6 steps to start selling your first fiction book on Self-publishing platform

Let's assume, you have written a thrilling fiction book about space adventures or post-apocalypse. You believe it's amazing and want to share it with the world. But how to start making money from it? Thankfully, today it's easier than 20 years ago when you had to go through the daunting process of convincing a publisher just to read your manuscript and waiting months, if not years, for a response only to receive a rejection. Nowadays, there are self-publishing platforms that allow you to take matters into your own hands and get your book out to the world. Here are six simple steps to help you start selling your first fiction book on a self-publishing platform.

Step 1: Create a book cover and title

The saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but when it comes to selling a book, the cover and title are crucial. The cover and title are what will catch a potential reader's attention and entice them to take a closer look. In fact, the cover and title of a book are often considered to be 50% of its success.

Creating a book cover and title can be just as exciting as writing the book itself. You'll need to visualize the main characters or scenes from the story and find a way to represent them visually. The title should also be an essential part of the cover's design, communicating the book's genre, tone, and main themes.

To create a cover illustration for free, you have several options. You can draw it yourself if you have artistic skills, or you can ask a friend who is talented in drawing. Alternatively, you can hire a freelance illustrator from a marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork to create the cover for you. Another option is to use a tool like Midjourney, which offers a free book cover maker with customizable templates.

When creating your cover, it's also a good idea to explore other book covers in your genre for inspiration. Look for common themes or styles that appeal to you, and consider how you can incorporate them into your own design. With a little creativity and some inspiration, you can create a cover and title that will grab a reader's attention and entice them to check out your book.

Step 2: Write a short book description

Book description that will be visible on ebook store is the second selling factor after the cover. No one will read your book if the description is not compelling. There is a well-known saying: if I had more time, I would write a shorter message. So writing a good short description may be as hard and interesting as writing a whole book. Make your best to express the killer-idea of your book in 1-2 paragraphs.

When writing your book description, it can be helpful to look at other book descriptions in your genre for inspiration. You can also ask for feedback from friends or beta readers to see if your book description effectively captures the essence of your book.

Step 3: Sing up on Self-Publishing platform

When it comes to choosing a self-publishing platform, it's generally advised to select one platform to start with. This allows you to focus your efforts on promoting your book on a single platform and gaining traction before expanding to other platforms. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is often considered the best platform for starting authors due to its large audience and ease of use. They both offer a wide reach and the ability to earn up to 70% royalties on sales.

When signing up for a self-publishing platform, you'll typically be asked to provide some basic information about yourself. This may include your name, email address, phone number. Some platforms may also require you to enter your bank account information for payment purposes.

Step 4: Format the ebook

The formatting process typically involves preparing your manuscript for digital publication by converting it to a format that is compatible with the self-publishing platform's requirements. Most self-publishing platforms accept manuscripts in Microsoft Word format, but they may also accept other formats such as PDF or ePub.

To format your book, you'll need some basic software tools. Microsoft Word is the most commonly used software for formatting books, as it offers a range of tools for formatting text, adding headings and subheadings, creating tables of contents, and more. Other popular software options for book formatting include Scrivener, Vellum, and Reedsy.

The platform will typically provide you with guidelines on how to upload your book and what format it should be in. After uploading your book, you can preview it to ensure that it looks the way you want it to before making it available for sale.

Step 5: Set your book price

Probably you think that no one will buy a book from unknown author and it's better to publish your first book for free. But in practice it's not the case. No one will read a free book from unknown author with the same probability. Moreover most self-publishing platforms don't allow to publish free books. There is also no option to publish a half of a book for free and sell the entire text. You can do it yourself on the own social network account or fiction book community.

When it comes to setting the price for your fiction book, it's important to do your research and be competitive with other books in your genre. The usual price of a fiction book can vary depending on factors such as the length of the book, the popularity of the author, and the format in which the book is sold (e-book, paperback, hardcover, etc.).

As a new author, you may want to consider starting with a lower price point to entice readers to try your book. However, you don't want to set the price too low, as this can give the impression that your book is of lower quality or not worth the reader's time.

On most self-publishing platforms, the royalty rate you receive for your book will depend on the price you set. It's important to take this into account when deciding on a price, as you'll want to ensure that you're earning a fair amount for each sale.

Step 6: Get the reviews

Ok, now your book is in the store. While it's possible to attract readers simply by publishing your book on Kindle or another platform, it's important to actively promote your book to increase your chances of success.

One way to promote your book is to leverage your existing network of family and friends. Ask them to buy and read your book and leave a review. Reviews are important as they can influence potential readers to choose your book over others.

However, relying solely on your personal network may not be enough. You can also promote your book through social media, paid advertising, and book review sites. Some self-publishing platforms offer marketing and promotion tools, such as Amazon's KDP Select program, which offers free promotion and advertising tools to authors who agree to exclusivity with Amazon for a period of time.

It's worth noting that while there are paid review services available, it's important to use them with caution. Some services may violate platform policies, and fake reviews can harm your credibility with readers. It's best to focus on obtaining honest reviews from real readers who have actually read your book.

See also: Top 5 eBook self-publishing platforms