10 Dos and Don’ts When Publishing Your Book
Before reading this post, see my previous one titled, Four Writing Tips for Future Authors.
10 Dos
1. Hire a team.
If you do not have a mainstream publisher or a small independent press, it doesn’t mean you have to publish your book by yourself. You cannot and should not do everything. Even if you’re good a marketing, for example, you cannot do everything alone. Even if you’re a professional editor, you shouldn’t do all the editing and proofreading because you will miss things. You’re too close to the material. Even if you’re tech savvy, you don’t need to waste time figuring out the logistics of Amazon KDP, formatting your book properly, etc. Hire a team.
For my first book, Better Off Bald, I used Scribe Media. While they were terrific for the most part, they’ve undergone significant leadership and staff turnover, so I cannot recommend them now. However, I hired them to do the copy editing and proofreading, book formatting and production, creation of all author accounts, etc. They did not write my book. I came to them with a finished manuscript that had undergone numerous rounds of content and line editing. For me, they handled the logistics that I didn’t want to learn, and they created a fantastic book cover.
Even if I had known how to use all the tools, I wanted people with a different point of view. I was very involved. For example, I didn’t design the book cover, but I did take the photo that was used for it. At that time, their process was collaborative, thorough, and professional. We went through it together over a six-month period. TIP: Expect a longer lead time with a book that needs more editing.
2. Create an author and/or book website.
You need to drive traffic to a website where you can gather data (i.e., leads) and sell books. If you don’t already have one, create an author or a book website. Since I already had this website, I created a special website for Better Off Bald at https://betteroffbald.com. I have experience creating websites, so I didn’t outsource this task to Scribe Media or anyone else. I created an inexpensive website in Squarespace, and it was quite easy to do. Everything about my book lives on that website, including sales sheets, reviews, testimonials, awards, photos, and more. People can (and have) buy directly from me on my website.
Before creating my book website, I looked at and analyzed other authors' websites, especially those of memoirists. While I may eventually close the Better Off Bald website and fold everything that is listed there into this website, for now, I’m keeping it.
3. Gather endorsements and recruit your review crew.
Gather endorsements before publishing.
Since I wanted the medical community to embrace my medical memoir, I decided to gather endorsements before publishing. When my book was through the final rounds of copyediting and going into proofreading, I sent out an “Early Review” copy to doctors I knew. I focused primarily on oncologists. I reached out to ~12 doctors and asked for their endorsement. I stressed a few things.
Focus on the content. Since it wasn’t completely through proofreading yet, I knew the book contained minor typos and errors.
Skimming is fine. I didn’t expect them to read a 350+ page book in the short time (four weeks) I gave them.
Write your own or rewrite the endorsements. Some people don’t like writing, especially if it’s not their career. I provided a handful of pre-written endorsements and encouraged the doctors to use them if they wanted to. Most wrote their own endorsement or some version of the pre-written ones that I had provided.
Endorsements from the right people carry weight, sell books, and give legitimacy. It was much easier to get book bloggers to read my book after they saw how many doctors had endorsed it.
Recruit your Review Crew.
A Review Crew is different from an expert endorsement. They are usually family, friends, peers, beta readers, etc. You want to find a group of people who will commit to reading your book before it’s published and then leave a review the minute your book goes live on Amazon. I recruited 35 people; I wish I had recruited more. Because even people who swear they’ll leave a review may not. Every person received a copy of my book about eight weeks in advance. I warned all of them that it was a longer book, an emotional read, and I needed their review on October 15, 2019. No exceptions. I was surprised that only half of the people who said they would leave a review did. However, one of my closest friends in the world (shout-out to Tony) left his review at 12:01 a.m. PT as soon as the book was live. God bless him!
From the beginning, I provided very specific steps for leaving a review on Amazon. I also sent email reminders and direct links. If the person knows you well, especially if they’re related to you, they need to disclose that relationship in the review to comply with Amazon’s policies. The language “I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review” must be included, too.
TIPS
Recruit twice as many people as you think you need.
Stress the deadline multiple times.
Give up after three months if they don’t leave a review.
Forget about negative feedback. A high school friend said she was “horrified by my experience.”
