Fiction Publishing Checklist
- Start writing.
- Get critique partners and send them chapters as you write to look at things like passive voice, head hopping, confusing sentences, or other chapter-by-chapter problems, or genre issues like not hitting genre expectations. (Or put up chapters on a website like www.critiquecircle.com)
- Finish writing the book, still getting input from other writers.
- Get beta readers to look at things like continuity, character arc and story structure.
- Revise as needed, or if the structure is too off, you might want to start a new project. Don’t worry, writing is a skill and you’ll get better over time.
- Repeat 1-5 as many times as needed. Don’t rush to publish your first book. You might need to write a few books before you have the skills to write something that will sell well.
- Hire an editor. Ask in writing groups (such as The Writing Gals on Facebook) for editor recommendations. Get a sample edit from several different editors and pick one you mesh well with.
- Hire a cover designer. Ask in writing groups to get recommendations.
- Start a newsletter. You don’t have to send any newsletters yet, just get it set up so you can put the link in the back of your book for people to subscribe to your newsletter.
- Announce your newsletter on social media so any friends and family can join.
- Format the book using Draft2Digital (free) or if you’re planning on publishing a lot, you might want to invest in a program like Atticus or Vellum. (Vellum is my personal favorite, but it only runs on Mac.)
- Write a blurb by looking at other blurbs in your genre and getting to know the rhythm or way they are written.
- Create an account with Kindle Direct Publishing. (Make sure you have the correct one. There are scams out there that charge you for services. These are not the right KDP.) kdp.amazon.com
- If you are going to do a pre-order for your ebook, set it up now. (There are debates about whether or not to do one if you’re a new author. Ask in groups for the scoop.)
- Join some author groups for writers of your genre and start to network. Ask if any of them would be willing to put your book in their newsletters if you put their books in your newsletter. (This is a newsletter swap.) Even if you don’t have a lot of newsletter subscribers, most authors are kind enough to help you get started.
- Get some ARC reviewers set up so you can send them advance reader copies for reviews when the book comes out. (If you need help with this step, check Book Sirens out.)
- If you are in the US, and are purchasing an ISBN, do it now. (You don’t have to. Ask in a FB group to understand the difference between purchasing one and using the free ones provided. I, personally, don’t purchase them and I’m a NYT’s and USA Today bestselling author.)
- Upload your ebook files to create an ebook on KDP, or if you have a pre-order set up, upload the final files.
- If you are publishing your ebook on all platforms, create accounts with Draft2Digital, Kobo, B&N, Google Play, and Apple. If you are enrolling your ebook in Kindle Select, skip this step.
- If you are publishing your print book on IngramSpark, upload your files there and enter your purchased ISBN but don’t publish until you do this step over on KDP for your print book. Then publish them together at the same time so you can use the same ISBN number for both. If you are only publishing the print book on KDP, do that now.
- Announce the book release on social media, and have your new author friends who write in your genre help you spread the word in their newsletters and on social media.