Paper Tiger | Wanna self-publish? Here's where to START @PaperTigerProductions | Uploaded September 2021 | Updated October 2024, 10 hours ago.
And it's not "just write". There's a pretty important question that you should answer FIRST.
// JUMP TO
0:00 Common advice to aspiring authors
1:12 Where you should start instead
1:30 Approaches to self-publishing - #1: HOBBYIST
3:01 #2: ENTREPRENEUR
4:18 #3: ARTIST
4:52 Traditional vs self-publishing
9:19 We need to STOP doing this
The question "where do I even start?" comes up all the time in self-publishing communities. And often, people are told to "just write" when they ask about how to start self-publishing. This, in and of itself, is not bad advice, but I do think jumping straight in without consider WHY you want to write and self-publish can often lead you down a path that's not necessarily right for you.
If you want to save yourself some heartache and misery, I strongly advise you do some self-reflection upfront. Figure out your reason for writing a book and wanting to self-publish it: is it a hobby, or art, or are you trying to make a living from it?
What you decide is going dictate whether or not it makes sense for you to self-publish, because...
...you might be better served going down the traditional publishing route.
...you might NOT need to bother with editing or a professionally designed cover
...that story in your head MIGHT NOT be the one you should start writing.
Once you've figured out why you want to be an author, the next step IS to just write! But don't lose sight of your reason for self-publishing.
#authortube #selfpublishing #writing
// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
If you enjoyed this video, I think you'll enjoy these other videos:
1. What you're REALLY signing up for when you decide to self-publish → youtu.be/TrgRWJvhLjw
2. How to budget for your book → youtu.be/gy6VGPtzKqA
3. What the publishing process looks like (with flowcharts!) → youtu.be/j4nR0B-rdu4
// REFERENCES
The awesome cover art at 2:18 is by Arch Apolar for Christopher Scott's debut novel, Order of the Magi (which I was very lucky to have been a beta reader for) → amazon.com/dp/B092CHN6S6
If you've decided that self-publishing is NOT for you, then @Alexa Donne has done a TON of great videos on querying on her channel. Here are just two of them:
Querying strategy → youtube.com/watch?v=v4i0l8eMeY4
Writing a query letter → youtube.com/watch?v=sLzhAasFXPk
// RESOURCES
AWESOMELY supportive self-publishing author communities:
20Booksto50k → facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k
r/selfpublish → reddit.com/r/selfpublish
SomethingAwful Forums Self-Publishing thread → forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3639693
// REGULAR "GET STUFF DONE!" LIVESTREAM EVERY WEEK
Writing the book was hard. Revising is harder and marketing is the hardest of all. That's why I've decided to start streaming every Tuesday 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM AEST so I'll actually get stuff done. BYO work or just come hang out and chat with me while I do self-published author stuff. Check out my channel page for the next livestream: → youtube.com/channel/UC5KfSLtFfjCDGRuIxBX5ifg
// CHECK OUT
My Cantonese/English bilingual rhyming picture story book for kids aged 2-6:
→ bit.ly/3cmpHqz
And it's not "just write". There's a pretty important question that you should answer FIRST.
// JUMP TO
0:00 Common advice to aspiring authors
1:12 Where you should start instead
1:30 Approaches to self-publishing - #1: HOBBYIST
3:01 #2: ENTREPRENEUR
4:18 #3: ARTIST
4:52 Traditional vs self-publishing
9:19 We need to STOP doing this
The question "where do I even start?" comes up all the time in self-publishing communities. And often, people are told to "just write" when they ask about how to start self-publishing. This, in and of itself, is not bad advice, but I do think jumping straight in without consider WHY you want to write and self-publish can often lead you down a path that's not necessarily right for you.
If you want to save yourself some heartache and misery, I strongly advise you do some self-reflection upfront. Figure out your reason for writing a book and wanting to self-publish it: is it a hobby, or art, or are you trying to make a living from it?
What you decide is going dictate whether or not it makes sense for you to self-publish, because...
...you might be better served going down the traditional publishing route.
...you might NOT need to bother with editing or a professionally designed cover
...that story in your head MIGHT NOT be the one you should start writing.
Once you've figured out why you want to be an author, the next step IS to just write! But don't lose sight of your reason for self-publishing.
#authortube #selfpublishing #writing
// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
If you enjoyed this video, I think you'll enjoy these other videos:
1. What you're REALLY signing up for when you decide to self-publish → youtu.be/TrgRWJvhLjw
2. How to budget for your book → youtu.be/gy6VGPtzKqA
3. What the publishing process looks like (with flowcharts!) → youtu.be/j4nR0B-rdu4
// REFERENCES
The awesome cover art at 2:18 is by Arch Apolar for Christopher Scott's debut novel, Order of the Magi (which I was very lucky to have been a beta reader for) → amazon.com/dp/B092CHN6S6
If you've decided that self-publishing is NOT for you, then @Alexa Donne has done a TON of great videos on querying on her channel. Here are just two of them:
Querying strategy → youtube.com/watch?v=v4i0l8eMeY4
Writing a query letter → youtube.com/watch?v=sLzhAasFXPk
// RESOURCES
AWESOMELY supportive self-publishing author communities:
20Booksto50k → facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k
r/selfpublish → reddit.com/r/selfpublish
SomethingAwful Forums Self-Publishing thread → forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3639693
// REGULAR "GET STUFF DONE!" LIVESTREAM EVERY WEEK
Writing the book was hard. Revising is harder and marketing is the hardest of all. That's why I've decided to start streaming every Tuesday 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM AEST so I'll actually get stuff done. BYO work or just come hang out and chat with me while I do self-published author stuff. Check out my channel page for the next livestream: → youtube.com/channel/UC5KfSLtFfjCDGRuIxBX5ifg
// CHECK OUT
My Cantonese/English bilingual rhyming picture story book for kids aged 2-6:
→ bit.ly/3cmpHqz
