My last post, A Free Editing Checklist, was very well liked, and so I thought I would make a series of posts that include more checklists. I make these for myself so I don’t forget anything, but if they help others then I am more than willing to share!

This posts will be on what to do in that space between when your book is edited and you are thinking about publishing.

The Basics:

• Have an audience. Ideally, you should start marketing yourself at least a year before your first book launch so that you have people who will notice when your book launches. If you don’t have an audience yet, don’t worry! Any time is a good time to start. Chat with others in your community on social media, and post regularly.
• Have a newsletter. Newsletters are still important in the author world, so it is a good idea to start building a following for yours before your book is out. For myself, my blog has the ability to sign up for notifications by e-mail(hello to those of you who are getting this by email! 👋), so it works both as my blog and my newsletter.
• Network. It is time to stop considering other writers as your competition. They are not competition, they are your community. It has been proven that when two similar business’ work together rather than as competition, it helps both of them mutually. So, work together with your writing community to help build each other up. Start chatting, start sharing the work of others, and give advice. Once you gain some writing friends, they may share your book when it is published. Just make sure you do the same for them.
• Research and Ready Yourself. It is really unlikely that your first book will take off. Most self-published authors seem to say that around book 8 is where they really start making steady sales, so ready yourself for that. Read or listen to podcasts on publishing so you know what to expect so you are ready for what results may come.
• Advertising funds. You may need to pay for graphics, as well as promoted posts/advertising, so consider building an advertising fund.

The Content:

• Cover. It is not recommended you do your own cover since there is a lot of education needed for them. It might seem easy, but even the little things right down to the font matters. Certain fonts are hard to read for many people, while other fonts are considered cliché. If you are not comfortable in this area, this is when you should hire someone to build one for you.
• Formatting. People do not like books formatted in strange ways, so either hire someone or do the research. Once again, this might seem easy, but even if the text of your book has it’s margins slightly closer to the edge of the page than normal, many people will notice. If you are doing this yourself, there are many tutorials on YouTube. In your book, don’t forget to mention your cover artist, your editor, and anyone else who has helped you.
• Back matter. These are the pages at the very end of the book that most commonly have a sample or advertisement for the next book. Make sure you do this, and add information on how to sign up for your newsletter.
• Get Graphics. You will need graphics for preorder announcements, launch date announcements, and general advertising

Building Hype

• Post often. Talk about how you are feeling about your WIP and for sure let people know when you are done.
• ⭐Title reveal. Announce when you will do a title reveal, then count down. This is to help build interest in your book. Many authors use their cover but crop out everything but the title for this, or do an announcement video.
• Share Art. Commission or draw art of your characters and share them. Introducing your characters like this will help people know what to expect from what you are writing.
• Share Quotes. Share quotes from your book. This will give your potential readers a sample of what to expect from you.
• ⭐Cover reveal. Announce when you will do a cover reveal, then count down. People love a pretty cover, so help get people excited for it by counting down. Note: it is considered polite to mention your cover artist when you do a cover reveal
• Map Reveal. Commission or draw yourself a map for your world (if your story needs one) and share it.
• ⭐Preorder date announcement/countdown. This one you will want to make then biggest deal out of and may want to do a promoted post when preorders go up.
• Media. Consider contacting your local media(newspaper?)about your release. The worst they can say is no.
• Book Spots for Guest Blogs. Some blogs will let you do guest posts where you can talk about your upcoming book.
• Update your headers. The headers on social media, like twitter, can be a great place for advertising. Consider putting your release date somewhere on your header.
• Order marketing swag. Like bookmarks and business cards. These are essential if you plan on selling your book in person or for book signings.
• Book Trailer. Book trailers do not usually gain a lot of traffic, so I don’t suggest spending a lot of money on one, but they are still useful to have. Build one and share it with the release date at the end.
• ARC. Send out advanced reader copies so your book has (honest) reviews on launch. If they are not 5 star reviews, don’t worry, they will still move your book up in the algorithms.
• Signed Copy Giveaways. Consider doing a giveaway for a few signed copies(perhaps with a bookmark or other goodies you ordered) on social media. Sending your book can be costly depending on how far it has to go, but these do tend to get a lot of traction.
• ⭐Launch party. Consider having a virtual launch party to celebrate the release of your book.
• Book Signing. Consider doing a book signing at your local library or book store.
• Donate a book. Donate a book to your local library if they will take it. Consider the cost as advertising revenue.

That is it! Think I missed anything? Please let me know!

Want to save this for later? You can downloaded it as a PDF for free here:

The Power of Change

This year, it has felt like I am falling behind those I care about. Some friends and family are buying houses, and others are moving so far ahead in their careers money-wise that they can now afford things I could never dream of.

Meanwhile, I am in the same place I was last year.

That, mixed with all the other stresses life has thrown at me has hit me hard and impacted my mental health, which in turn impacts my physical health, thanks to my auto-immune disorder.

I know I can’t change my current situation at the moment, so instead I added something; a pound puppy of unknown breed named Haggis. It might not have been the best financial decision, but he has done wonders for my mental health.

How, you ask? Well, put simply, it is hard to focus deeply on troubles when you are chasing around a puppy out to destroy anything he can get his teeth on haha.

My elderly dog and I both adore him, and I look forward to seeing what he looks like as an adult.

My Writing Progress

Woad (Temorary Title)

First Draft

Second Draft

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To Steal From a King

1st Draft Rewrite

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