Self Publishing is PAIN! (but here’s how to)

Here is my detailed experience in self-publishing my novella Breach of Peace! Otherwise known as the self-publishing how-to guide by Daniel Greene
BREACH OF PEACE LINKS:
Amazon: amzn.to/3kHsyNJ (physical/ebook)
B&N: tinyurl.com/3d... (physical/ebook)
Book Depository: tinyurl.com/2h... (physical)
Google: tinyurl.com/ab... (ebook)
Apple: tinyurl.com/rc... (ebook)
Kobo: www.kobo.com/u... (ebook)
Merch: teespring.com/...
Patreon: / danielbgreene
Discord Server: / discord
Twitter: Da...
Twitch: / fantasynews
Instagram: / dgreene101
Subreddit: / danielgreene
Podcast: afictionalconv...
Equipment:
Camera: amzn.to/3siqgHv
Lense: amzn.to/3ugGxhQ
Lighting: amzn.to/3aI3brK
Microphone: amzn.to/3pCGtWg
Tripod: amzn.to/3kd9yq1

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

If you have any questions about the process leave them here and I’ll answer them in a follow up video!

[@Nasser851000]

Are you really a goblin?

[@milospollonia1121]

@@Nasser851000 asking the real questions

[@reidblanchard6453]

@@Nasser851000 obviously he is

[@lizardchef9024]

Do you think that it would help to study journalism if you wish to be a writer?

[@shadabkhan-ng5xe]

How to get reviews on the book?

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

"Don't compare yourself to Sanderson" "haha keyboard go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" - Brando Sando, probably

[@ihavenolife8651]

Lol

[@ChristmasLore]

When what you've ever written is a novella, even the idea of such a comparison is completely irrelevant.

[@astraestus8828]

"Speed, I am speed" - Brandon-most-probably

[@quantumhelix8668]

Professor: "And deriving from maxwell's equations and using the Lorentz corrections here, Einstein showed light is the fastest thing in the Universe, and nothing can go faster". Brando Sando: "Challenge accepted".

[@dmen89]

Also, Stephen King.

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

Self-Publishers are BRAVE. And yes first drafts will make your eyes bleed.

[@Alihassan9193]

I KNOW YOU! YOUR BOOKS ARE GREAT!

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

@@Alihassan9193 thanks!!!

[@theotherside5818]

First drafts are utter crap

[@milospollonia1121]

Self publishing is such a nightmare but actually at the end you absolutely love it when you hold your book in your hands

[@lindsaymorrison7519]

Until the day you realize you and your editor missed something... and then you'll hate it for a few hours before loving it again. (But still forever be haunted a little)

[@AuspiciousdissenT]

@@lindsaymorrison7519 Still forver haunted a lit, actually. However, with Amazon it's actually easy as fuck to fix it, thank god. Otherwise, I would be screaming until the end of time.

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

You make it sound like having a baby.

[@GraysonGibson]

I’m a graphic designer and I’m SO GLAD you mentioned paying your artist fairly and also being detailed when giving answers and art direction 😂 for me it’s 10x more difficult when someone is vague or just says “do whatever feels right”. As a designer it’s our job to bring your vision to fruition so the more detail the better

[@jonevansauthor]

There's a distinction between cover designers and artists that's quite important. An artist will often not do the typography, and that is really important for branding and meeting genre norms. You might find a great artist on DA or ArtStation but they may not be able to brand your book. You may also find you have to be really clear about the important part of the image being on the right hand side of the book because they don't all have experience. I would never use a general graphic designer for a book cover because it's what sells your book. What you need is someone who can tell you what you need. Someone who knows the genre expectations and will do the typography correctly. If you look for cover designers, you'll find people who generate art digitally or traditional illustration, but also do the typography themselves. These people should not need lots of art direction and will likely tell you to stop asking for particular things. This is because most new authors want to depict a scene from their book. Well, that's not what sells your book. What sells your book is dragons, or a silhouette of a guy running toward an identifiable capital city building, or a bloody knife (depends on genre). If you require illustration for your genre (which is rare) then you've got a bigger problem because then you have to find someone in budget, who can do the right type of art, and gets the layout requirements (like leaving space for your name and title and the top and bottom and not putting a focal point on the back!). :D You should pay them fairly of course. All the cover artists I know have this thing called 'setting their own prices' which guarantees they're charging a fair rate. You can save money by starting with pre-made covers and it's easy to research what cover designers and artists charge in your genre so you aren't paying more or less than you should (which is of course, dictated by your funds - if you're a stock broker, you can likely afford to invest more in your first books than a student).

[@dnatsrednUouYoD]

@@jonevansauthor yes! I am a full-time freelancer who does editing, ghostwriting and cover design in the indie author space - and market research is so much more important than people often assume it is. It's not my job to execute the client's vision perfectly to their specifications. It's actually my job to educate my client on current market trends in their genre, and communicate with them about how we can apply these design trends to their original artistic vision. I make covers that sell books. That's priority #1. Your cover design is not for you. Don't pay for something you like, artistically. Your cover is for your target market. Pay for a designer who understands how to create a cover that will communicate to your consumers "hey, this looks like the kind of book I already know I like," which immediately grabs their attention, and is designed from the get go to be legible and attention grabbing at the thumbnail size.

