EVERYONE can be an author of a book. Trust me, I mean that....EVERYONE.
But if you're not convinced, I'll talk to the ones that have been wanting to do this for a while. You can watch from the sidelines...but don't go anywhere quite yet.
There are several ways to get to the same result, but I can only speak from my experience as as self-published author. I used these 3 apps to create my social and emotional learning children's book Lilly in the Valley. Lilly in the Valley is a book sure to help kids with BIG emotions bounce back and tackle their day. Follow Lilly's adventure as she navigates through the valley and as she comes out on top! I may be biased, but I think it's a story that not only kids will enjoy, but adults too.
Anyhow, here are 3 apps that I used to create thus said book. I truly believe if you have all 3 you can not only create a book, but publish it, and sell it as well.
DRUMROLL PLEASE...
Here they are...& I'll tell you how I used them. You can use whatever you'd like, this is just what I helped me!
Let's get started with Fiverr
Where did you find your illustrator? ..that's one of the most common questions for me. The answer is Fiverr. Fiverr is a platform where creators of all kinds can sell their work or service to you from all over the world. I honestly say almost everything that you need is available through Fiverr. Fiverr is how I found my illustrators who live in Indonesia and also how I found editing services for my original book manuscript. Fiverr also has people who can create the layout/format of the book for print or even e-book. There are different price points based on the creator's prices they even have options where you can request special projects and get on a payment plan. Before diving in, I'd read reviews and ask for a sketch if you're thinking about finding your illustrators before you make any big commitments.
Pros of Fiverr:
Literally anything that you need is available.
Money is taken care of through the platform so it's hard for scammers to get away with it.
Cons of Fiverr
May not know the quality of the work even if they show their work in the profile. Some may be using other's pictures so it's best to test creators or purchase a smaller package prior to working with them.
You pay first, then receive the work. In a normal world, you may not be pleased with the work received but there's always a question of "do you accept the work, or do you want a revision".
Moving on to CANVA!
We all know that CANVA is indeed THAT GIRL. It's a user friendly design platform with templates and easy to move & use graphics. Perfect for social media....& perfect for FORMATTING YOUR BOOK. I used Canva as a way to create a layout for my illustrators to see how I wanted my book illustrations to be. I laid out examples of how I wanted Lilly's hair, dresses, family, YOU NAME it. It is oalso a good resource if you wanted to format your book. Formatting is the process of organizing the pages in the book and laying out the text for the book. You could upload illustrations and add words to each page without having to pay someone else. Now I will say, this is easier if you have knowledge and skill in Canva...otherwise I'd say find someone on FIVERR as mentioned above to do this. I have been using Canva since it made it's debut so I felt comfortable enough in my design skill to try it out. It's also great for creating marketing materials to help sell your book.
Now, on to AMAZON...
Did you know that Amazon has its own print on demand company? It's called Kindle Direct Publishing...formally known as Createspace. Print on demand means, when someone orders the book from Amazon they will then print it for you and process fulfillment themselves. Here you can upload your book in PDF format using their templates and dimension guides to publish your own book! Not only will they print your books, but they will publish it to their website so that you're ready for sales. You upload your book, make sure it's free of errors and fits their requirements, choose your category for your book, & upload it. The KDP staff will approve or deny (just means formatting may be off or margins), then after a few days you can request author copies to sell on your own website and you'll have your book ready to sell on the Amazon platform. You'll then receive royalties based on the number of sells you receive. I believe it's best to use Amazon as a space to sell, but also have your own copies with your own author website.
Although the road to self-publishing a book isn't EASY...it's doable. With these 3 apps, you are on your way to becoming an author!
By Jamita Brown, signing out!
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