Why I Use Fiverr For Self-Publishing

Why did I begin using freelancers when I started writing? Well, I couldn’t afford the big names out there, but still needed the help! I was in the same boat that so many other new authors were (are) in. I had no idea that my 70,000-word novel was going to cost $2,000- $3,000 to edit. And that was just a developmental edit, mind you. I was still hoping for a copy editor and a proofreader! What was a broke writer to do?

Enter Freelancers! Now, I love Freelancers. Absolutely love them. I have found so much great talent on Fiverr, talent in any area of self-publishing, writing, marketing, you name it. The best part? The prices range from high to low. Now sometimes, you need to be careful. You know that old saying, “you get what you pay for”? Well, some of the times that is true. But I have found that is not always the case. Check this out.

I needed an editor. I knew I did. So I hopped on Fiverr, and scoured the different editors, checked reviews, time on Fiverr, everything. I finally decided on a young woman from the UK who was willing to do a general edit for a surprisingly low cost and still had great reviews. Seeing the prices I had seen, I was quite surprised at the amount of work she offered to do in her description. And you know what? I was over the moon impressed with the job she did.

For an incredibly reasonable cost, she did a general line edit, like language and sentence structure, and a developmental edit (pointing out things about my characters and plot she thought could be better or didn’t make sense). She even pointed out a great deal of proofreading mistakes. She wrote me a whole page explaining her reasonings and her markings.

I think I took all of her suggestions and am so glad I did. She got a $100.00 tip from me! That was one of my many success stories.

Now I did learn the hard way about the whole ‘paying for what you get’ thing. I went through three cover designers on Fiverr. The first two were less expensive—probably due to the fact that they did not have as much experience. But they made great covers and I approved them, but later down the line changed my mind. I finally went with a young lady for a higher price that had hundreds of five-star reviews.

I was pretty hell-bent on keeping my lucky streak of paying low prices for amazing work. That doesn’t always work! With your book cover, I recommend going the extra mile. At least do your homework. Reviews will tell a great story and give you the information you need.

These days, (While my second book is in the rough draft stage) I use Fiverr for marketing. I can’t tell you the ease of hiring someone to make ads for me. I know that is a luxury a lot of people can’t afford, but for me, it is worth it. Making ads, for me, is the most confusing and frustrating thing on this planet. And it is one thing I will gladly pay for.

One thing I didn’t realize until after I published my book on Amazon—if you want to sell books after you hit the ‘Publish’ button, marketing doesn’t stop. The ads don’t stop. Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest. You have to continue these ads to get sales. It is a drag, but I have found my new secret weapon! I love to launch eBook Promos on Amazon Kindle at the same time as a promo! Book sales go like crazy! Of course, you can only pick 5 days on Kindle Unlimited to use these promos. (Homework. Seriously.)

So, in my case, (computer-ad-hater) Fiverr has saved my book marketing strategy and I have gotten sales. In the beginning, I had people make ads for Tiktok and Snapchat. Well, now what? These people were paid to solely design the ad. Not to put it out there. Whoops. (They were totally awesome--proof down at the bottom of the blog!) What was a computer-illiterate girl to do? I found a very nice gentleman to be my FB Ad Manager. In truth, he would have designed the ads as well but was happy to use the one I already had made since it was awesome!

Make sure you know what you need. Do you need a graphic designer or a Facebook (TikTok ,Snapchat, whatever) manager? Big difference!

Ask them questions. In most instances, I receive answers within a few hours. (Not always. Time Zones can affect this.) Freelancers want your work, and are thrilled with your questions! It means you are considering their work! Ask away! One FB Manager even did a Google Meet Session with me when I couldn’t figure out how to set up my FB Ad Account correctly. I was thrilled to have his help, and he even showed me how to pay my balance.

In conclusion? I LOVE FIVERR! I LOVE FREELANCERS! They made it possible to get my book out there, and they have done an excellent job! I hope whoever reads this considers giving them a chance! If you are like me, just a 9-5er (Actually a 7-3:30er) and don't have thousands of extra bucks lying around, I suggest you give them a chance!

Happy Writing!

Michelle

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