Stage One: Writing
So, I completed writing the book, Shadows of Victory. That was probably the hardest of the three stages. It certainly took the longest amount of time, creative juices, and discipline.
Stage Two: Publishing
All the folks in writer’s groups I belong to were correct: It takes all day to get a book into KDP. They all caveat that statement with the phrase the first time. I hardily agree with them. Please don’t confuse the KDP system with having the book ready for it. Amazon creating an easy interface to upload books to self publish.
The all day part came from finding the wrong bleed space on these pages, the wrong table of contents links over here, and the wrong font on page 3. It just about drove me nuts! It took all day and into the next morning, but I only took the extra time because I knew I was flustered and didn’t want to commit till I was fresh in the morning. So, I did.
Despite the long day of tedium, I’m glad I did it.
Stage Three: Marketing
EEEKKKkkkk!!!!!! Just getting my hand into this. It scares me witless. No writing class or words of wisdom from experienced authors have prepared me for this.
Taking a long slow breath right now. I can do this.
I’m promoting the book for free right now. (One day left for that.) And I’m all smiles. So far I may not have had thousands of books downloaded or swept the best-sellers list, but the fact I have as many as I do makes me believe I’m on the right path.
I’ll keep you updated on the marketing progress. This should be an interesting learning experience.
Peace,