A Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing
Back when I started in publishing, self-publishing was regarded as the minor leagues. If you had to resort to self-publishing, it meant perhaps you weren’t good enough to get through the gates of a “real” publisher. And it is true that "vanity" presses did produce work of variable quality (though quality is in the eye of the beholder). In some cases even good writing suffered due to lack of editorial care and good design.
These books didn't have much of a chance, but nonetheless, once in a while a really driven author would find success.
Then the Internet came along … then ebooks, and the playing field has totally changed. I come from a dual music/publishing background, and always the publishing industry’s trends have followed those of the music industry. When the latter collapsed in on itself, people still made music and the Internet moved to fill the demand through do-it-yourself sites like Bandcamp, as well as through smaller cooperative labels. Now there is more music available than ever before, which makes for a crowded marketplace where it’s difficult to be heard — but at least you can be heard if you try hard enough.
That is where we find ourselves in publishing. Now, through services like CreateSpace, an author can easily publish his or her own book. And even more self-publishing companies exist to take advantage of the movement toward authors doing it for themselves. Let’s face it, there are fewer traditional book publishers surviving year to year, and even if you’re signed to a contract, you might not make much money, even though you don’t assume any of the costs.
This is not to denigrate traditional publishers and the good work they do. Of course, it’s great to be signed, wined, dined (maybe) and marketed and all that good stuff. But if you can’t get a publisher and your writing is good, the opportunity now exists, with a little money and hard work, to make your own name without begging someone to believe in your work.
However, the author who wishes to self-publish must plan carefully and go into the situation prepared to take the right steps to produce the best product possible. This is a process still ignored by far too many authors. So here’s a guide.
HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH
1. OK, you’ve written your novel or your philosophical opus, and you want to share it with the world. First step: choose how to get it out there. Research the various ways to put a book out. Do you buy a package from a self-publishing company, where they take care of everything and produce a finished book? Do you just want an ebook to publish via Kindle? Are you brave enough to handle everything yourself? How much will these things cost?
2. Get an editor. I have a vested interest in saying this, but it’s essential. Editors are professionals with a rarified skill set, like brain surgeons, if not with life-saving skills. You may think your writing’s pretty good, but you’d be surprised at how polishing can improve even good writing.
Self-publishing companies often offer their own editing services, and while they are usually decent, the process is much less personal than finding a kindly independent to help guide you and respond promptly to your communications. The services offered by self-publishing companies can also cost more than you wish to pay and often lack the subtlety and personalized touch that an experienced freelancer offers.
3. Still, don’t be cheap with it, either. If the editor says your 100,000-word novel needs a substantive edit and a copy edit and it will cost $2000, then she is not lying. Do, however, check out editors and get samples and quotes and try to find the right one, the way you would go about finding a good contractor for your home. But consider what goes into editing: the editor has to read the work (far more carefully than a casual read), make notes, mark it up, spend time thinking about it, communicate back and forth with the author … so yes, this is skilled work and you will have to pay a decent sum for it.
4. Think about cover art. So many self-published books have truly horrible cover art. I can’t stress enough how important that first impression is, even if it’s just a jpeg on a website. Get a crappy-looking cover and you’re going to lose the respect of potential purchasers right off the bat. Again, a self-publishing company may provide this service, but again, a freelance graphic designer will likely pay you much more attention. Editors who have been around the block enough times can often recommend other professionals. For instance, I am acquainted with many top-shelf graphic designers to whom I refer work. Those designers and I have a vested interest and pride in keeping our stellar reputations intact.
5. Once your book has been edited to everyone’s satisfaction, and designed as well, make sure it’s proofed. By that I mean that the designed book layout is proofread by someone professional, if possible, but at the very least have a well-educated acquaintance pore over the final book looking for errors remaining in the editing or design. You receiving a thousand flawed books is going to be a disaster for everyone.
6. So now you have your book or ebook ready to go. If you can’t afford to hire a PR person to flog your wares, the Internet is your friend. Do research on where to promote your book. Get a Goodreads membership. Look for other book lovers’ sites and forums and join them. Depending on what you’ve written, look for book bloggers who blog on the sort of thing you’ve done, and write to them. Much like people used to look down on “vanity” presses, bloggers were once sneered at as unjournalistic hacks. Now the shoe’s on the other foot and with print media declining, a lot of respected bloggers get far more traction than any paid journalist. See if a good book blogger will feature your title. If you have a hard copy version to sell, schedule events to promote it and sell it. Get ready to work hard.
