After working for months, sometimes years, on a manuscript, typing those last few words can be one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Even if you’ve done it multiple times. Unfortunately, your brain immediately goes on to the next problem: Now what do I do?
Self Publishing In Short:
Put your manuscript aside for a week or two.
Editing:
- Then read it with fresh eyes.
- Then do a careful proofreading.
- Add in any front or back matter—which you have also edited and proofed.
- THEN send it to an editor who specializes in your niche or genre.
ISBNs
- If in the US, you buy them at Bowker.com
- Get the 10 pack.
- Don’t buy the bar codes.
- Yes, you can get free ones from KDP/Amazon or whatever publishing platform you use.
- Get the 10 pack from Bowker anyway.
- Still skip the bar codes.
Set Up Your Accounts with Platforms
Set up your account with KDP/Amazon, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, Lulu—whichever platform you are going to use to publish. The basic set up will ask for your basic information plus banking information (to send your royalties) and, in the case of IngramSpark, a credit or debit card.
Cover Design and Interior Formatting
- Decide on the trim size of your book.
- Write your back cover copy. (Back cover copy helps sell the book.)
- Choose a cover designer who works in your genre. They will need your trim size and eventually, number of pages of your formatted book.
- Choose a real cover designer, not someone who is “good at graphics”
- Hire a professional formatter. They will also need your trim size.
Work on your Meta Data:
- Description (This is basically a sales page.)
- Keywords and Categories (Make sure the right people find your books.)
- Research other similar books in your genre to decide on pricing.
Publishing:
- Go into the platform of your choice and add your book’s meta data: Title, author, description, price, etc.
- Upload the interior and cover files for your print and eBook.
- Order a proof copy.
- If the proof copy looks good, hit publish.
Self Publishing the Longer Version:
Editing
There’s still quite a bit to do between finishing the manuscript and holding a book in your hot little hands. My first recommendation is to let the book sit for a week or two and don’t look at it. Don’t even peek. If you think of something you should have put in or can’t quite remember something about the book, write it down and set it aside.
In a week or so, when you have several hours set aside, read your book with fresh eyes. Yes, you will find typos and places where you missed a word, and jumps in logic. If it’s a fast correction, make it; if it is something that will take some thought, make a note and come back to it later. You are reading for continuity and flow.
After you’ve done a full read (which might take more than one sitting), go back and fix the areas you marked that needed work.
Take a break (at least a day) and then proof your work. This takes time. Sometimes it’s better to start at the last chapter and work your way forward. When you’re reading things in order, your brain tends to relax and it corrects things as you go.
I know you’re thinking, Isn’t this what editors are for?
Yes, absolutely.
But the cleaner your manuscript is when you give it to them, the better the editing job you will get. (Also, they won’t make fun of you behind your back.) If the first two edits of your manuscript are a slog through illiterate mire, they are merely bringing the manuscript up to somewhat readable format. That third edit is going to be what the first edit of a clean manuscript is. That means you will not get the best refinement and polish that an editor can give your book. You wasted two rounds of editing. Some editors only do two rounds. (And some feed it through spell check and Grammarly and call it good. It’s not.)
If you are going to include things like front matter (copyright page, dedication, foreword, etc.), make sure they’re included in the manuscript you give to your editor. I’ve seen mistakes in forewords because they were added after the editor had gone through. If someone is writing the foreword for you and it isn’t ready yet, let your editor know it’s on the way and ask them to include that in the quoted price. The same goes for any back matter (author bio, other books/services, acknowledgements, notes, sources, etc.)
Once your editor returns your manuscript to you, it’s up to you to go through and accept the edits or not. Sometimes you will need to rewrite entire sections; other times you’re just accepting all the edits as they are (good times!).
While your book is being edited, you can buy your ISBNs and set up your accounts with online publishing platforms.