4. Accept all opportunities to promote your book.
If anyone gives you an opportunity to promote your book, TAKE IT. Opportunities include podcast interviews, op-eds, articles, book signings, etc. Momentum begets momentum. The more promotion you do, the easier it gets because people will start approaching you. While I recommend investing dollars in marketing (see #5 and #8), there are many free and inexpensive ways to get your book in front of people. I pitched my book to numerous book bloggers who had reviewed books similar to mine. I pitched myself to be on countless podcasts. I offered to write articles and op-eds that were directly related to my book. I wasn’t shy about pimping myself out if it meant people knew about my book.
One opportunity that fell into my lap (because of my constant promotion) was a book signing in Los Angeles for the Coffee House Writers Group. The day was not ideal, especially since I no longer lived in LA, but I made it work. I got in front of other writers, and I sold books, too. TIP: I recommend using Square to sell books directly from your phone.
With nonfiction, even memoir, you need a “platform.” You’ll become known for a topic, so you need to have talking points. I've discussed everything from my sister's journey as a cancer patient, my journey as a caregiver, dying with dignity, depression and grief, dealing with medical professionals, advocating for patients, and much more. When appropriate, I’ve talked about my writing process and why writing is not cathartic for me the way it is for many others.
5. Invest in promotion.
Scribe Media Marketing
You have to invest dollars in promoting your book. How much you invest and where you invest is up to you. Read IBPA’s Book Budget Breakdown. Initially, I bought a marketing package from Scribe Media. I thought if they can write books (though they didn’t write mine), edit books, produce books, and publish books, then they must know how to market books. I was wrong. It was an expensive mistake. While they did a decent job, everything they did for me, I could have done for myself. Since most of my book takes place in Los Angeles, I begged them to line up media interviews while I was in LA before the launch of my book. They “misunderstood” and managed to get me one podcast interview while I was in town. What a missed opportunity!
I like to hustle, so I took over the marketing of my book. I created a bonkers spreadsheet with numerous tabs, which became my blueprint for future book marketing. I had no problem getting my book out there. Here’s what worked for me.
NetGalley Promotions
I joined the Independent Book Publisher’s Association for one year because it gave me access to discounted NetGalley promotions. They have review, library, and media promotions that actually work. The NetGalley review program is my favorite because they have a network of book readers who ask to review specific types of books. The reviewers can choose to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, or both sites. You are not paying for a good review. The NetGalley review program helps your book reach readers who like your book’s genre and who agree to leave an honest review in exchange for a free copy of the book. The NetGalley reviewers are professional and know how to comply with Amazon’s policies when it comes to leaving reviews.
Goodreads Giveaways
Goodreads Giveaways (GG) are gold! You can give away 100 Kindle copies of your book or 10 paperback copies. If your book reads well on Kindle (i.e., few graphics or photos), then the Kindle giveaway is easy because Goodreads does the work for you. If your book doesn’t read well on Kindle or you want a more personal connection to your future reader, then I recommend the paperback option. When the promotion is over, Goodreads will tell you who the 10 winners are, and it’s your job to ship the books directly to them. With Better Off Bald, I’ve done four staggered promotions with both the ebook and paperback. When someone doesn’t win, the book automatically goes on their “To-Read” list when they enter the giveaway. Right now, due to running GGs, over 5,000 people have my book on their “To-Read” list, and over 100 people are currently reading my book.
The other decision you have to make is whether to do the Standard ($119) or Premium ($599) giveaway. While Premium is more expensive, more readers will see your book. Again, I’ve done a combination of Standard and Premium giveaways over the years.
From the Goodreads website
Kindle Book Giveaway
Instant delivery means winners can start reading your book sooner
Give away up to 100 copies with no book cost or shipping hassle
Available to publishers and self-published authors who use Kindle Direct Publishing
Print Book Giveaway
A do-it-yourself option to get print books in the hands of readers
Ideal for giving away a small number of copies to readers
Available to all publishers and authors
Now offering targeting for the U.S. and Canada marketplaces
TIPS
You have to become a Goodreads author before entering your book in their giveaways.
Enter other authors’ giveaways to get a sense of how it works.
Start small and simple with a Standard Kindle giveaway. It’s cheaper and less work.
Promote your giveaway on your social media channels.
BookBub Feature
One thing Scribe Media had that I did not: a good relationship BookBub. BookBub has an amazing platform that reaches millions of readers. Getting your book featured on BookBub is difficult but not impossible. Unfortunately, despite Scribe’s best efforts, BookBub turned down my book. They prefer fiction, and memoirs don’t do as well on their platform. If you’re a novelist, get your book featured on BookBub. If you’re an author, you still need a profile on BookBub. I haven’t fleshed out my Bookbub author profile, so I recommend looking at other authors on the platform.
