So you've written a book. Years of hard work and dedication have gone into the making of it. But it's finally finished. You could sit back and relax, but now you're faced with a challenge perhaps greater than the writing process itselfgetting your book published. The following article is intended to help you navigate through this process. Specifically, this article is a guide to self-publishing. Maybe you're considering self-publishing, but want to learn more about it first. Maybe you're about to start the self-publishing process but need some help along the way. Or maybe you've already published your book and are looking for some handy tips on marketing and promotion. Simply skip to the section you want and start reading!
Publishing Options
As an author, you are faced with two options. You can publish through a traditional publishing house, or you can self-publish. It is the dream of many authors to sign on with such big names as Random House and HarperCollins. However, getting traditionally published is a difficult dream to see realized, even if you're not shooting for those big names. First, you must spend many nights poring over that tome, The Writer's Market, in order to find publishers who will accept your type of manuscript. And generally, different publishers want different things from you. Some publishers ask for a biography page. Others want a synopsis or a chapter summary outline. Some accept only queries. Others will only accept submissions from licensed agents. This, of course, means hiring an agent, many of whom are reluctant to take on first-time authors. And if you do score an agent, that means splitting your profits with him or her later on.
But let's say you don't hire an agent. On average, it takes a publishing house three to six months to respond to your unsolicited manuscript, and anywhere from several weeks to three months to respond to your query. Thus, if you queried a publisher first, then sent your complete manuscript, it might take as long as nine months to hear yea or nay from them. If you receive a rejection letter back (which authors submitting their first stories invariably do), you might have to wait another nine months to hear back from the second publisher.
Maybe I can speed things up by submitting my story to several different publishers at once, you think to yourself. Unfortunately, most publishers do not accept simultaneous submissions. As you can see, attempting to get published through a traditional publisher is an onerous process. Although it took years to finish your book, it might take even longer to see it in print. The current economic situation makes this process even more difficult. Due to the economic downturn, publishers such as Random House have been forced to cut back both on the amount of submissions they receive and the number of titles they release.
These past few paragraphs have likely filled you with despair. How will I ever see the book I have worked so hard on and dedicated so much time to in print? you ask yourself. Will I ever have the joy of seeing it in a bookstore, or being enjoyed by a generation of readers? The answer is-contrary to everything I've suggested so far-yes. All this is possible if you self-publish.
Benefits of Self-Publishing
Through self-publishing, it is a certainty that you will get your book in print. In fact, you can do so in less time than it takes to receive a rejection letter back from a publisher. Furthermore, I believe there are many benefits to self-publishing over traditional publishing.
It gets your book in print fast. As mentioned above, self-publishing is a speedy process. From the time the self-publishing company receives your manuscript, it can be made available online and to retailers in as little as six weeks. This is great news for authors who wish to hit a seasonal mark with their book, such as Christmas or summer. If you are accepted by a traditional publisher, this same process typically takes at least a year, sometimes up to two or three years. During this time period, your book is scoured by editors and subjected to the changes they see fit. This leads to my second benefit.
It allows for creative control. This is an aspect that is extremely important for some writers. It means that you control all aspects of your book, not the editors who are assigned to it. In fact, many authors cite creative control as the primary reason they decided to go the self-publishing route. If you decide to publish through a traditional publishing house, they essentially own your manuscript. They decide what cover you will have. They decide when to release your book. And they decide what cut of the profit to take. This leads to my third benefit.
There's potential for a higher profit. Everyone has heard of the stereotype of the impoverished writer. Unfortunately, this stereotype has some truth behind it, unless you are a J.K. Rowling or a John Grisham. Typically, traditional publishers will offer you a royalty of 10% from the sales of your book (remember if you have an agent, 15% of your 10% will go to them). Clearly, you're not going to be able to retire on your book deal. However, with self-publishing, you get to keep all the profit from your sales. Your book also remains on the market indefinitely, instead of being tied down to a contract. Thus, you can keep making sales year after year.
You have the freedom to choose the services that work best for you. Self-publishing companies offer many great services, but what's really great is that you can pick and choose the services that work best for you. This personalizes the publishing process to fit your needs and allows you to control your own budget. Pay for the services you want, skip the ones you don't. Some handy self-publishing services include cover design, editing, marketing kits, and website design.
It takes advantage of changing technology. Self-publishing is adapting to a quickly changing technological landscape. This is because self-publishing by its very nature lends itself to the internet. All self-publishing companies are listed online now. You simply upload your manuscript to the website, and voila; it's on the road to publication! Traditional publishers are still stuck dealing with paper copies, which slows down the publication process. Secondly, the internet is also a thriving marketplace for the buying and selling of books. Just take a look at Amazon.com. Amazon receives millions of visitors each month and turned out over $5 billion in media sales in 2008.
