How To Publish Your Book – Without Spending Any Money – Part 1

By Word Ninja

Part 1: Strategy​

Every day on social media, I see aspiring indie authors complain about how expensive it is to publish a book.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Once you’re earning enough to afford a good editor and a good cover designer—then absolutely, spend the money.

But if you’re just starting out? You can write, publish, and market your book without paying for services.

Then, you can use the proceeds to fund your next book.

In this four-part series, I’ll introduce tools and tactics for becoming a published author without incurring any expenses.

You can use these tools and tactics to publish the book of your heart—but there’s a better way.

At least, I think it’s better. When an author gives you advice, it’s one person’s opinion. If you don’t want to follow the strategy below, that’s cool!

But if you’d rather wait to publish the book of your heart until you can afford your dream editor and dream cover, then you can build up seed money by publishing a prequel.

But wait! What if you don’t have a prequel? What if you never imagined another story in your book universe before book 1?

Well, imagine one now. You’re an author. Imagining things is your job—even if you write nonfiction.

For example:

• Say you’re writing a book on how readers can incorporate meditation into their daily lives. As a prequel, offer a seven-day meditation quick-start guide. Don’t include the science behind meditation. Just provide seven short meditations people can do to start their day, to fall asleep, or to ground themselves in times of stress.
• If you’re writing a romance novel, are any married characters in the book? Write a short novella about how their romance began.
• If your genre is fantasy, write a short story about the lore in your world.
• For mystery, show how the law enforcement officer in your series solved their first case.

These books should be short—but don’t skimp on quality. You’re showcasing your skill. You’re luring in readers. You’re creating fans.

At the same time, this is your practice book. When you publish it, you’ll learn the ropes and make your initial mistakes before publishing the book of your heart.

In the next article in this series, I’ll give you some tips for learning the craft of storytelling without spending money.

Written by Word Ninja

Sample book cover created for free in Canva