Dolores Keaveney, Illustrator, Children's Book Author, Artist

Roadmap

The following is a kind of a roadmap for anyone who intends to self publishing. This is the route I took with my self publishing and I hope you the reader finds it helpful.

Write the book
Find money to self publish
Edit Book
Decide to Publish or Self Publish
Apply to Nielsen for ISBN
Design front cover of book.
Get book typeset
Print mock-up
Edit Edit Edit
Print copies for review and submit to people you would like to review so that you can insert it into the book.
Submit to Easons, Argosy at least 8/10 weeks before the launch so that they will either agree or not to distribute the book for you and so that it will be in the shop when you launch.
Edit Edit Edit

How many books will you print
Send to printers either yourself or your graphic designer who has designed the front cover and who has type set the book.
Print invites, posters, banners
3 Weeks before launch put out fliers/web texts/emails/invitations
Get a WEBSITE IF POSSIBLE. Very important for people to look you up and check out everything about you.
Submit books to libraries for their catalogue.
i.e. 1 Book to British Library UK

5 Books to Trinity College

1 Book to National Library of Ireland

You will find addresses in Neilson information.

Register Book on PubWeb online Neilson
Submit book to libraries throughout the country to see if they will buy it.
Contact all shops throughout the country with an email telling them about your book
Sell at craft fairs, functions etc etc.,
Set up Facebook page www.facebook.com
Sign up Twitter www.twitter.com
Set up Account on authorcentral.amazon.com /authorcentral.amazon.co.uk
Join www.goodreads.com
Get your book into the newspapers. Think local. Do your homework, become a story of local interest. ‘Local authors publish book’….
Contact everyone you know and let them know you are a published author. Get some nice testimonials and write ups.
Get into magazines.
Have book signings if possible in local bookshops.
Focus on an event, or an accomplishment, not about purchasing the book.
Keep thinking about ways to get you and your book in the paper.
Write your next book.
Most important of all enjoy what you are doing ……..and don’t take it too serious.

(c) Dolores Keaveney July 2012

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