Tools of the trade

I don't even want to discuss what time it is. 😑 

Considering I rolled into bed 12 hours ago, I suppose I shouldn't complain.

But I will. 😂

At this godforsaken time in the AM, we're going to discuss some tools of the trade.

Yesterday, I spent a great deal of time adding titles in Kindle Direct Publishing and https://draft2digital.com/. As I went to grab the link for the latter, I'd already sold a book I added. 🥳

But let me back it up.

LONG GONE are the days of simply whipping out a story and doing a bit of publicity and marketing. Back in the early aughts, I'd write a book. Submit. We'd edit. I'd fill out a form for the cover designer. Publish. Market.

Rock on.

Yesterday, being an Indie Author, it looked a little like this:

pulled older work I recently received the rights back 

open in Word

delete previous publisher info and add mine

FORMAT (format is now one of my "f" words 😣)

Edit

Purchase more ISBNs from Bowker at 29.50 a pop. I'd still suggest buying your own ISBN for your works. You WILL need a separate one for mediums i.e. digital or print.

Fill out ISBN information for digital book

Run my manuscript through Kindle Create program to check for formatting errors. It'll kick out a Kindle and ePub copy that should be clean to use in Kindle Direct.

Format, when needed, and curse fluently

Go to Kindle Direct, fill out data, upload manuscript.

Add cover design.

Launch previewer to check for errors.

I use Canva Premium to design my covers, except the explicit ones because Canva is a prude. If I want spicy, I use Shutterstock.

I design my covers around the time I finish, or I'm about to finish, my work. Then, because I'm rowing this boat solo, I actually design a page with the cover and tropes. And now, I design a third page I can add to Insta and TikTok and Threads. 

I throw this reel soup together in Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023 with the Video Editor. My only complaint being the music selection for the background is LIMITED.

I used CapCut Web on some previous works, better music, but you have to renew yearly, and it's an expense I didn't want or need.

After adding eBook to KDP (Kindle Direct), I go back and add the ISBN for the print project.

Then to Kindle Direct. 

This time, I need to design the entire cover flap, as the digital copy only needs the front cover.

 

One of us, me me me, nearly went mental designing the full flap for "One Enchanted Evening" because I needed to find a color to complement the gold and cream colored invitation. If I didn't try every fucking tile on the massive color square, TWICE, I swear to you...

Moving on.

Also, you need keywords to add to your manuscript file. I opened my handy, dandy Publisher Rocket and opened my "keyword search" where I found similar titles and looked at their keywords to get ideas to use for mine.

If you can afford it, BUY THIS!

They're going to move to an annual subscription, eventually, and the one-time payment for access is well worth it.

I could continue to gush all about it, but we've work to do.

Add keywords and genres to KDP files.

Shuffle over to Draft2Digital to add eBooks there. 

You're not paying for any of this. Draft2Digital will take a percentage of sales. They make your book available to: 

Apple Books

Barnes & Noble

Kobo (including Kobo Plus)

Smashwords Store

Tolino

OverDrive

cloudLibrary

Everand

Baker & Taylor

Hoopla

Vivlio

BorrowBox

Odilo

Palace Marketplace

Gardners

Small caveat, some of these distributors will not accept spicy content. Roll with the punches, darlings.

Still a hell of a deal.

Then I move onto the next.

I WILL say I do Canva in blocks. I designed Insta posts for four different books, one after the next, and then threw them into Adobe to make reels.

I find this easier to keep my train of thought, hard on the best days, when I'm doing something repetitively.

I think that's basically it. 

Minus the blood, sweat, tears, and profanity.

Gotta love what you do. 💖