain to people why they should stay away from it, while touting it at the same time. If your response to this is, “Huh?” then take a look below. I think the concept will become quite evident in its practice. 

  Of course, this model leads down a path of utter silliness, and as I cannot resist a good giggle, I had to try it myself. So, I’ve embarked on a daily(ish) Anti-Marketing campaign on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. For those of you who don’t “social,” here is a list of what has featured so far. Check back regularly throughout the next month (and change) to see other reasons why you should NOT read An Heir of Realms.

  (And maybe, just maybe, I’ll use this tactic on Amazon Ads, too. What have I got to lose?)

  Reasons NOT TO READ Heather Ashle’s An Heir of Realms:

  #99: World-building and the mere prospect of jumping from world to world gives you motion sickness.

  #216: You occasionally fall asleep while reading in bed and hit yourself in the face with your book (cuz this baby’s 1.5lbs).

  #8: You only read non-fiction because your life is perfect, and you don’t need a fantastical escape.

  #63: Short, easy-to-devour chapters sound like the easy way out.

  #127: You refuse to read printed books because of your paralyzing fear of paper cuts.

  #54: You only read books written in present tense.

  #12: You prefer stories with weak, underdeveloped characters that can barely drive themselves to work, let alone drive an entire story.

  #341: You fear this series will use up all the space on your e-reader. (This one may be legit.)

  #75: You only read one-offs because a series takes too long.

  #49: Empowered female characters trying to save multiple worlds from annihilation sounds like a real snooze fest.

  #82: Allowing others to discover that you read books would hurt your image.

  #31: You prefer to read books with only one-star ratings, you rebel.

  #198: Portal travel between realms is a little too much like time travel, and you’re not into that.

  #79: The idea of reading about characters’ struggle with life-or-death circumstances sends you into a panic attack.

  #258: You have sworn off the holding of anything heavy enough to give you a hand cramp.

  #24: You prefer books without dialogue.

  #300: Dragons are just “overgrown, winged lizards,” rather than magnificent creatures that call to your soul in the night and guide your dreams through star-streaked, galactic skies. Or whatever. 

  #105: Puzzles, secrets, misinformation, and the intrigue that stems from them makes you sleepy.

  #87: You live exclusively in a dark cave and have no source of light to read by.

  #6: The act of reading—feeling the weight of a book in your hands, smelling its paper, flipping its pages, poring over the words hidden between its beautiful covers—makes you gag.

  #147: You prefer simple plotlines that are not deeply interwoven and intriguing.

  #202: You already have an excellent flyswatter and don’t need a substantial 1.5lb alternative.

  #77: Invented words—you know, like, “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”—make you want to bludgeon fantasy novels with a dictionary.

  #239: You’ve never wanted to become a dragon rider.

  #37: You don’t like fantasy novels that also tie into your own present-day world.

  #60: You read the last chapter of the book first.

  #148: You only read books in formats other than 6”x9” paperbacks.

  #19: Reading “luscious language [that] flows off the page and brings the characters to life” feels too real to you. (Thank you, Amazon Customer!)

  #81: You only read steamy romance novels.

  #135: You broke both wrists in a recent skiing accident, and you do not own a book weight.

  #96: The only dragon you believe in is Tad Cooper. (#galavant)

  #284: You prefer excessively descriptive language that beats you over the head with an image rather than letting your imagination do a little creative work.

  #42: You’re unclear on the difference between dragons and dinosaurs, and you’re unwilling to learn.

  #117: You prefer to read a series out of order. (Hahahahahaaaaaaaa, good luck.)

  #58: You don’t read books with dragons on their covers.

  Line 6a. Reasons NOT TO read Heather Ashle’s An Heir of Realms. You need a couple days to do your taxes before you embark on a great and much-needed escape. Add book to line 7, TBR. #anheirofrealms #realmridersseries #realmriders

  #156: Your teetering bookshelf can only hold one more short, lightweight book, o it may collapse.

  #270: You only read books that rigidly adhere to their intended genre and don’t have, say, a few elements of science fiction mixed in with their fantasy.

  #67: You feel censored in real life and subsequently prefer books with lots of profanity.