Paid Reviews
Many people will tell you not to pay for reviews. Keep in mind, any reputable review service does not guarantee a positive review (and that’s the chance you’re taking). You are paying for someone to
Read your book in exchange for a free copy
Give an honest review of your work
Post their review on either Amazon, Goodreads, or both
Comply with all Amazon policies
The NetGalley review program is a good example of a reputable review service. You pay NetGalley, not individual people, to review your book. Kirkus is another well-known reviewer. Typically, Kirkus only reviews mainstream books, but Kirkus has an Indie program. Scribe Media submitted my book to Kirkus, and the review wasn’t great. Keep in mind what your goals are (as described in my previous post). If you don’t care about critical acclaim, skip reviewers like Kirkus. Reviews from actual people on Amazon and Goodreads have more influence on most people.
Also, ask people to review your book at the end of your book. Don’t be shy about it. You can add a line after your author bio asking people to review your book and how much it means to you if they do so.
6. Know your target audience and find them.
Who is your ideal reader? When I was writing, I pictured an adult woman who had young or teenage children. Someone who would be devastated if their child died too young. I knew others would read my book, too, but knowing my ideal reader helped me find my target beta readers.
Who reads your first draft? Ideally, you want a combination of someone who is your ideal reader and someone who has some writing expertise. You also need people you can trust not to disclose anything about your book. Anne Lamott coined the phrase “shitty first draft.” While not every first draft is terrible, it won’t be the final version of your work.
I found six qualified beta readers. The following people read the slightly-shitty first draft of my book.
Two older female mentors who were successful published authors, one of whom was a mother.
My ex-husband, who was a screenwriter. While not a parent, I wanted his point of view. We often read each other’s work.
My ex-husband’s female friend, who worked as a script doctor. She fit my target demographic and fixed other people’s writing for a living.
Another female friend of my ex-husband’s. She was a mother to a teenage daughter, worked as a therapist, and loved books.
My good male friend, who worked as a writer. He didn’t have children, but he pestered me so much that I let him read it.
I received the best advice from my two female mentors and script doctor. All three women found content holes or subplots that didn’t work. However, I took everyone’s feedback and added it to a new manuscript with each person’s notes color-coded. When five or more people pointed out the same issue (I had one chapter that was a disaster), I knew I had to fix it. When three or four people pointed out something, I took it under consideration but didn’t necessarily make drastic changes, usually subtle ones. When only one or two people made a comment, I looked at what the comment was and who made it.
For example, one of my female mentors didn’t like a particular line early in the book. She wrote, “You come across as an overprotective mama bear.” I laughed out loud. I was an overprotective mama bear! She thought I was painting myself in a bad light. To me, I was being honest about who I was without apologizing for it.
TIP: You may be able to find beta readers in Facebook Groups, but be careful. Your first draft is like a newborn baby; it needs to be handled with love, attention, and care. Don’t pass it around to too many people. (Others may disagree with this advice.)
CASE STUDY
Andy Weir is a successful published author who found his audience before he ever published his book. His science fiction novel, The Martian, was published in serial form on his website before he self-published it. According to Weir, he “slowly accumulated this core group of about 3000 readers over ten years of posting stuff to my website. And they’re all dorks, hard-core science geeks—because that’s the sort of stuff that I wrote.” Read this fantastic article, “Andy Weir on writing an accidental best-seller.”
7. Reach out to libraries.
If your book is a good candidate for a library book, reach out to libraries. NetGalley, IndieReader, and IngramSpark all have library promotions. Since I conducted free public workshops in my local library for a year, I knew the librarian well. Instead of asking her to put my book into the library, I asked her to read it. If she thought it was good enough, I knew she would put it into the county library system, and she did. I reached out to the Mayo Clinic because I knew they had a patient library and a Mayo Clinic doctor endorsed my book. They also put my book in their library. Using a combination of personal approaches with known contacts and library promotions, my book is now available in libraries around the country.
TIP
Get a Library of Congress Control Number. “A Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) is a unique identifier assigned by the Library of Congress to each book it catalogs. It helps librarians locate a specific catalog record in national databases and is used for ordering catalog cards. Essentially, it's a way for libraries to easily organize and access information about a particular book.”
