In the past only a very small percentage of books ever got published through publishing companies. Now there is a way to publish a book yourself. It is called self publishing, and there are a number of ways to do it.
Before Publishing
First, be sure your book is perfect. Small editing errors can have a drastic affect on the authenticity and quality of your book. Tuck your draft away in a safe place and let a few weeks go by. Pick it up again, and carefully read it over. Sometimes it can help to have a friend or family member read a draft of it. Once the book is published, correcting any mistakes can be costly.
Think about your intended audience. You must have a general idea of who will be reading your book. This will influence what method of self publishing you pursue.
Get an idea of how your book will look. The cover design is a major component. Many self publishers design the cover themselves. The binding is another important aspect of your book to consider. There are three options for binding. Perfect bound will give the book a crisp edge. This is what nearly all paperback books have. Saddle stitch is when the book is stapled down the middle. Shorter books can be saddle stitched, but this is not an option for longer books. Cook books or other guide books can have a coil binding. This is when holes are punched along the side, and a plastic coil is inserted to keep the pages together.
Self Publishing and On Demand Printing
If you plan on promoting your book to a wide audience, there are websites such as Lulu that can offer this service. Through an online process, you can design and publish your own book. This means that you pick the style of binding, the paper, design the cover, and choose a price. You can even include a photograph of yourself and an author description. Your book is then listed on their site, and is available for sale. This is all done for free.
The website will take a percentage of the money when a book sells. The book will only be printed when someone purchases it. This is called on demand printing. The site handles all the shipping and handling of the book. There are also electronic publishing options, so for a fee a person can download your book.
Most of these self publishing sites offer different publishing packs. For a fee, you can hire an editor to edit your draft. There are also services available to help design your cover.
This method requires the least amount of money. It also allows the author to have total control over the book. Promotion is easy, since you will be given a link and your own online store. Simply direct people to the site so they can purchase your book. The downside is that it is very hard to profit from book sales. The publishers need to take out a large percentage so they can make up for the cost of printing, as well as the upkeep of the website.
Self Publishing in Bulk
If you plan on directly selling your own book, you can have a number of books printed and shipped to you. One such service is 48 Hour Books. This method requires a bit more work. Though it costs more up front, you will be able to keep all the money from the books you sell.
These publishing services require you to have your book perfect and ready for publishing. You must also have your cover designed, usually in a PDF format. There is a minimum number of books you will need to order, usually it is around fifty.
Once you send the publishing company your book and cover, they will print and bind the book. You will receive a printed proof to look over and approve. Examine it carefully and be sure there are no errors. Once you approve it, they print the number of books you ordered and ship them to you.
If you plan on selling your books in a bookstore, you must have a ISBN number and bar code. This identifies your book and allows the book store to keep their inventory. There is a fee and an application process for an ISBN.
This method will again give the author complete control over their book. It also allows the author to keep all of the revenue from the book sales. However, it also requires some financial investment. You will also need to store the books and handle any shipping and handling.
Using a Printing Service
Local printing services are also available. Places like Kinkos can print the book, cover, and bind the book using either a saddle stitch or coil. You will have to edit and create the cover yourself, and have it ready in the right file format.
This option works best if you only want to print a small number of books. It can become very expensive, since you will be charged for each book you have printed. This cost will also influence the price you end up setting for your book if you want to make a profit. However, if you plan on giving the books as gifts, or if you only want a few books printed, this is a viable method.
With a printing service, you will be in total control of your book. You also have the option of using online services or of going to the store in person. People who are not Internet savvy may feel more comfortable directly dealing with the people printing the book. Of all the methods, this is the most expensive per book.
After you pick the best option for your book, you will be able to see your hard work in print! Friends, family, and readers will enjoy the novel, guide, or manual that you have worked so hard on. Get your book printed today!
J. Lee Phelan - Hello Readers! My name is J Lee and I currently reside in New York. I'm a freelance writer and artist, which is exactly what I wanted ...
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