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Has anyone done any self-publishing?

Mattymatt

Mattymatt

Imperfectly Perfect
Hi Everyone. I am looking to try my hand at writing as I am looking for a hobby that won't cost me a mint and in the best case scenario, maybe I would earn a small amount of money. Has anyone here done any self-publishing? If so, could you offer advice for getting started?

EDIT: Also advice would be welcome on formatting for an e-book. I was thinking of using PDF simply because I have open source tools for creating PDF docs.
 
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Sportster said:
I haven't, but I'm glad you started this thread and hope there will be some interaction since I've been working on a book. I've known a few people that have self-published, but I don't know if they have made any money or not from their venture. I think there's a way to do it on Amazon for electronic books, so that might a possible venue.
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Cool! I wish you luck with it, @Sportster. I am thinking of writing a few short stories and seeing what becomes of them. I have no expectations other than to keep my mind working because I am about to start a job that will be rather mind-numbing.
 
It looks like I answered one of my questions with google. There looks to be a really good free/open source application called Calibre which I could use to help create e-books.
 
I'd recommend joining a writing forum for more up-to-date information on how self-publishing is going at the moment, but people are making money off it (some people even make a living off it, but that requires producing a lot of stories and doing a lot of marketing).

Generally, if you want to sell as a self-published author, you need to have a decent social media presence and understand how to market ebooks - things like blog tours and asking for reviews etc. If you don't mind not selling, then you can just put the stories up and see what happens, or even publish them on a blog (you can get ad revenue, but I don't understand how that works).

It's great you're writing, so I hope it goes well!
 
Not to put a damper on your plans, if you haven't actually written anything yet, I'd concentrate on that for now. Writing something readable isn't something you just decide to do, sit down, and do it.

I've self-published a few novels and a longish short story, on Amazon and Smashwords, and the process isn't particularly difficult. But you have to format to their requirements, and that does not include PDF.

As for making money at it, that depends if your writing appeals to potential readers, and if you're willing to do the promotional work that's necessary. And luck. By the way, short stories, either individually or in a collection, aren't big sellers.
 
Sportster said:
Will your short stories be individual or put together into one volume? The book I'm working on touches on church precepts regarding a specific area. It's a bit intense, which is why it has been taking so long to finish it . . . if it ever gets finished. In some ways I can see it selling and others it's something no one wants to deal with. It reminds me of some of the threads here. You might get only one response but many, many views.
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I am planning doing the entire book on my own short stories. I just began writing one last night. I hope your book does sell!
 
Catana said:
Not to put a damper on your plans, if you haven't actually written anything yet, I'd concentrate on that for now. Writing something readable isn't something you just decide to do, sit down, and do it.

I've self-published a few novels and a longish short story, on Amazon and Smashwords, and the process isn't particularly difficult. But you have to format to their requirements, and that does not include PDF.

As for making money at it, that depends if your writing appeals to potential readers, and if you're willing to do the promotional work that's necessary. And luck. By the way, short stories, either individually or in a collection, aren't big sellers.
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Okay, so no PDF. That's good. I have a formatting tool now. Sometimes my thought and planning processes put the cart before the horse. I actually began writing last night because I was in the mood. Written communication has always been my strong suit. I found some character and story development templates and began working on an idea that I had from several years ago but never acted on it. Yes, I realize short stories aren't really big sellers but I am undertaking this for the benefit of my brain because I work a mind-numbing job. It gives me a creative outlet. If even 1 person decided that my writing is worth 1.99, that would put a smile on my face.
 
There's nothing wrong with starting the process of learning about self-publishing, even now. I just got the impression that you might be new at writing, so were putting the cart before a horse that didn't even exist yet. I understand where you're coming from. I make very little money from my writing because I don't bother to do the promotional work. It isn't always about the money.
 
I've thought about doing it, but I don't know if I can include my own illustrations in the stories I've written, and self-published books don't have a very positive reputation.
 
GrownupGirl said:
I've thought about doing it, but I don't know if I can include my own illustrations in the stories I've written, and self-published books don't have a very positive reputation.
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If you want to self-publish, you can lay your book out however you want, with illustrations included (although it might be a bit trickier with the formatting, but there's no deadline for finishing it, so plenty of time to learn about it). If you went for traditional publishing, I think only picture books can have author-illustrators, but I might be wrong.
 
I've been disappointed so many times in my life trying to get my stories or art published that I'm nervous about trying something like this. But maybe...
 
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