  #302: You can only read books with fluffy, perfect characters with no motivation, misguided or otherwise.

  #15: You don’t need to read books anymore—you’ve gotten through the dictionary, and it has all of them in it.

  #36: You only read completed series so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

  #1: You’re afraid if you connect with the multifaceted characters in this immersive story, you’ll want to read the next one. And *gasp* maybe the one after that.

  -HA

  What do you think? If you saw an Anti-Marketing ad on Amazon, would you be more or less drawn to its product? Please let me know…!
• 

  Book Launch - Marketing - Pre-Publication - Publishing

  The Book Launch Experience (a.k.a. My Second White Hair)

  September 8, 2022 • By Heather Ashle • 17 Min Read

  

  

  I grew my second white hair (that I know of) in the run-up to launch day for the first book in the Realm Riders Series. By the time it was of length to notice, it stuck straight out from my head, in the unruly way that coarse hair does, to glow in the light of a restroom sconce while at a dinner with two other couples. Naturally. And while the first one had come around my 30th birthday (an unexpected gift that I promptly plucked), I left this one, like a badge of honor, allowing it to fall out on its own, with countless others, sometime around launch.

  Now, this graying and hair loss was by no means a result of the actual launch day. The day my book officially dropped was perhaps one of the headiest of my 35 years. The outpouring of love and support caught me genuinely off-guard—not because I think the people in my life are anything shy of wonderful, generous human beings, but because I simply didn’t expect such an astonishing deluge to be directed at little ol’ me. I must say, I was quite indescribably awed and humbled. (And thank you again—you know who you are.)

  No, I attribute the white hair to the learning curve that immediately preceded launch day. And unless you texted me in those days prior, you probably don’t know how much trouble I experienced. Despite my publishing adviser’s herculean efforts to help me prepare, there are some things you must simply stumble over yourself. Still, my hope here is that I can further mitigate some of those tripping hazards for anyone planning a launch (or simply enlighten anyone with interest).

  And so, I pick up from my last blog, the Book Launch and Marketing Checklist. It has some great planning tips that I amassed from various sources (and my own trial and error), and I add to the list of how-tos (and how-not-tos) here to better prepare for next time.

  First, the Recap

  I chose to publish independently for several reasons: better royalties, more creative freedom, and complete control over this and any resulting projects. You’ve heard or read me describe myself before: I’m a Virgo and a control-freak. And this was my 10-year-old baby. No way in any realm was I going to hand it over to someone else to rear.

  I published directly through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I had hoped to go wide by adding D2D Print to my repertoire, but they, like every other wholesaler I’ve researched, are an all-or-nothing platform, and I couldn’t have avoided duplicate listings with Amazon and B&N if I’d published with them, as well. I had no interest in violating the platform rules of the “big two” and risk all listings of my book being taken down. So, I decided to sell additional copies through my website instead, using a PayPal widget. (I’m not endorsing PayPal per se, but they have been easy to work with so far, and I have heard many vendors at art fairs say they’re moving away from Square, mostly for customer service-related reasons. So, something to consider if you’re shopping for such a service yourself.) I may not have the reach through my site that I’d get with a wholesaler, but for the launch, when I needed my Amazon stats to drive up the visibility of my book, it worked out just fine.

  Except when it didn’t.

  Categorically Realmed

  If you’re not aware of how Amazon—or Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)—works when it comes to book stats, your education must start there, for it informs some of my thought processes. Perhaps you’ll remember my mention of keywords and categories in the pre-pub checklist. Keywords are search terms that direct buyers to your books, and categories are like the shelves of a bookstore or library—they provide a sort of shorthand for the book’s more specific genre characteristics. But that’s not all they do.

  Categories also figure into how a book ranks (in sales), compared to other books in the same category. And there’s a program out there by Dave Chesson called Publisher Rocket (which I don’t get paid to endorse but highly recommend all the same) that helps authors find categories in which to position their books. And I say “position” because it’s all a numbers game. Publisher Rocket gives authors an idea of how many books must be sold to reach the top 10 bestseller rank and the number 1 bestseller rank at Amazon. This means, if you can sell enough books in a single day in a listed category, your title will feature among the top 10 bestselling books in that category. And you want this because the chances of a potential buyer scrolling below the top 10 decreases exponentially with each roll of the mouse wheel or swipe of the thumb. Plus, you get that “bestseller” sticker over the image of your cover—and realm knows, you want that.

