Self Publishing Overview -- Whew!

By Elaine L. Orr 

Writers who decide to publish their books wear many hats. Some are more comfortable than others, and all are necessary.

You may be reading this before you finish a book or essay. It’s good to plan ahead, but more important to focus on what you are writing.

None of these tasks matter if you don’t produce a high-quality product.

THE BROAD DUTIES

 Some may seem obvious, some less so. The steps are discussed in terms of books, but apply to stories and essays. If I thought a step may not be clear for a novice, I added detail. Mostly, since the devil is in the details, you will have to learn more later – after you decide to self-publish and pursue these tasks in earnest.

 1.        Put yourself in a chair and finish the first draft of your book.

2.        Obtain feedback from several sources, and revise the book.

3.        Let the work sit for enough time to gain a fresh respective when you reread and revise again.

4.        Work with at least a proofreader (and an editor if you can afford one) to make your book the best it can be.

5.        Decide how to publish the book – digital only, add a paperback, think about audio.

6.        Determine where to publish the ebook and paperback– Amazon only, all major online retailers, Ingram Spark for bookstore and library distribution.

7.        Understand the copyright system. (Note: Under the laws of most nations, your work is copyright as soon as you put it on paper.)

8.        Determine whether you need to register as a publisher with Bowker and buy ISBNs or use free ones when offered. Some print-on-demand (POD) firms or ebook retailers provide free ones, but the ISBN is associated with their name. That does not affect the copyright.

9.        Decide whether to do all steps yourself or work with a hybrid publisher, who assists with self-publishing steps. If you choose this route, do your research and have a lawyer review the proposed contract. The following steps assume you will do all the work yourself, or contract out a few steps and oversee the work.

10.    Begin work with a cover designer by first expressing your ideas for a cover in a paragraph or two. Allow the designer to be creative, within some basic parameters.

11.    Develop a marketing plan, for online and real-world marketing. (There are hundreds of inexpensive ebooks and free blog posts on this topic.)

12.    Develop a master digital file by stripping the formatting and reinserting it.

13.    Approve the cover.

14.    Adapt the digital copy (by saving it with a different name) for each website that will sell your book.

15.    Load the digital book first to Amazon KDP, and carefully review its presentation in the digital previewer. You are not editing text, simply looking at format (such as text size) or layout.

16.    Make formatting or layout changes as needed and reload the book.

17.    Choose a date for final publication, preferably in a month or longer. This gives you time to garner sales throughout the preorder phase, thus giving the book a higher rank when it is available for purchase.

18.    Load the digital book to other sites, possibly using an aggregator such as Draft2Digital, so you load fewer times. The more sites, the more places to correct if you find a typo later. (An aggregator loads your book to multiple sites, though not to Amazon. Though they take a small portion of your royalties, they save time and frustration.)

19.    Begin or continue formatting the paperback. (You may do this even earlier, recognizing it’s not final, but a way to review the draft book as you edit.)

20.    Load the paperback to a site such as Barnes and Noble or Amazon KDP (free) or Ingram Spark (some fees). Proof the paperback, using a paper copy at least once, and digital copy for the second round of paperback revisions.

21.    Consider publishing the paperback a week or so before the final digital release date, so you can order copies for the press and bookstores.

22.    Initial marketing should include an email blast to friends and fans whom you know will make early purchases. Follow this with social media posts (Facebook Groups, BookSky, Instagram, Pinterest, even You Tube).

23.    Implement the rest of your marketing plan (which includes real-world marketing) by visiting bookstores and libraries, encouraging local media to mention your book, possibly buying an ad in a local paper or another outlet geared to your readers.

24.    Encourage readers to leave reviews for your books online, and try to get local media to review the book at their online site or in print versions.

25.    Start your next book.

26.    Never stop marketing this one, even if you don’t work on it every day.

27.    Note: Audiobooks are for another day. Amazon and Google use AI to prepare books from your manuscript – though nothing compares to a talented narrator.

      These steps are simplified, but they could still seem like too much to absorb. Step away for a bit. Play a game of golf, read a good book, or walk a mile.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Remind yourself that authors tend to congregate in critique groups, library book clubs, professional organizations, and at conferences. You can create a network of advisors. You can also pay people to do some things for you – even formatting a book for publication.

When you hold your book, it all becomes worth it.

       RESOURCES AND LINKS

      There could be thirty resources here, multiple ones for most steps. Detailed material is for a how-to course. However, a few references may answer some basic questions.

