Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields

by Lewis Kempfer, Curtis Carrington

Ten-hut! Listen up new recruits! It’s time to suit up, ship out, and start your self-publishing mission.

Maneuvering the minefield of self-publishing can be overwhelming. Getting the information you need is far from simple. Is hiring a cover designer worth it? Which trim size to choose?
Award-winning author Lewis Kempfer’s journey through self-publishing was just that—a battlefield. The process was confusing and tedious, and the books that claimed to “teach” the self-publishing process were vague and as dry as yesterday’s chicken in the mess hall. Once he won the self-publishing war, he knew he could develop a better way to show authors the process. Hence, the book began to write itself.
Written in the motivational style only a fictitious drill instructor can deliver, Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields is an overview for new authors who want to get their books into readers’ hands. It won’t be easy, but you can do it with this old staff sergeant’s instructions — and they won’t bore the camo pants off you. Offering an aerial view of the self-publishing process, the sergeant covers the following

Industry guidelines
Grammar brush-up
Self-publishing companies
Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Copyrights and proper use of others’ material Hiring an editor
Hiring an interior book designer
Websites
Distribution
Marketing ideas

Work smart, not hard, with Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields , a quick read that takes your book from manuscript to shelves.

At ease, soldier!

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Have you ever tried publishing a book and faced failure from different angles? Are you a self-published author feeling frustrated because your book isn't getting the recognition it deserves? Or perhaps you aspire to be a self-publisher (Indie) but don't know where to start. Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields is your best bet. Beyond the popular Amazon KDP, with 15 chapters and well-thought-out titles, Lewis Kempfer provides everything every self-publisher needs, from reasons to choose self-publishing, to achieving victories at different stages of writing and publishing, to getting the publicity or attention your book requires.

Initially, when I saw the title and the cover page with a military uniform and boots, I wondered what the author intended. It gave the impression of a war-themed or military book. Little did I know that the author wanted to use military terms to convey messages to the readers, and he achieved this effectively. Most non-fiction books can become boring at points, but the opposite is true with this book. Using military terms, imagining a command call from a Colonel or Captain (the author) boosts morale and makes the messages stick.

I appreciate how the author used personal experiences as a guide for readers. Experience is said to be the best teacher, and the author has enough to share with others. The writing and publishing industries are filled with challenges, making it arduous to stay in the limelight amidst the countless books published daily and the numerous sites and agencies involved in the sector. It's one thing to write a book, another to find the right people to bring out the beauty in your writing, and yet another to discover the right site or market for your book.

After reading this book, I feel equipped with the knowledge I need should I want to venture into self-publishing. Thus, I recommend this book to aspiring self-publishers, self-publishers experiencing difficulty with the process, and those who want to understand how this process works. I give this book a perfect score for its excellent writing. It is well-deserving of 5 out of 5 stars , as it was professionally edited, leaves no stone unturned, and delivers its messages with a sense of humor.
— Official Review from Online Book Club

Genres: Nonfiction

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2023

About the author

Lewis Kempfer is an award-winning author and performing arts jack of all trades from Denver. He co-founded the Boiler Room Theatre in 2000 in the Nashville area where his vast body of design and production work in 2006 landed him a dream job with the Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles. His 2019 literary debut of “Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life: A Memoir” earned seven awards, including First Place for LGBTQ Biographies in the 2022 BookFest Awards; the 2021 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Award for LGBTQ; and the 2021 Indie Reader Discovery Category Award for LGBTQ Non-Fiction.

While at the Boiler Room, he wrote book and lyrics for two original musicals that played to packed houses, “That ‘60s Christmas Show” and “Billy Bob’s Holiday Hoedown.” He also won a Telly Award for his short film “From Concept to Completion.”

Reviews

[Tracey Madeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually review non-fiction books, but as I am an independently published author this caught my eye. My first thought was this better be good as there is so much free advice out there in blog posts and websites. As you can tell I was pleasantly surprised. This is an interesting, well-informed entertaining book and for anyone new to writing fiction or non-fiction a good place to start.

Self-publishing is very much the Cinderella of the book publishing world and like the ugly stepmother traditional publishing houses will always look down their nose at you. However, if you get a publishing deal and don’t sell enough books they will dump you. It’s not the end of the world. As the author suggests don’t get taken in by Vanity Presses who charge a fortune to print your books, Print on Demand is much more cost-effective. I must admit I would have considered Bookbaby as they are legit, but as the author points out if you print with them and then use Amazon’s distribution service there are going to be delays. Nice to see Draft2Digital (prev Smashwords) get a mention in relation to wider e-book distribution, as the author advises you cannot do this if you are signed up exclusively for KDP. As a writer of fiction, I differ from the author in that I would stick with KDP, as I don’t know anyone who does not buy from Amazon, but it does depend on where your readers buy their books.

There is a great little section on grammar and as a writer, you cannot avoid this. The author highlights Grammarly and the free version is great. If you can afford an editor it is recommended, but it will cost £500 plus and you may never sell enough books to cover this cost. Book covers are another area people recommend you seek a professional, but as the author suggests Canva is very good if you can master it. Formatting for e-book and print is another headache which if you cannot do it yourself is another cost. WordPress websites and landing pages also need consideration. There are websites and blogs which will teach you how to do all these things if you can master them. As the author suggests there is Fivver and if you can find a reliable team this will help, but unfortunately as he points out, there are some horror stories.

