Publishing
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Blog Posts
Books
See the index for this section for books I recommend about other author-related topics.
Successful Self-Publishing: How to Self-Publish and Market Your Book
by Joanna Penn
Do you want to successfully self-publish in ebook, print, or audiobook formats? Experienced independent author Joanna Penn shares her tried-and-true approach.
Wide for the Win
by Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Wide for the Win prepares you not only with a fundamental understanding of the mindset required for long-term writing and publishing success, but also insights and proven processes that allow you to take full control of your intellectual property's earning potential and reach more of the right readers for your work than ever before.
Courses
The Self Publishing Formula
https://selfpublishingformula.com/
Taught by: Mark Dawson and other guest course instructors
Award-nominated best-selling author Mark Dawson teaches his proven self-publishing method, with courses provided by other experts in the independent publishing industry.
Note: I have not personally taken this course, but many authors I respect and trust have and highly recommend it. I am currently saving up to become one of them.
Distribution
IngramSpark
I have always used this service for my print-on-demand books, and have been consistently happy with their prices and quality, even though I often have to ship books to Canada.
(Note: While you can distribute eBooks through IngramSpark, I recommend you use an aggregator like Draft2Digital or Smashwords until you feel confident enough to go direct to the independent publishing arms of most major stores. Once you’ve figured out how to do it there, you can do it anywhere, you are only limited by how much time you want to spend whenever you need to make changes.)
Draft2Digital
https://www.draft2digital.com/mysecretwish*
A user-friendly aggregator and eBook distributor that also integrates with IngramSpark for print-on-demand publishing and Findaway Voices for audiobook production.
Services
Editors
Talena Winters
www.talenawinters.com/editing
Unleash story magic! I help struggling independent authors unlock their inner word wizard and write their best stories as a developmental editor for fantasy, science fiction, suspense, thriller, romance, women’s fiction, and memoir for middle grade, young adult, and general audiences.
Bookmarten Editorial
Brenna Bailey-Davies
www.bookmarteneditorial.com
Brenna provides assessment and copyediting services for indie authors of fantasy and romance, with a focus on books with queer representation.
Ellen Forget
https://ellenmichelle.com/
Ellen is an editor and writing consultant who specializes in science fiction and fantasy genres. She also edits academic books and articles.
The Writer’s Wellspring
Jennifer Lindsay
https://thewriterswellspring.com/
Jennifer is a developmental editor and copyeditor who wants to help authors enrich their stories and connect with reader’s hearts.
Check the Editors Canada online directory for someone who is a good fit for you: https://www.editors.ca/ode/search.
Graphic Design
Patrick Knowles
https://www.patrickknowlesdesign.co.uk/
Patrick designed all of my current Rise of the Grigori covers. I can’t recommend him enough. You can contact him through his Reedsy profile.
Mandi Lynn
www.mandilynn.com
She works in almost all genres, but her favorite to design is contemporary and dystopian.
I have communicated with Mandi about one of my projects. I went with someone else, but was impressed by her professionalism and diverse portfolio.
Andreea Olteanu
https://reedsy.com/andreea-olteanu
Illustrator and book cover designer specializing in visual story telling through fantastical pictures and bold colour palettes.
I have communicated with Andreea about one of my projects. I went with someone else, but was impressed by her professionalism and beautiful artwork. I will definitely be using her in the future when I find the right project fit.
Natasha Mackenzie
https://reedsy.com/natasha-mackenzie
Skilled designer in a variety of genres. Very versatile portfolio.
I have communicated with Natasha about one of my projects. I went with someone else, but was impressed by her professionalism and diverse portfolio and her impressive artistic skill. I needed a different look, but I look forward to working with Natasha in the future.
Kylie Alexander
https://www.kyliealexander.net/about
Book cover designer and book interior designer. Image manipulation.
I stalked Kylie to try to get her to work on one of my series, but my email ended up in her spam folder. By then, I’d found someone else. However, she is a phenomenal designer with an impressive, diverse portfolio, especially in nonfiction (though I’d found her because of her cover for Night Spinner by Addie Thorley). I hope to work with her in the future.
Tools
Draft2Digital’s ePUB Validator:
https://draft2digital.com/book/epubcheck/upload
Check to make sure your eBook file passes muster before loading it to a publishing platform.
Books2Read Universal Book Links:
https://books2read.com/links/ubl/create/
A free tool that gives you one link for readers but lets them go to their retailer of choice. A service by Draft2Digital, but you can use it without having a D2D account.
Story and alchemy have more in common than you'd think. An introduction to the relaunch of the Author Alchemist blog/newsletter, and five ways our stories compare with the philosophy of alchemy.