Use these helpful links & resources
to assist with your Independent Author projects.
Learn the techniques and use the tools to help with writing, designing, and marketing your story. When in doubt, seek out other authors who will share their expertise.
I highly recommend the following supportive sites:
The Creative Penn Joanna Penn is a pioneer for self-publishing
Kindlepreneur with Dave Chesson – all about marketing your book and much more
Killing the sacred cows of publishing– know-how by Dean Wesley Smith
How To Publish An Ebook by CNET Executive Editor David Carnoy
Practical advice to help build better books:
- Use free design software from Gimp Use Gimp Video Tutorial to learn how to use the tool.
- If you have Adobe CS6 here is some help – Educator.com Photoshop CS6
- Many use services like Canva to design covers It’s a great resource to make marketing ads and posts as well.
Create cover designs, blog pages, videos for marketing, and trailers for book promotion, or format your eBook. Learn the skills, or at least be familiar with the process and tools that your hired professionals use.
Write, edit, and format
your eBook using one of these popular software packages:
- Scrivener Writing Software software available at Amazon and other locations – they offer free trials. Great tool – allows you to organize your work, and keep all research, character descriptions, locations, etc. always within reach.
- Jutoh software – Jutoh makes it easy to create ebooks in popular formats that you can sell on many ebook sites, including Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iBooks.
- Calibre is a free and open-source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books.
Check your eBooks
before you hit the publish button using these tools:
- blog.pressbooks.com/ Pressbooks for self-publishers has tools for designing and testing your eBooks – Kindle, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, and others. If you want to know what your epubs will look like follow the tips and (free!) tools listed in this blog.
- EPUB Validator This site uses EpubCheck to provide validation information for EPUB 2 and 3 documents. If you are creating commercial EPUBs in volume, you must install EpubCheck instead of using this site.
- KindleGen is a command-line tool used to build eBooks that can be sold through Amazon’s Kindle platform and Kindle Previewer is a tool that emulates how books display on Kindle devices and applications.
You don’t need to own a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle books. Download one of our free Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on all your devices.
Market your book:
Important tools for ISBN and Copyright
- BOWKERS Welcome To My Identifiers Where Discovery Begins! This is where you get your unique ISBN which identifies your book.
- US copyright office will answer your questions direct – http://www.copyright.gov/
The Ultimate Guide to Answer ThePublic (2021 PRO TIPS)
Information about a new tool to hone your market targets, how they think, and respond…find out what your customers want to know and build your connections. Not only for big business. https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/ultimate-guide-answer-public-go-pro/
Here is the link to this marketing tool that runs reports that actually help! https://answerthepublic.com/
Stay Informed
- idpf.org/about-us About Us The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) is the global trade and standards organization dedicated to the development and promotion of electronic publishing and content consumption.
- SEO your site with Wordtracker’s keywords tool & training videos freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
Recommended Resources:
Alli Self-publishing advice blog
Books Go Social https://booksgosocial.com/
Places to find readers:
GoodKindles Where Writers Meet Readers
Goodreads Author Program
BookLikes for people who love reading books
LibraryThing – a home for your books
Recommended books to read about writing & self-publishing:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne & Dave King
The Essential Guide to Writing A Novel by James Thayer
On Writing A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
What’s Your Book? A Step-By-Step Guide To Get You From Inspiration To Published Author by Brooke Warner
The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne
Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K. M. Weiland
More information & resource links
go to the Begin Here page EZ Publishing Info pages
Lots of good info here. Thanks for following my blog.