Flying Solo: A First Timer’s Guide to Self-Publishing
I held my breath as I clicked to open the email and dared to hope. Maybe this time, my manuscript would be accepted. I had worked on it for years, lost count of the many rewrites – searching for shaky structure, eliminating padding and hunting down repeating words. I had internalised the mantra that all writing is rewriting, honed my submission query letter, researched agents and publishers so that my queries were appropriate with a personal touch.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to read your work but…my eyes glazed over the rest and I felt a heaviness in my bones–and in my soul–as hope evaporated. I suspect that everyone reading this is familiar with the deflation of the rejection email. I usually give myself a few moments to mope, then consider what I can improve.
This time was different.
I took out my notebook and drew a line through the last remaining publisher’s name in a long list of crossed out names.
I felt that my manuscript, A Widow’s Son, had something to offer. It was a historical novel, inspired by the tragic events that occurred in my hometown of Dromcollogher, Co Limerick a century ago when forty eight local people died in a cinema fire. It began as a germ of an idea about nine years ago but it really only gathered pace when I joined Writers Ink in late 2023. I would never have finished it without the support of the wonderful Inkers. The discipline of posting five hundred words weekly on Thursday Threads and the helpful, constructive criticism was invaluable.
The Self-Publishing Route
I could congratulate myself on finally finishing the manuscript and leave it unseen on my laptop, or I could explore the self-publishing route to release it into the world. The idea of self-publishing terrified me. I hadn’t a clue how to go about it. It also carried the sting of failure, implying that my work wasn’t good enough to be properly published. The only thing that propelled me forward was that it was a century since the Dromcollogher tragedy in 1926 and if I was ever going to do something, it had to be now. I did a short online course, Introduction to Self-Publishing, on Jericho Writers which was ‘free’ as I’m a member of Jericho. Indie-publishing (a nicer title) began to seem a little less daunting.
The first essential step was to ensure my manuscript was as good as possible. I’d advise paying a professional editor if you can because you do not see your own mistakes.
Manuscript to Book
The next step was formatting the manuscript into book form. I used the free version of Reedsy Studio in conjunction with Grammarly, which did a decent job of proofreading and catching mistakes. I could have written directly into Reedsy if I was still composing my novel but as I had a finished manuscript, I imported my work and Reedsy formatted it into chapters with a section for copyright, dedication, prologue and acknowledgements.
I needed two different book formats, one for EPUB (for e-book) and one for paperback (POD, print on demand). I exported both formats from Reedsy and downloaded them to my laptop where I extracted the files. I then uploaded them to Amazon KDP (but they can be uploaded to wherever you want). I was able to send the EPUB to my own kindle to check that all was ok. This was a very simple process on Amazon KDP and there was lots of help and tutorials available online.
Formatting choices on Reedsy were limited – a good thing for a nervous first-timer who was easily paralyzed by choice. Atticus is another popular formatting tool which gives a lot more choice, gets good reviews but there’s a once-off change.
Self-Publishing: Your Book Cover
The book cover is important; it’s the shop window and the sales pitch. A local Waterford artist (Barry Edwards) designed a wonderful cover for A Widow’s Son. As Barry is a relative, he would only accept payment in wine and chocolates. We imported his cover into Canva, a free easy to use graphic design tool and added title, author and blurb. (Rhoda Baxter on FB or YouTube is excellent on how to use Canva).
Book covers can also be created directly on KDP Amazon using Cover Create but the design templates are very limited.
If you plan to sell solely through Amazon for both formats (e-book and paper book), there is no need to buy ISBNs as Amazon will generate its own ISBN and barcode. But if you want to sell anywhere else, you need to buy ISBNs from Nielson UK, the ISBN supplier for UK and Ireland. Each book format (e-book and paperback) needed a different ISBN and it’s much cheaper to buy these in blocks of ten as one ISBN cost about €90 while a block was approx. €200.
A Widow’s Son
Holding a physical copy of A Widow’s Son in my hand was emotional, the culmination of years of work, much procrastination and buckets of self-doubt. I could compare it to childbirth but it was a far longer and harder process.
Marketing ‘my baby’ is absolutely essential so that people will know it has been delivered after a prolonged gestation. I put the retail links for A Widows Son on my website (marienoonan.com) but if you don’t have a website, there are other options. Buy the Book is an online Irish book platform for marketing books. Customers order the book through their website, the details are passed on to the author who sends the book directly to the buyer.
My marketing journey is in its infancy but A Widow’s Son is already selling both through my website, from Amazon and from independent Waterford shops who are wonderfully supportive of local authors. A couple of strangers have emailed me with such glowing reviews that they made me cry. My baby has not only been born but has left the nest and is flying high.
Will I get rich? No, but self-publishing so far has been a surprisingly encouraging and enriching experience.
(c) Marie Noonan
About A Widow’s Son by Marie Noonan:
One man’s dream leads to a devastating tragedy.
Journey back to 1926 to a small town in rural Ireland, where Babe O’Connor is a man with a plan. Despite his illegitimate birth and physical deformity, he is determined to make a name for himself. As a hot, dry summer grips the town, Babe sees an opportunity to make some money by organising a picture show in a timber loft on a Sunday night in early September. His plans are met with resistance from the local priest and sergeant. Undeterred, Babe convinces the townspeople to attend the show, ignoring the warnings from authority figures.
Little do they know that their decision to climb the rickety ladder into the loft will lead to a heartbreaking calamity. As the town reels in the aftermath, tensions rise and anger boils over. Babe must face the consequences of his actions and the weight of his guilt.
Don’t miss this emotionally gripping and atmospheric novel. The narrative captures the devastating weight of a small-town disaster, the local guilt, and the psychological aftermath of the tragedy.
Order your copy online here.
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