And now it's all about marketing

I have now read numerous web pages which offer advice on how to promote your product and yourself - some of it you can do yourself free of charge, and some of it involves paying quite hefty sums for someone else to do it for you.

So now I start my journey into marketing.

Social media is a great way to get your message out.

• If you have not got a Facebook account, get one, and then create a group page to promote yourself and your products. I have just set up a group page at: https://www.facebook.com/againsttheflowpress/
• Twitter is another great tool for advertising your product. I've had an account for a while, but am only now learning how to use it. Follow me on Twitter at: @DeborahMiles7.
• Start writing a blog. There are lots of blogging platforms to choose from, such as: WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Ghost, Squarespace, Wix and Medium. Some offer completely free blog hosting. 
• A web site is a great way of advertising yourself and your products. There are numerous free hosting provider,s and you can buy a domain name if you want one. 
• If you love to read, you may already be aware of www.goodreads.com. This site allows registered users to review the books they have read, and encourages authors to create an author profile and list their books. My author profile can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17177377.Deborah_J_Miles. Authors can also create a blog on Goodreads.com or can sync with a blog hosted by a different provider. I am syncing with this blog on Blogger.com, http://againsttheflowpress.blogspot.co.uk/.
• Link your social media accounts so that you don't have to write the same thing on each platform.
• Learn how to use hashtags and use them in your posts to reach a wider audience.

My paperback and ebook have been priced and sales and royalties are monitored through CreateSpace.com and kdp.amazon.com.  To add an extra line of revenue you can enrol on the Amazon Affiliates Program. Amazon Affiliates will provide you with product links to place on your registered web site and blog, which when clicked by users who then purchase that item, will give you a small finders fee.

Again, it's been interesting finding out all this stuff, and as I have done all the work myself, it has cost me nothing except my time. My next step is to giveaway two signed copies of my book on Goodreads. I have to buy the books and pay the postage, so there is a small cost involved here, but it should be worth it, as it will bring the title to Goodreads users attention.

Reading the Proof

Having read through the proof I was shocked to find so many errors as it looked perfect on screen. The formatting errors stand out better in the printed medium than on screen and I've managed to confuse the rules for writing numbers in fiction. Sometimes I have written 'he took 2 tablets' and at others I have used 'he took two tablets'. I have done a bit of research and discovered that generally, numbers 0-100 are spelled out and anything over 100 is written in numerals. But there are of course exceptions...

Today has been spent reading the printed version and making corrections, which I'm happy to report is now done. The next step is to redesign the book cover to include my new logo.

I am learning a lot about writing and self-publishing and I have to say that it's been very interesting and enjoyable. And of course, I am another step closer to calling myself an author and publisher!

Uploading my Novel to Createspace

It is reasonably straightforward to upload a file, create a cover and submit it for review. However, I ran into difficulties when my browser did not let me see the whole page and so cut off the buttons I needed to click to save my work fully.

Here I am writing some steps to remind me, for the next time.

Log into your Createspace account and on Member Dashboard, either use the Add New Title button to create a new project or click the project name in the list under My Projects:



That takes you to the project homepage where you will be able to see which steps you have completed and what needs to be done.

Start by clicking the link to the Title Information page.





1 Title

On this page all that is required is the title, author name and language.
Work through each step:



Click Save and Continue to move to the next page where you will create an ISBN.

Remember to use the Save or Save and Continue buttons at the bottom of the page as you work through the screens to avoid losing your input.

2 ISBN

There are several options.
The free option is to use an ISBN from Createspace. Once it has been created, it is locked and cannot be changed.



3 Interior

This section asks you to specify how the book will look. You can choose black & white or colour print on white or cream paper. You must also give the size of your book. You can change you mind about any of the details here at any time before the project is completed.

You also upload your file or choose to buy Createspace services on this page.



When you have sucessfully uploaded your file, you will be presented with this screen:



You must now click the Launch Interior Reviewer to complete the process.

If there are any errors, the reviewer will let you know. You should still look through the pages in the viewer to see how it will look when published.

When you are happy, at the bottom of the page there is a Save & Confirm button. Click this to conform and complete the process.

Please note that on my first project I was unable to see this button using the Chrome browser. I had to close the bookmarks bar to make the screen area large enough to see it.



4 Cover

You can either create your own cover and upload the file, use their paid-for professional services or use their online design option - this is free and quite easy to use.

I opted to use the online cover design tool:
Launch the Cover Creator and work through the individual tabs. When all 9 tasks are completed, it will allow you to Save the cover by using the Submit Cover button. (This appears underneath the cover image and not visible in this screenshot)


That takes you to this page where you click the Complete Cover button to save your work:




The final step is to complete set up.
On this page you click the Submit Files For Review button.




There are a number of helpful videos and blog posts to guide users through the process. Just search for 'Createspace upload book'.

A kick up the proverbial

We all need a bit of a push sometimes, to get on and do something, and last week I met up with Cathy Shuter who reignited my enthusiasm to write.

Cathy has published several books herself, and I wanted her to sign a couple of copies of "Oh Ollie",  which I bought to give as Christmas presents this year - yes I am organised!  I also wanted to know about her experience of writing and publishing and told her that I was also writing. Within a few minutes, Cathy had me believing in myself, motivated me to get on with my novel and consider self-publishing.

She also kindly offered to help me by reviewing my work and show me how to set up an account to self-publish; which reminds me, I must send her a link to read the story so far.

My daughter has, to date, not had time to read it, but I am hopeful that she will be able to soon, as she has a week's holiday coming up and usually tears through a couple of books while she is away.

Another source of encouragement: In conversation with a cousin recently, I learned that he enjoys writing short stories and he gave me one of his to read. It was really very good and I asked him to read my story and critique it. I saw him yesterday and was delighted that he had made time to read it. He said he thought the story line was good, and encouraged me to carry on with it. He talked me through the plot of his latest story, as far as he has got, but says he has now hit a brick wall. I told him that I had my plot mapped out but I am being influenced by people and things around me as to how I write my story. As an example, a conversation about my parents' wedding led to a description of the bridesmaids' attire. The hats, I was told, were 'Dutch caps'. That caused a bit of hilarity and it was confirmed that that was also the name of a contraceptive device. The phrase opened up a train of thought which helped me write a particular character and bring her to her untimely end. JC, something or someone will provide the inspiration you need to break down that brick wall.

And Finally...

This morning, despite my broadband doing the Hokey Cokey, I have set up an account with CreateSpace - which was as easy as Cathy said it would be - in readiness for when I finish my novel. Now to crack on and finish it...