I recently have been traveling through memory lane. I found some old journals I had from high school. They were so funny to read. I read some of my old English papers as well. Those were definitely a trip. Reading those journals and papers reminded me that I have been writing for a very long time.
I don’t claim to be the best writer. I certainly know where I can and need to improve. I’m writing something typically every week. It’s either a few blogs here each week, or creating two sermons to preach each week, or creating a workbook for Bible class. I recently just wrote an 11 page article on dealing with racism for a workbook that will be released in 2020.
In 2017, I began doing something I had not done previously. I began to publish some of my ideas. I don’t think I saw that coming. But never say never. Below are the books I have published to date via Amazon. It’s been a fun ride and I have learned a lot. To find more details about these books, click HERE.
Earlier this week, a friend of mine asked me a question about getting material published. So, this is what I’m going to discuss. Below are some tips and suggestions to from unpublished to published.
- Have an idea. I know, I know, of course you need an idea. But you have to start somewhere. One of the best places to begin is by simply looking in the mirror! We all have a story. Your story is important. Share it. If it helps one person then you’ve had impact. To help with getting the ideas rolling, I suggest a few actions.
Photo by Jhonis Martins on Pexels.com - Get some exercise. This is like a secret weapon when it comes to ideas or when I feel stuck. My ideas will begin to flow.
Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU on Pexels.com - Read, read, read. The more you read, the more ideas you will get.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com - Write down 10 new ideas every day. I got this from author James Altoucher. It’s tough, but a great thing to do.
Photo by Jessica Lewis on Pexels.com - Think about something you’ve done in the past, but never have completed. Maybe you already have a good idea for a book that’s just been laying around for a long time.
- Start small, and then build up. My very first publication was super super short. You can find it HERE. It’s only available through Kindle (no paperback because it is short). But then I moved up to making Coloring books! Again, not super big, but bigger than what I did previously. Eventually, I moved up to making a journal, and then actual book size material.
- Get some exercise. This is like a secret weapon when it comes to ideas or when I feel stuck. My ideas will begin to flow.
- Act on your idea. People can have an idea and sit on it for years. Start writing now! 300-500 words per day is a good start. Better now than later. You can always go back and adjust. Give yourself a deadline. Don’t wait 10 years to start or to finish. You may not have that much time. Get it done!
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com - Get help from others. Specifically, I would recommend someone editing your book. I was blessed to have a number of people assist me with editing. This really went a long way.
Photo by Samantha Garrote on Pexels.com - Find someone who can design a cover page and layout of book. This is my suggestion. You can check out www.freelancer.com. You should be able to find someone to help you with editing as well. If you want to save money, get a subscription to www.grammerly.com and do your own editing. Or you may want to check out Luke Adams who first helped me when I made my coloring books. He’s a good source if you’re looking for someone to make you a cover page, layout your material, and/or build your website. You can find his website at www.givinghost.com This is what I did and it made it much easier when it came time to uploading information to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
- Get an account with Amazon. This is how you will be able to use KDP. It’s free.
- Sign in and begin the process to upload your material. Visit www.kindledirectpublishing.com. The book or workbook should be finished.
- It should be edited.
- It should be in PDF former.
- The cover of it should also be completed.
- KDP will give you the exact specifications it needs to be sure that the layout is correct. From here, you just have to follow the directions that are given. You will have plenty of time to review, to buy a test copy of the book to see if anything else needs to be changed, before it is published. You will get to set your price of the book. They do have minimums when it comes to pricing. You will also be able to see what your royalties will be based upon where you set the price.
- Wait for book to be released via Amazon. This is always an exciting feeling! It’s great to know you can have your work available for anyone to purchase around the world. You will have to do some kind of marketing for it. But this is a pretty sweet deal being able to self-publish on Amazon.
Following these instructions will help you to be on your way! Good luck and keep writing. If you have any questions about this process, please let me know. It will take some time. But anything worth doing will take time.
Invest in yourself! Create something that will help someone else! Change the world.
Let’s go! Cmon Now.
I CAN DO…SO CAN YOU.