[@t0dd000]

So many bad covers out there. Writer spends a year or two or five writing a great story and then won't commit to making it beautiful. Professional I don't get it. Such a waste.

[@elizamb5280]

It's definitely true that you're going to hate whatever you have written for a while. I've deleted so much of my work. Don't do that. Save your ideas, your future-self will thank you.

[@melissateodola1887]

I've deleted all of my fanfic and some of it had thousands of views which hurt my fanfic reader heart.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I agree! I've been writing, mostly for myself, since I was about 9 years old. I'm 45 now and still using some of the same characters, even though there have been some significant changes due to my own increasing age (and maybe maturity). I was a child then, but I had some good stuff. And looking more recently, I've tossed out some good stuff that could be recycled the same way.

[@nerfinfineon5589]

“Don’t compare yourself to Sanderson” is the absolute best advice of the whole video 😂 so true

[@carlosroo5460]

I need to switch "Sanderson" for "Oda" though. Yes. My expectation are too high for my own good. Don't judge me.

[@devinreese1397]

Do. Because Sanderson is NOT best writer in the world.

[@marcelolage1395]

@@devinreese1397 true. He is a great storyteller and I am fine with his writing but that level of writing can't be what you strive for

[@animefreakazoid01]

But let’s be real, you give your cat your writing, the feedback will be brutal.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

SO BRUTAL!

[@ladyhoratia1709]

I've been writing for almost seven years now and I have never been able to get anything published. i might actually try self publish. thank you Daniel for giving me hope

[@Abundy]

A lot of the best books I've read in the past two years were self published like Rage of Dragons (to be fair it got him picked up by a publisher for the sequels) or Sword of Kaigen!

[@conormeehan.]

I heard an author say once (don’t know who, sorry) that you shouldn’t self publish because you couldn’t get traditionally published, but instead because that is the best avenue for your story

[@RavensDagger501]

@@conormeehan. I think that advice hasn't aged all that well. A lot of new trad-published authors started self-publishing first. It creates a brand that can really help sell more books for the publisher.

[@milospollonia1121]

Daniel is writing stoned. That's the lesson I take from this. Write stoned.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Think of ideas and write them down. Don’t try writing the actual book.

[@8OBO8]

@@DanielGreeneReviews sounds like good advice

[@milospollonia1121]

@@DanielGreeneReviews stoned idea-generation sounds like it might create good absurdist fantasy

[@BooksToAshes]

I mean look at Stephen King....some say his best work is when he was high on drugs. Edit: Not promoting this though! I don't do drugs at all and I'm writing, maybe that's why I'm having a hard time lol

[@MaddieThePancake]

I mean Stephen King did

[@woahitscorrina]

Me at every step: Write that down, write that down!

[@RavenGrave113]

Speaking as an artist, I love it when people give detailed feedback EARLY ON. Especially since I do traditional art, someone saying, "Oh I love it!" in the sketches and pencils, and then hours of work and fifteen layers in in, saying "Oh...no the hair is wrong, it needs to be shorter!" helps no one, because at that point, it is very, VERY difficult to change things. Clarify things, ask questions, give notes, and if you're not sure or unhappy about something? Say so! It's your art and you are involved in the process!

[@Hero_Of_Old]

Step 1-actually finish the first paragraph of my book

[@VoidLantadd]

Step 0-finish the the outline for my book

[@conormeehan.]

@@VoidLantadd not necessarily. You don’t need an outline to make a good story (George rr Martin, Stephen King)

[@VoidLantadd]

@@conormeehan. yeah, but I need to finish the outline for my book lmao

[@blackgobbogaming4236]

Step -01 Make a title

[@conormeehan.]

@Odorless Kingsford when I’m my comment did I ever say that wasn’t true or that I didn’t believe that? Actually think before you reply

[@butterandcompany1579]

"Don't compare yourself to Sanderson," -the writing advice we all need

[@FlyingFocs]

I do that all the time, and I haven't even read any of his books. The cloest I could get if I got really good would probably be Tad Williams (3 books in 7 years, but that last one was still 2 and a half years behind deadline).

[@adamgrogory]

As someone who is both a very big fan of Daniel, and an aspiring future writer, I am very thankful for this video

[@ZamWeazle]

You write about the future? 😄

[@DontuseMyRealNameYTplz1425]

You either are a writer or aren't a writer. There's no "aspiring" for that. Now if you want to be an aspiring author, that makes sense

[@jadewood3342]

@@DontuseMyRealNameYTplz1425 wut?

[@DontuseMyRealNameYTplz1425]

@@jadewood3342 You can't really "aspire" to be a writer, but you can aspire to be an author. Literally anyone can be a writer because writing is a simple activity. When you are writing a text, you are technically a "writer".

