Self-publishing

The secrets never told about independent publishing

In 2018 I started thinking about writing my first fiction book. More important than the story I wanted to write was how I could promote it to a wider audience, especially those who read in English.

In 2015 I had my first publishing experience, with the publication of a technical book in the field of law entitled ‘Voluntary Work, a Legal and Social Reflection’, through a publisher in Portugal.

It wasn’t a totally positive experience, above all because of the flaws in the book distribution network among the country’s main bookshops. Then there were other points that required a major improvement in this process: the lack of a thorough proofreading process, left entirely to the authors, which I totally disagree with.

An author shouldn’t review his own books. His writing has long since blinded him and he will always be unable to be an impartial judge of his manuscripts.

I then began to immerse myself in my curiosity about how publishing was done abroad:

What platforms were there for publishing a book independently? How could I publish my texts without having to go to a publisher? How could I translate my book into English, for example?

It took me almost two years of research, study and investigation to understand how the independent publishing process worked through Amazon and Ingram Spark. With the new book in my hands, ‘Hypnosis, the Return to the Past’, translated into English, I could (potentially) reach a new and wider audience of readers.

The years would teach me that publishing through these platforms is not enough.

Much, much more is needed. A book forgotten on Amazon’s ‘shelves’ is almost worthless, except as social proof for the author and others that such a feat is possible. I realised that the recipe for success lay fundamentally in spreading the word.

Anyone who works with words today has to realise that, in addition to the intrinsic quality of their work, it needs to be ‘shown off’. Without this visibility, you could have created the perfect masterpiece and nobody would know about it!

For someone to become visible, they must first create an audience. And that takes a lot of work.

I would say that today, writing is not enough.

You have to know how to sell what you write, which is why, in the independent publishing consultancies that I now offer through my ‘Yellow Bird’ writing brand, I help potential authors train their commercial vision in the world of words.

And this is where the need to master copy and persuasive writing comes in! Without this, you can tell the most beautiful love story and never get read. It’s really important that, as well as knowing how to write, you know how to be heard.

So, if you want to know more about this topic, you can write to me and I’ll be happy to give you more information!

Maria Inês Rebelo – The Yellow Bird

17.08.2024