1. Refusing to hire a structure or general editor 2. Not hiring a line editor of copy editor 3. Not shelling out for a barcode or a ISBN 4. Skimping on a cover design for your book 5. Bad or inefficient marketing (4:00) 6. Pretending your book is not a "real book" (b/c you self-published it)

@MustafaKulle

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Hat tip.

@myabishaibyfatimabey4976

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for writing it like this.

@nikkijohnsonphoto

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@alsanneivery2714

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!!!!!!!

@SuperJ1109

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you x

As a librarian, I see a lot of people who are trying to self-promote their book via book signings at our public library. I want to tell them that they are not James Patterson, and they can't just sit there and expect people to just come in to find out about a random book by a random person they don't know. But if they do a program on their area of expertise (genealogy, art, travel, writing), people will have a reason to come in.

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Tami Hz Good advice!

@goblin8tea

9 жыл бұрын

+Texan in Tokyo John Green came to my high school's library in a suburb south east of Houston to do an author visit and I didn't even go because I didn't even know who he was at the time so shes right. Lesson always go to author visits even if you don't know them because there's a chance they could become famous and you missed out on that autograph you could have sold

@hazelschofield9161

7 жыл бұрын

our library has an event for local authors 😊 it was a big todo this year

@llouiseboyd4204

6 жыл бұрын

Sadly, i have tried to contact libraries but they don't do author visits anymore because nobody really shows up.

@Raesling1

6 жыл бұрын

+ Llouise Boyd Yeah, but, if you did like +Tami Hz said and did a presentation on the subject matter, that would be of value to people, especially if it's free. Then, sell your books at the back of the room. Helpful if you have someone to take the money so you can focus on interacting with the people afterward. If it's fiction, maybe host a story hour or something. Or, start a book club?

By the way, thanks for saying what you're saying about self-publishing being a "real" book. There is too much out there of people acting like it's somehow not real. We accept independent movies as "real" movies. Why shouldn't independent books get the same consideration?

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Jeff McArthur Wow! That's a very good point!

@Sarcasticron

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeff McArthur Actually, an "independent" movie refers to a movie that is produced by a small production company rather than a big Hollywood studio. In the publishing world, the equivalent to an independent movie would be a small press. Movies can't be independent ventures because they require a whole bunch of different people to make, and you can't direct-market your movie to individual movie-goers--movies are viewed in cinemas. Well, I suppose you could direct-market DVDs, but the rest of the point stands.

@jeffmcarthur5617

8 жыл бұрын

Actually, what you are watching here on KZread is independent movies.

@Sarcasticron

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeff McArthur Yes, clearly there is no different between a 10 minute vlog and Reservoir Dogs. I stand corrected.

@jeffmcarthur5617

8 жыл бұрын

So.... just because something's smaller makes it not a movie. So because Reservoir dogs was a much lower budget film than The Avengers, suddenly that makes it not a movie; because according to your logic, if a one movie is smaller than another movie, it suddenly ceases to be a movie. You're a real genius Sarcasticron.

LOL. You know I've heard people say being an artist isn't "a real job", hahaha. But I tell them that if I do a painting or illustration for someone and I get PAID for it, it's REAL MONEY that pays my REAL BILLS, so it's a real job, lolol.

I sell graphic novels (comic books) and books for a living. I'd recommend that you also put effort into designing a good book spine as well as a cover. Often a customer in a store will see the book spine first and a creative design can drastically increase in-store sales.

@IyaYetunde

8 жыл бұрын

+Chris Clifford hi, yes I do agree with that. but not all books meet the criteria to have a spine designed. If the book is not thick enough then it would be pointless

@hansellancephilippe4075

7 жыл бұрын

+Segilola Salami u mean the insides of a book?

@hazelschofield9161

7 жыл бұрын

that is a great piece of advice!

@tynj6816

7 жыл бұрын

Good tip!

@umpygoodness2369

7 жыл бұрын

thin books don't have a SPINE. (you need a lot of pages to have a SPINE.) that's where you put the TITLE and author on the SIDE of the book. Most books are seen by their SPINES in book stores, vs the Cover.

Just a friendly PSA to anyone thinking of hiring someone to make their cover for them: Please pay your artists a reasonable price! You're paying for a service you can't do yourself after all, you wouldn't pay your plumber less than minimum wage, would you? (Not to mention, with art, you tend to get what you pay for.)

@lizzychrome7630

7 жыл бұрын

THIS. I charge low prices at the moment because I'm at a low level. Anyone who commissions me knows they aren't getting Jim Buckles. (Which, in light of relatively recent events, is probably a good thing.)

