It takes a village or, in this case, a small army of very talented people and platforms.

Cover Design
Bianca at Moonpress Designs

Editing
Earley Editing, LLC
Booklight Editorial
Haus of Fables

Website
Shopify
Website design & development by AA Creative Co.

Shop
eBooks + Audiobooks delivered through BookFunnel
Print Books through IngramSpark and fulfilled directly by Jessica
Art Prints + Bookmarks printed through Smartpress and fulfilled directly by Jessica
Merch + Apparel fulfilled through Printful or Printify

Newsletter
Flodesk

Logo + Branding
Books and Moods
Sam’s Creative Cure

PR + Book Tours
Book of Matches Media
Hidden Hollow Book Tours
RR Book Tours
Book Tour Gals
MTMC
Good Girls PR

Do your research. A lot of it.

Self-publishing is a very involved process. Unlike traditional publishing, you have control over every single decision that needs to be made.

It may not be for everyone. Before leaping in, research self-publishing and traditional publishing, and see which one would fit the best for you.

After writing your first draft of your book and deciding you're going to go the self-publishing route, begin by researching the biggies: editing, cover design, formatting, distribution options, and marketing techniques.

Take your time, and make a plan. I have documented a lot of my own research process on my blog above, so be sure to go check those posts out.

Just remember, everyone's self-publishing path is DIFFERENT. What works for someone may not work for you. And what works for you may not work for someone else.

My ebooks are published direct through: KDP, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play. I use the aggregator distributor Draft2Digital to reach other eBook retailers.

My print books are published through IngramSpark. They push my books to their global catalog, making them available to most major book retailers to order. This does not guarantee in-store placement, but does (usually) get you on their online shop.

I also list all of my books on my website shop and TikTok shop.

If you're curious about the nuanced differences between each self-publishing platform, head to my blog and check out this post.

WIDE means that your eBook is available on all eBook retailers, rather than just on Amazon. This typically includes retailers like: Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, Smashwords, Thalia, etc.

I am not one to tell anyone they should do anything. But if you would like to learn more about the differences between publishing Amazon only and publishing wide, you can check out this blog post.

Getting into physical bookstores depends on how you publish. To get into physical bookstores, you need to publish through IngramSpark, have returns enabled, and offer a 53-55% wholesale/retail discount.

Self-published authors usually don't focus on physical bookstores as a major revenue stream, partly because of the difficulties involved. But it is possible. Check out this blog post for more information.

It needs to be a targeted and intentional strategy, not just something you do hoping it happens.

I do! I've worked with a lot of amazing service providers while publishing, and I've compiled a list here.

This list will be updated as I meet more amazing people in the indie space!

I think social media is a fantastic marketing tool, so I'd recommend you be on at least one, but I'm not your mom. You can do whatever you want.

I'm on Instagram and Threads primarily, Facebook and Twitter to share updates only, and I outsource TikTok. It doesn't have to be a huge, formal thing if you don't want it to be.

Yes to both.

Social media is fickle. It can die (MySpace), you can get banned and booted (Facebook), or it can turn into a raging trash can (Twitter). If any of those happen, you've just lost your reader base. That's why you need a newsletter. You need direct access to those people who are telling you they WANT to hear about your book.

Start with Mailerlite. They have a free plan up to 1,000 subscribers. Just pop that signup form in the back of your books and on your website. You don't even have to do anything with it yet, just have it for now.

If/when you get more than 1,000 subscribers, or you just want something super simple without all the bells and whistles of MailerLite, I'd recommend Flodesk. It's fixed price, but it is expensive if you don't have a ton of subscribers yet.

And when you're ready, go check out this blog post to get your newsletter started.

For websites, same thing. You can't share all your updates and info on social media. It's not easily searchable content, it's not organized, and it's not YOURS. Even if it's just a linktree or a quick landing page, you need something that can house your book links and info.

Statistics show that if you either have no link, or it takes readers more than 4 clicks to buy your book, they're not going to do it. Make it easy for them.

Selling direct has a lot of considerations.

Please check out my selling direct blog posts for the most detailed information, but initial major considerations include:

1. Fulfillment options
2. Business registration requirements
3. Sales tax requirements
4. International sales (and international regulations)

I have a blog that compiles all my research on the self-publishing process. You can click here to view all of those posts.

You can find resources in so many places, but you need to be careful about their legitimacy.

Here are a few I have used and trust:

• Write Better Faster/You Need to Quit - Becca Syme
• The Writer's Sanctuary
• Wide for the Win (book and Facebook group)
• The Creative Penn: Joanna Penn's Blog
• Marketing Audiobooks Wide
• Stop Making Others Rich: An Author's Guide to Selling Direct
• Jane Friedman's Blog
• Consults/Courses with Erin Wright (use JESS as an affiliate code for a discount off your first one)
• Consults with Skye Mackinnon
• Kobo's Blog
• Bookbub's Blog

I also heavily encourage you to check Writer's Beware and similar warning sites before working with ANY company or service provider that you are paying money to.

Especially in the realm of "author coaches" or "book coaches" there are too many scammers. Victoria Strauss does an amazing job of keeping up with the latest information and warning authors who to look out for.