[@jadewood3342]

@@DontuseMyRealNameYTplz1425 oh that makes sense😂

[@therenegadebard3971]

Before Tor, I self published for 10 years, starting into 2011. And for 10 years I've been screaming for people to get their book edited. Writers like me, Michael G. Manning, Daniel Arenson, Michael J. Sullivan (You heard me. He started out self-published) and others fought tooth and nail for respect and recognition. We had zero resources and were the constant target for critics. You can't imagine how much I hate hearing someone say they don't need an editor. Or say they'll edit their book after it's published. After everything we went through and all the sh!t we had to take....yeah....get a damn editor. :) I and the other writers I named have had wonderful indie careers. I alone sold more than 500k copies of my indie books, not counting audio. So it can be done. It makes me happy to see it when writers like you, Daniel, care enough to do it right.

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

Tolkien didnt have an editor. Or so Ive told.

[@therenegadebard3971]

@@gavasiarobinssson5108 He did in the sense his publisher would act as a DV. But even if he didn't we're talking about a once in a generation literary mind who defined the genre for all those who followed.

[@robbybevard8034]

@@gavasiarobinssson5108 Tolkien also, literally, wrote the Oxford English Dictionary. He also spent decades writing and rewriting his books. He was an editor himself and he knew language inside and out.

[@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz4676]

Woah, I just met you at Kansas City Comicon today and got a few of your books. So cool seeing you in the comments section here. Started reading The Bard's Blade when I got home and I'm loving it.

[@therenegadebard3971]

@@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz4676 So thrilled you're enjoying it. See you next year.

[@charlie.tt4]

I’m not a professional artist by any means but as it’s a hobby of mine I’m definitely in the community and honestly, thank you so much for the way you talked about the subject in this video, even mentioning tipping and all. Way too often artists aren’t paid and/or valued nearly enough.

[@jonevansauthor]

Yup, we need to have realistic ideas of what artists are charging. Book covers are a good field to get into btw, and assuming you are better at any kind of art than I am (not hard) you may find a market for your work. There are authors who are just starting out who are looking for covers of all sorts so as long as you can create things that are genre appropriate, there's some demand out there. :)

[@charlie.tt4]

@@jonevansauthor I wasn't really planning on going in that field, but the more I read the more I just want to create art for all of these wonderful books. Maybe someday. Either way, thanks so much for this genuinely nice comment, have a nice day :)

[@joshuasims5421]

“Sign your soul away” - what kind of rights do you sign to a publisher like Ingramsparks? I thought one of the bonuses of going indie was keeping more rights.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

You do! But you also can sign exclusivity things to make more money if you want to. I can get more into that in the future.

[@joshuasims5421]

Thanks! Exclusivity makes sense. I’d love to hear more in the future!

[@helenthehobbitwilliams5466]

Even though I have no intention of writing a book, let alone publishing one, I found this video very interesting 😁

[@reptilianbird]

I hope you mentioned coffee in your acknowledgments.

[@Exeidur]

I was pretty curious about this, working at a publishing company. I think the biggest surprise to me was the 'you get the book and check every page; you're going to find mistakes'. We definitely don't check every single page, and there'll always be at least a few errors in the final work. These usually get sifted out after the first few printings, but not all of them get caught. It rarely happens that the cover isn't alligned correctly, since there are pretty standard sizes and we're publishing tonnes of books a year. But I can see this being a bigger issue when you self publish. So thanks for the insight! And congrats on publishing your book successfully :)

[@rastrich]

Selfpublishing has gone such a big step in the english language... Sad that this hasn't happened in many other countries so far... Germany for example is a real shame in this area.

[@Grimscribe732]

Well, we're always slower when it comes to almost anything to do with the digital space (except for regulations). :/ Still, there are a few German authors, who are also writing in German, that have found mainstream success through self-published works - but they're either writing in the Crime or Romance genre. But it is obviously something to note, that almost all self-published German fantasy authors that have garnered a following write & publish their books in English rather than German.

[@rastrich]

@@Grimscribe732 Yeah, we don't have to talk about the state of Fantasy in Germany... It's frightening, what out publishers think, the people are interested in this genre. Have you read when Sanderson spoke out about the trouble happening around Cosmere related Books in germany? I really don't know in which world these publishers live

[@milospollonia1121]

@@rastrich Exactly. That's the main reason why I write in English (and because I prefer the language). German publishers don't like the hard-magic SciFi/Fantasy blend I write, while in English it's almost the mainstream

[@MagusMarquillin]

@@rastrich That's too bad - even though you've got the strong precedent of the Grimm brothers and Michael Ende. Of course Ende published back when Germany was bifurcated, maybe that caused more of an appetite for escapism?

[@rastrich]

@@milospollonia1121 And the fun part is, that exactly this traditionalism is why so many germans dismiss Fantasy and don't pick it up. They all think that Fantasy has never subverted the tropes LotR and GoT have set.

[@Aschult42]

Ah schadenfreude. The best thing to ever come out of Germany.

[@milospollonia1121]

Ein Land, eine Nation, eine Kommentarsektion.

[@Ryan-mech-muffin]

I prefer German engineering, but sure

[@naughty_swagger41]

@@Ryan-mech-muffin Haha very funny.

[@spellviz8409]

Bitteschön.

[@thishonestgrifter]

Zeitgeist, and ersatz are pretty good too.

