🛑 If you are an AUTHOR, or thinking about self publishing, I suggest you STOP and read this.
(*sigh*, this book was stolen too)
This is not a fiction novel, but a scarily true account of how authors all over the internet are having their works sto...
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~
And so the publishing journey begins.
So you've decided you want to have a red hot go at self publishing through a platform, and want to dabble in the world of eBook and/or print. Yay! Exciting stuff. You're ready and rearing to get started, with your imagination running wild on all the possibilities for your project...
And then you realise, you have to actually have to work out how you're going to go about it 😒.
If you have no idea where to start, don't worry fam, you're not alone by a long shot.
What platform do you use?
What copyright options are there?
Do I have to pay for those copyright options?
Will it get plagiarised/stolen?
Can I change my mind and publish it again elsewhere?
Are there royalties?
Can I set my own price?
Will it be safe?
How the fuck do I get things printed?
Do I have to pay for printing?
What the fuck, is a trim & bleed?
I know, the questions are never ending. And so you do a quick google search...
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You press enter, do a double take, and rub your eyes for a second, because there can't be that much, can there?!
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All of it is useless.
You spend hours sorting through web pages to no avail, and in the end, you feel totally exhausted, annoyed, and like you need to make a quick drive by the liquor store, followed by Kmart to pick up a brand new spanker of a toaster and some bath salts 👀.
That's the reality of the situation. There's just so much information out there that it's just about impossible to work out what is current, what is out of date, and what is actually relevant to what you are looking for. Not only that, but if you are anything like me, you might find yourself with questions that apparently must be so "self explanatory" that you can't even find an answer at all.
🤦♀️ 🤦♂️ 🤦
Never fear, your local mediocre author is here 🦸♀️.
I've given it a good crack, and as promised, I have come back to write about it, and create a guide to (hopefully) make your life a little easier than mine was. I've done the hard yards, parked my ass at my desk with a full bottle of cheap-ass wine and my best "can do" attitude for countless hours, partaking in the world's most tedious execution of trial and error, to bring to you the answers you are looking for.
And so I present to you:
✨ The nightmare that is Amazon KDP ✨
I chose Amazon Books to start with, because after some research, I decided this was probably going to be the easiest and most accessible platform for both myself and potential readers, for my first time (*blushes 🤭*, there's a first for everything).
I should have been more studious by actually taking notes along the way, but truth be told, I wasn't really thinking about anything other than "what the hell am I doing" the entire time, so I don't think it would have helped much, aside from jotting down those exact questions.
Alas, I am going to structure this guide in order from before creating the canvas/manuscript, all the way to pressing publish, to give you a tool that can be followed step-by-step to accompany you through your virgin publishing journey and help you give away your publishing V-card.