  But there’s a process to all this. When a book is published through KDP, the author must assign two primary categories to start. These are rather less specific than those one might research with Publisher Rocket, and the broadness of these first two only widens the competitive pool. So, before you publish, you can spend some time researching the categories you want your book to feature in—preferably with as low a sales number as you can find to get you in that number-one spot. And this must be done for every version of the book you release—eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook—because the stats and categories are different for each. (Not to mention, they’re different in each country, too.)

  I’d researched my keywords and categories so far in advance that they required updating right before launch. It wasn’t much extra work, and I do recommend doing the bulk of your research and selection in advance so that you need only double-check your choices at the last minute to see if anything needs altering. When I originally performed my research, my #1 bestseller rank number for single-day sales for the paperback was 14. When I was finally ready to publish, it had jumped to 22.

  I knew the limits of my reach. I’d been advertising for a while, but it was my generous family-and-friend base that was going to buy the first copies (I was not making assumptions here—they all told me so). So, I knew day one of the launch—August 16—was going to be the most important.

  And to readily facilitate sales, I had to have accurate links for my newsletter, ads, the Buy Now page of my website, and my social media accounts, or I wouldn’t be able to direct people to the places the book was available.

  So, with these two thoughts in mind, I decided to launch in advance of August 16. I attempted to publish my book to Amazon and B&N on the 13th so I could get my buying links and categories updated in advance. After Amazon processes a category request (which lately has been within 24 hours), it can take up to 72 hours for them to display, and I wanted to make sure I had the time for them to hit before the majority of my book sales might take place.

  Of course, what I didn’t realize is that it can take up to 72 hours for Amazon to approve and release the book after you hit “publish.”

  The—thankfully mere—24 hours it took Amazon to release both versions of my book were admittedly somewhat tense. The 13thwas a Saturday, and I had a long list of post-launch tasks planned that I could only tackle once the book was out (i.e. – setting up my Author Central and Goodreads pages, establishing affiliate accounts (I used Amazon Associates to start), updating my purchase links, etc.). Instead, I went to an art fair.

  After the book dropped on the 14th, I requested the update to my categories, and within 24 hours, I received confirmation from an Amazon representative that they had been added. Of course, they wouldn’t be visible for up to 72 hours, so I had no choice but to believe the representative who told me that it had been done.

  It hadn’t.

  My book is technically young-adult fantasy because it’s clean but its characters face adult situations that may be better understood at (a conservative?) 14 and up. I mention this because when I could finally verify that my categories had been added correctly (and check to see if I’d gotten my bestseller sticker), I discovered that only a small fraction of my categories had been added, none of which included that magically low 22 category. Let’s summarize this way: I didn’t get my sticker.

  It turns out, if your book is in the YA category, you must select at least one “juvenile” category among those two broad categories that you input at the time of publication. Of course, no one told me that when they said they’d added the categories, and I sadly never saw that disclaimer among the pages of category information in the KDP FAQ. Not until I inquired about why some categories were missing did an Amazon representative give me an education. I swapped out a juvenile equivalent of a primary category, resubmitted my request, and proceeded to have random, wrong categories added to my books over and over again, request after request. And although I followed their procedure for requesting updates to the letter, it has been a nightmare of endless ineptitude. As of today, when I post this, they’re finally up to date. Launch was over three weeks ago.

  Thankfully, I had no idea this was even an issue until after the launch frenzy had died down, but in the end, it didn’t really matter anyway. Sales are only counted when the book is shipped, which means regardless of when the purchase is submitted, sales stats are at the mercy of how quickly and uniformly Amazon fulfills the orders.

  To add to the inconclusive fun, I believe the number that counts toward the bestseller rank is the number of discrete orders, which is almost impossible to discern from the KDP dashboard because it only counts units sold. Therefore, it fails to distinguish multi-copy orders from single-copy orders, essentially rendering the bestseller sticker application nothing more predictable than a complete surprise for a small-time seller like me.

