Silvia Lowe

Self publishing a book on Amazon is totally worth it but there are a few hoops you need to jump through first. If you’ve got 80% of a book manuscript lurking on your hard drive gathering dust, you are not alone. Whether it’s a gripping fiction book or a helpful non-fiction guide, self publishing a book is one of the most satisfying things a wordsmith can do. 

But so many of us get put off by the idea of self publishing a book, meaning that 80% never quite makes it to 100% and your almost-there book ends up being abandoned. Of course, we could all hope for a publishing deal to come our way but, as depressing as this fact may be, just 1-2% of book ideas get picked up by a publisher. 

Self publishing a book is such a rewarding project if you can get yourself in the right mindset. But where do you start? 

Let’s start with that 80%. 

Finish your manuscript 

That last 20% is going to be the most painful part of your publishing journey. I’ve been there, done that and got the grey hairs.

But you know that you can’t even think about self publishing a book until the words are complete and you don’t want to rush this part. 

Take your time. This is the blood, sweat and tears part and it’s not pretty, but it’s worth it. 

Once you’ve finished writing it, go back over it and read it. If it’s been gathering dust on your hard drive for months then you’ve probably forgotten what you wrote. This certainly happened to me and, when I went back and read my non-fiction manuscript, I realised that I actually knew what I was talking about! I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the copy and the human way it was written, without alienating the reader or talking in jargon. So sometimes stepping back from your copy and revisiting with a fresh sense of enthusiasm is actually a really good idea. 

Find a critical friend

We’ve all got one of those; someone who will give it to us straight, even if we don’t want them to at times. While it can be difficult to lay yourself bare and ask for feedback, doing so at this stage in a private forum hurts the ego much less than it does when someone posts a negative review on your book on Amazon. It’s important to get it right at this stage, so listen to your friend (assuming you trust their advice) and keep tweaking the copy until you’re happy with it. 

Check, check and check again

Nobody likes a spelling error in a book. A spelling error can immediately give the reader a poor impression and it would be such a shame for your masterpiece to be received in a negative way after all the grafting you have put in. Yes, I’m still using ‘grafting’ in my vocabulary even though the Love Island crew has tried to claim it as their own.

There are many ways to proofread your copy:

1. Human eye. There is no substitution for reading it through yourself out loud and checking for errors. Not a big talker? You’ll love this next tip. 
2. If you have a Mac or MacBook, go to System Preferences > Speech and tick ‘Speak selected text when the key is pressed’. You can also change the voice to be a female or male voice and you can change the speed at which they speak. Go back to your manuscript, highlight the copy and press Option+Esc. Your computer will cleverly read your manuscript to you so you can sit back over a cuppa and listen. Not an Apple lover? The internet is full of websites that allow you to add your words to a piece of software and have it read back to you. 
3. Grammarly. If you haven’t installed this already, you can easily do so and it’ll be a godsend when it comes to editing and proofing, picking out any spelling or grammatical issues.  If you’re short on time and would rather outsource proofreading your copy to a professional, hit me up and I’ll give you an idea on cost. 

What’s the format?

Once your manuscript is polished and proofed, it’s time to decide on whether you want to go down the ebook route, the paperback one or tackle both. Although both are entirely possible, it’s worth remembering that an ebook will struggle with imagery and graphics so if your book has artwork on the inside pages, I would advise you to avoid an ebook and stick with a paperback. 

If you decide to opt for an ebook, you will need to create an indexed table of contents with anchor points that link to each relevant section of copy. Stuck on how to do this? Give me a shout. 

Always judge a book by its cover

Sorry, folks. It’s not a popular opinion but your average customer flicking through Amazon looking for books is unlikely to be drawn towards something that looks homemade. Of course, if you’ve got an eye for design and are comfortable knocking up a front cover that stands out as a thumbnail, then that’s great. If you’re not sure your design skills can stretch to a front cover, I can help. I have designed numerous book covers both in ebook and paperback format and I also provide back covers and a spine with the right dimensions (this is always dependent on how many pages your book is). You’ll also need to think about page numbers and ensure all formatting is consistent across the board (line spacing, font size etc).

Set up a KDP account

Head on over to Amazon and find the KDP dashboard. You will need to set up an account and provide information on tax, income etc as well as contact details. You’ll also need to write a book summary which is probably one of the hardest parts of the process. Remember that whatever you write is what a customer will read when they’re skimming through Amazon. Keep it succinct and make sure it’s crystal clear what the story is about (for fiction) or what the reader will learn (for non fiction). One of the great things about self publishing a book is that you can change your book description at any time, as well as the copy on your manuscript. So if something isn’t quite right, you can simply tweak it and re-upload to the dashboard. 

You can then add your manuscript and your front and back cover and the dashboard will offer you the option of previewing it. Remember that some customers will be looking on a different device to you so it’s important to make sure it is compatible across all devices. This is a bit of a trial-and-error process but it’s critical that you get it right otherwise you might be on the receiving end of some negative reviews. Once you’re happy with the formatting, you just need to publish it and you’re good to go!

KDP will then send you a proof in the post if you’ve opted for a paperback. You can then make any tweaks to the design if you need to. Once you’re happy, it’s time to hit ‘publish’. And that, my friend, makes you a fully fledged author in your own right. 

Self publishing a book? Let’s go!

Do you have a book lurking on your hard drive and need some help giving it that last push? I’ve self published two books, both in ebook and paperback format, and have spent hours getting my head around the KDP system. Whether you need help with finishing your manuscript, checking it for errors, formatting or designing, or you just need a helping hand navigating the KDP dashboard, I can help. 

It’s time you shared that book with the world. Let’s do it together. 

