SELF PUBLISHING – LESSONS LEARNED

A lot has happened since my last update. I have been hard at it and had a few ups and maybe a down or two, but I am inching closer to the finish line. I cannot wait to get there. My manuscript is complete, and these are the steps I took to get it to its present state:

1. Completed the final draft

2. Checked each chapter with ProWritingAid

3. Checked each chapter with Grammarly

4. Re-read it before submitting it for editing 

5. Submitted to the first editor

6. Made the changes she suggested

7. Re-checked everything with ProWritingAid and Grammarly

8. Submitted to the second editor

9. Made the changes she suggested

10. Sent the changes back to her for review

11. Sent the finished manuscript to a proofreader

12. Sent it back to the second editor for another proofread

13. I am currently giving it one final read to catch anything that may have been missed

I know what you are thinking, why two proofreaders? That is an interesting story. My second editor warned me to be careful when hiring a proofreader because some will want to rewrite your manuscript. With her advice in tow, I posted my ad on Upwork. The ad clearly stated that I only needed a proofread, not a full edit. I hired someone who had strong reviews and put my manuscript in her hands. She sent it back to me with close to a thousand edits. I was a bit shocked but dove into it anyway.

I realized fairly quickly that something was off with her changes and sent them back to the editor to look at it. She confirmed my suspicions. My proofreader had no idea what she was doing. I basically threw a hundred dollars to the wind and had to pay my editor, whom I have grown to trust, to the actual proofread. 

The lesson in all of this is to do your due diligence. Read the reviews carefully and really focus on what people are saying. In hindsight, I saw a lot of mentions about how timely she was, but not a lot about how good she was. That should have been my first sign. Second, her messages were not professional, which actually did catch my attention. I decided that she was from California and chalked it up to her just not having Southern Hospitality. Lastly, I should have asked for a sample chapter to see if she really knew her stuff. It would have saved me some money and a lot of time. 

A few more areas of progress are that I have finished my cover and settled on a blurb. I approached this by prepping a couple of options and posting them to my writing groups on Facebook. I let them vote and provide feedback. They brought some serious issues to light, and I re-worked the blurb and settled on one that I am comfortable with. Just for good measure, I sent it to my editor, and she made another note that was a lifesaver. 

The next step is to tackle formatting. I have been listening to tons of Author-tubers, and so many of them have suggested Vellum. A few I follow intently are The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn, Jenna Moreci, and Mark Dawson with Self Publishing Formula. They have all used the program and recommend it, so I am going to give it a go. 

The lesson I have learned so far is that slow and steady wins the race. You cannot rush through your first book. Take your time, and get your hands a little dirty. I am not tech-savvy, so some of these steps were quite challenging, but I hung in there, said a prayer, and kept on moving. 

You can do it too. Don’t get overwhelmed at the thought of how daunting it all is. Tackle it the same way you would eat an elephant, one piece at a time.