[@jackwright7879]

If you love writing, and you’re watching this and it sounds like a nightmare that you want nothing to do with-keep writing anyway. It’s good for you and there’s nothing wrong with being a hobbyist. Publication doesn’t have to be the goal. (This is for me, seven years ago. I know you’re out there.)

[@sarahkendall5714]

One thing I would say as an Editor is be prepared to going 'blind', so don't be surprised if a Proof reader misses something that another Editor/Proof Reader picks up on. Also, accept the fact that there will always be errors in your work, no matter how many times you and however many people read it, it's an accepted fact in the industry that you are not going to catch everything. And finally, if your work has some kind of stylised writing keep a style guide - its basically a cheat sheet for you and your proof readers to use when checking for consistency, so for example do all your Goblin characters speak in italics? If so, put that in your Style Guide, or do you want your work written in British English (including the correct comma style?) Then put it in your Style Guide! :)

[@donk525]

I’ve been a self published author since 2014 and it’s always a painful experience, but it’s also a very satisfying experience. I have full creative control, I get to choose who I want to edit and proof read my novel, someone I trust, and I get to choose who to design my cover and any illustrations if needed. The hardest part of self publishing I find if the marketing. Oh god the self marketing! It’s a constant battle but I wouldn’t change it for anything!

[@ShalomDove]

“This is your first draft. You are going to hate it.” Literally my creative life in two sentences . I feel very seen, at the moment. Congratulations Daniel! Hopefully we will all feel safe enough to be in a room with a bunch of people one day, and you can do a signing event for your book ❤️

[@korgaupisc129]

Oh boi, I hope I don't look like Daniel while writing😂😂 but I probably do. Unfortunately I can't match the wonderful rainbow watch though😂

[@Ryan-mech-muffin]

I wish I'd seen this video like 12 years ago. Started my first book series when I was 15. Ended up scrapping all but the first book. Then rewrote it 3-4 times and just finished it. 12 years later...

[@hcstubbs3290]

I'm 10 years into doing the same thing. Started when I was 12, still writing the same series (but with different characters) on and off. I've actually thrown away a lot of stuff I wrote back then, it was terrible. 😅

[@hcstubbs3290]

Congrats for finishing your book though, that's an awesome achievement, doesn't matter how long it took!

[@marcusappelberg369]

I am in the same place! Got my book published, but the market for fantasy novels for adults is reeeally small here in Sweden, so now I am translating my novel into English myself.

[@Calebgoblin]

Honestly this guide is the single video out of a dozen in the vein that makes me feel like self-publishing is something accessible and doable. Thanks

[@samuraijaco1]

Also, don't do what Terry Goodkind did, and rip into the artist that did your cover and offer free merch for anyone that tears into them as well. That's a massively dick move.

[@theghostofterrygoodkind2835]

I regret nothing.

[@thomasgrant4991]

@@theghostofterrygoodkind2835 this in poor taste

[@erenrathe4293]

@@thomasgrant4991 yep

[@theghostofterrygoodkind2835]

@@thomasgrant4991 The only poor thing is your bank balance.

[@ddfstar7588]

@@thomasgrant4991 good.

[@Lunaishtar]

As an artist I'm overjoyed every time my clients gives me more details and even some reference about what they want instead of giving me a vague brief. Thank you so much for saying that!

[@cyryl3827]

Let's watch a video on how to avoid pains of self-publishing, so that when I self-publish I will be able to look back and say "Oh right, I could have avoided all of that.".

[@Grimscribe732]

Glad that you stress that self-published authors should get their book through a professional editing process. Something that almost can't be overstated. I haven't published a book myself yet, but have several academic publications and even with these rather dry texts, unbiased and honest editors are a crucial part of the process and need to be involved to have proper quality control.

[@peterlarson233]

Daniel saying "wholly original art" got me mentally tacking a "Batman" on the end, and I realized Daniel would make a good Robin, the Boy Wonder

[@VoidLantadd]

Holy original art, Batman!

[@mero7731]

Imagine Daniel in those booties 😂

[@andreraymond6860]

My self-publishing journey was not totally unlike your own... BUT... I am in Canada and my book was a Family history. Non-fiction books have the caveat that in writing it I had to choose an academic standard I wanted to adhere to. I spent 20 years doing genealogical research and shaping the 'epic narrative' of the book.The story went from 1655 to the present and had a cast of thousands, from the first immigrant to the new world to his youngest descendant. The book was part encyclopedia of individuals having a common blood line and their spouses and various relatives. I had sections on heraldry and historical trivia. In the end the total page count was 550. I sent one section (I didn't have the nerve to call them chapters) to a freelance editor to do a superficial overview. She was very helpful. It was not a line by line edit, but more of a general opinion with some suggestions on style. I also asked several people from my entourage to give me tips. At 550 pages I could not afford to get a proper edit done. So I guess I am part of the problem... I decided to write in WORD, eschewing fancy editorial software. It just seemed more practical. I was going to deal with a printer directly. Most printers will accept a PDF and print up as many copies as you can afford. They will go through the same process as a publisher, providing you with a proof or galley that will allow you to make the necessary adjustments and corrections. A family history is a niche product that has a limited sales appeal. I could never hope to sell more than a few hundred copies. I did get a boost from the National Archives. If you register and send two copies of your book to Ottawa they provide you with a free ISBN number and you get a tax break on the printing cost. But having limited sales prospects made illustrations a problem. I had to use as many photos and illustrations as possible that are in the public domain. Again the National Archives were a Godsend. They have banks of photos that are copyright free. I used old drawings from history books that are in the public domain, etc. I only paid for two or three pieces of original artwork that I really really wanted as chapter headers. I also did a lot of graphics work myself in Photoshop and Illustrator. My wife used to be a graphic designer and coached me. In the end I ran out of time to do one thing I really wanted, which was a person index at the end of the book. I would have had to go through the text and add a code next to each and every one of the thousands of names to compile an index. It just wasn't feasible. We presented the book at a family reunion in New York and sold them at a very reasonable price. I needed to sell 114 copies to break even and sold 85. So I lost about 900 dollars (Canadian) on the publication of my first book. Not too bad.

