Write dah book, MS!

Marianne Williamson once said, assumingly while levitating, “your playing small does not serve the world.” As Virgin Islanders, we all hail from literal dots on the map. But while our homes may be tiny, our ideas and our stories aren’t. It’s time we started getting our stories out there. There are so many ways to be heard in today’s digital landscape, but writing a book is perhaps one of the oldest. In the past, publishing a book was a multi-step process that required access to a publishing house if you wanted your book to go anywhere. Today, self-publication has become a far more viable method for anyone interested in becoming an author. Here are the general steps to self-publishing that book you’ve always wanted to write.
1. Write the bookIn my opinion, actually writing the book is the most crucial part of all of this. It is the longest and most challenging step. Of course, this will only be the first draft, and there may very well be some major and minor changes to it, but having the entire idea out of your brain and on paper/screen brings you incredibly close to publication.

2. Get some beta readersWe all need somebody to lean on. This is true for writers too. When sharing your art, you usually want to make sure it’s the best it could be. For this reason, having a few beta readers is a good idea. A beta reader is a person who reads your book before it is published to make sure that your book is, for lack of a better word, good. Beta readers are people you trust to provide valuable feedback on your book, and they let you know what you did right and what you did wrong.

3. Get an editorBeloved, listen to me closely. If you are going to self-publish a book, please get an editor. If you are going to self-publish a book, PLEASE get an editor. I said it twice. The truth is that there is some stigma attached to self-published books. Often, they are seen as “lesser than” compared to books published by a publishing house. While this is not true, a part of this stigmatization is how low the quality of writing may be. Editors polish your manuscript for publication. They catch the errors that you nor the beta readers see. The easiest way to devalue your work is to have it be riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Pay the money for it. I can guarantee the right editor will make it worth it.

4. Figure out where you want to publishWith the influx of authors interested in self-publishing, quite a few platforms, like Amazon KDP and Lulu, have popped up where you can publish your work. For my own books, I used Amazon for the hardcopy and Kindle Copy and used Smashwords to get my book on every other ebook platform. Based on the specifications of the platform you choose, you will know how to design your book for publication.

5. Choose a titleI won’t say much here. Just be a little unique. You don’t want 5,679,403 hits when people search your book online.

6. Design the book coverYes, people do judge a book by its cover. It is the first thing they see. Make it stand out. I designed both my own book covers myself, but don’t be afraid to reach out to someone to do it for you. Like the editor, a graphic designer is absolutely worth the expense if they’re what you need for an eye-catching first impression.

7. Publish and publicizeOnce you have your correctly formatted final draft, cover, title, etc., go ahead and hit that “publish” button. Your book is now live to the world. But remember: no one will read it if they don’t know that it exists. Push your shit. Everywhere. Facebook, IG, Twitter, and hell, even WhatsApp; if your cousin twice removed could forward people business, they could forward your book. Do blog tours, readings, book festivals, really anything to get your name and book out there! You worked hard on it, so don’t let it go unread!

This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but it is a good starting point for self-publishing. We all have stories to tell and voices to be heard, and with today’s advances in technology, it is simple to do so! So start writing, and never forget that your playing small does not serve the world.