  But for once, my ignorance benefitted me. I am grateful to have spent launch day basking in the love and support of my family and friends—with only a modicum of anxiety over the Barnes & Noble $#!%-show splashed in for good measure.

  B&N: Better Late than Never

  Barnes & Noble doesn’t make it easy. The process of creating the book isn’t terribly different from Amazon, and having done Amazon first, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from other platforms. Still, B&N has a few idiosyncrasies that I didn’t face with Amazon.

  Because of the bestseller game I was playing at Amazon, I decided against doing a pre-order with them. The theory here is based on your number of preexisting followers. Those that pre-order will have their books shipped to them by or on the day of release. Those that order on the day of launch will receive them a few days later. So, if you have a small number of potential buyers, and some pre-order while others buy on or after launch, their shipping times will be more varied. And since sales are predicated on shipment, the subsequent dilution of “sales” (read: shipments) in a single day would decrease your potential to snag that bestseller sticker.

  Since I had none of those concerns at B&N, I registered for presale with a release date of August 16 when I set up the book. Their system seems to force you to register for presale if you wish to set a future release date (rather than the day you’re setting up the book). But it allows you to release the book for presale at any point before that set release date. When I decided to release early (rather than releasing into presale mode), I was forced to take the book off presale to move up the release date. Registering for presale was not the mistake. Taking it off presale to release early was.

  B&N’s processing times are outrageous. Their customer support response time has consistently exceeded a week from submission, and their book approval for release took even longer. Had I left the realmed thing on presale and simply pre-released it on the 13th (which I had accidentally done once before but was struggling to do again when I wanted to), it might have released itself on the 16th, but it’s hard to know for sure. Instead, it sat in pending mode for over a week while B&N approved it. And when they finally published it, they failed to notify me. One day, I simply found its status had transitioned from “pending” to “published.”

  At least I could finally update the purchase link on my website.

  Because I wanted most of my sales to funnel through Amazon anyway, I wasn’t too broken up about B&N’s lag on the day of launch. I had worked hard to stack the categorical deck in my favor at Amazon, and the single lane of buying traffic had the potential to increase my chances at getting that bestseller sticker, right?

  Or not.

  But That’s Not All!

  These were not the only punctures in my launch parachute. On August 14, I ordered a bunch of author copies from Amazon to fulfill direct sales from my website and gift a few copies to family and libraries. (If you order copies from Amazon before you release, you can only order proofs, which come with a not-for-sale watermark on them. In other words, you can’t order saleable copies from Amazon prior to release. B&N had no watermark, so their proofs could technically be saleable if you put no stock in the idea that they could one day be valuable….)

  Author copies don’t contribute to the sales rank, but they are priced at wholesale rates, which is nice. Due to the paper shortage (Did you know there was one? Go talk to your local print shop; they’ll tell you all about it.), my author copies weren’t scheduled to arrive until the end of August. So, while my readers could order their copies through Amazon Prime and receive them in two days, I had multiple direct sales pending through my website on August 16 and no books to send to my customers. I, too, resorted to ordering full-priced copies to fulfill the orders and have since heard lead times on author copies are approaching one month. Thankfully, my—now second—set of books finally showed up on August 31st, as promised.

  Due to a mix of complications, like the late breakup with my wholesaler and some cover art issues resulting from non-standardized templates across multiple platforms, my printed advertising materials were still in the works and unavailable for pickup until the day of launch. Any plans I’d had to get printed ads out in advance entirely evaporated. I consoled myself with the idea that I couldn’t make sales if the books weren’t out, and if prospective buyers misplaced the postcard or bookmark prior to launch, they couldn’t be depended upon to buy a copy. Still, despite my efforts to begin that process months in advance of launch, it, too, became another last-minute task.

  I also had the hairbrained idea that I wanted to commission the E-Stamp from my book as an actual, working stamp that I could use during book signings. As I had orders for signed copies through my website, I really needed to have had that brainstorm a few days earlier than I did! Thankfully, the StampedWithLoveXOXO shop I used on Etsy moved extraordinarily fast, and I got the books out to my customers with only relatively short delay. (Those are the sweetest people on Etsy, by the way—I’m convinced of it.)

