I’m Following a Mug on Instagram

Today, I'm going to be candid with you. Creatively speaking, the past two months have been rough. It's like I have a vat of strawberry jelly knocking around between my ears, and no matter how I try to zap it into action, it remains an amorphous blob of goo.

Weeks 9-15: Buckle Down and Finish that First Draft!

By the time you reach week nine of the self-publishing process, you'll already have quite a few things on your plate. So, if you've found yourself drowning in the administrative details of preparing to release your first novel, this is the point at which you really want to step back and make sure that you finish your first draft. After all, you'll want to have plenty of time for revision and editing before your publication date!

Week 8: Social Media

It's week eight of the self-publishing process, and by now, you should be around -- or even slightly past -- the midpoint of your novel. If not, don't panic. You haven't finalized your release date yet, so it's okay if you end up moving things around a little. Still, you'll want to make sure that all of your social media outlets are up and running before you set your release date to help build hype and to give you a sense for the community you'll be joining.