Self-publishing has a Promising Future. The future of self-publishing also looks quite rosy. (Which is good news for writers who still have that unfinished manuscript sitting up on the shelves.) According to Dan Poynter, the godfather of self-publishing,' self-publishers are "more nimble, are quicker to adapt to trends, conditions, and changes" than are traditional publishers, who are still stuck operating the way they did in the fifties.
Of course, I must add the caveat that self-publishing is not for everyone. It may be fast, profitable, and creatively liberating, but it is also work. Many authors balk at this unsavoury concept. What, I have to write the book, then edit, design, market, and promote it? they think to themselves. Unfortunately, this is where the self' in self-publishing' comes in. However, it can also be intensely gratifying to know that you and you alone are responsible for your creationthe published book. But perhaps you're still enticed by the idea of getting that book deal. Remember, it's still possible to get traditionally published after self-publishing. In fact, this may even increase your odds. Many authors self-publish first in the hopes that they will generate enough sales to attract the attention of publishers who have previously been ignoring them. There are numerous examples of this happening. The widely popular fantasy series, Eragon, was originally self-published. So was John Grisham's A Time to Kill. If you want to check out some previously self-published titles that being released this year, go to:
http://childrensbook.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/dis covered-more-self-publishers-hit-the-big-time.
Prepar ing Your Manuscript For Publication
If you're reading this article, you've probably already finished your book. Or so you think. Now it's time to start editing and re-reading process. When editing, you want to look at three levels.
The manuscript as a whole. This first level is the broadest and requires more of a "fast-and-loose" reading. Here, you're looking for cohesion. Does your writing style remain consistent throughout the manuscript? Are questions brought up in the first chapters resolved (or at least addressed) in later chapters?
The paragraph level. Here, you're doing a page by page reading. Have your paragraph breaks been made in the correct places? Do they flow well from one to the next? Remember, paragraphs signal a slight (but not radical) break in the thought or action of the narrative. They also separate dialogue.
The sentence level. Here, you'll want to make a very close reading. Check for correct sentence structure, grammatical mistakes, and misspellings. Remember, those pesky little typos are sometimes hard to catch! Some people recommend reading aloud, placing a ruler or bookmark under each line, or even reading backwards to spot typos.
I also recommend re-reading your book at least twice before submitting it to the publishers. Take a break between edits so that you can re-evaluate the manuscript with fresh eyes. Yes, this is an onerous process (especially if the book is more than 200 pages!) but it's necessary if you want your manuscript to look professional. If you have some sections of your book memorized, consider that a good thing.
And of course, two (or more) sets of eyes are always better than one. Most self-publishing companies offer an editing service. Take advantage of it. Even if they don't offer the service, you can always hire a freelance editor. You can find them at websites such as www.killgrove.org/editing, www.scribendi.com, and www.firstediting.com. Rates for freelance editors range anywhere from $3-$90 an hour, with the average editor reading about 6 pages per hour. And for free, you can also have family and friends read over your manuscript and offer suggestions.
I know this is skipping ahead a little, but once your actual book has been created, you'll want to order a proof, or copy, of it before making it available to the public. Then do another round of editing on this proof. It is much easier to catch errors on a hard copy version of your story than it is on an electronic version. Also, you'll want to order a proof so you can look over the interior and cover pages to make sure they were formatted correctly.
Choosing A Service
Once your book is ready for publication, it's time to choose a self-publishing service. There are a plethora of self-publishing services to choose from. Within this article, I will compare two of the most popular services, BookSurge and Lulu. Other popular companies include iUniverse, Xlibris, and AuthorHouse. If you want to see how all these self-publishing companies stack up against each other, check out the book The Fine Print of Self Publishing, written by Mark Levine. I myself used Lulu to publish my children's book last year and was very impressed by the service. (If you're interested, you can check out my book at www.lulu.com/content/5494236.) Lulu is fast, affordable, and professional. The site is also extremely user-friendly, and they offer great services such as online storefronts and marketing kits. Another big plus of Lulu is that there are no upfront costs. Many authors are reluctant to self-publish because they don't like the idea of paying upfront. What happens if my book doesn't sell as well as I had hoped? They may ask. Won't I lose money? With Lulu, this isn't a problem. It's perfectly free to publish your book and make it available for purchase on Lulu's marketplace and Amazon.com. For $49.95, you can have your book available internationally, on other online sites such as barnesandnoble.com, and in brick and mortar bookstores. However, since Lulu's service is completely free to use, they make a profit by taking out a percentage of every book you sell. In other words, you are receiving a royalty, the same as you would with a traditional publisher. Nevertheless, I still believe this is a better deal than BookSurge offers. Even if your book is fully formatted and designed, BookSurge still charges a fee of $299 to make it available to the market. Furthermore, BookSurge requires that you purchase one of their "publishing packages," which can be slightly restrictive. With Lulu, however, it is not required that you purchase a package. If you simply want to publish your work without "amenities," then you can. However, BookSurge does have a few advantages over Lulu.. The first is a more personalized service. With Lulu, you are pretty much on your own. If you have any questions, you can contact the Lulu support staff, but otherwise.not much. BookSurge, on the other hand, states that their staff is willing to work one-on-one with you during the publication of your work. Furthermore, BookSurge offers a 35% royalty for the sales of your book, while Lulu offers a 30% royalty on all books sold through their website, but only 1% for books sold through retail outlets. Although this percentage is small, keep in mind that Lulu is free to use, while BookSurge still charges at least a $299 fee. For example, if your book had a market price of $15.00, you would have to sell 58 copies with BookSurge in order to break even. With Lulu, you would have already made a profit of roughly $140. Thus, although I personally recommend using Lulu, I leave the decision up to you, of course! You can check out both websites at the links provided: http://www.lulu.com/, http://www.booksurge.com/.