The art of blog copywriting

It’s no secret that a large part of blog copywriting is about attracting the attention of those clever bots at Google. However, blog copywriting is something that many brands underestimate because they focus too much on stuffing SEO keywords and phrases into their web copy which tends to put a potential customer off.

A customer can tell the difference between a piece of writing that’s generated in order to climb the ranks at Google and a piece of writing that’s been carefully crafted to educate and inform a customer. Blog copywriting and balancing tone of voice with SEO keywords and phrases is a juggle and this is why it’s best to commission a copywriter to create this kind of content.

However, if you’re short on budget and need to write the copy yourself, here are a few tips to help you create content that appeals not just to bots, but to customers, too.

Pick your topic and map out your article

Once you know which subject matter you are going to write your blog post on, create a rough map of how the article will be structured. In terms of word length, there are differing views on how long a blog post should be but I usually recommend that your blog post is about 700-1000 words. Ask yourself what a potential customer is likely to want to learn from your blog post and how much knowledge they will already have on that particular subject.

Do your research

After you have chosen your topic, it’s time to do some digging. I like to spend a good amount of time online, reading up on a particular topic and making sure I feel confident to write with some authority on it. A customer can usually tell if the person writing a blog post doesn’t really understand the topic fully. Also, it’s really important to avoid the use of jargon in your blog posts. You are likely to alienate a potential customer if you use language they might not understand.

Draft your blog post

Using the rough content structure you have already created, start writing your first draft. Be sure to keep the content concise and relevant to your audience. It’s also a good idea to break up your blog post with subheadings and a couple of images, too. When you add your images, be sure to include alt tags and only choose images that really enhance the post.

Optimise your blog post for SEO

This bit is really important: choosing the right keywords or phrases for your blog post is what is going to allow Google to put it in front of your potential customer. Which keyword or phrase is your customer likely to type into a search engine? If you’re selling art supplies, are you reliant on local trade? If so, try to weave your location into a keyphrase, such as ‘art supplies in Luton’. However, when choosing an SEO keyword or phrase, it’s important to pick something you can easily weave into the copy, otherwise the copy can end up sounding quite clumsy.

Edit and proofread

This is the most important part and often something that gets overlooked. A single spelling error has been proven to put customers off. Don’t miss out on that potential sale simply because you didn’t thoroughly check your blog post before publishing. It’s also really worth getting someone else to check it for you as it can be easy to miss errors here and there. Read it out loud and be sure that it flows well. Try to keep the paragraphs and sentences short in order to keep your reader engaged and not overwhelm them with long chunks of text.

Publish – and share!

Many brands make the mistake of publishing their blog post and then forgetting to share it with their customer base. Whether it’s shared on social media or via an email newsletter (I highly recommend Mailchimp if you’re looking for an efficient email-marketing system), keeping in regular communication with your customer base helps to maintain a good relationship with them.

Writing a blog post is quite a complex process but it’s worth investing in time in your blog and keeping it regularly updated. If you’d like me to cast an expert eye over your blog, I offer a copyediting and proofreading service. So, get in touch and we’ll take it from there!

 

 

One of the best things about being a freelance content creator in Cornwall has got to be the level of flexibility you can create for yourself. To be able to plan out how my week will look is a bit of a luxury and one that’s not lost on me. I can decide my working hours, where I work from and who I work for. Being a freelancer obviously comes with a degree of financial uncertainty: some months business is booming and others things are a little quieter.

 

Freelance content creator: the joy of location independence

In addition to being a freelance content creator, I also co-own a specialist product copywriting agency with my sister. We work for high-end fashion clients all over the world, writing product descriptions for apparel and accessories. Our clients send us weekly batches of products and we work through each batch systematically. Although the workload is heavy, we have built our business so that we can fit it around our childcare commitments and balance work time with family time. 

As a freelance content creator, I can work from home or I can take myself off in my campervan and work from somewhere else for a day. During the pandemic, I have been working from home but, as the world starts to open up a bit, I’m looking forward to working from other locations to change things up a bit. All I need is a decent internet connection and a nice cup of coffee and I can pretty much work from anywhere. 

 

Love what you do. Do what you love.

I have worked as a freelance content creator since my son was born back in 2015. I really enjoy the variety of projects I get to work on and I especially enjoy writing blog posts. Researching a particular topic is really enjoyable: it’s fun to write about something you previously knew nothing about and then, through proper research, become an expert on that particular subject matter. 

I also really like the regularity of work when it comes to writing blog posts. Many of my clients don’t want to commission a one-off blog post; they want a series of regular posts because they know that Google likes consistent, high-quality content. Because of this, I am able to plan ahead quite a lot and I know how much work I’ll have coming in from one week to the next. If you’re a freelance writer, you’ll know that the concept of regular and consistent work is gold dust to the self-employed.

 

A typical day in the life

My working hours as a freelance writer can vary but, typically speaking, my hours are Monday to Friday between 9am and 3pm. I have been able to create a business that fits around the school run so I can be present for my son when I need to be and I have enough time in the week while he’s at school to get everything ticked off. My work/life balance is something I have worked very hard for and I am now in a position where I don’t feel stressed or pulled in two different directions. Life has certainly not always been like this but I’ve worked hard to get to this stage and I would find it really difficult to give that up. 

My flexible working week also means that I am able to carve out some time in the week for myself, whether it’s catching up with a friend over a coffee or going for a dip with the Bluetits Cold-Water Swimmers. It’s so important for me to have that time for myself and it makes me more productive once I start work because I feel ready to tackle a day’s work once I’ve had a chance to blow off some steam. 

Being a digital nomad has many perks and being able to do this with Cornwall as your backdrop really is the icing on the cake. When you live somewhere this beautiful, why wouldn’t you want to soak up as much of it as you possibly can?