Being a new author can be stressful and intimidating. Here are a few tips that I hope you find useful.

• Find a critique group that writes in your genre. By critiquing others work as well as having your own critiqued, you can learn a lot about the craft.
• You don't need to follow all advice. Use your gut and take what works for you and your writing.
• Self-publishing is not that hard or scary.
• Take note of above and be very careful of companies that claim to edit, cover and publish your book to retailers. They charge 3-5 times what it costs to do it yourself. Covers are not usually up to par and editing can be hit or miss. Some companies are not even legit. Not to mention most take a share of your profit!
• Start building your readers and social media before you publish your first book. Make connections.
• Join some author groups on Facebook, there are some awesome ones.
• Just because you choose to self-publish does not mean you are not a REAL author. I cannot believe in todays age, some stil think you have to publish with a big house for it to count. Guess what, self-published authors make more money.
• Speaking of money, depending on your genre, first books don't always shoot out of the gate and become bestsellers. Hell, book 10 may not either. It has nothing to do with your craft. In romance, readers like series and often don't buy in until 3-4 books are out.
• Don't sell yourself short. So many authors undersell their work by offering their books for $0.99. You are worth more that that. Not to say you can't run a sale, but don't make that your normal price. That said, be careful not to over price your books. Study your genre and what others are doing.