Five things you can do while you’re waiting for your book to be created.
I’ve put together a bit of a checklist with a few things you can get started on while you’re waiting for your illustrator, photographer or designer to work their magic on your book.
Maybe you have lots of ideas on how you might want to market your book, and maybe you have no idea where to even start. Putting a list together of your goals and what you want to focus on is an amazing place to start. For me writing my own checklist is essential when keeping myself on track. Because this busy mind can get pretty distracted If I don’t have some kind of written list as a guide to reference back to.
Please don’t feel like these all need to be done before your book is sent to print. You are running your own race, so do things at a pace that suits you and your lifestyle. Remember small consistent steps that suit your schedule is always better than running a million miles an hour and trying to balance all the plates at once.
“If you try to catch two bunnies at once, you will catch none”.
Please also know, that this article is indented as a guide and to help support you in your self-publishing journey. What’s best for one person’s publication and budget may not be best for another. #youdoyou.
1.Purchase the ISBN for your book
Head on over to Bowker to create an account and purchase your ISBN.
2. Submit application for Prepublication Data Service (PDS)
The Prepublication Data Service (formerly Cataloguing in Publication) is a free service offered by the National Library of Australia. For more information on this and to apply click here.
3. Create your author social media accounts if you haven’t already got them
The two main platforms you want to start with are Facebook and Instagram. If you already have a personal account with a following established already, consider using this account. It’s easier to promote your book and grow your followers when you already have some! Plus, your friends and community are likely to be super supportive. But it’s also totally fine to create a new account specifically for your book if you want to. This is your choice.
It’s never too early to start growing your audience online and it’s also never too late. Just start somewhere small, even if that’s only one post a week. You can build from there.
4. Start thinking about setting up your author website if you haven’t already got one
If you’ve got the budget, getting a professional website designer to help you with your website is the way to go! For many reasons. But the top incentives are: they will ensure you have a functional well designed and professional online presence. As well as saving you a boat load of time, as someone else can take the design off your to-do-list.
If you don’t have the budget to hire someone else to do the design for you, that’s totally ok. Because you can absolutely create one yourself if your willing to put in the time setting it all up.
I suggest purchasing your website domain as soon as possible. That way you know what’s available and are more likely to get the domain you want. Your website host can often help you with purchasing a domain. But you can also go straight to the domain host and purchase directly from them.
Speaking of which – if you are diy’ing your website - this is the time to start thinking about website hosting platforms that offer diy design templates. I love using Squarespace. But there are other platforms like Wix or Shopify that are also available. Once you have chosen your platform and purchased your domain, you can start to play and experiment with setting up your website.
5. Consider your distribution options
You get to choose how you want to sell your book, in whatever way best works for you. The list below are all possible distribution options, you don’t need to pursue every method, just the ones that align with your goals. Now is a good time to do your research and decide what distribution options you want to pursue.
Direct Sales. Put together a list of potential local independent retailers or community places you may wish to approach to stock and sell your book. Think outside the box for local places you could approach. Consider your books target market when deciding which retailers would be most appropriate.
Amazon KDP & Ingramspark. There are pros and cons to using both of these services and it’s important to do your own research as to which service best suits you. The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) recommends that you publish your POD print books on both. Here is an article with more information. If you wish to not use Amazons POD service you can still sell your books with them through a regular Amazon seller account.
Wholesale Distributors. John Reed Books provides sales and distribution into almost all bookstores in Australia, excluding QBD and discount department stores such as Big W. If you are a member of ASA they offer a distribution service into Australia Bookstores including Booktopia. For more information visit the ASA website.
Australian Library Distributors. A few key distributors include: ALS Library Services, James Bennett, & Peter Pal
Of course, the best thing you can do while you wait for your book to be designed is to: research, read and learn as much as you can on self-publishing and on how to promote and market your book. Some wonderful resources and communities to look at are:
Oh and, you know, if you want some help with the design of your book. Drop me a line and we can start chatting about how I can help you.
If you’re not ready to say hi just yet you can read more about my services here.
Or connect with me on socials