Visual Ideas
Show your workspace.
Show your inspiration.
Show your research.
Show yourself.
Show your inner kid.
Show your book!
Writing Prompts
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Where do you write?
How do you write?
What do you find inspiring?
What are you researching?
Who is this book for?
Why is this book important to you?
What has been challenging about this process?
What have you learned about yourself while writing?
What have you learned about the world?
Curious how I did it?
I’ve collected all of the Instagram posts about writing my book(s) and archived them here for you:
Instagram Timeline of Self Publishing Journey
Case Studies
Here are some authors with great social media feeds or online platforms that showcase their work. Tap over to their feeds for some ideas on the type of content you can make to promote your books.
I’ve focused on Instagram as it’s easy to embed an image and showcase their visual style. Some of these authors have larger followings on other platforms.
Lex Croucher (they/them)
NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (UK)
30k IG Followers
Writes “Historical-ish Rom Coms”
lexcanroar on Instagram
Allison Carr Waechter (she/her)
Self Published (USA)
5000 IG Followers
Writes Fantasy Romance
allisoncarrwaechter on Instagram
Morgan Harper Nichols
WSJ Bestseller, Traditionally Published (USA)
2M IG Followers
Writes & Illustrates Poetry
morganharpernichols on Instagram
Katie Daisy
NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (UK)
133k IG Followers
Creates Illustrated Books & Workbooks
katiedaisy_artist on Instagram
Tracy Deonn (she/her)
NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (USA)
37k IG Followers
Writes YA Fantasy
tracydeonn on Instagram
Amie McNee (she/her/they)
Self Published (Australia / UK)
381k IG Followers
Writes Historical Fiction
inspiredtowrite on Instagram
Austin Kleon (he/him)
NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (USA)
178k IG Followers
Self described “writer who draws”
austinkleon on Instagram
Amal El-Mohtar (she/her)
NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (Canada/USA)
3k IG Followers
Writes Sci Fi
Helen Stephens
Traditionally Published (UK)
27k IG Followers
Writes & Illustrates Picture Books
Also on: Substack
helenstephenslion on Instagram
Additional Resources
Book Mockups
At some point you’ll probably need mockups for your book. These can be used to announce your cover design, take preorders, or for a visual during your crowdfunding campaign. There are free and paid options all over the internet, but Book Mockups at Envato is a good place to start. You may also want mockups for audiobooks and ebooks. (If this is outside of your skill set this is something else you can hire a professional for.)
Book Photography
You’ll want the best photographs of your book that you can manage. Whether this means leveling up your own skills, doing a service swap with a photographer, or hiring a professional. Remember your launch muse. Whoever takes the photos you’ll need to have a clear vision of what kind of photos you want of your book (minimal, styled, with people, etc.) Take a look at the author’s above if you need some ideas.