[@MetalGildarts]

Whoa, 900? How much did the book cost to publish in total??

[@ZackArgyleAuthor]

Great video! I'm also a HUGE fan of Vellum. My experience in the self-publishing world is that most of the authors just don't have much money to work with. When you do your follow-up, it be super useful to include the actual costs for each of the steps: editor (word count matters here), illustrator, cover designer, vellum one time cost, ingram costs for upload and updates, audiobook (word count also matters, PFH). Almost makes me want to set up a like Venture Capitol for Authors kind of deal to help out all the amazing authors who just can't afford to publish properly!

[@Nasser851000]

How long did it take you to finish Breach of Peace?

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

About 4 months from first to final draft. That was writing many hours every day.

[@Frogface91]

@@DanielGreeneReviews Wow, that's so impressive! 😳

[@peterbrasier1450]

@@DanielGreeneReviews For a weekend warrior who can only afford like 2 to 3 hours a week how many hours did it take?

[@rymdalkis]

1:24 I'll take this as canon that Daniel wrote Breach of -Peach- Peace stoned out of this world Edit: It would appear that I wrote this comment stoned out of this world as well

[@Ryan-mech-muffin]

I really want to read Breach of Peach. Basically an young adult SWAT version of James and the Giant Peach

[@rymdalkis]

@@Ryan-mech-muffin Lmao good catch

[@muhammadhashir6136]

ZERO DISLIKES, humanity must have grown sense

[@arrowace5907]

I dont get why ppl dislike this kinda videos, like did a rock fell over their head or smth???

[@oddeyes9413]

I just finished my first draft. Waiting for feedback from my two beta readers. Then, I have to edit and send it off to the manuscript critique. *I have a 20 step system.*

[@manuvillada5697]

Woah I'm interested, what kind of book are you writing?

[@oddeyes9413]

@@manuvillada5697 Its based on Japanese mythology, and inspired by anime and manga. There's going to be six or so books and has a low fantasy feel. Here's the tag: *"In a Japan where the Shogunate never fell, humans live alongside creatures known as Ayamatsu."* It also is an alternative universe to our own and has touches of other mythologies. You can follow me on Facebook at: Ayamatsu Chronicles. I do updates and the like frequently.

[@davidf.farris6619]

Oh, this should be interesting, given that I've self-published several. I love hearing others join in on the bitching. But man, there are major upsides if you learn to manage a Facebook and Amazon business account. When I market/advertise consistently, boy do my books sell. The key, however, is consistency. And I love the creative freedom with the cover and content.

[@davidf.farris6619]

And editing can be very expensive, especially when you're writing 250k+ word tomes. But, yes, it still needs to be done.

[@davidf.farris6619]

Also, a couple more things. Draft2Digital is a great ebook publishing platform that can get your book on a lot of reputable platforms. I prefer its interface and functions to Smashwords, but obviously it's all opinion. If you don't have a large audience (a writer who doesn't have readers lined up out the door), consider Kindle Unlimited through Amazon KDP. Your ebook will only be available on Kindle, but it makes your book available to millions of additional rabid readers. With someone like Daniel, who has established his own platform and massive audience prior to releasing his book through the hard work he's put into this channel, he doesn't need KU. As for the other piece of advice: learn how to advertise. Do a deep dive into Amazon Advertising, Facebook Advertising, and Bookbub advertising. If you don't use these tools, your book won't sell (unless you have an established audience already of tens of thousands of people). Learn promotional tools like Bookbub and other similar websites.

[@jonevansauthor]

@@davidf.farris6619 Agreed. I wouldn't recommend anyone publish their first books outside KU. Obviously Daniel has done fabulously but going wide as a strategy is more about long term philosophy than making a living and few authorities recommend it for starting out. Not the least of the problems is learning how to publish on multiple platforms, and then the fact that only Kobo is any good (and you may as well publish direct through them). Most people publish direct to Amazon because you get higher royalties (Smashwords, PublishDrive and Draft to Digital take a cut and offer some other services for it - for instance distributing to lots of tiny niches like Google and Apple).

