Visual Ideas

Show your workspace.

Show your inspiration.

Show your research.

Show yourself.

Show your inner kid.

Show your book!

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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?

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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

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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.

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Lex Croucher (they/them)

NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (UK)

30k IG Followers

Writes “Historical-ish Rom Coms”

lexcanroar on Instagram

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Allison Carr Waechter (she/her)

Self Published (USA)

5000 IG Followers

Writes Fantasy Romance

allisoncarrwaechter on Instagram

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Morgan Harper Nichols

WSJ Bestseller, Traditionally Published (USA)

2M IG Followers

Writes & Illustrates Poetry

morganharpernichols on Instagram

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Katie Daisy

NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (UK)

133k IG Followers

Creates Illustrated Books & Workbooks

katiedaisy_artist on Instagram

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Tracy Deonn (she/her)

NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (USA)

37k IG Followers

Writes YA Fantasy

tracydeonn on Instagram

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Amie McNee (she/her/they)

Self Published (Australia / UK)

381k IG Followers

Writes Historical Fiction

inspiredtowrite on Instagram

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Austin Kleon (he/him)

NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (USA)

178k IG Followers

Self described “writer who draws”

austinkleon on Instagram

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Amal El-Mohtar (she/her)

NYT Best Selling Author, Traditionally Published (Canada/USA)

3k IG Followers

Writes Sci Fi

https://amalelmohtar.com

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Helen Stephens

Traditionally Published (UK)

27k IG Followers

Writes & Illustrates Picture Books

Also on: Substack

helenstephenslion on Instagram

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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.

Sales platforms & indie bookshops

Consider your options.

Does your book have a title or topic that people may be searching for on Amazon?

Would you rather market and sell your book directly through your own website?

Online Marketplaces

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (known as Amazon KDP)

Barnes & Noble Press

Your Own Website

Squarespace (Website upgrade)

Woo Commerce (for WordPress Websites)

Shopify (Monthly Subscription)

Hybrid

Wherever you sell your book you’ll probably want a sales page on your own website.

You can do this even if you use an online marketplace.

This is a place to make the sales more personable. Share the why behind your book (revisit your notes from the “Why” module) and who it’s for. You can include videos, images, and reviews.

Then put a clear “Buy Now” button that links to whatever shopfront you choose.

There is a beautiful example from Katie Daisy here.

Or a simple approach from Austin Kleon (you’ll notice he links to Bookpeople and not Amazon.)1

Brick & Mortar

My first book has a tiny profit margin (due to being full color print on demand) so I have not yet explored brick and mortar for my own books. I have done a bit of research though and will share that here.

After recording this podcast I learned something important about bookshops.

Bookstores sell on consignment.

The way this works with traditional publishing is book distibutors offer the ability to return books that don’t sell. If you sell to a brick and mortar shop they might be more comfortable selling on consignment or with the option to return unsold stock.

In addition to independent bookstores consider small shops that sell gifts or wares from local artisans. Consider the topic of your book and think outside the box about shops that might be a good fit. You’ll make less profit from books sold in shops, but you will likely reach different readers who may not find you online.

How to Sell Your Self-Published Book to Bookstores

Book Distribution with Ingram Spark

Expanded Distribution with Amazon KDP

If you want to consider Book Distribution to independent bookshops (versus a personal relationship and purchase order with local sellers) I’d recommend reading So You Want to Publish a Book by Anne Trubek. She sheds light on some of the opaque elements of selling to bookstores through distributors (like delayed payments and the prevalence of bookstore returns.)

My research also showed many bookshops won’t consider stocking books with free Amazon ISBNs. This is something to consider and the reason I purchased ISBNs from Bowker. It felt like a worthwhile investment to have the option to be stocked in bookstores later on.

Festivals & Conventions

Many authors sell their books at book festivals or conventions that fit the theme of the book. For this you’ll need a way to take payments during the event as people (at least here in the US) rarely carry cash. Here are some options. Both are free.

