My Journey to Becoming a Self-Published Author
Here’s a guide to writing your first book
Have you dreamed of writing and publishing your own book? I certainly did for many years before actually taking the leap in 2023 to become a self-published author. It seemed daunting, but also incredibly rewarding once I figured out an effective process.
Last year, I successfully published two books on Amazon - a memoir titled "Damn You Boss. I Quit!" about transitioning from 9–5 to freelancing/entrepreneurship, and a guide to profitable writing "The Writer’s Compass."
Check out both titles below.
While nerve-wracking at times, the entire self-publishing experience proved immensely fulfilling.
If you’ve been considering writing your own book, I want to share some key tips from my journey that helped make it all possible:
1. Start with a simple concept
Many aspiring authors psych themselves out trying to write their highly complex, niche concept for a first book. My advice?
Start with a very clear, straightforward book idea you feel passionate about.
For the memoir, I stuck to stories from my own life that felt therapeutic getting on paper. The second book is also an outflow of my 3+ years of experience as a top-rated writer.
Once you accomplish publishing that first book, you'll gain momentum to tackle more intricate literary ambitions. But begin by making your debut book about a topic you can explain in 1-2 sentences maximum.
2. Develop a concrete outline
With your high-level concept defined, create a roadmap for what your book will contain and how it will flow.
Simple outlining prevents getting lost or giving up midway through writing.
For example, I broke my memoir into three sections - my 9–5 experience, early days after my resignation, and the success that followed. Each section contained 3–4 chapters covering specific events or lessons learned during those life phases.
My outlining for The Writer’s Compass featured two sections — the first on how to become a better writer, while the second section focuses on how to monetize your writing.
3. Set reasonable deadlines
Writing a book takes time. But giving yourself an unrealistic deadline inevitably breeds burnout and subpar work.
Be gentle with your expectations.
For my memoir, I initially aimed for 1000 words per day, finishing one chapter every three days. When I struggled hitting those marks with a busy schedule as a paid writer, I adjusted to writing 500 words every day.
I will be honest, the Writer’s Compass came together in creative bursts. I think it took me just about a week to compile. I was no longer a first-time writer. With experience comes speed.
If you value having a book in your name, but writing it feels like a chore, contract it to a ghostwriter — me. I can help you bring your ideas to life.
4. Get feedback early and often
Publishing prematurely without any external input would’ve meant missing crucial opportunities to elevate both books' quality and marketability.
After outlining the memoir, I had 3-4 trusted friends read the first few chapters and provide candid feedback before proceeding further in drafts. This caught early areas needing improved pacing, dialogue, characterization etc.
I also ensured my books were reviewed by professional editors.
The reviews and suggestions strengthened the narrative flow tremendously while adding creative perspective.
5. Educate yourself on self-publishing
To avoid costly mistakes, I dedicated research time to understanding exactly what successful self-publishing requires from editing, interior design, marketing, and distribution.
From hindsight, writing a book is easy. The more tasking part is marketing and selling it.
I took an online course from a foremost self-accomplished author which taught me industry fundamentals.
I also read blogs and listened to self-published author interviews on podcasts. Gleaning publishing insight prepared me to make smart decisions.
Wrapping Up
If you have a book burning within your soul waiting to be written, take that leap! Self-publishing offers fantastic opportunities to share your powerful stories with the world and build an audience. But invest efforts upfront researching optimal processes to publish something you'll feel proud of for years ahead.
The blank page awaits your opening lines.
What will your masterpiece be? Let me know in the comments.
If you need a ghostwriter to work on your book project, I am just an email — exclusiveaj@gmail.com — away.
I hope this helps you. If it did, be sure to clap me a thousand times (joking, a few tens would do), leave me a comment (it will encourage me a lot), and share this with someone (sharing is caring). For more of such valuable content, click the follow button and subscribe to get email notifications.
