Feeling unnoticed at work? Get creative with self-publishing!

Let’s face it – you’re bored and largely unappreciated at work. You job’s okay, but those eight hours you spend at the office every day just don’t give you a creative outlet. Sometimes you feel as if your job ‘owns’ you. Over the years, you’ve tried to make sure you have a life outside work, but it’s never enough. Between work, family and friends – it seems as if you have nothing that’s truly ‘yours’.

Even with a satisfying career, many of us need something creative beyond it. Being creative involves giving something of yourself; an activity that is not always encouraged in the stuffy office environment, but one that can give you an enormous amount of personal satisfaction.

Better yet, how about choosing a creative pursuit that actually pays?

Welcome to the world of self-publishing!

The fact that you can write and publish yourself on platforms like Amazon KDP, Smashwords and CreateSpace (among others), isn’t a new concept. We’ve all heard of those authors who self-published a novel, went viral and ended up getting a lucrative publishing deal. Let’s face it, that doesn’t happen to everyone – but if you enjoy writing, are interested in learning about the publishing process, self-publishing can be an absorbing and rewarding – not to mention addictive – hobby.

A writer writes!

To get started you need to write something worth publishing.

Write? I don’t have time to get my hair cut or go to the gym! How on earth am I supposed to find time to put ‘pen to paper’?

Unlike a lot of creative activities, writing is something you can easily fit into your day – even if you work long hours. Bring a spiral-bound notebook and pen everywhere with you. Scribble your story at lunch time, morning or afternoon tea, or during your commute on the train. Rather than glancing out the window of the train impatiently, you could be engrossed in writing your latest novel.

Act like a professional

Even if you see writing and self-publishing as a hobby, approach it like a job – a job that brings you joy not sorrow – the job of professionally published author. Instead of randomly publishing a collection of anything that comes to mind, plan your masterpiece. Contrary to what many believe, organisation does NOT stifle creativity – it increases productivity and provides a framework for creativity to ‘hang on’.

You don’t need to write books in order to self-publish

Short-stories, novellas, non-fiction booklets or articles are an excellent way for a novice self-publisher to get started. Less daunting then a full length novel (which range between 60,000-100,000 words), shorter works are also an excellent way to get experience. As a rough guide, a short story is usually up to around 8,000 words, whereas as a novella can range between 10,000- 40,000 words.

Make it shine

Don’t be one of those self-published authors who put up half-finished, unedited work that’s riddled with errors. Remember, you’re expecting people to pay for your work! Plan your story before you write it and get someone whose opinion you trust to critique it once you’ve finished it. After that, make sure you edit and proofread your work meticulously. A professional editor can be expensive, but you can find someone cheaply on online job search websites like Elance. Alternatively, bribe a talented friend!

The trick is to make both your cover, and the content itself, look as if it is professionally published. Take a look on Amazon and see how the professionally published works present themselves – it isn’t that hard to copy! With this in mind, try to avoid amateurish cover art. Sites like DeviantArt allow you to commission an artist without paying a fortune, or you can purchase images from online photo agencies and create a simple, effective cover using Microsoft Publisher.

“Hello, world!”

Most of the self-publishing platforms are relatively user-friendly, and have user guides on how to format your work for publication. They also allow you to create an author page. Your royalties depend on the platform you use, and the price you choose – and once you start to get a few works up there, you’d be surprised how quickly your ‘balance’ adds up.

So get writing, and publishing. The beauty of self-publishing is that, in addition to being great fun, you are also learning skills that you could employ in your current or future job. Who knows, you could even be one of the lucky few who ‘make it’. And even if you don’t, you’ll be able to spend many enjoyable hours engrossed a hobby that actually pays!