This week I am rereleasing an updated version of Shadows within the Fog. This new version will incorporate improvements in the layout and appearance. After a year of learning, I realize there are a lot of considerations involved with publishing and self-publishing- Since first publishing Shadows within the Fog in August of 2022, I’ve learnt a lot about writing and publishing. This blog will post will look at some of the lessons I’ve learned in the past 14 months.

Editing is incredibly challenging especially as an author. A book can undergo an infinite number of variations and edits and still have typos, misspellings, and other ungrammaticalities. In the best-case scenario, the work can receive a look over from a professional editor or agent. While this will help, a work can still have errors. Using KDP, is helpful because of print on demand and it’s easy to fix the mistake and republish it.

One tool that has developed over the last year is generative AI. As an editor, it is quite useful. I’ve used it to edit both Shadows and my second novel. It is a good tool. It’s not perfect, but it is good for finding mistakes and suggesting improvements. But bear in mind, the machine still does not think.

One of my biggest mistakes involved font size. I used 12 pt font in my first edit. With the book size, it was too small and barely readable. Now I use 14 pt font. This helps with the legibility of the work.

The next lesson involves font type. From what I’ve gathered, non-serif fonts are best practice. My new go to font is Garamond. It improves the reading experience. I learned this from a marketer I know.

In an ideal world, a book goes up on Amazon and sells a million copies. It’s a beautiful idea, but preposterous. For a work to succeed, it needs to sell. People need to buy it. The book needs reviews and media coverage. I’ve not mastered this yet. I’m still learning. Perhaps, the most important tool is word of mouth marketing. Getting people to discuss and praise the work is the best way to sell the book. It is also important to find a niche and garner more reviews. The more activity a work receives, the greater its profile on Amazon. As I understand Amazon’s algorithm, interaction increases visibility.

I’ve experimented with Amazon click marketing and have broken even — meaning I’ve not lost money. I will continue to try improving marketing using keyword searches and hopefully gain further sales.

I’ve also checked into message boards. Message boards sound good. It’s getting a name out, but the only people who read them are other writers if even then. In my opinion, they are a waste of time.

The main goal is to grab the awareness of potential readers. Other writers matter less. What’s important is to find those people who read for all the reasons we write.

There are a lot of services available. If a write is willing to pay, someone is willing to offer a proofreading and editing service. Perhaps they might offer marketing and claim to have 50K followers. Personally, I’m skeptical of these offers. There are some very legit operations but there are also some questionable ones too.

Ebooks have the greatest profit margin. There are no printing costs involved meaning higher royalties with reference to the price. Still, I like the feel of a proper book in my hand. I like looking onto my bookshelf and seeing my books with my name on them. It’s something special.

For more information or to purchase Shadows within the Fog, go to Amazon.com or Amazon.de.