If you have a traditional publisher, they will obtain the LCCN for you. If not, you must do it yourself. It’s free and somewhat easy. However, the information inside the book cover must be formatted in a specific way. You cannot do this task yourself. I use CIP blocks for independent publishers. The service is inexpensive and worth every dime. That block of text tells the librarian where your book belongs in the library. While it’s not technically required, you’re making their job easier. If you want your book in libraries, get the text formatted correctly.
8. Advertise on Amazon.
Unless you are an Amazon Ads expert, you need to hire someone. Originally, Scribe Media conducted my Amazon ads as part of the marketing package I bought from them. They put the ads together, did the keyword research (critical!), and launched the ads. And they failed. The ads did so poorly that Scribe gave me a refund (not on the ad spend but on their fee for running the ads). They admitted that they didn’t know how to advertise my book.
After that experience, I asked for recommendations from fellow authors who had tremendous success with Amazon ads. I found one person: Michal Stawicki at Resurrecting Books. He is phenomenal because he tests constantly. I refer every author to him. Michal is also incredibly honest. When my recent book (which I didn’t write but edited) didn’t perform well with Amazon ads, he recommended stopping them altogether. I worked with Michal for over a year advertising Better Off Bald, and the ads were successful.
TIP: If your book has a curse word, as deemed by Amazon, in its title, Amazon may not allow you to advertise on their platform. For example, Amazon banned author Carol Wylie from advertising her book Chemo P!ssed Me Off because of the word “pissed” in the title. However, she chose not to change the title of her book, and I say good for her!
9. Ship media mail.
Books are media, so you can ship media mail, which will save you hundreds of dollars. Unless you’re in a hurry, don’t ship first class or UPS Ground. When you’re recruiting your review crew, gathering endorsements, and sending your book for contests and professional reviews, you end up shipping a lot of books. In the beginning, I made the mistake of shipping every book UPS Ground, averaging $13 per book. Those costs add up quickly. I could have saved over $800 if I had shipped by media mail (around $5 per book at the time).
Also, it may not be worth shipping to other countries. A Canadian book blogger and Instagrammer wanted to buy my book directly from me. (God bless her—most book bloggers expect free books.) After looking into the shipping costs, I told her to buy it from Amazon instead. It made no sense for her to pay over $40 in shipping for a $15 paperback. On the flip side, I shipped a book to an Indian book blogger via first-class mail, and it didn’t cost that much at all.
TIP: I did something few people do, and every reader loved. Using Packlane, I had custom boxes created for my book. With the cover on the front of the box, every person who handled my package saw my book. The only thing I would do differently now is add a subtle QR code so people could receive a free sample.
10. Enter contests.
There are many book contests across all genres. Some are reputable; others are not. Most charge a modest fee (less than $100) to cover their costs of running the contest. Generally speaking, the higher the fee, the less reputable and less competitive the contest is. For example, did you know anyone can enter the Pulitzer Prize competition? The only cost is shipping multiple copies of your book to the selection committee.
The Pulitzer Prize = No fee. Very reputable. Highly competitive.
Be selective about which contests you enter. If the contest has multiple categories, choose one category that best fits your book and may also be less competitive. My book has won five contests and been a finalist in three. While winning is mostly about prestige, I also won $1000 cash in one competition. Poets & Writers has a repository of Writing Contests, Grants, and Awards that you can sort by genre, entry fee, deadline, etc.
Four Dont’s
1. Don't waste your time on every social media platform.
You cannot be everywhere all at once. Choose two (three tops) social media platforms where
Your ideal readers live, and
You enjoy spending time.
Instagram (Bookstagram) and TikTok (#BookTok) are strong platforms for books. If you know your audience is mostly women, check out Pinterest, too. I didn’t have much of an Instagram presence before publishing, and I don’t use TikTok or Pinterest.
However, I collaborated with a book blogger from India through Instagram. She reviewed my book for free and then ran a contest for her followers. (I shipped the winners copies of my book through Amazon India.) The experience was positive and garnered more eyes for my book. When people began tagging me on Instagram and showing my book, I was thrilled.
Since doctors live on X (formerly Twitter), I did several Twitter promotions, but they failed for two reasons. I couldn’t track a single sale back to any Twitter promotion, and I also don’t like spending time on the platform. (It’s not a political thing.) Had I enjoyed the platform more and actively engaged with every promotion, perhaps I would have seen better results. I don’t plan to promote any future books on X.