@uvpandamoniumtemp6904

6 жыл бұрын

lol I learned that the hard way a while back. I wanted a cover made on (alas) drawcast. And some guy wanted me to promote his youtube at the beginning and end of the book. I told him some many ungodly words and made it myself. So I think if you don't know what you're paying for, or if you're not paying at all, there's always a catch

@dirkz.duggitz1567

4 жыл бұрын

You have no idea how much i appreciate your comment. As an artist, i feel alot of ppl believe that dont take into account the thought and time that goes into some of the work artists do. Especially between mediums, supplies can become expensive as well. I can understand if the artist didnt nail what you have in your head, but they still took the time and supplies so that should be considered. But when it all clicks and comes together beautifully(especially tattoos) the artist should be paid as a professional. At the end of the day, if you have to pay for it, how much your willing to spend is equal to what you should expect. "Peace Among Worlds" -Rick

@mep.6469

4 жыл бұрын

Doesn't the artist set the price? I'm looking for artists on fiverr and they determine the price of their work, not the buyer.

I haven't even written a book but I appreciate this! ♥

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Rachel & Jun If you wrote a book, I would totally read it :D

@Art1611

9 жыл бұрын

+Texan in Tokyo Rachel & Jun Me too 😉.

@BlackYgritte

9 жыл бұрын

Rachel & Jun i would buy the book if you ever wrote one :)

@messerezio71

7 жыл бұрын

Excellent Video clip! Apologies for the intrusion, I would love your initial thoughts. Have you researched - Proutklarton Winner System Plan (do a google search)? It is an awesome exclusive guide for discovering how Stefan makes 6 figures passive income publishing books minus the hard work. Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my friend finally got amazing results with it.

@jemelyn6978

6 жыл бұрын

Kudos for the Video! Apologies for the intrusion, I would love your thoughts. Have you heard about - Tarbbatigan ebook master Tip (probably on Google)? It is a great one off guide for learning how to create an ebook minus the headache. Ive heard some amazing things about it and my cousin at very last got amazing results with it.

It took me until about 4 1/2 minutes in to realize we went to college together. But i love the video and am actually self-publishing right now. Glad to see you're doing well.

@TexaninTokyo

8 жыл бұрын

Woah, really? Small world!! Good luck with your own self-publishing journey!!

@umpygoodness2369

7 жыл бұрын

you should go further and inform the public that "REAL" published books are NOT legit. POWER CORRUPTS, and most Major Publishers don't base their publishing on MERIT. OTHER factors trump merit, like FAME (are you famous... YET TALENTLESS? You are signed!) CONNECTIONS (guess how many FAMILY MEMBERS of a Publishing CEO get published? A: a lot more than Strangers Who Can Write Well!) (NEPOTISM rules the world). THE PUBLISHING WORLD is as utterly corrupt as all other fields where money or fame are possible. Most things society believes are FALSE. Just more lies by the 1%.

@waremblem3405

6 жыл бұрын

If I were you, I would alter this not-so-flattering comment. Of course, it's unintentional. Now, make it "ten seconds" tops and then promise never to do it again.

An Emphasis on Marketing: You really need to have a good understanding of how to market a book... huge mistake if you don't! As well, if you don't send out press releases during the first 30 or so days after publication, most editors will not review your work. So, make sure you do. It's a huge mistake if you don't.

I'm about to publish my first adult coloring book. These tips are really handy, thank you for sharing your experiences!

@yoservs

8 жыл бұрын

that sounds very interesting. i'm curious to know how you go about presenting these exercises

@austing5951

7 жыл бұрын

Looking at your channel that would be super cool.

@SebSharma

7 жыл бұрын

Micah Buzan Did you hire a content/grammar editor?

@librainred

7 жыл бұрын

Funny enough, it is good to do that! You gotta have an intro and a back page blurb right?

@patrickkilduff5272

7 жыл бұрын

Damn....I'm all out of tan crayons too....

Could you do a more detailed video on making a successful press release pitch? You went from 8 of 100 being successful to 8 in 10 which is a HUGE improvement.

Nice thing about self publishing is that you can control what is on the cover. I HATE when covers are chosen rather than custom made for the book based on the content of the book. Fucking irritating whe you get done with a book and sit there and say 'the cover has absolutely nothing to do woth this book at all. The characters don't even have the right hair color!'

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Ceryk That's true. I've noticed that too.

