The Self-Publishing Process
1 Critique(s)/Feedback
3 Developmental Editing
4 5 Author Bio, 2 Dedication, Cover Design Acknowledgements
6 Copy-Editing Marketing
11 7 Typesetting Ebook Formatting
12 8 Proofreading Ebook Conversion
13 9 Printing POD Author Check
14 10 Physical Distribution Digital Distribution
Physical Stores Digital Stores Introduction
Are you on the verge of self-publishing your book but aren’t sure where to start? Hopefully this guide will help! We aim to give you a summary of each stage of the self-publishing process and let you know how we can help you if you need it. Not all the stages apply to every book. You might decide to put out your book as a digital-only release, in which case the steps relating to printing and physical distribution won’t apply to you. The steps highlighted in purple are the ones we can help with. We understand that you’re probably on a limited budget and might not be able to afford to get us – or anyone else – to do all these things for you. That’s fine! It’s up to you to choose what you want to do yourself and when you need a hand. We’re just here to point you in the right direction. After all, you’re a writer, not a marketer or a typesetter or an editor or a graphic designer. You want to free up your valuable time to write, and that’s where we can help.
Director Help For Writers Ltd
www.helpforwriters.me
07814 153560 1 Critique(s)/Feedback
Have you asked a few friends and family members to cast an eye over your book before taking it further? Most writers do, which is a great start. But can your friends and family be totally honest with you? There will always be some who just want to encourage you, and they won’t point out any major flaws in your work. Others may try so hard to be helpful that you feel inundated by suggestions and aren’t sure where to turn next. The more input you can get at this stage, the more work, time and money you’ll save further on down the line. Share extracts with a local writers’ group, use online beta readers and find as many ways as possible to get a variety of opinions about your work.
Remember to give something back Whether you’re trying to get input from a real-life writers’ group or people you’ve connected with online, it’s important to remember that they’re writers too, and their own work is their top priority. Don’t go barging in demanding help – give something back by offering to provide feedback on someone else’s work. If you put in the effort to become part of the community, hopefully you’ll find a welcoming and helpful group of writers to give you constructive criticism!
How we can help
We provide a critique service where we give an opinion on aspects such as style, tone, plot, characters, pacing, etc. 2 Marketing
‘But I haven’t finished my book yet!’ I hear you say. You’ve got plenty of feedback on your manuscript, you’ve taken it all on board and you’ve made some major revisions. You’re about to go through it with a fine-tooth comb looking for spelling mistakes. There’s still a lot of work to be done – after all, you haven’t even got a cover image yet! How can you think about marketing your book? You need to start your marketing right at the beginning. You might even have started already, in which case, more power to your elbow! The process of promoting your book will last right up to the book launch – and beyond. While you’re finalising this draft, start to create a ‘buzz’ and get your potential readers excited about what’s coming. Now is the time to grow your following, both online and in the real word, and generate interest in your forthcoming book.
You’ve already published a book … If you’ve published books before, great! You have a readymade fanbase to tap into, and you already have a lot of information about which marketing methods and channels work for you and your audience. Use your previous books as a springboard to promote this one.
How we can help
We can give you a helping hand and take the pressure off with our marketing service. We’ll have a chat with you about your book and your plans, and together we’ll decide what help you need and draw up a personalised marketing plan for you. Don’t wait until you’ve got the finished product in your hand – get the ball rolling straight away! 3 Developmental Editing
Developmental editing is sometimes called structural editing. A developmental editor will look at your manuscript as a whole, covering areas such as plot, characterisation, themes, voice, dialogue, pace and flow. They’ll look at the ‘big picture’ and how everything fits together, and should also pick up on major inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Developmental editing is complex and time-consuming. It also usually results in a significant amount of rewriting, so make sure you have this wrapped up before moving on to copy-editing or proofreading.
Are you ready? Now is the best time to write a synopsis. Don’t forget that a synopsis is different from a blurb! It should be about one A4 page long and contain all the major plot points – including spoilers. A synopsis should describe what happens in your book. Writing a synopsis is a great way of picking up on plot holes or things that don’t make sense. You can correct these issues before sending your work to an editor, saving them time and you money!
How to find the right editor for your book
Look for an editor who works in your genre. They know what keeps a reader from putting the book down, and can help make your book one of those can’t-put-down books. With the ease of finding editors online, you’re not limited to someone based in your country – but make sure their first language is your language. We don’t just mean English; do you write in UK or US English? Everyone’s familiar with differences like ‘colour’ and ‘color’, or ‘tap’ and ‘faucet’, but did you know that punctuation is different as well? There are lots of other subtle grammar rules to consider, so do yourself a favour (or favor) and choose an editor who is fluent in your book’s primary language. Don’t be afraid to ask editors for references. You could ask the referee about their experience working with the editor, if deadlines were met, if the final cost was as quoted, how the editor improved the book, and if they have worked or would work with them again. Working style is also important. Are you looking for someone who will take your book, edit it and send it back to you? Or are you looking for someone who will walk you through every step and consult with you about changes and recommendations? Most editors know how much communication and involvement they like to have, so if you have a strong preference one way or another, discuss this with them to see if you’re a good fit.
