TOP 3 MISTAKES I'VE MADE SELF-PUBLISHING!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

What mistakes have you made self-publishing? I’d like to know!

[@jessicabaldwin5]

A lot of mistakes. I should have not started out with a series unless all the books were done and ready to publish. That was my number one mistake I think.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Jessica Baldwin oh girl. It’s hard as a newbie.

[@jessicabaldwin5]

Exactly! And even being nearly 4 years into this world, I still consider myself a newbie. Lol.

[@EricDeVaughnn]

I did everything myself so I never spent any money. My mistake was not talking enough time to learn the details of modern cover design/editing/format. Also, mine was a poetry collection. My poetry wasn't where it should have been to justify publishing a book.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Eric DeVaughnn ah yes. I think cover design is something many new authors struggle with. 😊

[@kiterafrey]

One of my publishing professors told me something that stuck so well for me, “If you are afraid you’ll let your readers down. Write it but hold onto it. Keep the dates you agree too. Finish your series. You don’t have to put out a piece the moment you finish it, time it.” - I paraphrase

[@joannaholden943]

"Fifty videos on marketing" - I'm here for it! 😁

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Joanna Holden Hahahaha!! 😬😬

[@bytheBrooke]

Thank you for being the guinea pig to us newbie indies haha. The genre-jumping is something is definitely something I'm making note of!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

bytheBrooke LOL!! Learn from my mistakes. Bwhahaha. It took yearsssss for me to understand all of that. It’s not a bad idea to write in different genres, but use different names. There are several people I know who write romance, as for example only, Lyra Parish then write super hard core suspense under L. Parish. It’s still a reiteration, but then they can be branded differently and still linked on amazon. Otherwise readers are confused what you have to offer and when they think about a certain genre, your name doesn’t specifically come to mind. If that makes sense. Stick to a genre and get really great at that THEN branch out. ❤️ I think it’s what made KF so successful.

[@harveythepooka]

I think you can write fantasy romance, sci fi romance, urban fantasy romance and paranormal all with 1 pen name. But you have to have the romance to hold it together. I think writing contemporary and historical would be harder to make work because a lot of people only like one, but imo romances with fantasy elements, like aliens and vampires can go together. I could be wrong though. ;)

[@TheCourtneyProject]

harveythepooka I think those could all fall under the same umbrella because they have that “not real life” element to them. But trying to write romcom and alien romance? I wouldn’t do it.

[@corruptauthor]

The first example helped me so much. Brand each series different enough to set them apart.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Glad it was helpful! ❤️❤️

[@kiterafrey]

When you said try to set dates all I could think was, “Yes. Stick to your dates, we’re not game developers.” LOL My hubby is a game dev student and games are ALWAYS late

[@kiterafrey]

I think paranormal romance could possibly do Sci-Fi and Fantasy Romance, since readers who like paranormal often also liked either Sci Fi or Fantasy. But Contemporary would be a 180 turn.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I agree, if you have those fantasy elements, it would mesh fine. But establishing yourself in one genre and then breaking out is so beneficial!

[@ParanormalRomanceBooks]

Thank you Courtney! The cover/branding tip in particular was really helpful

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome! Glad I could help! ❤️

[@catherinecowles1462]

Yay!!! Thank you for making my video! Love it! 💖💖💖

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Catherine Cowles aww yay!!! Thanks for reminding me! LOL!

[@dawn-coramead9536]

Fantastic as always! I’ll be that one crazy girl slipping in a psychological horror to her list of romances 🤣 It was one of those stories I had to write (long story) and get out of my system. But... I plan to release it just before Halloween 2020 and have already prepared my audience. If only a handful of people read it 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was a project written for fun.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Dawn-Cora Mead I’d almost consider doing a reiteration of your name. So use initials instead of the full thing. It really confuses people. But ultimately your decision. Check our Willow Winters, she’s a boss at writing in two different genres but having them all show up under her names.

[@dawn-coramead9536]

The Courtney Project I have definitely considered that. I have a year plus to figure out how to tweak my pseudonym (this is my actual name), but I have an idea of how. I appreciate your input, as always ☺️

[@Katlyn_Duncan]

So many things change from year to year! Thanks so much for posting this, I'm sure a lot of aspiring self-published authors will learn from it. :0)

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Katlyn Duncan Author Oh man, they do. But thankfully the basics will always stay the same. ❤️❤️ Thank you!!!

[@shesonfire_]

Just found your channel and I watched your tips on writing romance. Amazing! Loved it! Any recommendations for books to read on how to write romance novels? Would love your opinion ❤

[@SAVYWRITESBOOKS]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!! :) I definitely am planning a few cover re-designs... when I first entered this industry, I underestimated the power of a cover to convey tone and genre!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I think cover redesign is one of my favorite things to do!! You’re going to have so much fun!

[@mickeymiles9394]

Thanks for sharing! Can you do a video on how to research branding? Do you have one? I have made a similar mistake with promising a book and not delivering- yep I realized that my books weren’t written well so I am now working with a mentor to learn more abt the craft of writing. Its so helpful and I feel my book is so much better!! Great video!!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Mickey Miles ahh that’s a good one! I’ll add it to my list for sure! I probably should do a branding series because it’s soooo much. ❤️ Ahh yes, promising and not delivering, I think it’s one of those things a lot of us get hung up in. It gets better and congrats on bettering yourself and your skills! Future you will thank you for it!

