Phase 1: The Pre-Writing Phase of Kevin A Dunlap’s program Become a Self-Published Author. This section gains clarity on the pre-writing phase where we cover your topic and if it will be fiction or non-fiction. This is also where you start to decide if you are going to go with hardcover or softcover. We also discuss the size of your book and the estimated length of the book. All of this is important as you begin this process.