Self-publishing has often been associated with lower quality books, full of errors, typos and flaws. In the past, self-publishing has felt like an amateur way to tell your story. But that’s not the case. It can be a very successful and highly professional way to get your book into the world. But here’s the way to do it successfully.
Why self-publish?
To begin with, let’s understand why you might want to self-publish in the first place. It could be because you want to keep greater creative control of your book. It might be that you want to release your book on your schedule, not a publisher’s. Maybe you’ve tried to get a traditional publishing deal but it hasn’t worked out.
There are plenty of reasons for self-publishing and it’s important to remember that these are not failures.
Successful self-publishing
Successful self-publishing, producing a high-quality book that reaches for your readers, gets good reviews and sells, can take a lot of hard work. Writing the book is just the beginning!
While self-publishing can feel like an individual effort, it’s important to remember that there are many professionals out there who can support you.
These professionals often have extensive experience, not just with self-publishing but also with working with traditional publishers too. They bring this experience to your book but you are holding the creative control.
Let’s take a look at the steps to successful self-publishing.
1. Get editing!
Editing takes your words and helps you see things that you simply can’t. As the writer, you are far too close to your manuscript to be able to see errors, inconsistences ways to improve the story.
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you’ll know I offer a range of editorial services, but here’s a quick break down of the editing you might choose:
Developmental editing
A developmental from an editor gives you big-picture ideas and suggestions for improving the story, flow, structure, character, etc. This is great for early drafts as it can help you refine your plot into something that feels professional.
Copyediting
This is the stage for checking clarity, consistency, readability and generally “tidying up” the manuscript, ready for the reader.
2. Give your book a great title
Imagine you are scrolling through the huge number of titles in your genre. While we might say not to judge a book by its cover (see step 4), readers will.
3. Format and typeset the book
Readers don’t want to read a Word document! Books should be easy for them to read, presented well and look the part.
This includes things like margins and gutters, typefaces and style points that fit with the book you are writing.
Make sure your book is ready for print as well as ebook formats. This means you can reach the greatest number of readers.
4. Design a stunning cover
Yes, readers do judge a book by its cover. You need an image that will entice the reader to part with their money and spend their time reading your story.
Again, look at other books in your genre to help you create a cover for your story. This is important as certain genres come with certain expectations. It also help set the story up, giving the reader a sense of the “vibe” of your story.
Don’t forget the back cover! A carefully written blurb is also important, as well as space for the essential barcode and ISBN.
5. Now proofread
Now that you have a complete book, with a cover, blurb, correctly formatted and ready for the reader, it’s time to carefully proofread. This is the last chance to pick up on those pesky typos and errors, so be careful and consider hiring a professional to do this.
6. Market and sell your book!
This needs a whole blog post to itself (well write it then, Nick!). But here are a few ways to make sure that your book is seen and bought by the right readers:
Make sure it’s listed right. Getting the right categories, meta data and other behind the scenes stuff is essential. Take some time to get this right.
The price is right. You want to make a profit, but you don’t want readers to have to remortgage to read your book! Check your book fits in the right price range.
Run a launch event. Get together some readers, friends, family, (your editor!) and run a book launch event. It doesn’t have to be big, but a little reading and drink looks great on social media and you have a captive audience who will want to buy your book.
Share with others. Make sure you reach out to podcasts, blogs, local newspapers and groups to share the news of your successful book.
Make it widely available. There’s more than one place to buy a book so make sure yours is available in as many different market places as possible.
Some or all of these steps can be completed by you or by a professional. Choosing what you want to do and what you need support with is another one of the joys of self-publishing.
Set your budget and make sure you understand that self-publishing is a business. You are becoming a publisher and, in order to be successful, you may need to spend a little to get a return.
If you need any support for self-publishing, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I offer a free sample edit and am happy for you to book a free video call with me if you have questions that need answering.
Nick (he/him) is an experienced, professional editor and proofreader, specialising in LGBTQ+ writing. Use this form to get in touch right now!
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