You’ve decided that 2018 is the year that you’re finally going to self-publish your first book. But without a publishing house behind you, can you really succeed? The short answer is: yes, but you’ll need some help of seasoned experts who know what they are doing. Cue two CreativeLive teachers, Tim Grahl, of “Sell Your First 1000 Books” and Tara Gentile, of “How to Write and Publish an eBook.” With their advice, you can sell your print book or eBook, build a following, and self-publish more titles for years to come. Here’s how to get started:

Decide upon your objective and outline

Before you begin writing your eBook, Gentile says you need to figure out how your eBook will sync up with your business objectives. What is the purpose of it? Once you decide that, it will help keep you motivated throughout the writing, editing and marketing process. The next step is to come up with an outline that lays out your eBook. Is it going to be a story, or does it follow a step-by-step journey that helps your audience complete a certain process? Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and you’ll determine how you need to structure it.

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Harness the power of stories and capture people’s attention with some help from award-winning writer and consultant Jamie Jensen. Learn more.

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Create your connection system

Grahl relies on his “connection system” to sell more books. This system includes permission, outreach and content. You need permission to contact your audience, i.e. through an opt-in email list. You must do outreach by introducing yourself and your work to your audience, and you need to create free content and promote it widely to many, many people. When it comes to outreach and content creation, don’t think about pitching your book. Instead, think about how your book can help people get something they want out of life. Only then will your work truly be valuable to them.

Reach out to bigger authors and platforms

When you’re just getting started, Grahl recommends connecting with influential authors and entrepreneurs. If they are not available, you’ll only receive an email back saying “no.” Essentially, you have nothing to lose. You should also guest post for big blogs, do podcast interviews and share your valuable content with these listeners and produce webinars for other people. Do you want to learn more about writing and self-publishing your first book? Sign up for one of the writing classes on CreativeLive.

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Harness the power of stories and capture people’s attention with some help from award-winning writer and consultant Jamie Jensen. Learn more.

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