  I wasn’t entirely prepared when it came to packaging either, though. I not only needed to generate a packing slip and tracking spreadsheet and learn the postage ad-on for PayPal, but I also had to devise a protective (and stylish—come on) way of shipping the books to prevent damage. (If only Amazon had taken such care!) B&N had sent me an author proof in a cardboard mailer (as is their way—and they deserve credit for it), and I was able to use it as a sort of template for securely wrapping my books. But the plague of last-minute inspiration sparked all kinds of fun ideas about the stylish part of that packaging, and I was ill-prepared to implement them all. What resulted was lovely, indeed, but it could have been even better. It’s not a total loss: I’ll be ready for book two.

  I’ll Get It Next Time

  In the two weeks prior to the formal release, I was almost sitting on my hands. Sure, I was working with my printer, updating categories, tweaking my website, buying and assigning ISBNs, ironing things out with my wholesaler (or not), updating my LLC logo to get a bug on my back cover (rather than the spine), prewriting newsletters, setting up the store on my website and configuring PayPal, taking classes on Amazon Ads, connecting with my Launch Teams, generating book images for social media ads I was posting, and my crisscrossed to-do list doesn’t even chronicle what else I did on the fly.

  But my books—remember those?—were just sitting in their platforms, waiting for me to push the “publish” button. And I wish I had.

  The decision to buy ISBNs and publish under my LLC admittedly slowed some things down, and that’s entirely on me. And the print materials will be extraordinarily similar for book two, which will save a lot of time (and design cost). But those hitches won’t hinder book two’s launch because they’re already decided. So, when I do this next time, my timeline is going to look considerably different.

  My “secret” launch, as Dave Chesson calls it, is going to, at minimum, triple from his recommended length (and I’m sure it’s sacrilege to share such trade secrets, but I’m more inclined to help my indie author friends than worry about that realmed Amazon bestseller sticker).

  I will also order author copies the moment the book “secretly” releases. This may not get them to me in time to fulfill website orders, and I may very well have to order additional Prime copies again anyway, but at least I can try. I may also be able to get libraries advance copies, as they must be vetted (which can often take a month or so) before being shelved.

  And for my loyal ARC readers who refuse to post until their purchases have been verified (bless them), they’ll be given the opportunity to purchase copies and post reviews ahead of release.

  If I don’t go wide (a.k.a – use my wholesaler instead of publishing directly with specific platforms), I will figure out how to prerelease with B&N properly and do so at least two weeks before the launch day.

  And if I do decide to go wide… well… I’ll post an update about my third gray hair after book two’s launch.

  -HA

  Do you have any tips of the indie publishing trade? Please share here, and help your fellow authors avoid the pitfalls that you may have experienced. It’s only neighborly.
• 

  Book Launch - Marketing - Pre-Publication - Publishing

  Brace Yourself: Book Launch and Marketing Checklist

  August 9, 2022 • By Heather Ashle • 16 Min Read

  

  

  You’ve already read my blog on beta readers (or if you haven’t, why not?), so you have an idea of some of the less-publicized steps in the hyper-romanticized world of writing a book. But for independent authors (at least those who overlap with grasping perfectionists), the space between writing and publishing is akin to purgatory. From navigating the ins and outs of formatting idiosyncrasies to the creation and execution of your publication marketing plan, finding time to work on the sequel becomes rather tricky.

  In part, this is because many of the elements that require attention take time to complete, and you’ll do a lot of waiting around if you don’t tend to a few of them simultaneously. And you don’t want to realize you misjudged how long a process might take and find yourself scrambling at the last minute, unable to achieve those missing steps before the drop date. 

  For those of you who plan to embark on your first publication or those who periodically checked in to verify that I hadn’t wasted away under my laptop, I hope that this pseudo to-do list helps you understand some of the many things that require consideration in the run-up to publication… and why I got so quiet in the first quarter of the year.

  FORMATTING AND PUBLISHING PLATFORMS

  Step one: write the book. Turns out, this is the easy part.

  But don’t be like me and forget to write any key sections of your front and back matter. This could include acknowledgments, dedications, an about-the-author blurb, an author’s note, table of contents, and whatever else your book may need. (Realm forbid you had hoped to receive a forward or afterward from someone and forgot to chase them down—or even ask them—for it.) Once everything is truly, truly written and edited (you hired an editor, right?), you’ll need to format your manuscript for publication.

