1. Writing a book is arguably the most selfish thing I have ever done. I am truly fortunate to have people in my life who have allowed me to chase down this dream. Namely my husband. Because without him the first words would never have been typed. Our kids would be starving. And I would be living in a pile dirty clothes on the cusp of being turned over to the hygiene authorities. That man deserves a medal of honor and I have no idea how I got so stupidly lucky that he picked me out of all the women in the world. One million thank you’s cannot even begin to express my love and appreciation of him.
2. When you see a pre-made cover you like. Don’t hesitate. Just buy the damn thing.
3. When you see the next best pre-made cover you like even more than the first. Don’t hesitate again. Just buy the damn thing.
4. When all else fails with covers, be open minded to handing over creative license and see what the designer can create for you. I have complete faith that this approach will pay off. :fingers crossed:
5. Editors are worth their weight in gold. If you think you don’t need one you’re only fooling yourself. And when you find one you mesh with, hold onto him/her for dear life. How I hit it outta the park on my first try I’ll never know, but she’s amazeballs.
6. Blurbs are stupid hard to write. But oh, so rewarding to finally have hammered out. And sitting on it like a little secret is driving me crazy!
7. Just when you think you know what your title is…you don’t.
8. Figure out marketing sooner rather than later. And don’t hesitate to call in the big guns to figure it out for you.
9. Taking my time to navigate the indie waters has proved to be the smartest decision I’ve ever made. I know the final piece is going to look beautiful, legit and professional. It’s crazy how some folks think they can crank out a novel, self-publish the same week, and expect it to be a best seller.
10. It takes a whole damn village. At least it does for me. My acknowledgments section is going to be so damn long.
Author BL. Berry 