Book Writing & Publishing

Many indie authors find the idea of creating a publishing house overwhelming. But with the right steps, it becomes both manageable and highly beneficial. Here’s why setting up a publishing house is essential and how to do it.

First, it’s crucial to understand that forming a publishing house is not about creating a giant company like Amazon. Instead, it's about legally separating your personal and professional assets. This separation is vital as an author, because it protects your personal finances from any potential legal issues that may arise. 

While many creatives shy away from the business aspects of publishing, treating your book as a business can help you reach a broader audience. This means embracing some business tasks (even those you might not enjoy, like accounting. Just me?). 

Setting up a publishing house may seem daunting, but it’s simpler than it appears. The key is to create a legal entity, like an LLC, to protect your assets, which isn't nearly as complicated or ex...

Indie authors often wonder whether they can change the title of their book post-publication. Yes, you absolutely can! 

You will need a new ISBN, but that's not a terribly big deal. And, because you have a new title and ISBN, you will likely lose all of your online reviews and have to start again.

However, if the possible benefits of the re-title outweigh the downsides, it can be a solid choice. 

I chose to retitle my first book (which is about navigating the first year with twins) when I wrote the third edition. For the first and second editions, the title was Ready or Not...Here We Come! But after over a decade (and having written 3 other books), I had more confidence in my own voice, and with updated content and a more authentic voice inside in the book, it made perfect sense to change the overall "vibe" of the book with a new title: Holy Shit...I'm Having Twins! 

The book was (and still is) my top-selling book, so I didn't make the shift with a hope of boosting lackluster sales....

🎙️ Feeling Overwhelmed Writing Your Nonfiction or Memoir? This Episode is For You!

Do you feel like you have multiple books' worth of material? Are you wrestling with imposter syndrome or struggling to organize a mountain of thoughts? 

My work with authors typically focuses on two key genres: transformative nonfiction and inspirational memoir (yes, I made up these terms).

Transformative Nonfiction aims to guide the reader through a specific journey. It's infused with personal stories that help the reader relate and feel connected to the author. 

Inspirational Memoir, on the other hand, shares the author’s personal experiences to inspire and resonate with readers, but in a way where the author is unattached to how (or when) the reader is inspired (or whether they're inspired at all!).

Feeling stuck? 

Start by identifying your core message and the first step in your journey.

Remember, it’s about sharing the steps of your story, not prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution. By focusing on...

Click here to check out the Publish A Profitable Book / Publish the Damn Book Already course (currently 25% off with code AUTHOR25).

Click here to access Kindlepreneur's free barcode generator tool.

Understanding the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is crucial for indie authors. But new authors often wonder what the heck it is and feel a bit "silly" asking! 

In short, the ISBN is a unique identifier for books, similar to the UPC for products. It allows books to be easily tracked and purchased globally and enables indie authors' work to be more easily discovered by a larger audience, including libraries, bookstores, and online retailers.

But still, new authors are left with questions such as:

1. Why do I have to have an ISBN?
2. Where do I get them (and how much will they cost?)
3. Should use a free one from Amazon/KDP?
4. Do I only need one for each book?
5. Does an ISBN provide copyright protection? 

This episode clears it right up! 

Mary Jones' book, The Goodbye Process (July 30, 2024, Zibby Books), is, in four words, hard to put down. Her raw, vivid descriptions of characters and experiences alike quickly pierced my soul and extended my bedtime!  

In this episode, Mary and I discussed her love of the short story form, some (perhaps surprising truths about writing and organizing short stories/essays, thoughts on beta readers, the querying and submission process, and our mutual love of "Days of Our Lives."

CONNECT WITH MARY

Book: The Goodbye Process

Instagram: @maryjoneswriter

X: @maryfjjones 

Threads: @maryjoneswriter

Website: www.maryjoneswriter.com

WHAT MARY'S READING

All Fours by Miranda July

MENTIONS

I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott 

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith 

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Gail Priest is the author of five books (including a trilogy). Her latest, Soul Dancing, was released on April 2024 through Red Adept Publishing. 

