I'm going to hit on just a few key points here, because there are things that I didn't know before that SEEM like they should have been common sense, but it is so easy to get lost in the virtual tsunami of information out there when it comes to self-publishing.
1. EDITING:
If you're not great at editing, get an editor.
If you can't afford an editor, find at least 4-5 beta readers to go over your story before you finalize anything. Ask them to point out any continuity errors or anything that really stands out as confusing/poorly worded, etc. (Actually, you should have beta readers regardless of if you have an editor. I had 6 beta readers and THEN hired an editor.
Grammarly is awesome as well. Even the free version has already helped me improve my first drafts even more. I notice punctuation errors that I always used to miss.
2. CREATING A COVER:
This is an area where I thought I was already solid. I have done graphic design for decades. But I missed the mark. The whole thing with covers is that it needs to reflect the current market AND your genre. Without that, you're going to be skipped over a lot.
If you're GREAT at graphic design, go ahead and try creating your covers. I have learned a stunning amount from following the group INDIE COVER PROJECT
If you are not artistic, look for premade covers. They tend to be priced lower than custom made and can also be inspiring.
Beware of using places like fiverr. Make sure that you purchase a photo from a reputable site (shutterstock, depositphotos, etc) rather than just using 'free images' sites like pixabay. Those photos aren't always vetted and can cause you problems.
3. WRITE A SERIES:
Series are an easier sell than stand-alones. I wish I had thought to start with a series first. You can write a short prequel and make it free to get readers hooked.
Have two or even three books written before you publish the first one, then rapid release. Everything seems to be about fast release these days, like Netflix dropping an entire series all at once. It's not QUITE that intense in the publishing world, but it seems like releasing once a month is a great standard. I'm seeing great results with this already with my pen name.
These are just three things to start with. The tips are JUST suggestions. I do not know everything, not even close, but these are some observations I've made thus far.
One of the biggest, STRONGEST suggestions I can make is: FIND SUPPORT.
20Booksto50K
and
Create If Writing
I think I'll keep writing posts like this, if anyone is interested.
I know there are a lot of freewriters that are/were wanting to self-publish. I will try for maybe once a week, to gather my thoughts on the process of self-publishing. Again, I'm not an expert, just sharing a few tidbits here and there as I learn along the way.