DIY Publishing

From "you need to apply for copyright" to "mail it to yourself" — bad copyright advice is everywhere. A 21-year publishing professional debunks the five most common copyright myths writers believe, and explains what copyright actually does and doesn't protect.

Reviewing books on Goodreads and Amazon gets complicated when you're an author yourself. Learn the ethics of author book reviews, how to handle books you didn't like, when to say nothing at all, and whether to use a separate identity for your reviewing account.

Every writer has a target audience — even if you think you don't. Learn how to identify who your readers are, where they spend their time online, and how to use that knowledge to improve your manuscript, find beta readers, and position your book for publication.

Your manuscript has bugs. Beta readers are how you find them before your readers do. Here's how to build the beta reading team that will actually make your book better—and who to use with caution.

Traditional publishers pay you. Vanity publishers charge you. Hybrid publishers do both. Know which one you're dealing with before you sign anything — because most of them will lie about it.

The time you spent on the manuscript that isn't working is already gone whether you quit or not. The only question is what you spend next.

Your typeset book should go unnoticed. If the reader notices it, you did it wrong. Here's what to know before your manuscript hits the page.