@umpygoodness2369

7 жыл бұрын

FUN STORY: in 2015 my friends who work in NYC publishing told me to enter an ART CONTEST for Hatchette books (one of the biggies!), to design the 20th anniversary cover of legendary novel INFINITE JEST. I'd never read it and my friends gave me a nutshell.... and I did 4 test drawings and IMMEDIATELY realized "oh crap, i've WON this contest" (b/c my ideas were so CLEVER and smart). I SENT THEM IN, using a penname (b/c I'm a semi-famous whistleblower who exposed many criminals in the publishing world), and WON THE ENTIRE CONTEST. ($1000 was not that impressive. I was more interested in the world seeing my CLEVER art, and the paragraph i'd get on the inside back cover.) But then I had to tell them my real name. Uh oh. (Politics will always trump merit. Always.) I was immediately disqualified (because merit comes last in human society, almost always) (!!), and the cover they went with was so bad, EVERYONE complained about it. ARGH!!

@uvpandamoniumtemp6904

6 жыл бұрын

I've been warned 12 times now about this. That is why I am making my own cover and sending it out to be printed. I don't trust anyone with my baby that I've been raising for 16 years. All authors understand the pain of not having their vision printed like they thought. Real downer.

I think the marketing is one of the biggest points there, I might have never heard of your book if it wasn't for this KZread channel.

@NezieCee

6 жыл бұрын

Amazing children's book with Caribbean slang & culture. Perfect for all races www.amazon.com/Reggae-Frog-Kishael-C-Canchon/dp/1723423017

Thanks for the pep talk and tips. I'm self-publishing, and I'm excited to have a work that started 20 years ago finally come alive--after a resurrection and a thousand rewrites. The resurrecting part was for the manuscript, not me. The marketing is SOOOO much work. I'm happy to hear yours is succeeding for you.

@goofygomez

7 жыл бұрын

Diana Diehl let us know when its out. Will support you

@dianadiehl

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Is there a place I should do this? Or do you mean here in the comments of this KZread video?

@goofygomez

7 жыл бұрын

here will do. i'd like to believe everyone who watched or commented, writes or wants to. however, if you need help with marketing, maybe we can share a few ideas. i'm new to this as well

I really like your energy 😀 I remember first reading about you years ago, on Tokyo Cheapo. I'm happy to see where you're going, because you obviously deserve it. Thank you for sharing your secrets, I feel motivated even though I've not written anything YET, haha

@TexaninTokyo

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much :)

The last sentence of this video are words to live by "Do it all on your own so you have only yourself to blame" -Grace. Your so adorkable!

Great video! The only thing I disagree with is the ISBN. I used the Amazon ISBN when publishing through Create Space because it expands the distribution. If you use your own ISBN, it limits where your book will show up through the Amazon channels. BUT I do recommend getting an additional ISBN for any copies you print yourself outside of Create Space. Great info!

@JeromeADavis

8 жыл бұрын

That sounds like a monopoly........

@Greywolfgrafix

7 жыл бұрын

I went through Bowker to get my ISBN so I COULD sell outside of Amazon. The Amazon ISBN restricts you to ONLY selling through Amazon.

@LeahDay

7 жыл бұрын

But can the book be put in libraries? Maybe the distribution rules have changed, but for my last book going with Amazon's ISBN allowed the greatest number of distribution channels to open on Amazon. I also get a second ISBN for any books I print myself. Technically that's a whole different version of the book because it's either spiral bound or has a different cover. Different version - different ISBN.

@interests1094

7 жыл бұрын

really. I didn't know that..

@Zonua

6 жыл бұрын

Is that true re Amazon? It expands the distribution?!

My wife and I just discovered you two this week and love your channel! I appreciate the work that goes into these videos, and yes, promoting your books at the end is brilliant (it worked on us ;-)). This post is perfectly timed as we're aiming to self-publish a book this year. Keep up the great work.

Thank you for sharing :-) For the time being I support you by watching the adverts before your videos...

Very helpful!! Just starting to write my book.

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Drea1239232 Good luck!

@moonmamma

6 жыл бұрын

how is your progress going?

It's wise to listen to the crowd who's eventually buying your book (or other work) - I've seen it time and time again how they post sincere and good suggestions, and only when the author/designer/even game designer listens, the work ends up being liked with high quality. People do know what they want. With an editor it's a different matter. He is just one guy and might actually not even have a good opinion on the changes he wants to do with your book. But that's just from an observer/hobby author. I never published anything.

You’d be surprised by how many times I use “avocado” in a comic book! Haha! Too awesome 👏!

Congratulations on self-publishing your books and being able to support your husband and yourself in Japan with them. Awesome and inspiring! Best of all, you're in TOTAL control of EVERYTHING regarding your books.

