Self Pub 101 (Additional Resources)

Books, Podcasts & Videos

Jan 13, 2024

I’m always reading and listening to content about publishing - both indie and traditional. I’ll keep this page updated with resources you might find helpful as you find your own way within the publishing landscape.

Books About Publishing

These books are from hybrid authors who have worked inside and outside traditional publishing and I find that perspective very insightful. Both pull back the curtain to how it all works.

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum

The title alone is a master class in SEO! From an author who has both self published and been traditionally published.

So You Want to Publish a Book? by Anne Trubek

From an independent publisher who is also a traditionally published author.

I don’t agree with everything Trubek writes - specifically her views about which books are “worth” being published (it’s a capitalist lens) so if you’re feeling imposter syndrome maybe don’t dig into this one yet. But I learned a lot about the nuts and bolts of how publishing and bookshops work from this book.

Editing Process

The Art of Proofreading by Anne Trubek

Self Publishing

Here’s a collection of resources specific to self publishing.

Videos

Daniel Greene Self Publishing Playlist (Fantasy Novelist & YouTuber)

Podcasts

Writing Excuses Season 18, Episode 40 How to Make Money from Your Hobby

A masterclass in how Howard and Sandra Tayler turned a web comic into a self published book series.

Cover Design

The best book covers of 2023 are the ones you’ll never see (Fast Company)

Diversifying Income Streams as a Writer

Funding the Writing Life (Writing Excuses Season 18, Episode 53)

Authors as multi-hyphenates (Writing Excuses Podcast Season 18, Episode 26)

Marketing

This post has some great ideas and examples of how to market your book right here on Substack.

On Substack

How to sell a book on Substack

There’s nothing that drives book sales like email. It’s a direct line of connection to your most passionate supporters, and, for many authors, Substack is the most efficient and powerful way to promote their upcoming and published books. Melinda Wenner Moyer…

2 years ago · 606 likes · 153 comments

The following post has a paywall, but it’s a good resource if you want to know how blurbs work in the professional publishing world.

Before and After the Book Deal

Blurb writing etiquette

When I was first put on the hunt for “blurbs” in 2013 in preparation for the launch of my first novel, my husband, who is French—and thus is accustomed to books that bear only the title, author name, and publisher on their covers (not even an illustration or a photo!)—was like, “What the hell is a blurb?” It was rather embarrassing to explain. “It’s like, proof from other people, famous people, that readers will like my book?” I offered. “But why don’t they just decide that for themselves…

2 years ago · 26 likes · 41 comments · Courtney Maum

If you want more strategic support for marketing I’d highly recommend taking a course from Leonie Dawson.

Her course 40 Days to a Finished Book (affiliate link) includes practical tips on how to become an Amazon Bestseller. And her Marketing without Social Media workshop (affiliate link) is full of creative ideas to market your work outside the algorithm. Leonie is an autistic and nonbinary multi passionate and has a very accessible and colorful teaching style. You can also join their Brilliant Bit & Life Academy to get access to both courses and everything else they has to offer.

Hybrid Publishing

Catherynne Valente has been traditionally published, self published through a wildly successful Kickstarter, and then that self pub book was picked up and traditionally published. She is a great example of how authors can move between worlds.

Welcome to Garbagetown

Twenty Years Ago Today, My Life Began

Twenty years ago today, January 4th, 2004, my first chapbook and its companion were published. My first anything was published. (Hey, Garbagetowners, did you know I write books too? Because I write books too.) I was living in Japan, the wife of a naval officer (a biogr…

10 months ago · 41 likes · 13 comments · Catherynne M. Valente

It’s also worth listening to Catherynne Valente talk about her publishing journey on these podcasts. She wrote and published The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making as a marketing material for another book. Because it won awards before it was traditionally published it was never edited. 🤯

How Bestselling Fantasy & Sci-Fi Author Catherynne M. Valente Writes (The Writer Files May 16, 2017)

Interview: Author Cat Valente! (Felicitations, April 19, 2022)

Do you have any resources you’d like to share? Drop them in comments below.