When it comes to content I had forgotten about copyright and song lyrics, basically don’t include them. As the author suggests film titles can also cause problems. In relation to ISBN’s Amazon will give you a free number for your books and therefore it depends if you want to be registered with the British Library and Library of Congress. As the author points out buying them in bundles of ten is more cost-effective if you are planning to publish more than one book.

There is an interesting section on review sites such as Net Gallery and Book Funnel, I was surprised Goodreads was not mentioned, but perhaps that is more social media. A warning about Social Media, they charge for advertising and if they think you are doing that on their site, they will close your account without warning. It is also against Amazon rules to pay for reviews, the way companies get around it is they pay reviewers for their time. I note OBC got a mention in the book. I know of no author or reviewer who has a good word to say about them.

This book not only takes you through the things you need to consider when publishing your book but the multitude of expensive pitfalls that you can fall into. The indie community is huge so there is plenty of support and advice out there.

[Michael Kiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most readers and aspiring writers are all too aware of self-publishing success stories like Hugh Howey’s SILO series, and the seemingly endless opportunities for self-publishing that have proliferated on the internet have proved to be a siren’s call for many authors who have found no luck within traditional publishing.

Self-publishing, then, can seem like the answer they have been searching for after a fruitless search for either an agent or a publisher to help them get their books into the hands of readers. Many such authors leap into self-publishing without soberly surveying that landscape, which is littered with so many land mines they will have to sidestep to achieve their dreams.

As someone who has self-published three very different books, with the first two winning acclaim, Lewis Kempfer details the promise and perils of self-publishing with clarity and wit. He covers all sides of the “battlefield” in the hopes of helping would-be self-published authors outflank the “enemies” of sketchy companies and freelancers, navigate the Byzantine trenches of copyrighting their books, obtaining ISBNs and distribution, and, finally, the all-important tasks that self-published authors must tackle after they click “publish” to ensure their books don’t disappear because of the algorithm. Most importantly, Kempfer doesn’t limit his advice to Kindle Direct Publishing, so this book will be helpful for authors who want to avoid that behemoth.

Throughout this brief but comprehensive book, Kempfer is equal parts motivational and realistic, encouraging authors to take their shot, all while making it as clear as a target seen through a high-powered scope the harsh and discouraging truths that accompany publishing.

In closing, Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields is a must-read for those who are considering self-publication.

[Rachel Loveday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about preparing writers for battle in the self-publishing battlefields with Kempfer as the honest, firm, and yet friendly “drill sergeant.”

Kempfer’s straight forward book, both in terms of structure and tone, take us from author boot camp which gives us an overview of industry norms and standards, to a solo mission outlining the business side of authoring, to getting boots on the ground highlighting the ups and downs of hiring freelancers for an impending book launch, and ends with “being dismissed” with a book out there in the world and suggestions on how to keep moving forward.

Kempfer manages to keep up the military motif throughout the book without going overboard and being humorous in all the right places. I personally appreciated the bullet points where they were needed, and the “debriefings” at the end of each chapter to reinforce the lessons he is teaching. I also appreciated the variety in the content and the lessons, and covering various aspects of the self-publishing process, some of which I never even thought about myself.

I also appreciated Kempfer’s own label of the book as an ‘educational memoir’, I believe that this is the perfect way to describe the combination of his personal self-publishing experience and the wisdom and advice from both his successes and failures on his journey. The only downside would be that this is a niche book, which Kempfer has written before, which means that the audience would be limited to aspiring authors who are considering self-publishing, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of readers out there.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, quick, and easy read with a variety of helpful advice that I would recommend to my own writer friends.

[Gina Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields, Lewis Kempfer writes a fun and educational guide to the self-publishing world.

Each chapter is full of invaluable information and is well laid out. The quality of resources listed in this book for the aspiring author to access is truly amazing. The debriefing at the end of each chapter will help the reader quickly find the information they need when revisiting this book over the years.

Basic Training for the Self-Publising Battlefields is based on the premise that self-publishing is an uphill battle that is winnable for the motivated author. Kempfer points out that the financial rewards are worth considering (much higher royalties), and the ability to put one's work out into the world is invaluable. Kempfer shares his own deeply moving experience writing his memoir about a religious experience, and he encourages other writers to put their much-needed voices out into the world.

Kempfer does not shy away from the difficulties that self-publishing can present but rather uses his dark sense of humor to keep the reader motivated throughout the process of writing. With this approach, the difficulties of dealing with grammar and the difficulties of outsourcing aspects of self-publishing seem less daunting. He also helps the writer remember why they are willing to go through the difficulties of self-publishing and helps them to keep their eye on the prize to be won at the end.

Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields is a fun and lively book that all writers should have on their bookshelves. In it, they will find valuable advice while being guided by a fun companion over the often rocky and complex terrain that is the self-publishing world.

