Do you want to self publish your book?

How to Self Publish with Jelly Bean

Know Your Product
Your book is a product – and you are hoping to find buyers for it, just like any other product. But to make sure it is the best it can be – you need to know exactly what it is; are you sci-fi? Non-fiction? What is your book about? Is it a quirky encyclopaedia of the world’s weirdest garden sheds? Or a poetry collection focusing on the struggles of motherhood? Think about the objectives of your book. Knowing your product enables you to make it the best it can be in all aspects; marketing strategy, promotion, finding niche markets, editing, cover design etc.

Where
Before publishing – think about how and where you are going to sell your book. Do you want to approach retailers and bookshops or is your book just something small you want to keep for yourself? Either or, this will dictate the kind of services you require from Jelly Bean Self Publishing. For example, if you want to try and get your books into stores and libraries you will need as ISBN. These kind of thing will all shape what kind of book and deal you want to arrange with us. As a result, we recommend putting some forethought into how you’re going to sell.

Who
Think about who will read your book. If it’s a children’s book – the answer is obvious. The steps to capturing your readers might involve going to school’s to do readings or organising a reading event for children and parents in the area. Jelly Bean Self Publishing author Molly Arbuthnott reached out to schools in the UK and ended up getting orders of her book Oscar the Ferry Cat through her reaching out! So hitting the right market is really important and can really help improve your book’s success in terms of moving copies. See here for more information about Molly’s story…

How
How will you sell? Marketing. Marketing is how you will sell. People need to know your book is out there, and they aren’t going to find you –  you need to find them. Here at Jelly Bean Self Publishing we do offer small marketing support, but a lot of it lies on the author’s shoulders to self promote if you want your book to do the best it can.

Attending literary events (or events to do with what your book is about) and doing readings, getting on to social media, interacting with readers and writers who follow you online, entering yourself into competitions – all of these are ways to self promote that cost little-to-nothing. If your book has a niche – make yourself known in these circles. If your book is niche – this can be both an advantage or disadvantage. You might have lots of people in the waiting for a book like yours or your niche might not exist out there – so be aware of either or and do some research if you can.

We recommend thinking of marketing as a little business; overseeing the practicalities of what will bring sales in is so important in ensuring your book’s success.