You have the option to buy an ISBN from whichever platform you choose, but if you do, it can only be used on that platform. In the US, publishers (that’s you) buy ISBNs from Bowker.com. I recommend buying the 10-pack to my clients. Most people will need two ISBNs (one for their print book, one for eBook) and if you decide to write a workbook to go with your book, do a hard cover or audio of your book, you will need an ISBN for each format. And, once you’ve written one book, there’s a good chance you will write another. Fair warning.
This is also a good time to work on your back cover copy. Your back cover copy tells people why they should buy your book. You want it to be benefits driven if it’s nonfiction (what will the reader “get” by reading this book) or intriguing if it’s fiction or memoir. A longer version of your back cover copy can be used for your book description on the various platforms.
Formatting and Cover Design
While your book is with the editor, choose the trim size you want. Look at other books in your genre and see what the most popular size is. If your book is very short, you might choose a smaller trim size. If it’s super long, a larger trim size. It’s up to you.
Also look at the bestselling books in your genre, both traditionally and self-published. Get some ideas for your cover, look at what’s popular right now, not ten years ago. Some business covers are deceptively simple. Many cozy mystery covers are illustrated, almost cartoonish. Horror and thrillers are usually dark with a focal point in the upper third center. You want your cover to fit with your genre and still stand out. Collect the URLs for the covers you like—your cover designer is going to ask.
Next step for your manuscript is interior formatting. If you have multiple tables, graphics, bulleted lists, break out boxes, etc., it’s a very good idea to have a professional format your book. Most formatters will do your table of contents for you. They know the proper format for the copyright page, the dedication page, etc. They will need to know your book’s trim size and will most likely give you a sample chapter or a couple of samples with font and header/page numbering choices.
Can you format the interior yourself? Yes. It’s best to use an interior template from the platforms you are going to use to publish or a program like Atticus or Vellum. If you’re proficient at Indesign, that’s an excellent program to use. If you are not good at this, hire it out.
At the same time, you can contract with a cover designer. You want someone experienced in your genre or niche, not someone who is good at graphics. Your cover sells the book. This is a place where it pays to spend the money on a good cover. I tell people to get the best cover they can afford. I’ve used 100Covers for my nonfiction books and they have done covers that look like they cost more. Affordable, professional, and well worth the price. They will also do interior formatting but only if they are also doing your cover.
Setting Up Your Book/Uploading Files
Once you have your print and cover files, you upload them to a distribution platform such as KDP/Amazon, IngramSpark, Lulu, or a host of others. They each have strengths and strategies when it comes to distribution for print and eBooks. You will need a description of your book, keywords, and know what categories you want your book shown in.
Once you’ve filled out all the information for the platforms, made sure the files are accepted, decided on your price, you get to hit the big scary publish button. EBooks are usually “live” within 12 hours, print books can take a day or several days. Sometimes they get hung up or kicked back. If you’re planning a big launch, you want to make sure your book is live with no problems a few days before launch. Unless you’re super-famous, no one is going to know your book is ready until you tell them.
Sounds Simple, Yeah?
That’s the 30,000 foot view. Every step along the way has nuances and extra tweaks you can make to give your book a better chance of success. Can you do all this yourself? Yes. As an editor, I can tell you that you want other people to read your book and let you know if something is wrong. Your eyes and brain will miss things—what makes sense to you because of your knowledge and experience might be confusing to your reader. Can you format your own interior? Yes. It’s best to use a program specifically for that and better still if you understand why fonts need to be licensed and why the gutters on left and right side pages are different. If you’re good at graphics but don’t know what makes a person pick up a book (or click on it) you need to study what works in your genre or hire it out. I’ll say it again: The cover, more than anything sells the book.
Self-publishing isn’t difficult, but it has a lot of moving parts. Typing “The End” is just the beginning of the self-publishing process. And hitting Publish is the continuation of your marketing efforts. (What? I was supposed to be marketing, too? Yep.) There’s always something to do. Good times.