Personality matters You and your editor are a team with the goal of making your book the best it can be. It’s essential that you work well together, so choose someone you like and with whom you have a ‘spark’. If you don’t like the way they communicate with you or the vibe you get from them, keep searching.
4 Author Bio, Dedication, Acknowledgements
While you’re still editing your book, think about what you need as well as the main text. All the stuff that goes at the front is referred to in the trade as ‘preliminary matter’ or ‘front matter’, and there’s a lot that can go here – especially if your book is non-fiction and has lots of illustrations and tables – but there are some things in particular that you might want to think about including. The following list is just a guide – not every book has a foreword or a preface, for instance – but if you do include them, the pages should appear in this order: • Title page (title of the work, name of the author, publisher’s name – we recommend you set up your own ‘micro-publishing’ company for this purpose) • Imprints page (publisher’s name and address/website, publisher’s logo, date of publication, publishing history, copyright information, ISBN) • Dedication • Foreword (written by someone other than the author) • Preface (written by you, the author) • Acknowledgements • Contents
Remember that these pages will also need to be checked for spelling, punctuation, accuracy and consistency, so don’t leave them to the last minute! This is particularly important if you’re creating an ebook only, and not a hard copy. Because you’re dealing with a digital file instead of a printed one, it’s easy to forget about these conventions, but once the file has been formatted as an ebook, it takes extra work to insert more pages and will cost you time and money. If they’re rushed, you may not have time to get them professionally proofread or give them due attention yourself. 5 Cover Design
While you’re getting your work edited and making sure you’ve got your preliminary matter together, it’s also a good time to think about your cover design. By this time, you know where the book is going: the main themes, the characters, the atmosphere you want to convey and the key scenes. If you start work on the cover design now, it’ll be ready along with the rest of your book.
A good cover design is an important factor in making your book stand out on the shelf, particularly online, where images are smaller and usually viewed as thumbnails. You need to catch people’s eye and make them want to pick up your book! If you’re struggling for inspiration, have a look at some of your favourite books in the same genre. Pop into your local library or bookshop and check out the relevant sections there, as well. Which books catch your eye and why? What do you like about the covers? Think about the subject matter of your book and the mood you want to convey. Jot down the important points so that you can let the designer know the kind of thing you have in mind. Our top tips for a stand-out cover design
• Remember that thumbnails are tiny. Don’t try to cram too much detail in. • Think twice before going against genre conventions. If you don’t want a clichéd cover, that’s understandable. You want to stand out, right? But if the reader mistakes your book for a different genre they’ll feel misled and disappointed, and they might not read much of it, which means you’ll get paid less if they’re on Kindle Unlimited. They might even leave negative reviews. • Make sure your title works. It’s surprising how many people fall madly in love with a title and refuse to listen to any negative feedback. Listen to fans of the genre and find out what they think about your proposed title before you commit. And make sure the cover design sits well with the title. There’s no point in having the cover send out a different message from the title. • Don’t forget the spine and back cover. They need to be designed as well! Don’t leave the back cover to the last minute and then fail to pay proper attention to it. A typo in the blurb or endorsement would be … well, perhaps ‘disaster’ is stretching it a bit, but we’re pretty sure your heart would drop into your boots when you spotted it. The design of the back cover and spine can make all the difference between an amateurish- and a professional-looking book.
How we can help
We can provide either a basic or a deluxe cover design. If you already have a high res image that you would like to use, then the basic package might be suitable for you. If you’d like us to create a cover design from scratch, the deluxe package would be a better fit. 6 Copy-Editing
Where developmental editing looks at the big picture, copy-editing looks at the fine detail. Along with cover design, this is one of the most important things you can do to get your book ‘public-ready’.
What exactly is copy-editing?
Lots of writers say their book needs ‘proofreading’ when what they really need is copy-editing. So what is copy-editing and how is it different from proofreading? A copy-editor checks spelling, grammar and punctuation, just like a proofreader would. However, they will also make sure that your writing is clear and fit for purpose – that the style is suitable for your intended audience and that it reads as well as possible. The copy-editor will flag up any ambiguities and anomalies for your attention, suggesting possible solutions, and will make sure your work is consistent. They won’t just check the story itself; they’ll also copy-edit the preliminary matter, tables, graphs, illustrations, footnotes, endnotes, bibliography – everything that comes between the front and back covers! They’ll query errors of fact, misspelt names, numbers that don’t add up, incomplete references and a host of other things. They’ll even flag up any potential legal issues, although the final responsibility for these rests with you.