  This means you’ll need to determine in which formats you want to publish:

  • eBook
  • Paperback
  • Hardcover
  • Audiobook (and remember, this one has costs associated with it from talent to production and realm knows what else—this is still on my eventual horizon; I’ll update you when I know more)

  If you’re printing a physical copy, you’ll need to select your trim size (dimensions of the book), which will determine how you format it. The process is rather detailed but not super challenging, other than the occasional “oopsie.” It is also something you can hire out if you’re not comfortable with document manipulation. If you do it yourself, save new versions. Regularly. I mean, a lot. Just to be sure you can revert to an old version if needed.

  Knowing your formats might help you decide whether you wish to publish through a single publishing platform or “go wide,” as it’s known in the industry, which means distributing your book through multiple platforms. There are tons of options out there, but here are a few biggies I researched:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • D2D Print*
  • Ingram Spark

  Unfortunately, wholesalers like Ingram Spark and D2D Print (who uses Ingram Spark as their distributor) currently prohibit authors from opting out of distribution through specific retailers on their list. This means going through them would prevent you from releasing directly with individual retailers like Amazon and B&N because it would create duplicate listings and could cause the de-listing of your book entirely. The issue: deselecting certain retailers would allow indie author to list with sites that pay out higher royalties for publishing directly through them. On the other hand, deselecting large avenues like Amazon and B&N could decrease the wholesaler’s reach and profit, which probably begets the prohibition. You see the conundrum. So, you can go wide and take the hit in royalties, or to get around this, you might consider selling directly from your book or author website (which I’ll detail a bit more below).

  (*But if I may gush momentarily about D2D Print’s incredible customer service…! If I eventually go wide with a wholesaler, they’re my likeliest choice.)

  A couple other considerations may affect which publishing platform(s) you use: whether to buy ISBNs (which I debate in my recently updated blog on ISBNs) and whether to file for copyright (and remember: it takes 1-3 months minimum to process, plus fees). Just don’t waste money on barcodes. Google a free barcode generator to use with your ISBNs if you need one—or use Dave at Kindlepreneur’s generator.)

  But these make up only the tip of the nitty-gritty iceberg. 

  KEYWORDS AND CATEGORIES

  If you’re self-publishing at Amazon, there are plenty of resources out there to help you figure out the process. This is where Dave Chesson’s Publisher Rocket program comes in handy (and, again, I make no money in saying so—I paid for the program out of pocket, too). Dave is an exceptional resource that you should tap as soon as you decide to publish your work. (Self Publishing with Dale is another great resource in the self-publishing biz, and I don’t get paid to say that either.) Dave also has a course on keywords and categories, which he’d bundled in with Publisher Rocket at the time I purchased it. Best thing I could have done. There are frequent sales on the software, so sign up for his awesome newsletters and seize your moment wisely.

  • 7 Keywords – You’ll input these when you upload your manuscript, so you’ll need to research them in advance. Expect to burn a couple afternoons on this… at least.
  • 10 Categories – You’ll sort these out and contact Amazon about associating them with your book on the day of launch. But to start, you’ll choose two of the broader categories at the time of manuscript upload. And you can assign different categories for different global regions, too, so there goes yet another afternoon or two if you care to bother.

  The eye-opening part about this (because this facet of B&N seems to go relatively undiscussed compared to Amazon) is that Barnes & Noble will ask for the same information. So, once you’ve done the work on Amazon, if you’re publishing directly with B&N, too, you can replicate all the work you did. I have no idea whether there is a system for keywords and categories at B&N that is less widely publicized, but if you did it one place, my hope is that copying will suffice.

  Note: Publishing directly with B&N, rather than letting a wholesaler provide them copies, increases your royalties but may hinder your ability to go wide for the reasons outlined in the wholesaler discussion above. B&N also requires a different cover size from Amazon for the wrap-around art, and it’s a huge inconvenience to ask your artist to make two versions, but you’ll thank your artist later when the royalties are (in some cases) double what they would have been from a wholesaler.

