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<\/p>\n “Life Between Moments: New York Stories” by Phil Rosen. Last August, when I turned 25, I started writing about two fiction stories a month for almost a year. I did this alongside my job as a senior markets reporter at Insider.<\/p>\n I was much more disciplined with my writing schedule compared to my first book, which was a #1 bestseller on Amazon, but took almost two years to write. <\/p>\n After work every day, I would write fiction for 30 minutes. Doing this for 44 consecutive weeks helped me accumulate 19 short stories, or roughly 50,000 words.<\/p>\n “Life between moments”<\/a> includes 12 of these stories. It’s a collection of stories about everyday people navigating work and relationships in New York, framed as slice-of-life vignettes.<\/p>\n For me, the key to writing a book is to show up every day without missing a beat. The words add up faster than you think, as long as you don’t skip days. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I used Canva to make graphics and marketing material for my book. I kept mine previous book<\/a> a surprise until the day of publication.<\/p>\n Fortunately, it still topped the Amazon charts and found an audience, but he knew he couldn’t rely on the same tactics twice.<\/p>\n This time<\/a>I wanted to make sure there was a lot of material online to drive SEO, which is what helps something appear in Google search results. <\/p>\n Similar to my first book, I was my own editor, publisher, marketing director, design team and business advisor. But I had a few extra things I wanted to do differently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Goodreads page for “Life Between Moments: New York Stories”. About a month before publication, I uploaded my book Goodreads<\/a>, which is like social media for book lovers. There, readers review books and add them to reading lists. <\/p>\n This platform has millions of users who are passionate about books. Also, I knew that adding the book here would help it reach more readers and Google search results.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is what some of my blog posts looked like before launch day. I started my own web site<\/a> in 2018 and I write about culture, books and personal development. And before my book came out, I started writing a lot articles<\/a> about it and my writing process. <\/p>\n By publishing posts that tangentially mention my book while focusing on writing habits, time management, and goal setting for authors, I wanted to share my own experience while building momentum for my book.<\/p>\n This generated better Google search rankings for my book and doubled as marketing. Readers who stumbled upon my blog also found my book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A proud author moment when I received my first drafts. I unveiled the cover in Instagram stories and posts, gave a sneak peek at the publishing process, and reiterated when the book would be available and where to buy it<\/a>.<\/p>\n I’ve been writing my blog’s monthly newsletter since 2019, but for the past year I’ve been sharing work weekly. I wanted to improve as a writer, develop my voice, and build a closer relationship with readers. <\/p>\n For years, I’ve used WordPress for my blogging platform and my newsletter is based on the MailChimp email application. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I made dozens of designs before settling on my final cover. I’ve never had formal training as a graphic designer and I don’t have anyone to help me with marketing, so my tool of choice has long been Canva. <\/p>\n I use this design tool along with Adobe Photoshop, but I prefer Canva because it is much easier to use. I used it to design my book covers as well as dozens of other graphics. <\/p>\n I especially love Canva’s Smartmockup feature, which allows you to make digital renderings of your book, placed in real-life settings.<\/p>\n I also made my own social media banners and graphics LinkedIn<\/a> i Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I gave people personalized bookmarks and key chains. I used my Canva designs to print my own bookmarks and keychains for in-person marketing.<\/p>\n I treat these items as more interesting and memorable business cards because they are so easy to share. I have distributed them in coffee shops and among my professional and personal circles.<\/p>\n I didn’t do any of that for my first book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The author with a first book draft of “Life Between Moments”. I chose to self-publish my books with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for speed and accessibility. There really are no barriers to entry, other than doing the work. <\/p>\n While in some ways self-publishing lacks the prestige of traditional publishing, it offers a higher royalty payment<\/a> around 60% to 70%, versus 5% to 15% with a traditional publisher. <\/p>\n Plus, self-publishing lets you work with your own timeline.<\/p>\n I’ve heard of publishers sitting on books for more than one, two, or three years before going to print.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A happy author with many, many book drafts. Thanks to my efforts before posting, “Life between moments”<\/a> it ranked as the #1 new release on launch day and achieved multiple bestseller rankings in different categories on Amazon. <\/p>\n After two books in two years, I’m very confident in my own graphic design and marketing skills, as well as my knowledge of editing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Life Between Moments: New York Stories” is my second book, but it won’t be my last. The skills I have acquired in producing my books translate into my work as a journalist and give me a unique insight into the landscape of contemporary writing.<\/p>\n If I do eventually go back to traditional publishing, I know I’d miss some of the creative freedom I have when pursuing my own productions. <\/p>\n “Life Between Moments: New York Stories” is now available.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nAfter I finished writing and editing my book, I made marketing my priority.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nMy goal was to create an online conversation about my book before launch day.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nI wrote a series of blog posts talking about my book before I published it.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nThis time I shared more of the first steps of publishing.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nI also made graphics a priority six months before my book was released.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nI also did a lot of physical marketing items.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nThe self-publishing route has twice worked well for my writing.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nSeeing a final product that I created entirely on my own is a feeling like nothing else.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nAt 25, I’ve taught myself the skills of every step of book editing, which makes me feel more confident as a writer than ever.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\n Phil Rosen\/Insider
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