Where Can You Find Self-Publishing Help?

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The best free places to find self-publishing help are YouTube, blogs and podcasts from people who still publish books, plus KDP’s own Help Center and the Alliance of Independent Authors. The help that makes the biggest difference is coaching, because it adds motivation, accountability and direction. Below: where I started, where to get free help safely, and when paid help is worth it.

Where did I find help when I started?

I started when the “Kindle gold rush” was in the news and people were reporting huge sales. I wanted a part of it and had ideas to share. I worked through a free ebook that gave me the basic steps. It took a long time and I was overwhelmed. I did get a book out, but I took the cheap route and made no sales at all. Getting a book on the market is not the goal. The goal is a book that sells.

I had heard about groups, courses and coaches, but I thought I could figure it out myself. Then a friend who had success told me the material he found was fantastic, and I checked it out. I have not looked back. Investing in your education is a good use of money in self-publishing. Using only free tools and free solutions did not work well for me. For the other side of that story, read Self-Publishing Failure Stories. If you are a coach, I have a separate post on self-publishing for coaches.

Where can I get free self-publishing help?

• YouTube, blogs and podcasts. My own channel, this blog and my podcast are a starting point. If the information is useful, put it into action, and if not, move on to another source. It costs you nothing. Make sure the teacher currently publishes books. Many people give advice who published five or ten years ago and stopped. I have 230 books on the market and release new ones regularly.
• KDP’s Help Center. KDP has a library of help topics, a contact page, a community forum, and learning resources such as KDP University webinars and videos (KDP Help).
• The Alliance of Independent Authors. Its Self-Publishing Advice Center offers a free guide for authors starting out, a free book marketing guide, and a watchdog desk that rates self-publishing services (ALLi).
• Writer Beware. Sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, it is about “tracking, exposing, and raising awareness about schemes, scams, and other bad practice in the publishing industry” (Writer Beware). Check it before you pay a company that approached you.

Is there self-publishing help near me?

In my view, help with self-publishing rarely needs to be local. KDP, IngramSpark and the other platforms are all online, and the work is the same whether you live in a big city or a small town. The cover, the description, the keywords and the price are set on a screen, so the person helping you can be anywhere. That also means you can pick help for what it knows, not for how near it is.

A local writers’ group or a library event can still be worth a look. My advice is to use them for what they do well: a place to write, to swap feedback on your draft and to meet readers. They are a good fit if you want company while you finish the book.

Before you lean on a group for the publishing side, ask one plain question. Has anyone in it published and sold books the way you want to? A friendly room of people who have not published will not be able to show you the steps. Someone who has done it can.

The same goes for a “near me” service that wants money up front. Being close by tells you nothing about whether it is any good. Look at what the service has actually done for other authors before you hand over anything. My advice is simple: do not pay until you have checked.

Can I talk to a self-publishing expert for free?

Yes. My free discovery call is 25 minutes on Zoom, just you and me, and it costs nothing. You give your name and email, then pick a time on the next page, so you can book it from wherever you live. Bring your questions and your book’s title, plus its Amazon link if the book is already out. Half-written, finished and not selling, or still deciding whether to self-publish at all: any of those is fine. We look at where your book is now, and you leave knowing your next step. No card is needed. You can book the free discovery call here.

If you are comparing companies, here is my advice. A free consultation from a publishing company is often the start of a sales talk for a paid package. Ask what it costs after the call before you agree to anything. Then check the service the way the section “How do I check a help service before I pay?” below says.

How do I check a help service before I pay?

Use the two watchdogs above for different jobs. ALLi keeps an Approved Services Directory beside its Watchdog Desk ratings, so look the company up in both (ALLi). If it isn’t there, Writer Beware offers a free research service for writers with questions about agents, publishers and others (Writer Beware). My own rule, which is only my advice: if someone promises sales, ask those two before you pay.

Are courses and podcasts worth it?

They can be, because they break things into steps. The problem I found with most is that they are too complicated, with too many things and too many steps. You are sold a big package and don’t know where to begin. In reality you only need to get your Kindle book on the market and know what to do to make that happen. Few offer that, but some give a good idea of the direction. If you are comparing distribution routes, see Self Publishing Distribution Options. If a company has emailed you offering to do it all, read should I pay someone to publish my book for me? first.

Is self-publishing coaching worth it?

In my experience, yes, and it is the help I would choose first. Coaching gives you motivation, accountability and direction so you move the right way to get your book on the market. It works best if you are serious about getting a book out. To judge any coach, including me, read how to choose a self-publishing coach. If you have no first book yet, you will not make sales at all, so that is where to start. One of the best ways to get a book to sell is to write more books.

I offer coaching: group coaching is $47 a month with a private Slack group, and 1-on-1 coaching adds private messages on Slack and email and one, two or three 55-minute Zoom calls a month, at $147, $267 or $397 a month. Both are monthly, you can cancel any time, and there is a 7-day money-back guarantee. I answer every question, usually the same day or the next.

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