I published my first work not to long ago, working on my 2nd one. I actually found that I like writing. and you, my friend have given me hope with the whole self- publishing thing. thank you.

For those looking for editors, look at University campus posts for English majors or people working towards some sort of editing degree. Many of them would gladly accept money for editing work, and do have the knowledge base to provide copy editing. I'd also suggest looking on Kijiji or Craigslist. Editors such as myself who are just starting out often advertise on these sites. If you are unsure as to their legitimacy send them a sample to be edited for free, and then proceed based on that work. These options should be cheaper than your professional, or certified copy editors/big companies.

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

AutumnFalls89 Thanks!! I will check that out.

@AutumnFalls89

9 жыл бұрын

Texan in Tokyo Would it be too arrogant to say that I have availability this summer?

@sassyd8738

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks will check that out I am def. looking for a editor

I agree screw everyone else.

@waremblem3405

6 жыл бұрын

That could be exhausting. Take your vitamins.

Stumbled across this video while looking for self publishing info then proceeded to binge watch every one of your videos! You guys are awesome. Keep living your dream! :)

Thank you. I'm self published and have been toying with the idea of having a KZread channel, but haven't considered doing a blog. Now I'm going for it.

I'm planning to self publish my first book by the end of the year, so this video was pretty helpful! Thankfully, I'm pretty decent at drawing, so I already have the cover of my book done. As well as a few illustrations to go with some of the chapters. But this video reminded me, I need to start promoting my book... so far the only people that are interested are friends of my mother and sister. And they are only interested because, and I quote one of them: "A sixteen year old writing a book? I am interested to see how it goes."

@sailorsunsoldier

9 жыл бұрын

PyroPisces Good luck on your book! As another aspiring author I wish you all the best with this piece of advice from one of my favourite childhood authors. "The key to good writing is rewriting," :)

@dawnberlitz8906

8 жыл бұрын

good luck XD

@KeithDemBadman

8 жыл бұрын

+PyroPisces The best (and cheapest) ones are called DizzyEmuPublishing com - they got my book on Kindle in a few hours, which included a really good cover design. For $35! I wasn't sure if they got the price wrong but I went for it and they got my book on, so I was happy!!! I've sold a lot of them too :-)

The concept of self-publishing sounds so interesting to me. It beats having to feel dejected each time a publishing agent rejects the manuscript in my opinion. I hope to publish a book someday. Unfortunately for me, I can't focus long enough to finish writing a novella. Haha

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

azlifah95 The three hardest things for me: focusing, formatting the book, marketing.

@DavidNicholson101

6 жыл бұрын

Texan in Tokyo marketing, marketing, and marketing. That is my problem right there.

Refreshing to see a video that is direct and to the point without wasting so much time over explaining and useless chatter. Great job! Thank you

I'm about to self-publish my 3rd 'REAL' book, and I am still able to appreciate everything in this video! Really helpful and good to have some clear goals and ideas! THANK YOU!

This was helpful!

@stephenlarsen2721

8 жыл бұрын

hey it's Will Terrell everyone big fan lol

@alexandrasplayground5548

6 жыл бұрын

Will Terrell ooow HEY i watched your videos.

Definitely found this helpful, I'm an illustrator and have been working on some comics as a side project. I'd probably do my own covers cause well yeah I enjoy that :P! Loving your comics though haha keep it up :)

Your genuineness is infectious! Thank you for this really brilliant advise. Just what i needed😊

I just published my first book! I absolutely took your advice on #1 and hired someone to edit and handle all the Amazon uploading stuff. I think it's best to hire someone that knows what they're doing so you can do what you do best, writing.

@Saia_xx

5 жыл бұрын

Jason Stallworth pls help me out also what’s your book 📖

I love that stinger at the end!

I'm shocked you have to pay for ISBN, in Poland you just have to register in National Library which is our ISBN agency (free) and they give you (if I remember well) 10 numbers for start and if you need more, you just ask for more.

@lancebaker1374

8 жыл бұрын

Part of the U.S. Constitutional provision of a free press is that the press will not be controlled by the government, except in regulating some legalities, such as slander, libel, and public safety. That makes it rather unlikely that the U.S. government will get into the business of giving out commercial identities like ISBN.

@BartolomeJacinto

8 жыл бұрын

Lance Baker We also have free press, government don't regulate what can be published (with obvious restrictions like publishing a book telling people, that they should kill someone, but it's not regulated with press law as such, but general law), you don't even have to be a company, you can register as a private person and publish books as such, and it's still free, and if you register to have ISBN your books have lower VAT (5% instead of 23%), so win win situation for us, I guess. ;)

@waremblem3405

6 жыл бұрын

Oh you Bernie Sanders fans. He just wanted your vote. Election's over. In America, things like this will always cost money.

