How to Start Sharing Your Story 📚

Have you ever sat down to write your story for your book, but had no idea what you were doing? Don’t worry- we have plenty of experience with that feeling. WEX Founder & CEO Alexa Carlin wrote 30,000 words of her story that are still sitting in an abandoned Google Doc because she didn’t know what to do with the words she wrote.

But never fear- WEX is here to make sure your story leaves your Google Doc and lands in the hands of your target audience. Here’s how to start sharing your story:

Write!

The first step to sharing your story is actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and writing! Get everything you want to include in there, even when it looks less like a proper book with chapters that begin and end succinctly and more like a brain dump of a million ideas.

Edit

Next, it’s time to make your content shine! Organization is key here as you take your innermost thoughts and feelings and rework them in a way that leaves your reader captivated and always wanting more.

Tip: Take the time to determine what tone of voice you want to use with your readers. Looking to be casual? Throw some contractions in your copy and don’t hesitate to use contractions to start your sentences (even though it’s “against the rules”). However, if you’re trying to be formal, stick to the APA Style Guidelines.

Decide on Your Publishing Method

When putting your book out into the world, you have three general options: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. 

Traditional publishing is what typically comes to mind when you think of the publishing process. You write a manuscript and, if your book is picked up, the publisher provides a contract in which they print, publish, and sell your book.

Self-publishing is the DIY model of publishing. You’re in control from start to finish! Note: it’s often wise to use contractors during the self-publishing process to help with things outside your expertise, such as book cover design.

Hybrid-publishing is the best of both worlds! It allows you more creative freedom and a better shot at having the publisher publish your book while giving yourself a team of experts to help you craft and market your book along the way.

There are pros and cons to each, so make sure you do a deep dive on each publishing method before making your choice.

To kick off your research, you should definitely check out WEX Press! We provide clarity to the confusion around publishing while uplifting your story in a way that will make sure your book is the best it can be before getting into the exact hands you want it to fall in.

WEX Press is a hybrid publishing house that is committed to publishing diverse women’s voices in business. Hybrid publishing is swiftly becoming the future of publishing, and we’re here to help you shepherd in this new era by using a hybrid publisher you know and trust to get your book in the hands of the world! 

Publish Your Story!

Once you’ve made your decision, it’s time to publish! Don’t get me wrong, this will take time and a ton of work, but once you’ve got a team on your side using whichever publishing method you chose, you’ll start to see your vision come to life, which is the best feeling EVER.

One of our favorite things to see is the wins of our community and the publishing of our community members’ books is one of the biggest wins of all! It represents a huge milestone to them while showing us that their voice is being HEARD!

If you’re a published member of the community, let us know so we can celebrate you! If you’re not quite there yet, let us help you take your voice to the next level. 🚀