[Kathrin Spinnler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields by Lewis Kempfer is a self-help book that explains how to publish your own book on Amazon KDP or similar platforms. The author explores a wide range of topics including how to find an editor, how to design a cover and format your book, and how to promote a self-published book. He also gives readers an overview of some tricky grammar/spelling rules and explains copyright laws.

What sets this book apart from other self-help guides about the publishing industry is its unique voice. The author describes self-publishing as a battlefield and uses military language to get his point across. He also uses very concrete examples from his own experiences to underline and explain points. This makes the book appealing to readers who either have a connection to the military or don't want to read yet another dry nonfiction book. I also liked that the guide was quite short and to the point. There wasn't any excess or irrelevant information that distracts from the main message. However, readers will have to do a lot more research during their self-publishing journey, as many points are only touched on.

Overall, I would recommend Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields to people who are looking for a unique guide and starting point that helps them to explore the self-publishing industry and points them in the right direction.

[S. Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a succinct and easy-to-read account that will be useful to anyone venturing into the world of self-publishing for the first time. The author has plenty of experience to bring to the table, having written and self-published two memoirs of his own. He starts out by dismissing some of the outdated stigmas regarding self-publishing, and explains that it is becoming an increasingly common and acceptable practice. He then spends some time on the elements of writing itself. In one chapter, entitled "Grammar Maneuvers", he goes over some of the more common spelling and grammar mistakes so that the writer will not have to spend too much of their work time consulting the latest grammar manual. Much of the book is devoted to helping the reader select the support services necessary to produce, publish, and promote a book--the editors, beta readers, cover designers, and website developers. As the majority of indie authors have not even considered these factors as they stumble through their first drafts, this information is highly valuable. There are no shortage of unscrupulous vendors ready to take advantage of new writers, and this is something they need to be aware of upon entering the field. This is a quick read, but one that is packed with helpful information.

[Hiren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that the author takes a lot of effort in setting expectations for the reader right at the outset. This reduces any chances of disappointment going further. I also liked that the chapters are arranged in a similar way to how a book may be written. The narration of certain events on the part of the author feels authentic and believable, although still a learning journey by itself.

Reading the chapters in order is recommended for a natural flow. There is a bibliography at the end but certain terms, especially those used in a military context, might need referencing.

The advice being given may not work in all markets, the book is meant primarily for a US-based audience. It does clear a lot of myths and stigmas. In some places the reader is encouraged to do their own research, owing to the limited scope of the book. I would have liked it better if there were more examples of successful self-published authors and the strategies they used.

[Aditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this book is a guide that is meant to guide folks who want to write a book but do not know how to get the book out in the wild west. This book is a perfect guide to people who just finished their first book but do not know how to publish it. This book tackle several ways to do it, one such being the KDP or Kindle Direct Publishing.

There is not much to say about this book. It is written well and there are no excess or useless information that will hog up your precious time. It is short, concise and incredibly well put together. I like it even though I am not planning to publish any time soon. Overall, great guide and will recommend to anyone who has a book ready or is planning to write one but do not know how publication and copyright stuff works.

Thank You
Happy Reading

[Lily A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lewis Kempfer's "Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields" delivers indispensable procedures for fresh writers who may wish to get their books into the top charts of must-reads. Its fifteen chapters and suggestive titles provide everything a self-publisher may need, from justifications for choosing self-publishing to attaining conquests at distinct phases of writing, publishing, and marketing.

The author's personal experiences are a valuable compass for readers and the incorporation of intriguing military terms makes for an unforgettable and illuminating ride, that will see them become multiple award winners and highly accredited authors. Lewis Kempfer's "Basic Training for the Self-Publishing Battlefields" is a pretty helpful guidebook that will beautifully refine your writing!

[Topaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author took an otherwise complex topic and broke everything down into easy to understand tidbits. Kempfer's writing style is conversational and he holds your attention throughout the entirety of the book. What I enjoyed most is that he doesn't paint self-publishing as a glamorous endeavor.

They shared both the good and bad experiences that came with the production of their earlier books. The author discussed a little bit of everything so that readers would have an idea of what the workflow is like from start to finish (which included everything from the writing stage to published stage).

They even stressed the importance of communicating clearly and constantly with editors, freelancers along with anyone else who's brought on board to help. A nice read that will make for a nice companion book for future reference.

[Iron John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kempfer takes readers by the hand and guides them through each step, from manuscript preparation to bookshelves. His writing style is clear and concise, making it easy for readers to follow along and understand the various aspects of self-publishing. It is a must-read for any writer considering self-publishing. Lewis Kempfer's expertise and genuine desire to help fellow authors shine through in every chapter. Whether you are a beginner or have some experience in self-publishing, this book provides valuable insights and practical tips that will empower you to navigate the publishing battlefield with confidence.

[Dylan Kinloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hemming and hawing over whether I should take a shot at establishing myself as a self published author, I was instantly given the push I needed when I came across this lovely guide. It is written in a way that is easy to digest, yet complex enough to offer new info that is easy to apply. It is written in a motivational style which is exactly what my indecisive personality requires. Stumbling upon this gem was such a blessing. I am sure that I will refer back to it frequently as I continue to refine my writing and self publishing.