Want to try your hand at creating your very own book? Here’s a walk-through in the process of making that happen. We rather like the simplicity and accessibility of Blurb’s program; the affiliate-linked images offer a little paid compensation that helps us manage our website, but the text is ours alone. Remember, we can help you all along the way. Enjoy!
1. BEGIN.
Get started with your own book by gathering your thoughts, photos, research, materials, and your words. Put it all in one place and take a good, long look at it. Take a little time to think about it: what kind of book are we looking at here? Think about what brought you to this point, and honor that process of creativity within you.
2. PRESS ON.
The next step in putting your book together is to begin the process of organizing it. This will NOT be a once-through, we can guarantee! It takes many passes to glean the gold nuggets of thought and present them in proper sequence and array. Do not be discouraged, even if it is all seems like a big hot mess. It will get better!
3. BREATHE.
Blurb has this nifty program called BookWright that makes creating your book pretty straightforward. And…it’s free. Yep, no expensive software downloads or file-compatibility or printer-compatibility issues to deal with. Remember, if it’s all gobbledygook to you, we’ve got your back.
4. EXPRESS.
This is the fun part, where the book takes on an additional visual expression of you, the author. There are various sizes, papers, bindings and gazillions of text styles to choose from. You can get a swatch kit from Blurb that helps you decide, or you can turn it over to us.
5. LET IT FLY.
Once your book is formatted to your satisfaction, upload it to the Blurb servers. Easy peasy, one step. You might take a short break here, to refresh your mind.
6. PLUG AWAY.
After a short break, your mind will be refreshed, so that when you move into the editing phase you are not blind to the errors and typos that always persist. Stay in this phase as long as it takes, and do not settle for anything less than your absolute best. You deserve it!
7. BE BOLD.
Now, think of the smartest friends you have, and see if they will give your edited manuscript a read-through. You need lots of eyes on it to catch all the little blips before they become permanent.
Don’t worry, errors can be fixed after the fact, too. But catch all you can!
8. PATIENCE.
Take your time in this step. Your natural inclination will be to order 50 or 100 copies, but you will thank me later if you merely order ONE. Once it arrives, check it through carefully, noting every little change that needs to be made. Then repeat steps 4-7 once more, and THEN order away. Yep. You’ll thank me later.
9. YOU’RE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!
Now, at long last, your book is in your hands, and it’s wonderful! Congratulations on a job well done! Share it with your local bookstores, the library, your friends and family, and on Facebook or wherever you like!
Keithley Creek Publishing, LLC 