Relaunching a Debut Novel

Everyone makes mistakes – especially when they’re young with stars in their eyes.

I had a friend about six years ago who introduced me to a little known place called CreateSpace. For those of you who may have been too young to remember what that website was, it was the self-publishing platform that later became KDP with Amazon. It was where all my hopes and dreams went to die – at least for a time.

Why, you may ask? Well, it was because I had no clue as to what I was doing in the self-publishing game. It was a pretty new concept in the publishing world, a game that some knew how to play and one that I didn’t even have the instructions for. My friend had self-published these small books that she liked to call episodes. I don’t know how successful these episodes were, but I knew I wanted to write something – anything – and share it with the world.

Writing the book was easy, editing and formatting was virtually nonexistent, and marketing never happened.

Tis the story of many who have been on the daring journey of self-publishing. It can work and some even make it big, but it’s all about being diligent. Put some money into your book covers, have some people help you edit your story, and find a way to promote yourself such as through advertisements and social media.

So, because of my blunder, I have decided to relaunch my debut novel Witch Trials: Secret of Loudun with a new (better) book cover, some much needed editing, and also by promoting it with free e-book distribution to facilitate reviews. Anyone can do this and if you’ve written a book that was prematurely self-published like I did, then I advise you to consider a relaunch as well. Like they always say! It’s never too late!

Here’s a couple of things you can do to make your book a success:

• Get a professional book cover. I highly recommend GetCovers who I use for many of my books. They offer promotional materials, logo designs, and even animation at extremely affordable prices for indie authors!
• Edit, edit, edit! Reedsy is a site that can help you find freelance, professional editors at a price you can afford. Or if you insist on doing it yourself, I’d suggest investing in a premium version of Grammarly or checking out AutoCrit.
• Format your book accordingly! Different platforms have different requirements. Make sure you meet the guidelines so your readers can have the best experience from any device!
• Create an author website and mailing list!
• Promote on social media!
• Join book clubs, writing groups/communities, and participate in writer’s lifts!
• Send out ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) to garner reviews! For help with this, check out BookFunnel.
• Join promotions such as KDP Select where you can offer your book for free for a certain length of time or at a discounted rate.
• Grow your circle of author friends!

There are obviously many more things you can do than this list, but it’ll help get you started! Happy writing!