In this episode of Write the Damn Book Already, Gail shares her writing process using mind mapping and discusses her approach to marketing and pitching her work.

CONNECT WITH GAIL

Instagram: @gailpriest_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGailPriest

Website: gailpriest.com/

GAIL'S BOOKS

Soul Dancing

Eastern Shore Shorts 

Annie Crow Knoll: The Complete Collection:

WHAT GAIL'S READING NOW

A Very Crowded House by Kelly Elizabeth Huston 

Of Lies and Honey by Donna Norman-Carbone 

When the World Goes Quiet by Gian Sardar

NEED A LIBRARY OF AMAZING BOOK MOCKUP SHOTS?

I've used MockUp shots for years to create attention-grabbing images great for social media.

It usually costs $207, but they're offering a 60% discount on lifetime access with lifetime updates. It's a great way to get an unheard-of price on a product th...

Drew Linsalata has been my go-to for years when it comes to audiobooks and podcasts as well as any "How do I get the most bang for my buck?" questions when it comes to tech hardware. 

In this episode of Write the Damn Book Already, he helps dissect the why, when, and how of audiobook creation. 

Topics include:

• Gear setup (for under $70)
• The popular mic everyone thinks they should use (but shouldn’t)
• What device to read your book from for best flow and quality
• Recommended audio editing software (that’s free!)
• The truth about the cost of producing an audiobook as well as expected earnings (advertised numbers are a bit misleading)
• How to determine if it’s “worth it” to create an audiobook  
• The biggest misconceptions authors have about audiobooks

CONNECT WITH DREW

The Anxious Truth:  A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Panic, Anxiety, and Agoraphobia

Seven Percent Slower: A Simple Trick for Moving Past Anxiety and Stress: The Anxious Truth: Anxiety Educa...

In the latest episode of Write the Damn Book Already, Joselyn Takacs and I discussed her first novel, Pearce Oysters (Zibby Books, 6/25/2024).

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Her writing process (and the system she and her adviser had for keeping her consistent)
• Free writing versus stream-of-consciousness writing 
• The fun way she’s including the book’s theme in her upcoming book events
• Joselyn's top tricks for getting through writer’s block
• How writing ahead can help authors figure out the book’s trajectory

ABOUT JOSELYN

Joselyn Takacs holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Fiction from Johns Hopkins University. Her fiction has appeared in Gulf Coast, Narrative, Tin House, Harvard Review, The Rumpus, DIAGRAM, Columbia: A Journal of Art and Literature, and elsewhere.

She has published interviews and book reviews in the Los Angeles Review of Books and Entropy. Joselyn has taught writing at the University of Southern Californ...

Ava Dellaira’s adult debut novel, Exposure, comes out with Zibby Books on September 10th, 2024. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novels In Search of Us and Love Letters to the Dead, which was named Best Book of the Year by Apple, Google, BuzzFeed, the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library.

She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow, and the University of Chicago. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and now lives in Altadena, CA with her husband and their two young children.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

• The challenges of writing in identities that aren’t your own (and the risks involved in writing outside your own point of view)
• Where Ava’s story ideas originate, and what she aimed to tackle through writing Exposure
• Ava’s editing process preferences, including how she views the editing process and ensures she receives feedback most positively
• Different approaches for when to start one's next b
...

One of Jessica's most remarkable accomplishments is as a mom of three amazing kids. When her beautiful daughter Dalia passed away in March 2022 from an ultra-rare mitochondrial disease called MERRF syndrome, she was compelled to transition from how-to format and personal essay to long-form memoir.

Her newest book, Breath Taking, will be released in 2024 (which cannot come soon enough). 

In this episode, we talked about her journey through the writing and acquisition of this newest book. 

 Highlights include: 

• Discovering in what unexpected ways her story was extraordinary WHILE writing. (This marks the difference between “Here’s what happened” and “Here's why it mattered.”)
• How the book kept blossoming into a bigger and bigger story (and how she got her arms around all while not getting overwhelmed by the massive amount of content)
• Going from "This is a tough read" to writing so people will be uplifted and inspired, because that’s what the overall theme/message is
• How she i...