How do I become a self-published author

You’re a writer and you’re asking yourself….

How do I become a self-published author?

You’ve been writing for as long as you can remember, sneaking scribbles in your notebook when you think no one is watching. There isn’t a friend or foe safe from making it into your potential character traits list.

You love to stand back and observe the people around you. Plotting the story where you can put the latest real-life drama in your fantastic tales.

And you’re ready.

Ready to conquer your fear, take the plunge, and begin your career as an indie author.

To make a living from those scribbles.

Publishing a book is your dream, and you’re ready to pursue it.

But you’re freaked out.

You don’t know where to start.

You have doubts if you can do it.

You wonder if your writing is even good enough. You haven’t shown your creative endeavors to many people, and those who have read your work are obligated to say it’s good.

Thank goodness for mom.

You know you need an editor and a cover designer, but you don’t know any. Not to mention you haven’t yet sold any books, so you don’t have much money to throw toward your dream.

You know you need to market your book but where to start. There’s Facebook, and Pinterest, and Instagram, oh my. Do people even buy books from those social sites? Is there some secret place authors promote?

I was 7 when I started to dream about being a published author. I was 35 when it came true. Being a writer was something I thought about off and on for all those years in between. I thought about it. I daydreamed about it. I desired it. I thought a lot about “what if I was a rich and famous author” scenarios. But I never pursued it. (Well unless you count the time I wrote Francis Ford Coppola a letter because I had a great movie idea. I never heard back…..)

Why didn’t I pursue my dream?

Simple answer. I didn’t think I was good enough and I was too afraid to try.

Fear stopped me from following my heart for the longest time.

Fear of the unknown.

Fear I was a bad writer. That I didn’t have what publishers were looking for. That my ideas were stupid and my books boring, and no one would ever want to read them.

So I kept those dreams to myself. But I never stopped thinking about it.

It was always that one thing I wanted which was just out of reach. The thing I rarely even talked about. The thing I felt missing in my otherwise

pretty awesome life.

But it seemed so impossible.

Then Amazon came along, and the publishing landscape changed. Ebooks revolutionized how readers and writers looked at books.

Those changes opened up a multitude of possibilities.

Don’t get me wrong, I still had a lot of fear, but the process of self-publishing seemed more manageable, more doable.

Plus, I was at a point in my life where I was willing to take a risk. Put myself out there and be ok even if I failed. So I decided to go for it. And I’m so glad I did.

I’m living my dream with no regrets.

Not even 1 little letter.  Sorry, I can’t think of that phrase without thinking of the movie, We’re The Millers.

10 years later and while I still haven’t figured this industry out, it changes too fast for that, but I do know a lot about the writing and publishing process.

And I know even more about what not to do.

If there’s a self-published mistake to make, I’ve made it.

I want to share what I’ve learned that’s made me successful (and all my mistakes) with you. To aid you on your journey of your dream of publishing your book and building a sustainable business as an author.

I don’t want you to spend any more time dreaming and wishing. I want you to follow your heart.

Starting NOW!