Leti Del Mar is on a roll. She has already self-published three books, Land of the Unaltered, The Inadvertent Thief, and How to Self Publish: A DIY Approach. Her fourth book, Secrets of the Unaltered, released this month. And trust me, this girl knows how to be an indie author and do it right. Today she was kind enough to share four insights into the world of publishing - four things that she learned from firsthand experience. Check out her words of wisdom - and be sure to take a peek at her latest novel! 4 Things I Wish I Had Done Differently, by Leti Del Mar
With the release of my fourth book, Secrets of the Unaltered, I can’t help but think over my own Indie Journey. A few mistakes stick out in my mind. Nothing too major, just things I wish I thought about sooner.
1. I wish I Self-Published sooner. I wasted lots of time querying agents, waiting for responses and then waiting for responses about their responses that lead nowhere. In the time it took me to decide to self-publish, I could have written and published two more books. I wish I had taken the leap sooner.2. I wish I had established an Author's Platform prior to publishing my first book. I had never even heard of an Author’s Platform until after publishing my first book. Eventually, I figured out how to properly use social media. Now, each book I release has a stronger launch and better initial sales than the previous one. My last book even made it to #1 on Amazon’s Best Seller List in its category. 3. I wish I knew the short cuts to a cheap book cover. There are lots of inexpensive ways to put together a fantastic book cover. There are pre-made covers that can cost less than $50. I love to use Royalty Free images and with just a few tweaks with Photobucket or Photoshop, I have made some fantastic looking book covers for less than $15.4. I wish I had discovered Beta Readers sooner. I didn’t know what a Beta Reader was when I wrote my first book. I had an editor go through it, but now I wish my beloved group of betas had given me their opinions on it too. I’ve had great success finding beta readers on World Literary Cafe message boards. I doesn’t cost a cent but has made my work really shine.If I could turn back time I would have done things just a little differently. Although, I’m sure that after four more novels, I’ll have even more to say about it!Grab Secrets of the Unaltered for 0.99 cents on Kindle and Smashwords!
About Leti I live in sunny Southern California with my husband, daughter and abnormally large cat. When I'm not writing, reading or blogging, I am teaching Biology and Algebra to teenagers. I'm also a classic film buff, passionate about Art History and love to travel.Author Links:
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