The self-publishing journey

Step 5: Choose a self-publishing platform

This step will inevitably involve some form of third party. Depending on your decision for Step 4, you could decide to list your book on a third party selling platform, sell your book purely through your own website, or a combination.

If you would like to transfer some of the back-end tasks of selling a book such as printing and order systems to a third party, the easiest and most popular choice for self-published authors is Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. You will need to do an online search and read up about how the system works and how to get set up, but most report the process to be simple and painless.

If Amazon isn't the route you'd like to follow, there's plenty other self-publishing options out there. An afternoon of research should yield fruitful information.

If you would like to also sell your book via a website, or solely on a website, it may be a good idea to hire a web developer to help you set up an e-commerce system on a properly functioning website. If your budget is tight, you'll need to commit to doing some research and learning how to do this yourself. Nowadays, there are hundreds of free online tutorials for people building their own websites. Wordpress with Divi builder is a popular option with great free tools and resources.

Step 6: Marketing your book

This step is another that holds significant value over traditional publishing for any aspiring author wanting to keep as much control as possible over how their book is marketed and promoted to the public. 

With the number of social media platforms in use today, marketing has never been more accessible. A simple Instagram account and a few targeted Instagram ads can lead to a mountain of sales if managed correctly.

Do some research into what platforms your targeted audience use the most and then decide on one or two platforms to use. The key is to then create consistent content around your story or value proposition in order to grow your reach and ultimately, get the word out about your book.

Because marketing is so accessible, there are numerous free resources outlining tried and tested content strategies and guides. But don't be afraid to be as unique as possible! Your marketing should reflect your story's value and now is the perfect time to continue to let your own creativity shine.

There are also numerous marketers who would be happy to assist you if you needed help.

Roxanne shares her insights on her marketing journey below.

Next week, we will be covering the final step in the self-publishing journey.

Stay tuned and have a magical week!

Roxanne needs Amazon reviews!

If you have read Lexi and the Magic Cats, consider showing your support for Roxanne by leaving a review on the book's Amazon page.

You don't need to have ordered the book through Amazon in order to leave a review. You can provide a review of the story or of the author. 

Your support means the world to us and Amazon reviews go a long way in helping to spread the message of Lexi and the Magic Cats.