Let’s be real: self-publishing is tough. Even though it’s great to be able to write whatever and whenever you want and have total control over your books, that means it’s up to you to put those books together!

But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little help.

Fiverr is a valuable resource for self-published authors. Chances are that you’re not a writer, designer, editor, and marketer—all skills that you need for self-publishing a book—and that’s where other professionals come in. Even if you can do all of these things, is it really worth it to spend a month figuring out how to design a professional book cover yourself when you can pay an expert $50 to do it in a few days? Think of how much time you’d be saving!

I know what you’re thinking, though. “I haven’t even made any money off my book yet; I can’t afford to break the bank just to publish it!”

I hear you; that’s the same complaint that stopped me from hiring professionals to work on my self-published books for a long time. But the beauty of Fiverr is that you can find lots of high-quality freelancers for a relatively low price! On average, it will cost at least a few hundred bucks for all of these services combined, but it’s absolutely worth it to invest some money in the book. The better you make the book, the more people will buy it and the more money you’ll make in the long run. And once you begin the cycle, you can save money you make from your first book to fund your second book, and so on.

Don’t make the rookie self-published author mistake: your book will not sell itself. It must look professional, be well-written, and be advertised to the right audiences before people will even think about buying it. Investing in these services from Fiverr will up your chances that your book will get noticed—so let’s check them out!

1. Feedback/Beta Reading ($10-100)

Why is professional feedback great? Well, it’s one thing to get an opinion on your book from your mom and another to get feedback from someone who has read widely, knows the conventions of your genre, and understands how to give good constructive feedback. If you’re good at implementing feedback, you can even hire a professional reviewer/beta reader instead of hiring a developmental editor, which can save you a lot of money.

Whatever route you decide to take, don’t skip this step. Getting feedback on your story in the earlier stages is so important so you don’t waste time and money hiring a copyeditor, only to have to change a bunch of things in your story and hire an editor again.

You can check out my feedback gig here; it starts at just $10!

2. Editing/Proofreading ($100-1,000)

Once you’ve gotten feedback, implemented the changes, and find yourself ready for the copyediting and proofreading stages of your book, you can once again turn to Fiverr to find a stellar editor. But keep in mind that not every gig is equal! Look for these things when you’re on the hunt for an editor: 

• Their gig description and profile are perfectly edited 
• They have proven experience and great ratings 
• They’ve edited books in your genre before 
• They can copyedit and proofread—this will save you a lot of money!

3. Book Design ($20-300)

Fiver is a great place to get a quality book design that’s easy on your wallet. A few things to keep in mind: 

• Make sure the freelancer has designed books in your genre 
• Find someone who does not use stock photos or generic book cover templates—you want your cover to be unique! 
• Make sure the gig includes revisions—you want there to be some room for fixes if need be

There are a lot of super cheap options out there, but most don’t meet the full criteria, so make sure to read through the gig carefully!

4. Book Promotion/Marketing ($20-100)

One of the hardest parts of self-publishing is having to market all on your own. Luckily, there are people out there with great connections who are willing to help you out—and many of them on Fiverr are really affordable! When it comes to marketing, I would suggest hiring multiple people to help you market/advertise your book. One marketing campaign might not do much, but several staggered campaigns can have a huge impact on your sales!

Just remember that these campaigns don’t guarantee sales. You still have to put in the work to make your book look and sound enticing. And you can do your own marketing, too, by talking to your local libraries and/or bookstores.

Where’s Formatting?

I actually don’t recommend hiring someone to format your books because it’s easy and cheap enough to do it yourself, so it’ll save you time and money in the long run. Here’s a great article with a thorough list of all the biggest formatting programs; I love Atticus!

Overall, remember that just because self-publishing means you’re in charge, it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. There are plenty of skilled people out there ready to help you without breaking the bank and Fiverr is the perfect place to find them.

Have a question big or small about self-publishing? Leave a comment or contact me!

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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