I finally self-published my second book Evidence of a Commuter Train. I just went ahead and did it. It took me about an hour and a half to upload my book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) (print and ebook), IngramSpark (IS) (print), Kobo (ebook), Draft 2 Digital (D2) (ebook), and Google Play (ebook).
It is certainly a lot easier to publish by having the files ready for upload and not having to use each company’s software.
Whereas Amazon is published only on Amazon and Google Play is only on Google Play, the other companies of IS, Kobo, and D2D distribute to several companies like Barnes and Noble and Apple. They also distribute to companies around the world. I like seeing my book pop up in other countries. It is amazing how that works.
After a few days when my print book went live (after a review), I was able to order print copies from Amazon and IS. Because most people still read print books, I am looking elsewhere to do print books (print-on-demand) that can be distributed globally.
Although I had a lot of reservations (see the previous blog post), I am glad I finally self-published. I even scheduled a book signing next month at New Bern’s downtown indie bookstore Next Chapter Books and Art.
Next is the dreaded marketing.
I’m hoping for a better showing than my last book. Social-minded people are more comfortable telling people about their books. It is not an easy thing for me. While I will continue to market my first book, I think I have a better marketing plan for my second book. I have hope for my second. Hope dies last (Studs Terkel).
ANNOUNCEMENT
I am changing my website. I hired a company to do a complete redesign that should go live after this post. I will continue to blog each week, but it will not be on the first page. Just skim over the header to “Blog” and there I will be.