Self-publishing 101

Guide to Self-publishing

Congratulations on your decision to write a book. It can be rewarding in more ways than one. Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, it can be exciting putting your words and thoughts on paper, bringing a character to life or fleshing out a topic of interest to you. The daunting task can be in getting the book published. What do you do? Who do you talk to? If you go the tradition route, you will be better off hiring a literary agent who can help you navigate the publishing minefield. This can take time and be as much work as writing the book was. Another way that is becoming more popular is self-publishing. A number of authors have self-published. As with anything, there are advantages and disadvantages to self-publishing. But I believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Advantages to self-publishing

If you have written a manuscript or are writing a manuscript and you are looking to have it published, you might want to consider self-publishing. There are several advantages to self-publishing. They include:

• 100% creative control

• Higher royalties

• Control over cover design and book layout

• Shorter time from manuscript to publication

• Most self-publishing firms have large distribution channels, such as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, bookstore and ebook distribution

• Some firms allow your books to be tracked by traditional publishers such as Doubleday, Zondervan, and Harlequin.

• Author signs a non-exclusive license. This means that you can publish the same manuscript through several self-publishing firms or with a traditional publisher without violating any agreement with the self-publishing firm.

Disadvantages to self-publishing

Just as there are some upsides to self-publishing, there are also some downsides. They include:

• There are upfront fees that must be paid for publication. These fees differ depending upon which package the author chooses. They can run anywhere from $579 to over $6,000. (I’ve worked with two such firms. iUniverse has some inexpensive packages but I found you get more for your money from FriesenPress.

• To have a better chance of high sales, it is important to get your books on bookshelves. To do this, you must purchase Book Return Insurance. This is usually in addition to the publishing packages purchased (depending on package; the more expensive packages include this service.) Book Return Insurance allows bookstore to stock your title without risk. If it doesn’t sell, they can return it to the bookseller and get a refund.

• Another thing that ensures high book sales is having a book free of errors, typos, verb-tense inconsistencies, run-on sentences, and other grammatical issues. To protect against this, you can purchase editing services. I believe I found better priced editing services at iUniverse. Friesen Press charges per every 100 word. You can also outsource this to someone who is good in English, such as a school teacher or a grad student.

• Many self-publishing firms provide marketing services for an additional fee. Some more expensive publishing packages include some or all of these services.

What are some self-publishing firms?

There are a number of different self-publishing firms out there. Each one charges different amounts for their services. You can do a Google or Yahoo or some other search to find them. Type in self-publishing in the search bar. Some of the more popular ones include:

Friesen Press – www.friesenpress.com

iUniverse – www.iuniverse.com

Xlibris – www.xlibris.com

Xulon – www.xulon.com

Last things

Just as different self-publishers charge different amounts for their services, they also have different requirements in regards to the formats of the manuscripts they receive. They also have different requirements as to how manuscripts are submitted. Some accept electronic submissions; some may require the manuscript and supporting documentation to be mailed in. Some firms allow you to split your payments, while others require a one-time, lump sum payment. To find out what each requires and what each provides, you can visit their websites and request a free Author’s Guide. You will have to supply some information to get this guide but it may be worth it. You can also find much of the information you require by searching the company’s website.

Good luck and I’ll see you in the bookstore.