How to self-publish a book

What Every Aspiring Author Needs to Know on How to Self-Publish a Book.

Today, it’s pretty unconvincing to claim that traditional publishing alone reigns uncontested. As self-pubbed books are collecting more bad reviews, and even tainted with sleazy reputations, several authors still find self-publishing a great option to tell the world their stories.

Though smeared with negative impressions, self-publishing does have its good and promising sides. Aside from having complete creative control of your work, you get to promote your book in your ways—and even market it faster and wider. Sure, self-publishing is not for the faint of heart and can be a demanding process. That’s why you have to learn the ins and outs of the process, of digital publishing and marketing.

The statistics say that by 2021, the self-publishing industry would amount to a whopping $121 billion. So, if you’re an author who wants to make a name, maybe it’s time to self-publish your book. Gone are those times where big businesses can only do big in publishing. Now, you have the power to tell stories around the world.

If you’re eager to know how to self-publish a book, here’s the nitty-gritty details and steps you have to learn.

Research!

Writing a book requires tremendous time and effort. But, self-publishing a book? You have to double that time and effort. Know your genre first and your targeted audience and everything will follow. It’s also important to know your book inside-out, the details on the surface, and a deeper level. Read from the great authors with the same genre as your book.

Will you do it your own through the entire publishing process? How about your marketing tactics? Do you have funds to market your book? Think of these questions thoroughly. You need them to start working on your self-publishing journey.

Our advice is to join writing groups and communities. You can find most of them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. There, you can meet fellow writers who can help you guide through the process. It’s a win-win step since you’ll widen your network, and at the same time, learn helpful insights. While this may be proven good for you, respect your writing peers. Instead, build a long-lasting relationship, or even share what you learn too—or any writing advice.

Draft!

Weaving words into sentences, to paragraphs, to chapters, and then into a whole book is what makes writing exciting. But these are all the steps on how to self-publish a book—a step-by-step guide—that is too demanding and would take a long time to complete.

Yes, there are times you find it hard to write and finish a paragraph. But being faithful to your writing schedule and finding time to write makes it all the difference. Most prolific writers stick to a schedule and just write. The best time to write is now. Butt in chair, hands on the keyboard.

Edit!

“How much does it cost to self-publish a book?” Well, it can turn out to be costly if you don’t edit before you publish your book. Other than yourself as the first editor of your book, a set of fresh two eyes can help you spot errors you might have missed. Editing is another different world than writing.

Within the self-publishing process, there are proper steps you should note: Manuscript assessment is to do an initial read of your book and get the basic and general impression; then the developmental editing focuses on the analysis of your book’s plot, style, tone, and characters. After that is to copy edit, the technical part of correcting grammatical error and spelling. And lastly, proofreading where it’s reviewed thoroughly again before it is printed.

Hire a professional editor before regretting not having one. No matter how good you are at writing, an editor can help double check your book to keep it clear and clean. Again find a good editor for your book.

Design!

The first thing your reader sees is your front and back cover design. And most of the time, first impressions last—between five and 15 seconds. So, make it as interesting and appealing as possible. For a children’s book, you need to create a colorful illustration on every page, while for a novel, you only need a professionally-made front and back cover design.
Designing a book cover is a serious endeavor. So, ask yourself: Can you do it? If you can, can you do it well? If not, then hire professional graphic designers and illustrators who can get the job done. And if we mean done—a killer cover that surely makes a lasting impression.

Remember that the publishing world is full of competition. Other indie authors want to hook their readers in several marketing channels. So, how to self-publish a book that the cover also sells? Don’t sell a book that looks like a self-published one. A book cover should have a solid composition and intriguing point that easily hooks the reader who is trying to scan the shelves or browse online.

It’s better to hire a professional designer than to market an ugly book cover. Your book won’t go far if your book cover isn’t inviting enough. Make sure the cover reflects what the story is about. After the design process, you can also collect feedback from your friends or writing peers.

Format!

If you’ve decided to self-publish a book online as an e-book format and then onto a print, you have to learn the formats. There are certain conditions and required specifications to complete before sending one. Ingram Spark has a file creation guide and you have to familiarize the book layout basics. But if you’re willing to pay for a service that does both book cover and content, AEGA publishing can take care of that for you—from interior layout to book cover.

Self-publish!

You’re done with completing your story, the book cover design, and formatting too. So, now what? Whether you choose e-book or print, both avenues offer wide readers. But why not both? You can self-publish a book via print and e-book to double up your reach. Take both routes and you can market online or offline, depends on the season.

Some bookworms prefer e-books since they are generally cheaper to buy than a print book. Most budget-conscious authors go for e-books first, since it can be done easily and faster—and doesn’t cost much. But physical books still outsell e-books, and that’s one of many reasons you go printed. Print on Demand model, for instance, gives indie authors the chance to print their book when only someone orders it. In other words, you save more money while avoiding wasting copies of your books unsold.

Also, more importantly, you need to consider the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) as part of your self-publishing costs. It’s the 13-digit code that is like an ID or book identifier which identifies a published book. So if your book has ISBN, it can be sold in different bookstores and can be searched by publishers and acquired by libraries worldwide.

Basically, that’s how to self-publish a book and make it sell. Overall, the process of self-publishing and marketing your book doesn’t truly end. It’s a never-ending project that you will need to follow up, and even continue creating more stories that your readers would glad to wait. Marketing and promotions are a hard commitment you will need to do. So, write, self-publish, market, and repeat. Go on and self-publish a book today, share your story, and make money!

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