[@mansinikam4760]

'DONT COMPARE YOURSELF TO SANDERSON' was the advice I needed today. Thank you🥺

[@ananyajagoorie2126]

I wonder whether Daniel falls into the category of a ‘gardener’ or ‘architect’ ?

[@JerodimusPrime]

He's a gardener, or as his writing hero-Stephen King-would say, a pantser.

[@echoct506]

"Pay your fucking artists. They have a skill you do not. Pay your artists."

[@janmikule582]

I wanted to point your attention towards an awesome book called Perdido street station by China Miéville. Even though it has been here for some time now it does not get enough attention for a book which exceeds half of Brandon Sanderson books, for me at least.

[@robday2859]

A pretty fair run-down of the process from what I can remember from doing it 10+ years ago! On top of that, being an Aussie author, there was also tax stuff to negotiate as well as pricing to maximise the 35%/70% returns from Amazon.... I was lucky enough to find an artist who has happy to whip up some artwork for what was a reasonable price and to get his name out there. The hardest part of the whole process is kick-starting the sales, being part of groups and exchanging reviews helped to spread the word about mine. At one point I was higher than one of my fave author R.A. Salvatore on the Paid Kindle books list (in the Top 100, maybe 55ish from memory, I have the screen capture somewhere!), however that didn't last LOL.

[@LukeEdwardstube]

This was really insightful! You've done an awesome job, mate. A proud Goblin, you should be.

[@Hammy900]

I'm trying to write a book. And one thought has crossed my mind a few times on how I'm going to get it published.

[@person1589]

I am going to do all of my English course assignments on a variety of ways people self-publish. Congrats on being one of my examples. 100% preordering the book. Excited to read it.

[@eddya7894]

You should have consulted with Michael J. Sullivan about self publishing (he has been labeled "the most successful self published author").... He has written extensively on many sites about every conceivable detail regarding the self publishing process, and comparissons with traditional publsihing (which he also did for a few books). And he is always willing to answer anyone's questions about this. Just a great dude.

[@emmanuelboakye1124]

Thx

[@KristinaZakhozhai]

Thank you for saying all of this about an artist and a hiring one for a cover. As a freelance illustrator for 10+ years, doing exactly this kind of job, I wish We had more clients with your mindset. Good luck with the your book!

[@sez5435]

Bookmarked this video for some unknown time in the future when I actually write the thing.

[@kalez238]

Everyone needs to know: 90% of self publishing is luck. You can try all the publicity/promotion methods you want, but if it never catches on, if no one ever gives it a chance or even opens the cover, you will go nowhere. It happens. Source: 10+ years of writing and 8 books that went nowhere.

[@havokix]

Hmmm it's Wheel of Time Wednesday and we get this. Mr. Greene is clearly writing a sequel to the time. You heard it here first.

[@andreiioangabor1027]

"Don't compare your self to Sanderson" is probably the best piece of advice one can give.

[@asusla]

I can tell since your book came out youre super pumped. Im happy for you, dude, congrats.

[@reidblanchard6453]

Good thing I love PAIN

[@maybebianca]

If feel so lucky to witness a self-publishing from a disheveled goblin

[@benellis3584]

I have to READ my book??!!??!? 🤮

[@safinan8008]

Thank you for this video!! 🎬📽

[@thelemmiebee]

I don’t want to self publish a book (maybe one day my confidence level will get there) but I just watch every video you make regardless. Very informative and interesting.

[@lizardbrain_art]

I just want to say thank you as someone who does illustration work for the bit about communicating with the artist properly. Don't be shy about telling us exactly what you want up front! We're illustrating your world, not ours. We'd much rather get it right the first time than put our own spin on the details and realize we had a different vision than the author did.

[@sorgialfalan6512]

OMG! You wrote just like the way I did! Except I bang my left side of the head to the keyboard instead.

[@LightningfistCal]

I’m a 3D artist for my day job so I’m extremely fortunate that I can actually make my own art for the book I’m writing.

[@TheArtfulBrittani]

Pips had some great advice in his segment. Also, love that you pointed out to pay your artists and specifically paying them half up front. So many artists get duped when they don't ask for money up front, but some artists are awkward people that don't like to push for money. Not to mention the huge amount of people asking for free art or art for "exposure". Can't wait to finally read your hard work!

[@IchNachtLiebe]

I'm nearing the 1/2 way point with my full length novel. I've been doing a process where I reread all of the previous chapters every chapter that I've completed. Sometimes I reread the chapters multiple times between writing chapters. I've read chapter 1 at least 20 times. Still finding little things to change and fix. I've only read chapter 8 twice but it'll be up to 20 by the time I'm done

[@saintjimmy456]

"Don't be a part of the problem" you say about the stigma of self-published works being poor quality. I've watched a few video reviews of your work that go through the typos, grammar, spacing and editing mistakes in your work. One of the reviewers was perplexed that Rebel's Creed was published in that state. I'd never read another self-published book.

[@dnatsrednUouYoD]

Don't just hire an artist. Hire a *cover designer* Working with someone who understands market trends, and has a proven track record making indie covers that sell, is more important than having pretty art that you like. The cover art is not for you. It is for the consumer.

