Hello everyone, welcome to my How To Self-publish A Book series. I will be sharing my steps to publishing a poetry collection; and you can use this as a guide for short stories, essays or any type of work that is 100 pages or less. I am in the process of preparing to publish my second book using Amazon KDP after having a good first experience with my debut Needy: My Break Up Song.
In this series I will be going over the 9 steps that will help with the self publishing process.
The outline for the next couple of weeks is to:
– Write
– Manuscript
– Design
– Wrapping
– Sign up for KDP
– Break
– Final Edit
– Publish
– Marketing
These steps will act as a guide, and will be a good way to keep track of my progress.
Today I am going to be talking about step1 which is writing. I have actually finished putting together my 1st draft manuscript for my next poetry collection. So I can tick off steps 1 and 2. But, for now I want to share 7 tips that I use to help me write more. And next time I will talk about preparing and putting a manuscript together.
Firstly, why is writing a book important to me?
I write because I am trying to communicate and share an idea. This idea is a feeling, a story, an essay; the idea can be fact or from my imagination. However, the idea will remain simply an idea if it only stays with me. In terms of wanting to publish books, for me it is about putting my idea into a neat package. I first started with several small ideas, these were feelings I wrote down that became little poems. And the more I wrote them down, I realised I could turn this into a body of work. These poems I wrote at random tell a story about my personal journey. After a while, I decided I wanted to share this story; my story with as many people who are willing to connect. And to reach them I had to find a way to publish it. So I put these poems together to form a collection, and the document is called a manuscript.
Before, I decided I to jump into publish a book, I did start sharing my poetry on my blog. This was me achieving my desire to communicate and share, but it was also good practice with me being comfortable with having my work available to the public. Now, so this is my first tip
1. Getting comfortable with sharing your writing online; blogging or posting on Instagram pieces of your writing is a good way to write more because you create a community of people who look forward to hearing from you.
2. Write regularly, as much as you can whenever you feel an idea. – there are times when I am about to go to sleep and I need to write, an idea has come and I force myself to write it down quickly on my phone. Donβt push them away, let it out.
However, only writing when you feel like it will not make you consistent. So, it is actually important to try and create a writing routine. Now the next 5 tips is my writing routine to get me to produce pieces I need. I use this for when I need to script YouTube content/blogs, as well as for the fiction book I am attempting. These require more structure, compared to when I want to write a poem. In a way itβs because some times itβs rather mundane; planning and having to do research is not exactly entertaining. I have skincare videos that I need to make sure I have accurate information for and with my book-ish videos they are essay style so I am trying to discuss a topic in detail. Because these are longer pieces and the word count is much higher than a poem it requires more attention and time. So, having a routine is the most effective way for me to reach my deadlines.
Writing Routine
Tips to writing more
3. Find a quiet space and close the door if you can
4. Have a clean desk
5. Minimise distractions
6. Have water or another drink
7. Set a timer for how long you want to write.
I am aware that some people donβt have space that might be ideal to work in at home. And so there are libraries, parks and coffee shops that could be a good environment too. Parks and coffee shops have a lot more background noise, but if you are able to get into the flow itβs easier to block all that out.
The space that you are writing on also matters a lot, if there is so much clutter you wonβt have room to put things like your laptop, a notebook and any other resources you need for when you are writing. I also want to add if possible having a comfortable chair, because when you are writing for hours its takes a toll on you physically too. But, that is also something that even I didnβt have until recently. As long as the desk part it clean, that is a priority.
Like I mentioned earlier sometimes writing is a task and is simply mundane, it is boring. And there will be many opportunity for you to give into the temptation of wanting to stop. The temptations present themselves as distractions, and the main one our generation is weak to is when your phone pings. You get a notification, instagram, whatsapp or even sports. And you go to check it quickly and next thing you know it has been 20 minutes. I need my phone as a timer, so I keep it on silent to avoid this.
Next, staying hydrated during the process will help you remain at it for longer. When you are writing it is mentally and physically draining. You want to look after yourself and not feel even more tired because of lack of water. I also recommend a small snack especially for long sessions.
Finally, the last tip is to set a time for how long you want to write. And for those who can, try to make that time be the slot you always write. For example first thing in the morning or last thing at night for an hour. And hour is usually the minimum I force myself to do, and literally some days its a struggles of just staring at my laptop and nothing coming out. But I do the hour. When you donβt know what to write you can journal, thatβs always a good back up; its therapeutic and also gets you writing. When you set your time frame, avoid taking several breaks, getting up every 10 minuets or so will stop you from focusing. Ideally, I aim to write for 20 minutes then I take a break if I want one and then come back and finish the hour. When I am in my zone I usually skip the break.
And with that, we have come to the end of my tips to writing more. Writing a lot is the necessary step in order to move on. The next part of the series I will talk about putting together your manuscript, which will involve cutting out and editing all that you have written.
I will me showing the thought process for when I selected poems for my next book. However, if you want to see more from me in the mean time, sign up for my website membership Author Road. There are exclusive poems and you can find out more about my self publishing journey.
To see a completed work from me, check out my book Needy: My Break Up Song to look at my first attempt at self publishing.
Thank you for watching, if you enjoyed this video and want to follow me on my journey to publishing my next collection using 9 steps guide. Remember to like, comment and subscribe, ringing the notification bell so you know when I post.
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