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Some parts of self-publishing are scarier than others, and sometimes we look at the task ahead of us and wonder if writing the actual book was the easy part, especially when it comes to needing skills that some people go to college just to fully understand. But it doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating.

Judging a book by its cover is largely discouraged, but we all do it anyway. Sometimes, we might even buy a book just because we like the way it looks on our shelves. With this in mind, it’s important that we design a good and professional-looking cover, but this can be hard to do on a budget since most professional designers charge upwards of $400. It’s widely discouraged to design a book cover yourself unless you’re a professional or, at the very least, fairly skills in the labours of art and design, and if not, that you’re willing to learn how to be.

Book descriptions have been the enemies of writers for as long as most of us can remember. No matter what genre you’re writing or how confident you are in your manuscript, if you’re publishing, you’re probably stressed about your book’s blurb.

Now that your book is more than just a mess of different files on your computer, it might be tempting to say that your work here is done. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There’s still a pretty big fish to fry, and it’s pretty elusive at times: how do you tell people about your book?

You’ve written a book, published it, and have, or are preparing to advertise it to your heart’s content. If it’s safe to do so, you might find yourself wanting to do book signings, poetry readings, and other publish events. Or maybe you want to throw an official book launch before, during, or shortly after the release of your book. Finding and booking these events can feel awfully daunting, especially since it all depends on your location. But there are some basics that apply to everyone.

If you have a chapbook completed, and you’re ready to get moving with the publishing process, there’s a lot to consider. Hopefully, we’re able to lay the options out in a way that helps you decide what path is right for you and your chapbook.