[@dnatsrednUouYoD]

A cover designer will handle the market research, the art, the typography, and the formatting and layout for the ebook and paperback version. Just pay a professional once for ALL of this instead of paying an artist for pretty art that may not indicate your genre effectively, even if it's pretty - then having to pay another person to do the typography, and potentially another to format the designs for you.

[@terencejohnson4502]

I think there is a problem here. I believe Daniel has good intentions with his comments but... The mantra "don't self-publish without employing professional help." While here about quality would also result in excluding the impoverished from self-publishing. I say, "Publish and be dammed."

[@felipeseba5149]

Can definitely relate to many things in the video, Daniel. I’m also trying self-publishing here in Brazil, and… let’s just say that “pain” sums it up pretty well. Waiting for the release of the digital version of your novella so I can also have my copy! Really happy for you and for this project!

[@jmparker78]

I'm gonna add, when it comes to beta readers, etc., do NOT join online writers' groups and get them to read it, or sections of it. You WILL be bullied. It sucks, but it's true. And no, I don't mean they will give you constructive criticism that you don't like hearing but will later realize they're right. I mean they will essentially try to rip you a new one, mostly because A) They themselves are insecure and want to believe they're better than you, B) They often conflate "good writing" with "how I write" and will tear you to shreds because you have a different writing style than theirs, C) Will surprisingly often either make assumptions about your intent or ending and will often come down hard on you for things they assume you're gonna do, or oddly enough, for NOT going where they thought you were taking them, and D) They somehow feel like "criticism" means "fault-finding" and will nitpick like crazy when not only are their own works likely guilty of the same things but many published writers are as well. Some of them, I'm sure, are going off their own personal preferences as to what they like to read and therefore tell you "this is bad" when it's something you like seeing other authors do. I don't know how many times I've heard authors I loved criticized for being "poor" writers, so when a beta-reader says "don't do this" when it's something I see in a lot of published works, I realize what they mean is "I don't like this", not "this is bad and won't get you published". One example that sticks in my head is when I got a beta-reader to read my short story. Now, most publishers looking for short stories will specify length in word count, and will explicitly tell you that they will not consider longer word counts than they ask for. That's not to say that if they like your short version they won't ask you to flesh it out for final publication, but they expressly do not want you ignoring their 5000 words or less just because you don't think your story can be appreciated if you don't include all the details you want. So in this story I tried to be economical in my wording, and managed to come in juuuuust under the word count for the publishers I was seeking. The beta reader tore into me specifically for a scene in which a character enters a room where several people are waiting to kill him, and walks out a short while later, covered in their blood. She wanted to see the long, elaborate fight scene and accused me of "shying away" and not giving enough detail. In a novel, she would have been correct, and it's also possible that if the story had been accepted (I ended up never submitting it because she destroyed my confidence) that they would have asked me to include the fight scene. But to me, for a short story, where the plot and character were the main focus, having a long, elaborate fight scene eat up a good 1000 words of my 5000 did not seem like a good idea.

[@habiba894]

thanks for your help... I subscribed to your channel and liked the video while literally crying cuz I'm stuck on my way to self publish

[@joydewar2371]

How much money on average should you have saved to self publish a book? Would you say one should set aside like $500 or $700 for the process? I know a lot of it is relative, but I was just curious if anyone had a general estimate? 😁😊

[@lunacarmin]

THANK YOU for hiring professional editors. I have had so many bad experiences with self published books that are borderline unreadable. I already have my pre order! Best of luck Daniel 🤟📚🤗

[@Emma-sj6wp]

Daniel: Don't compare yourself to Sanderson Me looking nervously at my Mother's wall of classics staring at me with their imposing gold lettering: It's not Sanderson I have to worry about. Lol all in all though this was really helpful🙃 Thanks!

[@craigmaxwell778]

I am an aspiring novelist working on my first novel. I am going to do the self publishing route myself. Thank you for sharing this video I had no idea how big of a process this is, but it sounds like it is worth it. I

[@JimWilbourne]

I have to ignore the advice to re-read the book over and over to find tiny errors. It's just not practical and will have to be something that will have to wait until I have a bigger team. Yes, it means a few mistakes per book (which trad published books have anyway) but it also means I don't have to read a 250k word book 30 times. I literally would get nothing else done. That said, I have editors and proofreaders, and I skim (not read) the physical myself to make sure nothing obvious slips through. The beauty of self-publishing is that you have the ability to correct after it's released (unlike traditional publishers). It allows you to publish more like a video game studio than a traditional author. You do make sure it's as perfect as you can, but not at the expense of your productivity grinding to a halt because you still have an opportunity to correct it since you're using POD.

[@derrickpanciera5644]

I’d be interested how much it cost you to do everything in this video to get an idea of how “In the hole.” One would be after doing all this to kind of get an idea of how many copies you would even need to sell to begin turning a profit.

[@asifhussain6030]

I am a masochist, bring it on.