@everynewdayisablessing8509

5 жыл бұрын

I didn't even know my own country does that, but I don't live there now, so I guess I can't have free ISBNs and use them in the UK...or can I?

I love this video. I enjoy your advice, and I love that you are speaking from a place of experience, and not as somebody who hasn't done it but seems to "know it all." Some other important tips is getting your reviews, and working hard to edit and ensure that they're positive reviews. But, it also helps to have a body of work-Not that I do, yet. I have only self-published one book, but I have been reading up on self-publishing for hours a day. One of my favorite suggestions was to "write like crazy" after you have finished your first book; instead of focusing all of your time to promotion, use this time to build your body of work. That way, when your books do start to gain popularity, you can provide multiple books for your fans to devour. Another one of my favorite pieces of advice is "always answer your fans." The people who contact you are doing exactly what you were dying for them to do when you published your first book, and to ignore them just because there is more of them now, doesn't make you a better author. Feeling connected with you will only make your fans love you more. Good luck to all! -Ava Yates

Excellent tips and great information. I love that you and your husband live where you want and support yourselves with your creativity. You are an inspiration!

"Screw everybody else" - quote of the year

@waremblem3405

6 жыл бұрын

She meant that figuratively, of course. I'm sure you agree.

@summerachaudhry

6 жыл бұрын

JeanRain17, That is not the quote of the year

@summerachaudhry

6 жыл бұрын

Why did you say that

First (and always) thank you for sharing this and so much of your lives. Second, what are reasonable price ranges to pay your editors respectively. Do you have a rule of thumb number of pages to price of book? Last, my daughter asked me to say, "your makeup was really on point in this video". Oh, I had the opportunity to ask Peter S. Beagle(The Last Unicorn) his advice to young "aspiring" authors. His first words were "drop the aspiring. If you're writing you're an author. Just go out and do it." I felt incredibly inspired/validated by that. 😊

@Rwnds7967

8 жыл бұрын

the makeup was good? to be honest I thought the tones were a bit off but whatever opinions an' all

@mgoc5010

8 жыл бұрын

I love the fact that he said, "If you're writing then you're an author." I believe that with all my heart. If you've even seen Julie and Julia, she says in one scene that, "You're not a real author, unless you're published." I was so pissed and kept yelling at the screen. "Bullshit, being published doesn't make you an author, being a writer makes you one." Of course she couldn't hear me but even else could and told me to calm down. I guess I hate when people always say, "you're just a writer, not an author." Anyway, I guess my point was is that Peter S. Beagle is an awesome man. sorry for the rant on your comment. :)

@SoulScribbler

7 жыл бұрын

Hello Rachael! I hope I can help answer your question about editing... The price of an editor really varies depending on the need of the book. You can (but should not) find editors as cheap as $0.0025 a word (aprox. $0.63 a page) or as much as $0.03+ a word (aprox $7.50 a page) for copyediting, both these extreme highs and lows are generally ripoffs. A general range to stay in with copyediting is about 1-2 cents per word (or aprox. $2.50-$5 a page). Sometimes you can get lucky and find an editor who is running a special to dip below that, but generally that 1 cent a word is as cheap as it gets for quality. Now, there are other types of editors, such as developmental editing, that generally start at $0.025-$0.03 a word but go all the way up to $0.17 a word. If you are looking for developmental editing, I suggest keeping it in the lower range, under $0.035 a word. If you have more questions, I'm always willing to chat, you can check out my website at steampowereddreams.com, there's even a facebook group I created to help writers if you're interested! You can find the link on that page.

@sassyd8738

6 жыл бұрын

I was told best thing to do if you want valid help if hiring an editor or writer 150 and up I dunno

Gotta love a Texan - especially this one! Great tips and it's really refreshing to see how self-motivated you are!

Your book covers are nice to me. I like the first one just as much the second. And I agree. Self-published books are definitely real books. They are certainly REAL WORK.

I will sooo be using this in the future.

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Kari senpai! Yay!

I also used to think it was "avacado" - turned out it was "avocado"!

Love the videos, discovered you on youtube but really enjoy your blog too (and your books)! I hope you and Ryosuke are well!

Yay I'm so happy to see your pretty happy self! Watching your videos makes me so happy after a really long terrible day. As a fellow writer, I really appreciate all and any info you can give about your experience publishing. Please make more videos about your journey of creating and publishing your comic book.

