Whatever brought you here, whatever thrills you, excites you, interests you or makes you tick, you're probably considering your new life as an award-winning author on your chosen topic. Sipping cocktails on the pier of your private island while goldfish nibble at your toes and you joke about the mundane life you left behind.

You may already been there, done that and got the overdraft to prove it. Self publishing can often be an expensive and arduous exercise that reveals a plethora of additional hurdles for anyone unprepared for it's course. It's important to know what you're taking on before you start shopping for yachts and planning your elaborate resignation.

We've talked to many self published authors about their experiences, successes and failures over the past few years, documenting some of their stories on our blog [see here] recently. It seems the "7 Ps" of writing a book often get missed when writers turn authors on a whim. As a self publishing company who aim to guide and direct you towards a successful publication we wanted to share our knowledge and experience with you and of course if you work with us, we're there every step of the way.

Do's

1. Get a good editor

There's nothing more embarrassing than a big run of books full of mistakes.

2. Get your cover professionally designed

You'd be amazed at how much psychology goes into a good front cover.

3. Ensure your book is as good as possible

Is your style consistent? Has it been edited and proofread? Does every chapter have a purpose?

4. Time manage your project

Create a spreadsheet of tasks and write every task in with an estimate and a timeline.

5. Build your readership with social media

Create a fan page, join groups and forums and connect with fans of your genre.

6. Market yourself

Probably one of the biggest tasks of your publishing journey. Make phone calls, sell yourself, get interviews, set up a stall.

7. Be creative with your campaign

Phone in radio shows on any subject and sign off with quick plug for your book, print stickers or sponsor a traffic island!

8. Write more.

Start your next book, keep your creativity and enthusiasm alive!

9. Blog and comment on other blogs

Reach out, find people who are interested in your genre. 

Don'ts

1. Format your book yourself.

No matter how hard you try, it's a tough task to carry out yourself. Getting it wrong can look amateurish.

2. Create your own cover art (unless you're an artist or graphic designer)

Stolen images from google and wordart fonts will not help you!

3. Use social media to send out bulk, impersonal messages

It's like walking into a pub, going upto every person and immediately talking about your book.

4. Forget to thank people

You never know who will help you again and how influential they can be.

5. Pay for advertising unless you've completely run out of free options

Read up on digital marketing. Learn about landing pages, content marketing and seo basics. It WILL help.

6. Be afraid to ask

Whether it's shop owners, wholesalers, journalists, magazines or free listings - there's no harm in asking.

7. Forget that marketing is 50% of your whole book project

Plan for it, cost it, prepare for it, create social posts in advance and schedule your campaign.

8. Expect your webpage or book to market itself.

We do provide an amazing marketing service for self published authors, but there is still a lot you can do yourself. People love to know about the author.

9. Write too many books in succession.

Keep your toe in the water, but don't distract too much from your current book. A successful follow up is easier when you've got a proven formula.