Venmo (easy for people with the Venmo app)

Square Up Card Reader (take credit card payments)

Crowdfunding

Indiegogo (flexible goal)

Kickstarter (all of nothing)

Outside the Box

If you have a small following and want to self publish with the smallest overhead here are some options for you. These are less polished and professional, but they can do the job if you are bootstrapping your project.

Gumroad (Free)

Square Up (Free, but cannot fulfill digital products)

Etsy (Free, not ideal for books but good for journals or planners)

Substack (Offer your ebook or audiobook to paid tier)

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My Experience

I started out selling through the Square Up free online shop. This worked well for physical books, but was not ideal for ebooks and audiobooks. At this time2 Square Up does not have the capability to automatically deliver digital products so I was having to send these myself.

Recently I upgraded my Squarespace website to include a shopfront. For me the investment was worth the peace of mind that my ebooks and audiobooks will be automatically fulfilled.

Covering your options for ISBN and the pros and cons of a free vs. paid ISBN number.

Resources

Bowker ISBN for USA & Canada

Amazon KDP Free ISBN

Library of Congress LCCN

Consider the tone.

Who did you write the book for?

What are their expectations?

What are your intentions?

Examples of tone:

Formal (The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron)

Conversational (Steal Like an Artist by: Austin Kleon)

Academic (Daring Greatly by: Brent Brown)

Bonus Module:

Jessica Allowski, my editor for How it Feels to Me, has generously recorded a bonus module for you about the editing process.

How to Work with a Book Editor

Many thanks to Jessica Allowski, my editor for How it Feels to Me, for generously recording this bonus module.

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Hi! I’m Jessica Allowski, founder of Cozy Cottage Editing. I work primarily with introverted indie authors to strengthen and refine their manuscripts for self-publication. I’m here to describe the main types of editing and offer tips for finding the most suitable freelance editor for your project.

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Resources

Editorial Freelance Association

ACES: The Society for Editing

Imagine your book cover.

What do you want your cover to communicate about your book?

What type of imagery comes to mind?

What type of fonts?

What colors?

What textures?

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Guest Speaker

Don’t miss the module recorded by Nathaniel Roy of A Book Designer’s Notebook about how to work with a cover designer. I’ve also linked up some of his blog posts with tips about designing your own cover. So this is worth a listen even if you plan to design the cover yourself.

How to Collaborate with a Cover Designer

Many thanks to Nathaniel Roy of A Book Designer’s Notebook for generously recording this module.

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Nathaniel Roy is a book designer, collage maker, photo taker, self-publisher, and a few other things in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Hi, I’m Nathaniel. I’m a graphic designer who specializes in book design, but for the right cause, I’ll design just about anything. I’m keenly interested in local, independent, and non-profit projects. I am currently an in-house designer at the Ann Arbor District Library and available for freelance opportunities. I write a newsletter about books, design, and creative practice.

You can read and subscribe here.

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Learn More

Nathaniel regularly shares great design tips on his Substack.

Here is a roundup of some of my favorites.

I Can Tell Your Book Was Self Published (Part One)

I Can Tell Your Book Was Self Published (Part Two)

You Need A Book Cover (and I Know Where to Find One)

Do Book Covers Matter?

He also has a great resource page.

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This video is part of Self Publishing 101.

You can find the rest of the course and resources for independent publishing here.

Imagine holding your book.

What size do you want your book to be?

Will people be carrying it around?

Will they be writing in it?

What size and shapes are the books you examined earlier? Why do you think they chose that size?

How long is your manuscript? How many pages?

Check your printer and see if there are any page count requirements. There may be a minimum page count for hardcover books for example.

Consider the costs.

Do you have the funds or financial backing to order your books in bulk?

Would using a print on demand service make self publishing more accessible to you?

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Print on Demand Services

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (known as Amazon KDP)

Barnes & Noble Print on Demand

Ingram Spark

Book Baby

Short Run Art Book Printers

Bookmobile

Gorham Printing

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(Note: I am not endorsing any of these companies. I am sharing the information I have at hand about your options. My personal experience is limited to print on demand through Amazon KDP.)