Successful Self-Publishing: How We Do It (And How You Can Too‪)‬

One-Stop Shop for Successful Indie Publishing

Among the first books I've read of Evers' and definitely memorable, this book launched my commitment to take my writing more seriously and endeavor in the exciting world of self-publishing. A highly recommended read for anyone seriously interested in indie authorship.

Shoshanna Evers' introduction lays it out for all authors: writing is a business, and if we can get up to 70% royalty on books we publish ourselves, then why not try it? She rounds up a wonderful selection of authors who share everything from marketing tips, book covers, pricing and so much more!

USA Today bestselling author Kallypso Masters shares how she makes $20,000 and up on her kinky military romance series, why she chose to write a series, and why three books minimum is a good start.

Gia Blue shares her experience writing hardcore smut in the days before major online retailers performed their content audits and why she chooses to self-publish all the way.

H.P. Mallory writes about the importance of a really good book cover. Professional covers pay off and say something about the content as well and about you as an author. What kind of quality do you stand for so that you stand out above the rest of the masses who are self-publishing as well?

An interview of Shoshanna Evers by Cara Bristol illuminates even more about the publishing industry, why it's important to continue improving your craft and three tips that every writer needs to do to further their career. Among those tips is staying current on trends.

Liz Matis encourages new indie authors to seriously consider their strengths and weaknesses and hire professional help where needed. Then you can focus on your strengths and be more productive.

Katreina Knights is a hybrid author who traditionally publishes for certain romances and self-publishes for paranormal short stories and collections, based upon what she has seen works for her in the industry.

Heather Thurmeier shares eleven self-publishing tips to make it easier for authors just entering the field. Take notes, people, if you haven't been doing so already!

Jennifer Probst used self-publishing to write about her dog, craft a new genre and donate to charity.

Skye Warren experimented with two novellas and found her niche when buyer response consistently came through higher on one of the higher-selling genre. Respecting her readers' preferences, she has since made a name for herself in that genre.

Jackie Barbosa notes that 99-cent books are not enough to sell a book nowadays. Somehow, every author must differentiate the book from others. Barbosa goes on to cite various pricing experiments she made.

Donna McDonald states that it takes at least three books to really crack into the self-publishing market, especially if these three books are part of a series. She goes on to share her experiences getting those series written and the best money she invested in those books to make them sell: professional ebook covers.

Debra Holland, by the chapter title, speaks with Shoshanna Evers in an interview about how she sold 17,000 books in 4 months. Though she did very little marketing (personal blogs and guest blogs), what helped her increase sales were the 5-star ratings.

David Kazzie speaks in an interview about YouTube videos and the effectiveness of the KDP Select program.

Valerie Bowman shares her expertise in Twitter and why every author needs to use that as part of their social media repertoire.

K. Rowe tells it as it is: your eBook is the best marketing tool. She shares a four-step plan to get readers and more readers.

Heather Hiestand/Anh Leod talks about real-time experiments in pricing over steampunk genre.

To wrap up the anthology, Shoshanna Evers provides a basic overview of the publishing industry (both traditional and indie) and leaves readers with helpful links and resources at the end of the book.

SUCCESSFUL SELF-PUBLISHING: HOW WE DO IT (AND HOW YOU CAN TOO) is a useful reference I read and reread at times to check where I'm at in the process of indie authorship. A definite must-read for anyone interested in self-publishing!