Self-Pub Prep

 

 

I have to admit, I'm kind of excited to prep my latest novel for self-publishing. It's been two or three years (can't remember) since my last self-publishing venture, and some technological advances have since appeared on the horizon that simplify the process for authors (yay!)

I really like Kindle Create, which is a downloadable app that makes formatting practically effortless, and allows an author to visualize how their book will appear on Kindle. I've only started reviewing my manuscript on the app and have already found (oops) passages that need fixing. Something about viewing a novel on Kindle Create focuses a writer's attention more than staring at a Word document over and over again. I have run across an issue or two with the formatting (double spacing some passages and single spacing others), but the app has options for correcting that. The app also allows one to add as many front pages as they like (dedication, epigraph, etc.). Wow, this is so much easier than formatting a Word doc -- inserting page breaks, centering front pages, and all the other quirky little things required before uploading.

However, if you are planning to upload to other retailers, such as Barnes and Noble and Kobo, I'm guessing Kindle Create won't work for that. I honestly haven't gotten that far in the process yet.

My other discovery is that Canva now has a book cover template. Previously I paid a fiverr artist to create my covers, but this time I've done it myself, using Canva's selection of Pixabay royalty-free photos. I like being in control of the process as long as the right tools are available, and with Canva they are.

I also gave in and bought a domain for my new author site, which I created on Blogger. Wix wouldn't let me transfer my old domain, so I discontinued that site and no longer have to shell out money each month to maintain it. Advice for anyone looking for a website host: avoid Wix. It's clunky, their customer service is non-existent, and really, all Wix wants to do is sell you add-ons.  

Today I will continue to read and revise my manuscript in Kindle Create, and soon my novel will be ready to sell.

Finally excited about being an author!