I really enjoyed watching your video! I am working on my first children's picture book now as an author-illustrator (and want to do a voice-over for the characters and narration). Do you sell your books as an e-book too? I have been to Japan twice in my life and LOVED IT!!! I bet it is quite an interesting story as to how you met your husband! My best wishes to you for a joyful, prosperous, successful and healthy life! Dianna

@harishoz3097

5 жыл бұрын

I wish you did not have a husband

There must be something terribly interesting just above the lens :P

Thanks for this! Im doing my first kids book. The writing and the illustrations were the easy part. Now Im at the layout and publishing stage. This is clearly the hard part.

Great advice, and I agree 100-percent! I self-published two volumes of flash fiction stories based on my iPhone pictures that I posted to Instagram. I called them "Storygram" stories, and they did pretty well. I discontinued them and am now working on a novel, but you're right: These are common mistakes, and I've made my fair share of them, too! Thank you for helping the writing community!

You are Certainly a REAL AUTHOR!

@NeonForceGetsuga

8 жыл бұрын

Self-Published authors are real authors.

@alexandero.4496

8 жыл бұрын

+Neon Force (Mugetsugan) It is a bit annoying how people use labels instead figuring out who and what they like. It should not matter if you call yourself an author or not as long as you have content that people enjoy; is all that matters.

@NeonForceGetsuga

8 жыл бұрын

Alexander O. Tell me about it, it's really annoying. A lot of people love to find fault in people instead of looking in the mirror.

Your marketing is working... I stumbled across your KZread channel and thought you guys are adorable and wanted to support you so I ordered your first two books on Amazon! Keep it up!

Wow! What a wonderful way to encourage the Self-Published Author. Thank you for a GREAT VIDEO!

True story: I was told that I (a professional writer & editor) needed an editor AND proofreader for my first Kindle book. So I picked one from the internet, and sent the first two pages to see what he (or she) could do. Except I tricked him (or her, I won't say which). I sent ""It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we ..." He (or she) did not recognize "A Tale of Two Cities" and started crossing words out. "Redundant," he or she wrote. "Needs to get the point." I didn't hire him or her, or anyone else. Having dealt with raw beginner writers, I firmly believe that if you can't spell and have no clue about syntax, you probably have no clue about structure, character development and plot. Period. An editor isn't going to help you.

@mep.6469

4 жыл бұрын

Love Dickens! I think it's still a good idea to get an editor. I think at the end of the day, it's all about what you pay. If you go cheap, you will get bad results.

I've currently working on my first book. To anybody who has made a book before how long does it normally take you to make a book? Also, If my book is 90-100 pages will that be too short? I'm doing a autobiography.

@patriciabrown9847

8 жыл бұрын

depends who is the audience

@spydergs07

8 жыл бұрын

All depends on how much time you dedicate to writing each day and how much you can get done in that time. Books come in all lengths. Most people I know that read are willing to pay more for longer books. If it's free or $0.99 on Amazon most people will pay that for a shorter book. If I pay $3-$15 i'm hoping it's at least 300+ pages.

@unityaboriginelove6595

6 жыл бұрын

I did an autobiography and it's 262 pages.

@josuefrancois6750

6 жыл бұрын

It will take you three weeks to write a book that's ninety or one hundred pages

@sciartion

6 жыл бұрын

The number of pages (actually, the number of words but one thing influences the other) your book has, determines the type of literary work it is. For example, a novel or a short story. My first book has 128 pages and took me almost a year, but that includes the writing, the editing, and the proof reading. The second one has 25, and it's not meant to be a book on its own, but that one took me 4 months. As you can read I'm a slow writer, so in the end, the time depends more on the personal pace of the writer than in the number of words or pages.

Just a little tip. Because Amazon has a bad case of creditcad-itis, people like me who don't have a creditcard,, or people who are afraid to use one online can't buy form Amazon. You could publish your book also elsewhere, at the other big booksellers online, who do use Paypal.

@nazarohk4496

7 жыл бұрын

Dorothee Mackenbach you can pay with a debit card or buy a gift card and use the money the way you want it. Don't see the issue

@anonb4632

6 жыл бұрын

Dorothee Mackenbach Lulu

@DagnyKight

6 жыл бұрын

There are so many reloadable debit cards now I don't see how this has to be an issue for anyone. Chase Bank has the Sapphire account which anyone can get without a credit check. It's a basic account with a debit card. TD Bank also has basic accounts with no credit check to be able to have a debit card.