Formatting Your Manuscript
Once you've chosen a self-publishing company, it's time to upload your document on to their website. But wait! You have to make sure it's formatted correctly first. There are seven quick steps you need to take to format your manuscript.
1. Choose the size of your document. Microsoft word documents open in a standard size of 8.5"x11". But you probably don't want your book to be that big! Acceptable pages sizes for books include 6"x9", 7.5"x7.5", and 8.5"x8.5". You can change the size in the page setup feature of Microsoft word.
2. Justify the margins. Margins for a book are always justified, or straight on both sides, instead of ragged right. (The margins should also be between 1" and 1.25").
3. Add a gutter. The gutter is the inside margin of the book where the page dips into the spine. You'll want to make sure that your text doesn't fall into that little "dip" and become difficult to read. In page setup, set your document to "mirror margins" and give yourself a gutter of at least .2".
4. Insert page breaks between each of your chapter headings. If you just hit enter/return to separate your chapter headings, they might end up in different places on the page when your document is uploaded.
5. Chose a line spacing. For books, a 1.5" spacing looks best and is easiest to read. For a hint, a 6"x9" book typically has about 30 lines per page.
6. Create the front matter. Many self-publishing companies (Lulu included) require that you create your own title page, table of contents, and copyright page. These pages are referred to as "front matter" because they come before the actual content of your book. It's also good to insert one or two blank pages into the front matter as well. Some people also add a dedication page. You should check out published books in your genre in order to figure out how this front matter should appear.
7. And of course, remember to number those pages!
Now your manuscript is finally ready to be uploaded onto the website! The self-publishing company will then convert this document into a PDF file that can be printed in book form.
Designing A Cover
Once your document has been uploaded on to the self-publishing website, the next (and probably most fun) step is designing a cover. Unfortunately, many self-published authors skimp on this service, because a good cover can be costly. But if you feel you've written a masterpiece, have a cover that reflects this. It should be both eye-catching and reflect the content of your book. Lulu itself offers a cover design service with prices ranging all the way from $80 to $1,000, depending on the level of artistry you want. You could also hire a freelance designer. Find them online at sites such as www.bookcoverdesigner.com, www.bookcreatives.com, or www.samwell.com. Their prices generally range anywhere from $200 to the thousands.
Don't have a large budget? If you have family or friends with skills in illustration or graphic design, take advantage of them. Furthermore, there are many young, talented artists who want to increase their portfolios. You can find them at graduate schools, graphic design schools, or listed online on sites like Craig's List. They'll offer cheap rates for the opportunity to have their name on your book and will likely to tackle your project with enthusiasm. Lulu's forums also list many illustrators, from budding to experienced.
Another great aspect of designing a cover for a self-published book is that you have input on how it will look. Lulu's cover designers, for example, allow you to decide the text, images, and colors for your cover. They also allow for two rounds of free revisions to make sure the cover's just right. Or you choose a freelance designer whose work you like best and they will also take your ideas into consideration.
Distributing
As a self-published author, your main distribution channel will be the internet. Both Lulu and BookSurge automatically place your work on their online marketplaces and amazon.com for free. For a price, you can also have your book available on barnesandnoble.com, borders.com, and other online retailers. This is great news, since more books are bought online now than ever before. For example, a recent Nielson survey found that 41% of internet users bought books online in 2008, compared to only 34% in 2006. Your second distribution channel is actual bookstores. This seems like a duh' comment, but until recently it was extremely difficult to get a self-published book into bookstores. Since self-published books were printed on demand and not stocked by a distributor, that meant they were nonreturnable. Of course, bookstores won't accept nonreturnable books. Now, however, nearly all self-publishing companies (including Lulu and BookSurge) work through wholesale distributors, such as Ingram or Baker and Taylor. Your book is now returnable to these distributors, and bookstores are finally willing to stock them.