  UPLOADING YOUR FORMATTED MANUSCRIPT

  Try to decide whether you’re using free ISBNs or purchased ones before you begin, to avoid having to start again from scratch if you change your mind. Amazon will let you switch between the two in perpetuity until you hit publish, but B&N and other wholesalers who issue free ones likely don’t.

  If you’re printing a physical copy, like a paperback or hardcover, you’ll set that up first (before the eBook).

  1. Upload the “interior” – this is the formatted manuscript (with embedded fonts in a .pdf file) Note: Arial won’t embed, so consider using Calibri for all sans serif font applications (like headers).
  2. Upload the cover art
  3. Check for issues on the previewer
  4. Make changes if necessary and repeat until it’s right
  5. Don’t hit publish

  Begin your eBook instead.

  1. Upload the “interior” – this is the formatted manuscript (with embedded fonts in a .docx file) Note: Arial won’t embed, so consider using Calibri for all sans serif font applications (like headers).
  2. Upload the cover art
  3. Check for issues on the previewer. On Amazon, the eBook previewer also spellchecks for you. This handy tool may catch something that could have been missed by the editor or altered accidentally during formatting. If you find typos, now is the moment to reopen your final print-book interior file, find and fix them for both formats, and re-upload both interiors.
  4. Make changes if necessary and repeat until it’s right.
  5. Don’t hit publish.
  6. Order proof copy of the print version – you’ll probably order several. Mine are stacking up like library litter. But you’ll need to order at least one from each publishing platform to verify they’re going to print properly. Prices vary, especially with shipping rates included, but they can easily range from $10 to $30. Using the eBook typo trick before ordering your first copy may save you one proof purchase.

  PRE-PUBLICATION MARKETING PREPARATION

  I’m not a marketing exec, and I don’t pretend to be. I took an advertising class in college, so I know the occasional phrase, like point-of-purchase and brand positioning. (Yeah, I’m not dazzled by my academic memory either.) I abandoned the idea of taking up advertising as my minor for several reasons, but the one that matters is I don’t have the flare for it. And to complicate matters, I loathe self-promotion. It feels trite and ungenuine and… icky. Frankly, just thinking about it makes me queasy.

  Yet, the independent author has no choice but to self-promote. The devilishly necessary task is the cross I bear for wanting my fists clenched tightly around the reins of this project.

  What’s worse, the responsibility rests with me. If this doesn’t work, I have no one to blame but myself… which is why I hired a marketing company to help. Because I’d much prefer to share that blame? Yes. But also because I don’t know what I’m doing. Nor do I currently have the time to learn the ins and outs of Facebook and Instagram marketing, which I find cumbersome. But they’re still decent avenues to consider.

  Whether you set up Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or Amazon ads (or ads on any other platform), you’ll need images from your artist for them, so get your hands on whatever artwork you can.

  Note: You can get certified in Amazon Ads directly with Amazon, so you should be able to learn their process with relative ease and zero monetary expense. You can also take Dave Chesson’s free Amazon ads course. I took that and a free course from Amazon Ad School, which they promote a couple times a year, neither of which do I get paid to mention.

  It’s not all social media and Amazon Ads, though. If you have a decent and selfless support system of friends and family, they can assist you in your pre-publication marketing preparation. Before your book is released, start with those lovely people (and the rest of your email list—that I hope you’ve been generating) to recruit for hype teams that will help you sell your book around the day of launch.

  • Assemble an ARC (Advanced Review Copy) Team – these are the readers who will receive advanced copies of the book so they are ready to post reviews when it drops. (Make sure you consider the review policies of the site(s) on which you ask them to post reviews to avoid violating their terms and plan accordingly.)
  • Assemble Street Teams – these are the followers who help boost your launch date by posting about it on social media (Online Street Team) and getting out the word via the distribution of physical printed materials to whatever public places will allow it (Physical Street Team). Don’t forget to ask your libraries, as well as your coffee shops, retailers, and galleries, if you can leave materials in their establishments.

  You should also research any promotional programs, especially those tailored to new releases, as these may eventually become unavailable to you once your book has been around for a while. Amazon has a new promotional program (in beta at the time of this post) that looks pretty cool.