[@Runeclaw]

Regarding the "Judging a book by its cover", in a way I can see it as a sign if the publisher have faith in the book. If the publisher is willing to spend extra money on the cover design to make it stand out, give the book an identity or show the mood for the book's setting, they must think it is good and will sell well enough to get that invested money back. (Hell, I plan to read Promise of Blood mostly because its cover is so amazing and sets up a great mood before I know anything about the book itself, just the grim picture and the cool quote about the age of kings.) Your book cover does the setting part well, by looking at it I would guess it is some detective/police investigation and mystery. I can see that they have guns, so gives a hint of the level of technology and time period. While there is some castle in the background, I don't see any dragons or elves, so probably low fantasy? Well, let's grab the book and read on the back. And there you succeeded, by building up some interest by not using a too generic cover.

[@DasCracker]

How do you get books into Libraries? I've always been curious how things end up there versus a book store.

[@JimWilbourne]

I have to say, I find artists to be (generally) difficult to both find and work with. When I find someone I like they tend to either: A) Don't respond. B) Not be available. C) Respond but then stop responding. D) Do one commission but then (after I pay them on time and promptly and ask for few if any revisions) refuse to respond, forcing me to find someone else and starting the cycle all over again. This isn't a critique on all artists. It's just finding one who doesn't put you through all this AND still be reasonably affordable (Under $2000) is crazy frustrating. I find it to be the MOST frustrating part because it's generally something I can't control. The writing can be frustrating, but I can mostly control that.

[@brittanyg7700]

*claps* For the comment "pay your ******* artists. Thank you, someone said it. Keep saying that

[@JolienReads]

I have zero interest in ever writing, let alone publish, a book. But this video was really interesting to watch! It's always nice to see what people need to get through for us to read their work!

[@karenlp5867]

I really wish more self published authors would pay more (or even some) attention to proofreading. It makes it much harder for me to become completely absorbed in a story when there are extremely obvious grammatical errors on almost every other page. Do these authors not even bother to read through their manuscript even once before uploading them?

[@winstonsmith77]

What is your book's age rating?

[@GodOfMoxie555]

Lol, Now Imagine you live in South Africa and amazon thinks sending you a paycheck by a broken postal service is a great idea.

[@PointHazard]

Wow this really shows me how much I have to do once I finish writing

[@SafetyBriefer]

Full time Indy author here. All great advice. I’ll caution writers against giving a draft to too many friends to read. Unless they’re your target audience, they’re not going to know the tropes or what your target readers expect for the genre. I have at least three different copy editors go over every manuscript. Paying for developmental editing is paying for someone to change your story to what that editor wants. If that editor isn’t well versed in your target audience/genre, their advice isn’t going to be helpful. I don’t use Ingram/Smashwords for ebook distribution. Putting it up yourself on all the retailers is easy enough and you won’t lose royalties to that middleman. Are you writing a series? Don’t publish that first book until you have 3 done. Publish them one a month so excited readers have something to read next and soon. There is a lot of advertising and marketing advice out there. Anything from David Gaughrin is gold.

[@SmashTVCanada]

I do have a question...and i apologize if its been answered in another video i haven't seen yet. But im just about ready to publish my first dark fantasy novel. its been through a few drafts, and with editors atm. I did send the google doc to a few beta readers who loved it and cant wait for the sequel....but they are friends and likely biased. So my question...how do you get past imposter syndrome. the biggest hurdle im facing...is that existential dread that im not good enough. despite the great feedback ive gotten...i cant convince my brain thats its worth putting out into the world. And i know dark fantasy isn't everyones thing....i get many wont like it. But these are MY words...and i cant convince myself anyone will like it. So im kinda dragging my feet on the next steps. i SHOULD be getting art done right now....but im stuck over thinking everything. Literally THIS is the hardest part of the entire process.....How did you cope with it?

[@itsrose129]

So glad im getting back into writing! It's been a whole year since I last opened Scrivener or google docs and im excited to get back into it! Hopefully before im 30 I'll have a published book LOL

[@DaUndergroundProd]

It is but the benefits afterwards far outweigh the stresses. It gets easier the second, third time around because the groundwork has already been made 😁

[@majerep]

Good luck Daniel. Your channel got me into fantasy last year. I preordered your book to support you and looking forward to reading it.

[@lbentforleather9654]

Thanks so much for this video Daniel! (That waiting for the author copies sounds excruciating, though - I've never been good waiting for books to arrive 😂)

[@SCARRIOR]

Here is how, make a huge youtube channel, milk it by selling your product = profit. Simples...

[@renclave]

You ok?

[@fuyushitarisou1]

Daniel, it will be super okay and everyone will have fun reading your book. You made no promises, you went for a novella, because you wanted to leave that room for practice, you went the hard way although you are a prominent influencer and chose self publishing and going through the process all by yourself and it shows how serious you are about this and how much it means to you. Just because of this, all your viewers will love to read this book, since you put in so much care. It will be okay, go read a book and be happy you made your dream come true!

[@olive6366]

Ordered it when you did the first post! Cant wait to read it Ganiel :D

[@indrahunter965]

I came here to thank the Greene for laying out how to treat your artist fairly. It's so hard if a client wants something specific but won't tell us till after we get all the work done 😭

[@stevenmatthews2263]

Keep up the good work my friend. Excited to read your book!