     Who copyrights my book? When you publish a book (actually, when you write it) you establish your copyright, automatically, according to U.S. Law. You can choose to register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office in the Library of Congress (http://www.copyright.gov/). The fee is $35. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean your book will be in the Library of Congress. A list of fact sheets is very helpful. (http://copyright.gov/circs/factsheet.html).

Do I need an ISBN for every edition? Not necessarily, but it helps. Amazon assigns an ASIN to each book, and it is becoming a commonly accepted book identifier for ebooks. Other sites assign their own identifiers. Some sites provide free ISBNs for paperbacks  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Ingram Spark, to name a few.

The ISBN process is managed by Bowker (https://www.myidentifiers.com/), and means your work is in Books in Print. One costs $125 (!), ten are $295, and one-hundred are $575. Don't spend money you don't have, but buying ten could be a good goal.

 Should I get a Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number for paperbacks? Yes. You need to register as an author publisher and send a copy of the book to the Library of Congress. You can, and should, get the number long before publication. It's free.

https://www.loc.gov/programs/prepub-book-link/about-this-program/

 How many places should you publish? Some people do Amazon only, which lets you participate in its KDP Select program for ebooks. I publish “wide,” which means many sites. For that, I publish with Amazon and then use Draft2Digital to load ebooks to other sites – except Google. That’s separate. D2D is much simpler than formatting for all sites, though you make less per book sold.

I strongly suggest you use only three sites for paperbacks: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IngramSpark. You could do just Amazon and IngramSpark, but I like to promote directly to Barnes and Noble (and you make more with them than by using a distributor.) Bookstores and libraries generally order only through Ingram. They will not order from Amazon. You can develop consignment arrangements with local stores, but that involves you ordering the books and keeping them in stock – a lot of work.

 Jane Friedman periodically updates her comprehensive post on self-publishing. Yay Jane!

https://janefriedman.com/self-publish-your-book/

    There are dozens of websites through which you can sell your books, and you don’t need to pay anyone to load ebooks. With most sites, you can also produce paperbacks but not distribute commercially, if you so choose. To give you a flavor for ebook and paperback publication, look to:

 Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) information. This link takes you to a broad overview; more detailed topics are in the left sidebar. Ebooks, paperbacks, hardbacks. If you use Ingram also, do not select expanded distribution.

https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A37Z49E2DDQPP3

 Ingram Spark Users’ Guide. Because Ingram offers your paperback book worldwide to diverse vendors, it is a detailed process. That’s okay. Use this as a reference tool.

https://www.ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/user-guide.pdf

(Note: Ingram works best for paperbacks. Ebook royalty rates are not as good as some other sites.)

 Barnes and Noble Tools and Tips for publishing directly with them. Ebooks, paperbacks, hardbacks. BN hosts author events, which is one reason I publish directly through BN Press. They can quickly get your books to their customers.

https://press.barnesandnoble.com/author-tools-and-tips

Draft to Digital frequently asked questions. D2D has been around for 15 years or so, and bought Smashwords, a popular ebook publishing site. You would not use them for paperbacks if you use Ingram.

https://draft2digital.com/faq/

 D2D publishes with all ebook sites, including Overdrive for libraries and the subscription site Everand. You can publish directly with, for example, Kobo and Apple, but I choose to simplify with D2D. While D2D has arrangements now with Amazon, you would want to publish directly with Kindle Direct Publishing.

 As the key site for Android users, Google Play Partner Program is essential.  It does not have specific guidelines, perhaps because it’s less complicated than other retailers. You load a PDF file, so the book appears as you see it on your computer.

https://play.google.com/books/publish/u/0/

    What About Traditional Publishing?                                                                     

     I would never suggest not going for a contract with a traditional publisher. In fact, I planned to find an agent and go that route for my Family History Mystery Series. I finished the first book in January 2020, the start of COVID. Uncertain about everything, I channeled my energy into work and wrote three books in the series that year. 

     Some smaller or niche publisher will review a book without an agent, but larger publisher will not even read a query an author submits directly.

    Read articles about finding an agent or ask author friends for suggestions about their experiences. Author organizations (such as Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers Association) are good ways to network about this and learn more about writing and publishing.

     The bottom line is that you make the choices. How do you write the best book? Read, read, read.

     Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.

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 For information on Elaine L. Orr’s books, go to https://www.elaineorr.com or visit her blog https://elaineorr.blogspot.com Books are at all online retailers or ask a bookstore or library to order them. You can also sign up for her newsletter.