  And do a little research on pre-sale programs. Some of these may not behoove indie authors, so you’ll want to be selective. For those publishing through Amazon, who will rely on single-day sales to beat their “best seller” algorithm (this has to do with those pesky categories mentioned above), pre-sales may detract from your concentrated daily numbers. On the other hand, as you’re setting up your book at B&N, you seemingly have no choice but to opt for presale (to publish at a date later than the day you’re uploading your manuscript)—at least until you’re ready to publish, at which time that option can be toggled off, if desired. 

  Ah, and don’t forget live events. So many facets to this—all of which rely on timing. Here are a few you might consider.

  • Host a release/reading/signing party at a local place that is fitting for your subject matter (and hopefully affordable). Consider timing this with a gift-giving holiday, if possible.
  • Go to B&N or other local bookstores to research local author programs and see if you can get in for an author meet-and-greet.
  • Take a free copy(ies) to your local library. Ask if you can leave your printed marketing materials out somewhere and whether you can hold a debut gathering there, maybe to read a few chapters.

  And if you end up doing live events where your book can be sold, remember not everyone carries cash. You’ll need to establish yourself with a credit card POS system (like Square, Zettle, etc.—again, I’m not paid for listing these options and don’t recommend them one way or the other)

  • Some of these places even generate QR codes for you, which you can post on your sales table for touchless payment!
  • And get a state tax number for those states that impose sales tax on purchases!

  Did you also research the option of setting up a store on your website, so people who visit it can buy the book without being directed away from your site? (This is a great option if you want to go wide without sacrificing royalties from listing with an all-or-nothing wholesaler; just understand your reach may not be as good at the beginning.) Adding an ecommerce section to your website may be pricey, depending upon your website host, but they may have a free widget that links to your PayPal or other online payment account. It may not look as swanky as the full integration, but it’s a realm of a lot cheaper and a great way to get started.

  THE RELEASE WORK

  Once your book is released in all formats, you’ll need to set up your authorial pages (like Author Central on Amazon). You can start the process ahead of time, but the pages can’t be completed or go live until your book drops.

  And don’t forget to establish a GoodReads account, even if you don’t love the site (some do, some don’t). Lots of readers believe their reviews on GoodReads tie back to Amazon’s page for a book because review requests (like the review link that populates after you finish an eBook) automatically push readers to GoodReads. However, readers must go to Amazon directly to post their review on Amazon’s book page. Since lots of reviewers will unwittingly post only to GoodReads, you might as well have a presence established there… and at other review sites if you’re so inclined.

  BOOSTING SALES LATER

  And finally, you might consider setting up a Kickstarter as a way to reinvigorate your marketing after the initial rush passes. This might be for the sequel, an audiobook version, merchandise, etc. Whatever it’s for, the campaign will give you another avenue to approach readers who have a strong interest in furthering your work. Just remember to be smart about setting up your rewards so you don’t bankrupt yourself in item and shipping costs. And don’t forget to calculate the platform’s fees (and taxes) when you set up a goal, or you may make less than you’d expected. (I’m considering this avenue, too, and will blog again when I know more.)

  EXHAUSTED YET?

  See? I’ve been doing stuff! But think of how bored you’d have grown with me if I’d sent you a newsletter every time I crossed something off this unending list! And for those of you who know me personally (or know how long my books are) (or read this lengthy blog post), you’re aware that I can be a little verbose if I’m not careful.

  And I’m so rarely careful.

  DON’T BAIL!

  For those of you considering self-publishing, my hope is not to overwhelm you to the point of thinking that publication is beyond your reach (and you will probably have your moments, regardless). If you love your work, your passion will drive you through the rough bumps. Just remember that if you’re publishing independently, no company is doing all these things for you, and I wanted to make you aware of some things you’ll need to do for yourself. 

  The reality is there are even more nitty-gritty details that I neglected to mention here, as some of them may be more a result of preference than functional necessity. But if you have questions, heather@heatherashle.com is where you’ll find me.

  Sure, it can take months from when you type your last word in the manuscript to the time you see your book in print. But if you want a reputation as an author who puts out quality work, you’ll appreciate that time and use it wisely.

  Happy publishing, y’all. And happy reading.

  -HA

  What’d I miss? Let me know in the comments, please!