@donstephenson3029

5 жыл бұрын

From using Amazon to publish my own book--Amazon has a no competition policy and will drop your book if you offer it on other sites.

@DagnyKight

5 жыл бұрын

@Don Stephenson That was not what she was commenting on but Amazon only requires exclusivity for Kindle books enrolled in KDP Select or Kindle Unlimited.

Wow! I guess I didn't realize just how much work self-publishing is. But, it seems like it can really pay off! Your comic books have turned out absolutely amazing!

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Lindsey Lost in Japan Thanks :D

Really wonderful information here. Thank you for this. As an experienced self-publisher, I'm commiserating here on all the mistakes I made when first starting out.

This is some great advice! I definitely agree about the ISBN and barcode stuff, it's really important for self-published properties. The only thing I *kind of* disagree with is paying $50 for a cover. As someone who is also a professional artist, I would be pretty insulted if someone offered to hire me $50 if they wanted anything more than just some basic text, and like a gradient or something. And I'm mostly saying this because of someone in the comments saying they got a book cover for $35. There's a massive problem with freelance artists who are often asked to do big projects for $10, $20... etc. I personally wouldn't charge any less than $700 for a fully illustrated, painted cover. Of course there's a sliding scale for the difficulty of the commissioned work. But if you want a great book cover, don't cheap out. If you want to show an artist you value them and their skills, don't cheap out. :)

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

hikkipedia That's definitely true. I've been asked by other people to design their covers - but have always said no because I wasn't being paid enough to justify it. The $50 covers are usually for romance novels - with like a picture of a sunset and some feet, with text scrawled across. And you're usually not able to return / ask for edits. So really, you get what you pay for.

@billunderwood3392

6 жыл бұрын

I did my own covers for my first 2 books and was quite happy with them. Book 3 I was struggling with the art, so I broke down and paid $200 to a pro. HATED the result. I went back to the pic I was struggling with and just kept picking at it. And I am pleased with the finished product. I suppose if you have no graphic sense at all, farm it out, but the tools are there if you have an eye.

@unityaboriginelove6595

6 жыл бұрын

You would be unemployed waiting for someone to pay you $700 for a book cover. I paid $70 for my graphic designer.

@sechmascm

6 жыл бұрын

hikkipedia everyone avoids the 700$ artists. No one wants to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a cover. Most people wouldn't be able to move forward after paying that for a cover. And text with gradient is free not 50$ ffs.

@writerpatrick

6 жыл бұрын

Price is determined by the market, not by the artist. If you have a long list of top-selling books you've done covers for then you can ask for more than an artist who has yet to be recognized. But you can't expect a self-publisher to afford a high price, especially when they aren't even certain of making much from the book themselves.

CAN U TELL ME WHERE YOU GOT YOUR SHIRT FROM ITS AWESOME

@TexaninTokyo

8 жыл бұрын

+1219princess My aunt gave it to me for Christmas~

@angelcitygirl

8 жыл бұрын

Type in Adorkable in Google and hundreds of shirts come up.

@amberrino8672

8 жыл бұрын

if you can't find it make it!

@1219princess

8 жыл бұрын

+Sorren Weiss I FOUND IT 😊

Excellent video. Question: what rights does Amazon have with my material if I accept their free ISBN #?

I've been watching writing videos for several hours. Not only is yours the only one that was fun, I feel sure what you say is so. Thanks. P.S. I lived in Tokyo for 26 months during the late '60s

Can you write a comic book about your life moving to Japan and all the crazy things you do to keep your soul into this different world?

@Texan in Tokyo Can I work for you draw your comics? I draw very anime like as a traditional artist. 4:10! Let me redraw your book cover art and let you see my skills

@TexaninTokyo

8 жыл бұрын

How sweet of you to say that! I am really flattered. I don't know if I am going to be big enough to hire someone for my comics, but if so I will let you know. My email is: Texan.Tokyo@gmail.com Thanks,

@princecharming8125

7 жыл бұрын

larry lovehandle (wrote but deleted) Aaron Wilson kid your drawings suck, give it a rest. ____________ Aaron Wilson (wrote) Texan in Tokyo actually liked my drawing and it's ridiculously very close to being a anime drawing style.

Thank you so much for this, many blessings luv...

Love this. I've been chickening out of self publishing a comicbook for years now, but my husband and I are finding ourselves in a situation giving us a weird opportunity for me to try. This was so gelpful, and things I didn't even really think to do. Thank you so much!

@TexaninTokyo

9 жыл бұрын

Amanda Neyman Oh, that sounds exciting! Good luck :D

who inherits the copyright of your book?

