Resources

SELF-PUBLISHING

First…
Write the best book you can.

Then…

1. Research and decide what parts of the self-publishing process you want to handle yourself and what you will need to hire out to professionals. (Please note: The software programs mentioned below have varying degrees of learning curves, some are simple, some are complicated. $ symbol means there is a cost to purchase )

2. Edit the book, polish it, make it shine. Use beta readers, critique partners, and professional editors.

Tools to Help You Edit:
Grammarly: Free & $ www.grammarly.com
ProWriting Aid: Free & $  https://prowritingaid.com/
NaturalReader: Free & $ https://www.naturalreaders.com/

3. Once the book is clean, you will need to format the book into E-book and/or print versions.

E-book and Print:
Microsoft Word $ (Windows and Mac)
InDesign $ (Windows and Mac)

E-books:
http://www.jutoh.com/ $ (Windows and Mac)
http://www.literatureandlatte.com/ $ (Windows and Mac)
https://vellum.pub/ $ (Mac Only)
http://calibre-ebook.com/ Free (Windows and Mac)
https://sigil-ebook.com/ Free (Windows and Mac)

Learning:

CreativeLive Various video courses

LinkedIn Learning Various video courses

From Word to Kindle: Self Publishing Your Kindle Book with Microsoft Word, or Tips on Formatting Your Document So Your Ebook Won’t Look Terrible (Kindle Publishing 1) Kindle Edition by Aaron Shepard https://www.amazon.com/Word-Kindle-Publishing-Microsoft-Formatting-ebook/dp/B01N06L75D

Self Publishing: Easy as ABC Kindle Edition by Meredith Bond https://www.amazon.com/Self-Publishing-Easy-as-ABC-ebook/dp/B01EVOKJEM

Book Formatting for Self-Publishers, a Comprehensive How-To Guide: Easily Format Books with Microsoft Word; Format eBooks for Kindle, NOOK; Convert Book Covers for Lightning Source, CreateSpace Kindle Edition by Jennette Green https://www.amazon.com/Book-Formatting-Self-Publishers-Comprehensive-Guide-ebook/dp/B0077IHERA

4. You will need a quality cover for E-book and/or print versions.

Image Editing Software
Photoshop $  (Windows and Mac)
Paint.NET Free  (Windows Only)
GIMP Free  (Windows and Mac)

5. You will need to decide which publishing and distributing services are best for your book and set up accounts with those companies:

Amazon Kindle
Createspace
Draft2Digital
Barnes & Noble Nook
Smashwords
Kobo
Ingram Spark

6. You will need to decide on how you will market and advertise your book. You definitely need a website.

WordPress.com
Squarespace
Weebly
Wix

7. Learn all you can about writing and publishing. Attend writing conferences. Take workshops. Try National Novel Writing Month. Look at professional organizations for writers in your genre. Examples: Romance Writers of America, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, Novelists, Inc. (NINC), and many more.

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SCRIVENER  (Mac and Windows)

Download Scrivener and try it for yourself for 30 days. The free trial runs for 30 days of actual use: if you use it every day it lasts 30 days; if you use it only two days a week, it lasts fifteen weeks. Before the trial expires, you can export all of your work or buy a license to continue using Scrivener.

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Literature-Latte-Scrivener-Download/dp/B0079KJB54/

Learning Scrivener

Book: Scrivener For Dummies by Gwen Hernandez
Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Scrivener-Dummies-Gwen-Hernandez/dp/1118312473/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Scrivener-Dummies-Gwen-Hernandez-ebook/dp/B008S2MXTS/
Classes: http://gwenhernandez.com/

Kindle Book: Scrivener Superpowers: How to Use Cutting-Edge Software to Energize Your Creative Writing Practice by M. G. Herron amazon.com/Scrivener-Superpowers

Kindle Book: Plot Your Book In A Month…With Scrivener by Stephanie Driven www.amazon.com/Plot-Your-Book-Month-Scrivener-ebook/dp/B00YVE49JY/

PLEASE NOTE: This page is intended as a resource list and is not an endorsement of any products, organizations, or companies listed. Do your own research to determine what is suitable for your needs.