Welcome, new writers!

So you've decided to be a writer... maybe you've been at it for awhile, or maybe this is all new to you? In any case, you're looking for help. Be it with handling the world itself or trying to get your work out there. I'm here to help! It's a very intimidating stage to enter, but don't worry. You're among friends. ;)

First stage of the game is confidence. Confidence in yourself, in your abilities, and what you are able to overcome is key!

What you will need in this case;
1) A steady-paying job
You'll have things coming out of pocket to get the book out. It is not completely free to get self-published. So please make sure you're prepared for necessary expenses to get your work out there! You can NOT solely live off of your book royalties, as self-publishing websites only pay you every 60 days or so and that's even if you make sales. So be smart!

2) A good program for your story
It took me quite a few go's, but I finally found the right editing program for my books. If you intend to do your own editing and formatting, it's important to have an easy-to-use program that'll make it a breeze to convert to the right files intended for publishing. You can pay someone for editing and even to format, but if you are limited on your budget and are particular with how you tell something and want it done a certain way as part of your vision, just do it yourself.
I use LibreOffice Writer, after many atrocious programs, that works wonderfully for me and it's completely free for those on a budget too low for an official pricey office program.

3) Cover art
If you are blessed with artistic abilities, go right for creating your own art for your book. But if you decide to pay someone to do it as you lack this ability, such as myself, then that is the road you must take. It's an expense that is necessary, unless you are like me and your bestie partners up with you to create it for little or nothing. If you want something simple, like a colored background and special text, that is totally free and can be effective, as well.

4) Legal and necessary costs
You'll need to have certain things covered for your book. First of all is have your book copyrighted.
This prevents your work from being stolen and gives you legal right to the characters and structure of your story. Be prepared for a $60-90 price range. The next thing is getting the ISBN code. On Amazon, you can select for a free code, but it's only for Amazon. So if you want to sell your book on other sites, best to purchase your own. The ISBN is important as that is your book's identity. They are $22.99 a code.

5) Self-Publishing programs
You can either go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble Press or IngramSpark that are free to do business with and will you give you a discount for author copies. You must create an account with each and establish yourself legally as you will be taxed on your royalties and will be an internet presence once your work gets out. As I said, if you are depending on your royalties, be prepared to wait. Amazon pays you after 60 days, Barnes & Noble doesn't pay you until you have made over $10 in royalties, and I've yet to sell from Ingram, so I am unfortunately unable to give details on their part. But as you are getting this done for free, you can't really complain! I would suggest Amazon above all else as I always receive the money I make each month and have had no problems with them. Ingram does, however, reach a broader variety of online stores.

6) Exposure through connections and social media pages
Put yourself out there!! Push your books on any platform, as much as you possibly can!
Attend writers events, join online groups, make connections with others to talk about your stories as so much of your success comes from word of mouth. Create social media pages on Facebook or Instagram for your books or post strictly as an author, which I do both, to help gain more exposure.
Business cards are a great way to spread the word which you can hand to people you meet and they'll be able to find you easily. You can design and order a set of business cards for $15-20 on Staples Printing Services and be able to pick up your cards at the store for free after 1-3 business days, or just have them delivered to you with shipping costs. The cards will definitely help you look much more professional and give you an official feel.

7) Create a website
As I mentioned, online presence is key here. Having a website may not be as cheap as simply having a social media page, but it does help you advertise a lot better! As you see here, I am able to create so many pages within one website and add things like videos, additional free stories, pictures and a whole online store. The site with the best price is Hostinger. You can select a plan depending on how long you intend to have your site for. I selected to pay every 4 years for the site itself which is about $200-300, while you also need to renew your website URL annually for about $16. Websites are not essential to be a writer, but they are definitely handy to get your name out there more.

8) Merchandise
Creating things like bookmarks, which I also have done at Staples, or pens, shirts, etc. is a fun and clever way to shed some light on your stories. People will ask you about them, giving you a chance to gush about your creations, and by advertising them on your website, you can give your audience a way to purchase them and own a piece of your book's world!
To avoid paying for items out of pocket, I have designed products on VistaPrint, then set up an online store here to advertise for certain items that I simply just have to use images for. When someone purchases the product from the website, all I have to do is place an order on VP, submit their shipping information and have it sent directly to my customer! It's an easy by-demand process that doesn't have to cost me extra to keep up.

It's an incredibly exciting journey you are embarking on, but I do encourage you, writers, to keep fighting! It's going to be a battle at times, moments where you start to lose help and feel distraught that your dream is not taking off as quickly as you hoped. But don't despair. It takes time. Have lots of patience, do your research, keep promoting and pushing your creations as much as possible, and KEEP WRITING!
I believe in you all and hope you pursue your dreams wherever they might take you!

For additional details that really helped me in the formatting process, please check out
Sam Cudney's book 'How to Publish Your Book for Free' on Amazon.

I also have attached a video below from my YouTube to talk about some other book-related stuff.