@unityaboriginelove6595

6 жыл бұрын

This is what I want to know. I want copyrights of my own book and don't want anyone owning the rights.

Didn't 50 Shades of Grey start as a self-published book?

@maylapetite

8 жыл бұрын

I believe it started as fanfiction and got so popular that probably a publisher house contacted the auther :)

@patriciabrown9847

8 жыл бұрын

That book is craps and it's basically porn on paper

@anniegarza8039

8 жыл бұрын

Those types of books seem to be really popular. Personally, I haven't read 50 Shades of Grey because I heard it wasn't written well and I don't like BDSM which I think is what the book is about. I was recently asked to translate a book into English and I haven't responded yet but I think I will pass because it seems to be the same type of genre. Erotica with BDSM that I think border on abusive. This is just from the first few pages I read but the author has a huge following in the Spanish market and had sold a lot of books.

@Emil-ul4kb

8 жыл бұрын

All I am trying to say is a self published book "can" become a best seller.

@anniegarza8039

8 жыл бұрын

It can. There are many indie published authors who are on the bestseller list.

I am in the process of writing a book. I appreciate everything you are sharing about publishing and promoting. Thanks for making this video!

I self published a few e-books on Amazon. I really don't have any expectations, it's mostly just for fun. I just figured 'Hey at least this way there is a chance that other people will see it'. I'm still proud to be where I am right now.

I'm years late to see this and I looked up your book on Amazon. I am really glad to see the success and good reviews you've had! Congratulations!

Thank you. This was my first search for this type of info. Real and quirky. I like it!

Thank you Grace for the information on self publishing tips!

This video freaked me out and made me realize of much work I have ahead of me like everything else in my life right now. Thanks for the tips.

Working on my first one feeling overwhelmed and amazing at the same time. Thanks for the tips.

Thank u for your video, i'm just doing a project for my first self publishing, it's a mystery book. I don't really have a confidence when i'm doing this... but ur video actually bring my confidence up. When u said "You must be proud of urself." i think 'yeah, i can do this... i can!'. I'm just a highschool girl, wish me luck. Thank u so much~

Arigatou gozaimasu!! Love your final comment on a self-published book being a REAL book! Thanks for the tips and the confidence booster!

Gearing up to self-publish my novel series later this year (hopefully) and this was immensely helpful. Thank you! Subscribed

You are adorable!! Love your energy, tips, and style! Thanks for the info!!!

Thanks for this video! I'm do freelance editing for self-published authors, and I have also written a book that I will self-publish once I get through the editing process. (And no, I'm not going to edit it all myself!) I'm glad self-publishing is working for you, and hopefully it will work for me as well. :)

I agree with any artist. One you cant rush perfection of the soul, you pour out whats inside. I will think happy about your book congrats

Thank you for this! I self-published my first book last year, and the biggest problem I'm having is the marketing.

I love your passion for self publishing, thanks for sharing from your experience.

Thanks for the advice. Just finished my first kids book and I have been research the self publishing method. So this was helpful. Thanks.

If it brings in the money, it is a real book. Remember, writing a book makes you an author, and that is what makes people see you as an "author"ity. Great video! You have a beautiful business mind!

Thanks for your video on self publishing.... I enjoyed watching it! I have read all 4 of your comic books, which I ordered from your website and had signed!!

This was a great video! I self published my first book on 2/25/19! "AND GOD SAID" It is a book about the power of thoughts and words! We, like God have power and our words are powerful!

Well done & helpful. I self published a fashion coloring book & it sold on Facebook, but needed to know next steps to take as I'm old & not computer savvy. Congrats on your success!

@patriciabrown9847

8 жыл бұрын

send me a link I might be interested

Ready to publish my first childrens book. This was very helpful thank you!! Love your videos by the way :)

Thank you for this video! It is very informative. I am contemplating the idea of self-publishing my first poetry book and your video answered some of the questions I had in my mind.

Thank you so much. This was amazingly HELPFUL! Best wishes to you for the future.

Thank you,I am about to submit my book to a publisher and the tips you give about self promotion are wonderful

I've written a kids book, and I need all the help I can get to launch this puppy. Thanks for the advice, I found it to be most helpful.

Your shirt is adorkable!! (And so are you haha

Just self published my first proper book :) I can relate to these points! Marketing is always the hardest thing to do well on your own :(

I am about to publish my book and This came in my recommended just in time.Thanks for this.

Great advice, thanks. My writing mentor is trying to talk me out of self publishing, so this helps!

This just popped up in my recommended videos in 2017. Still miss you guys so much.