Lastly, I cannot emphasize enough that patience is indeed a virtue. All these steps take time and can take months. But it’s worth it to put your best foot forward and have a product you can be proud of for the rest of your life — and maybe even sell a few copies!
These books didn't have much of a chance, but nonetheless, once in a while a really driven author would find success.
Then the Internet came along … then ebooks, and the playing field has totally changed. I come from a dual music/publishing background, and always the publishing industry’s trends have followed those of the music industry. When the latter collapsed in on itself, people still made music and the Internet moved to fill the demand through do-it-yourself sites like Bandcamp, as well as through smaller cooperative labels. Now there is more music available than ever before, which makes for a crowded marketplace where it’s difficult to be heard — but at least you can be heard if you try hard enough.
That is where we find ourselves in publishing. Now, through services like CreateSpace, an author can easily publish his or her own book. And even more self-publishing companies exist to take advantage of the movement toward authors doing it for themselves. Let’s face it, there are fewer traditional book publishers surviving year to year, and even if you’re signed to a contract, you might not make much money, even though you don’t assume any of the costs.
This is not to denigrate traditional publishers and the good work they do. Of course, it’s great to be signed, wined, dined (maybe) and marketed and all that good stuff. But if you can’t get a publisher and your writing is good, the opportunity now exists, with a little money and hard work, to make your own name without begging someone to believe in your work.
However, the author who wishes to self-publish must plan carefully and go into the situation prepared to take the right steps to produce the best product possible. This is a process still ignored by far too many authors. So here’s a guide.
HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH
1. OK, you’ve written your novel or your philosophical opus, and you want to share it with the world. First step: choose how to get it out there. Research the various ways to put a book out. Do you buy a package from a self-publishing company, where they take care of everything and produce a finished book? Do you just want an ebook to publish via Kindle? Are you brave enough to handle everything yourself? How much will these things cost?
2. Get an editor. I have a vested interest in saying this, but it’s essential. Editors are professionals with a rarified skill set, like brain surgeons, if not with life-saving skills. You may think your writing’s pretty good, but you’d be surprised at how polishing can improve even good writing.
Self-publishing companies often offer their own editing services, and while they are usually decent, the process is much less personal than finding a kindly independent to help guide you and respond promptly to your communications. The services offered by self-publishing companies can also cost more than you wish to pay and often lack the subtlety and personalized touch that an experienced freelancer offers.
3. Still, don’t be cheap with it, either. If the editor says your 100,000-word novel needs a substantive edit and a copy edit and it will cost $2000, then she is not lying. Do, however, check out editors and get samples and quotes and try to find the right one, the way you would go about finding a good contractor for your home. But consider what goes into editing: the editor has to read the work (far more carefully than a casual read), make notes, mark it up, spend time thinking about it, communicate back and forth with the author … so yes, this is skilled work and you will have to pay a decent sum for it.
4. Think about cover art. So many self-published books have truly horrible cover art. I can’t stress enough how important that first impression is, even if it’s just a jpeg on a website. Get a crappy-looking cover and you’re going to lose the respect of potential purchasers right off the bat. Again, a self-publishing company may provide this service, but again, a freelance graphic designer will likely pay you much more attention. Editors who have been around the block enough times can often recommend other professionals. For instance, I am acquainted with many top-shelf graphic designers to whom I refer work. Those designers and I have a vested interest and pride in keeping our stellar reputations intact.
5. Once your book has been edited to everyone’s satisfaction, and designed as well, make sure it’s proofed. By that I mean that the designed book layout is proofread by someone professional, if possible, but at the very least have a well-educated acquaintance pore over the final book looking for errors remaining in the editing or design. You receiving a thousand flawed books is going to be a disaster for everyone.
6. So now you have your book or ebook ready to go. If you can’t afford to hire a PR person to flog your wares, the Internet is your friend. Do research on where to promote your book. Get a Goodreads membership. Look for other book lovers’ sites and forums and join them. Depending on what you’ve written, look for book bloggers who blog on the sort of thing you’ve done, and write to them. Much like people used to look down on “vanity” presses, bloggers were once sneered at as unjournalistic hacks. Now the shoe’s on the other foot and with print media declining, a lot of respected bloggers get far more traction than any paid journalist. See if a good book blogger will feature your title. If you have a hard copy version to sell, schedule events to promote it and sell it. Get ready to work hard.
Lastly, I cannot emphasize enough that patience is indeed a virtue. All these steps take time and can take months. But it’s worth it to put your best foot forward and have a product you can be proud of for the rest of your life — and maybe even sell a few copies!