[@stephenosheaauthor7211]

awesome video many thanks i do hope i will be be a number 1 author in time .

[@TheCourtneyProject]

stephen o'shea [ author ] you can do anything you put your mind to!

[@laurelelizabethhasara6209]

You have the best personality! Thank you for the advice :)

[@kylasgarden2493]

That is such good advice. Thank you for sharing for those of us just starting out.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!! Don’t be like me! 😂😂😂

[@unbiasedconversations7076]

Hi courtney, I am vaibhav from Mumbai. I finished writing a novel recently. Is it worth to go for KDP select to gather audience initially?

[@thedashes6854]

Thanks Courtney. I have made these mistakes too.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Glad to know it wasn't just me! :)

[@djwarrior1421]

Informative and engaging in one video. Looking forward to more.

[@j1jh002]

Thank you so much for this wisdom. So helpful

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!

[@ceo911]

Great advice and you're very entertaining... thanks !

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank you!!

[@CharlesWarrenOnline]

Love your videos. You really care about your career as an author.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank you so much!

[@megankirrmann6624]

Self publishing is not for the timid .....not for the weak either!!!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

This is so true!!

[@dorapandoraxx8138]

Dear Courtney, where did you publish your first book as a newbie?

[@consistentlychristy2991]

Point 2 is so interesting. There’s an indie who’s recently full time who missed the release of her third book in a series. That’s a good point though

[@TheCourtneyProject]

It’s easy to just be like 🤷‍♀️ but if you’re taking this seriously, moving release dates is the last thing you want to do. Considering as indies we set our own dates, it’s important to be realistic.

[@Kelly-Martin]

Ah yes, self-publishing makes. I've made many.... many.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Kelly Martin Books haha you and me both! 😱😂

[@williamhawk393]

Are Indie Publishing houses self publishing houses? Can Indie Publishers send their novels for Booker Prize, Hugo Award or Orange Prize? Are small publishing houses called Indie or traditional? Please help me...

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Q1: Are indie publishing houses self publishing houses? I don’t think so. Typically indie publishing is a small press. They have some connections and pay for the costs, but they’re not like the big 4 traditional publishing. I’ve found most typically stick with ebook and audio, and don’t really offer much paperback distribution. Self published authors front the cost for everything. They can create an LLC or a “publishing house” but it’s typically just themselves and they use it for tax and business protection. Q2: Can indie publishers send their novels for.... For Hugo I believe you just have to attend that convention they have annually and vote for your book. I believe it’s all done by members but I’m not THAT familiar with it. Booker prize is for books published in the UK so I’m not that familiar with it. To me it seems like something that’s more for tradition published authors. Orange prize is the same thing, another UK award. Q3: Are small publishing houses called indie or traditional? They’re typically called traditional because you’re signing a contract and getting paid a percentage of your royalties by then. Indie presses are small publishing houses, because they don’t have the reach or the larger publishers, the top 4. Indie authors or self-published authors pay for everything themselves to publish. No contracts because you’re doing it yourself. Hopefully that helps!!

[@shadabkhan-ng5xe]

Hi, I had a question. When we pick a pen name to publish our book. Is there any legal process for that? Or we can just pick a pen name and go with it.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

It becomes an issue if the name is trademarked. You can search that, but for the most part, people search sites like Amazon/Apple Book/Goodreads for author names and try to choose something that someone else isn’t already using that’s easy to spell.

[@shadabkhan-ng5xe]

@@TheCourtneyProject Thank you.

[@10feralratsinacoat76]

How do you do teasers now? Is there people you’re supposed to hire? Are book teasers beneficial if it isn’t part of a series?

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I have a video showing how I do teasers now in photoshop. :) I still do them for all of our books. You can hire someone absolutely, but usually I need them like right then. LOL.

[@10feralratsinacoat76]

The Courtney Project how far back is the video? I’m going through and binging all your videos now so it seems like a good one to start with :)

[@TheCourtneyProject]

January 29th. :) And yay!! Happy watching...lol!

[@MrsPaulaTorres]

that potter collection on the shelf :))

[@TheCourtneyProject]

🥰🥰

[@shadylady0225]

wow great help, I have several genres I want to write so knowing I can't use the same pen name for all is helpful, now I have to figure out which names to use for each kind of books. I have yet to indie publish, I'm just writing the books I want to write, will decide once they are written in which order to publish them. fairly new subscriber

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Nancie Walker-Pirner thanks for being here! Writing for fun IS fun! :) You’ll totally figure it out! ❤️

[@kimberlymullins5971]

would love more marketing

[@Nate1975]

Nice covers

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank you!!

[@bomji2448]

Not a big *dill* . I love accents! 😂😂

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Jaclyn Marling hahahaha!! #southern

[@megankirrmann6624]

Editing.....ALOT!!!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Yes, yes it is!