There are also many advantages to getting your book stocked in bookstores. The first is probably simply a matter of pride. For many authors, seeing their book up on a shelf makes the whole process more real' for them. As romantic as this sounds, there are also practical reasons for getting your book into a bookstore. The first is visibility. On the internet, people are either looking specifically for your book, or happen to tap in certain keywords that lead them to your book. In bookstores, someone walking in will merely have to glance across the shelves to catch sight of your book. A final advantage of bookstores is that you can hold book signings and readings at the stores where your book is stocked. Nevertheless, don't consider having your book on the shelves of Barnes and Noble or Borders to be the end-all be-all of the distribution process. Remember that in five months, if a book's not selling, managers generally pull it off the shelves. Theoretically, a book can remain listed on the internet forever. And finally, remember you're not limited to bookstores and the internet to distribute your book, although of course these are the main avenues. Written a book for dog-lovers? Put it in pet stores. Written a book on nutrition? Put it in a health store.
Marketing
Remember that in terms of your book, you are your greatest fan. Don't expect everybody you tell about your book to immediately rush out and buy a copy. In fact, most won't. You can rely to a certain extent on friends and family, but you only have so many Uncle Bob's. This is where marketing comes in. Here, marketing refers to promoting and spreading awareness about your book. First, and ever-growing in popularity, there's internet marketing. If your book is already listed on online marketplaces such as lulu.com or amazon.com, spruce up those pages! Make them personalized. No reader wants to log on to your page and be greeted by a blank screen with your book slapped in the middle of it. You can also have friends, family, and previous customers leave a positive review on the site. Finally, you can create your own personalized webpage for your book. It's best to have a professional web designer do this for you. However, if you'd like to tackle the project on your own, there are a number of online tutorials to guide you through this process. Check out www.webdeveloper.com, www.builder.com, and www.webreview.com.
Online advertisements are also an option. Notice all those ads that appear on the right-hand side of the Google engine when you type in a search term? One of those ads could be for your book! Create an account with GoogleAdvertising, make your ad, then choose the search terms that will cause your ad to appear. You also choose your own budget, since you pay Google based on how many clicks your ad receives. For example, you can set the maximum cost of a click to ten cents. If you've published through Lulu, this process is even easier. Simply purchase GoogleAdvertising through Lulu for $199 and they'll do all the work for you.
However, if you're looking towards free form of marketing, consider spreading news about your book on online forums. There are many booklover forums such as www.weRead.com, or writing communities such as www.authorsden.com, and www.writing.com. These communities were expressly created for writers and readers to come together to suggest good stories and novels, or promote their own work. There also may be forums related to the genre of your book. For example, if you've written a fantasy or scifi novel, check out http://speculativevision.com/forum. However, don't spam people here. Try to establish a presence on the forum before bursting onto the message boards crying "buy my book!" Generally, you'll find that being a member of these forums to be a rewarding experience, regardless of whether you sell a book through them or not.
Aside from the internet, there are many other tools for marketing your book. One tried and true method is the press release. A press release is a short news piece designed to run in a newspaper, magazine, or on the radio. It describes your book and entices people to read it. Your press release should be attention-grabbing, short, snappy, and to-the-point. Be sure to include your contact information and how people can purchase your book. Lulu also describes how to write an effective press release on their site and even provides an example release. Check it out at:
www.lulu.com/en/services/marketing/. Remember, discriminate rather than blindly send out your releases. For example, if you wrote a book on nutrition, send release to a health magazine. There also may be "fanzines," or fan magazines, in your book's genre that you can send your release to. For example, if you've written a romance, you might want to check out Romantic Times BOOKReviews. Their website is at www.romantictimes.com.
Book signings are also another popular method for raising awareness about your book. Call your local bookstore to schedule a signing. Then contact TV and radio stations and send out postcards to friends and family to promote the event. Aside from bringing copies of your book the signing, you can also bring customized bookmarks and business cards to give out. You can create them online at websites such as www.vistaprint.com and www.iPrint.com.
A final word of advice, figure out who your audience is and market towards them. Get on fantasy forums if your book is fantasy. Go to your high school library if that's your age range. Is your audience internet-savvy? Create a website. What types of bookstores do they frequent? Hold a book signing there.
And Lastly...
Wherever you are in your publishing journey, I hope this article was a help to you. Self-publishing takes a lot of effort, but if you follow each step well, it should be a success. Remember, if your book is good in terms of cover design, layout, and content, and if you market it diligently to the correct audience, then your book will sell. And whether you decide to self-publish or go the traditional route, good luck on the road to publication!