My favorite platform then and now is LinkedIn. I signed up for LinkedIn Live to promote my book. I proactively reached out to medical professionals and asked them to review my book. This strategy worked because I found readers and spent time on the platform daily.
Show up where your readers are, as long as you like to spend time there.
2. Don’t ship your book unsolicited to people.
I made this crazy bucket list of people who had publicly liked and reviewed books similar to mine. From various publications, magazines, newspapers, and production companies, I thought that if I shipped my book with a polite letter, professional sales sheet, and outstanding packaging (see #9 above), then perhaps half of the people might review my book. Or at least crack it open. Nope. Not one single person out of 100 bothered to read my book. It was a huge waste of time and money.
Reese Witherspoon’s company, Hello Sunshine, sent my book back with a note that they never read anything unsolicited, which I find hard to believe. A more honest answer would have been, “We don’t read anything unsolicited unless it comes from a major publisher or someone we know.”
I had a good friend who personally handed my book to Katie Couric’s assistant. Katie is the co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer. She lost her husband to colon cancer and her sister to pancreatic cancer. Additionally, a few years after my book was published, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I thought that if any famous person might read my book, it would be her. To my knowledge, she never did.
The month my book was published, I met someone who worked with Jay Leno. Given that my sister and I personally met Jay, and he is in my book, I thought he might read it too. So, I happily handed over a copy. While I wouldn’t expect Jay to pick me out of a crowd, he called me at home when my sister died to express his condolences. I know he would remember her. But I don’t know if he ever received or read my book.
LIGHT-BULB MOMENT
I was so frustrated because I felt I had been targeted in my selection process. But then something crazy happened. My following on LinkedIn grew. I had two companies in the cancer space. For over two years, I hosted a podcast called Cancer U Thrivers. Suddenly, publishers and authors were sending books to me! Unsolicited. I didn’t ask to read these books. Sometimes they came with a polite note from the publisher or author; sometimes there was no note at all (i.e., rude).
Even though the books I received were within genres that I read, I didn’t ask for them. At any given time, I have 15 books in my Kindle and another 30+ paperbacks waiting to be read. I have multiple Amazon Wishlists, and each one is a book genre. I am a voracious reader, but time is the one thing none of us get back. While some of the books interested me, they were not my top priority. Most of them are still sitting on my bookshelf, or I’ve donated them to the local library.
Bottom Line: I forgive you, Reese. And Oprah. As for Les Brown, not so much. In 2011, he interviewed me in person and promised to promote my book when it was published. He never did.
3. Don’t expect reviews from your review crew.
Keep your expectations in check with your Review Crew. Yes …
They signed up to be a member of your Review Crew. (You asked them, not demanded.)
They said they would read your book early. (You gave them enough time.)
They promised to give you a fair and honest review. (You provided the appropriate verbiage. See Do #3.)
They agreed to the deadline you provided. (You told them the publication date.)
And yet…less than half of those people may leave reviews. Less than half. It’s disappointing and beyond frustrating. Staying on top of your Review Crew, shipping them early book copies, ensuring their reviews are posted by the deadline, and assisting them if they need help consumes a lot of time.
Set clear expectations with your Review Crew. If they cannot read your book in time to meet the deadline, move on. Find another person. Keep going. Every time I’ve signed up to review an advance copy of a book, I have done it. If I make a commitment, I stick by it. Expecting people to act the way I do was a mistake. Years later, I discovered some of my review crew members (people I would call friends) read my book but didn’t bother to leave a review. They missed the entire point of being part of my Review Crew. While I’m grateful they read my book, I needed them to post a review when they finished it.
4. Don’t get offended by bad reviews.
I know many authors who never read their reviews. While I feel that is excellent advice, I don’t take it. I read most of my reviews.
If you’re going to get offended, hurt, or angry, do not read your reviews.
Some people didn’t like my book because of specific choices I made.
The structure is a journal set in the present day with flashbacks.
The prose includes detailed medical information, though it’s in layman’s terms.
The book is over 350 pages, which is long for a memoir.
The language includes intermittent swearing.
When reviewers comment on my specific structural choices, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t understand the one person who returned my book because of “too much cursing.” Clearly, she’s never read anything by David Goggins! Mind you, I don’t curse on every page like he does, but there is a recurrent phrase throughout the book that includes the F bomb.
Whatever you do, don’t respond to negative or positive reviews. You can thank people on Goodreads for leaving a review, but it’s not recommended. If a book blogger left a review, thank them via email, not on the review itself.
