The 1000/100 Project: Episode 4: Getting started (or where to start?)

I believe it’s possible to self-publish well and to the same quality and standard as traditional publishing. 
The landscape is changing. And I’m ready to take a different path.

Getting started (or where to start?)

1. Think long and hard about what you want? This is not a path to take lightly. You must be certain this is what you want, be aware of what you’re giving up and what you’re gaining - be conscious of the advantages and disadvantages of this path. Perhaps the information in this series of podcasts will help you decide - that’s what I’m hoping for. 
2. So you’ve decided it’s for you, or at least you want to wander a little down the path and find out more? This is where the hard work begins. I would recommend at this stage that you read every free post, Podcast or YT video out there on self-publishing - I found hundreds. Some more useful than others. I also bought an E-book from Karen Inglis, How to Self-Publish and Market a Children’s Book. Read that front to back, and if the things she discusses still make it sounds appealing with the many, many facets involved, and you’ve read about at least 10-20 other posts outlining other SP authors experiences, then you’re ready for the first big step. Marking a plan.
3. Timelines. I’d say you need at least 6-12 months if you have a finished manuscript (before editing - if you’ve already gone through the many stages of edits, you can speed up this timeline by a couple of months probably).
4. Business plan and finances.
5. Editing.
6. Formats to publish in.
7. Cover illustration/design.
8. Cover reveal/pre-orders.
9. Marketing/publicity.
10. Doing it and doing it right. 
11. How to - there’s many courses/websites/blog posts/e-books which can show you how to almost every aspect, step by step. You may have to pay for many of the better resources here but I assure you it’s worth every penny to know which box to tick on Amazon or Ingram when they ask you what to do with bookshop returns or how to set up a pre-order campaign for paperback etc 
12. I’ll go into each of these elements in more detail in their own dedicated episodes later in the series but I hope that’s given you food for thought and an idea of what’s involved. Is it for you? Well, let’s see what the next few episodes bring.