How we can help
Our director, Catherine Dunn, is a qualified copy-editor and proofreader and a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), the UK industry body. She undertakes all our copy-editing work personally and will work with you to make sure your book is as good as it can be. Friendlier than she looks ... we promise! How is copy-editing different from proofreading? Proofreading happens after your book has been typeset for print. The proofreader looks for errors, including those introduced by the typesetting process and those that are only obvious after the text has been typeset, but their brief is to intervene as little as possible, because changes at this stage cost time and money. If you are producing your book as an ebook only, and not a print version, you’re better off asking for a ‘proof- edit’ rather than a proofread.
7 Ebook Formatting
An ebook is a different beast from a traditionally printed book. The reader can change the text size, the margins, and even the font on the display. When you’re getting a book ready for print, all these things are crucial. But if the reader can change the appearance themselves, how does that affect the way you need to format your work and what can you do to make the conversion to ePub and MOBI formats as smooth as possible? Our top tips for ebook formatting
• Keep it simple. When formatting an ebook, less is more. Almost all the formatting is stripped out during conversion, so there’s no point doing anything fancy. By keeping everything as simple as possible, you reduce the risk of introducing anything that will be too distracting to the reader. After all, you want them to focus on what you’ve written, not on what it looks like. • Remove rogue spaces. Don’t use double spaces after full stops. You might have been taught to use them at school, but when converting a file to ebook formats they make the job tricker and the text can look gappy. You should also remove any spaces from the beginnings and ends of paragraphs. (Hint: if you click the ‘Show non-printing characters’ button in Word, it will make that job much easier!) • Turn hyphenation off and don’t force line breaks. Even if you don’t like where a line breaks, remember that if the reader changes the font size, the line breaks will shift anyway. If you add a hyphen manually, there’s a danger that it will end up stuck in the middle of a line at random, looking like a mistake. Similarly, don’t try to correct widows and orphans. • Don’t include page numbers. Ebook files don’t have universal page numbers, but some devices allocate page numbers depending on the reader’s settings. They usually tell the reader how far along in the book they are – ‘Page x out of y’ or ‘43% completed’. This also means that page numbers in your table of contents are irrelevant. Don’t worry! The table of contents will link to the relevant places. • Don’t use the tab key. If you opt for indented rather than block paragraphs, use the ‘First line indent’ tool in Word to set the indentation. • Use page breaks when you start a new chapter. Don’t just keep hitting ‘Enter’ until a new page appears. • Use Word’s ‘Styles’ palette to organise your body text, chapter headings, subheadings, displayed quotations, etc. How we can help
If you’re feeling unsure about formatting your book ready for ebook conversion, give us a call or drop us a line! We will happily give you a hand. If you think it will take you a long time to ‘tidy up’ your manuscript, why not pass the job over to us to save yourself the hassle?
8 Ebook Conversion
You’ve formatted your manuscript and it’s ready to go. Now you need to convert it into a format that’s compatible with e-readers. What are these formats and how can you convert your book? Amazon Kindle e-readers use the MOBI file format. All other e-readers use ePub files. Although some authors opt to release their book on Kindle only, we recommend you make it available in as many stores as possible so that you can reach a wider readership around the world.
How we can help
We will make sure your book is converted to ePub and MOBI formats. No more fiddling about with conversion programmes; no more frustration with getting the formatting and specifications just right. 9 Author Check
A vital part of the process and not to be overlooked! Of course you’ll want to check what your book looks like on your own e-reader. If you spot any errors in the file that were introduced during the conversion process, we’ll make sure they get sorted out before your book goes on sale in stores.
Friendly warning! We don’t proofread your book for typos or punctuation errors unless you’ve specifically asked for our proofreading service. So make sure you’ve gone through it with a fine-tooth comb before you send the manuscript to us for conversion.
10 Digital Distribution
It’s time to send your book to online stores!
How we can help
We’ll distribute your book to over 60 stores worldwide. Why limit yourself to just one or two stores when you could have an even wider readership? Now you can start selling your books! When the store pays us, we pay you – we don’t take a percentage of your royalties and we don’t set minimum payouts, so whatever you earn is yours. 11 Typesetting
If your book is destined for hard copy printing, you’ll need to get it typeset. This means getting it to look exactly as you want it on the printed page, and it’s sometimes referred to as ‘book design’. It’s very hard to do this successfully in Word; we recommend Adobe InDesign as a good typesetting software.
Doing your own typesetting? If you’re doing your own typesetting, our top tip is to pick a book you like the look of and copy its style and layout. Remember: readability is key! Readers are quite conventional when it comes to the internal layout of books – conventions tend to exist for a reason. So now is not the time to get all wacky and way-out with your font choices. And try to resist the temptation to make line spacing and margins narrower to reduce the page count and save money. It makes the book harder to read and you run the risk of it looking and feeling ‘cheap’.
How we can help
We can typeset your book in Adobe InDesign. Along with a good cover design, this gives your book a professional edge which will make a good impression on everyone who picks up a copy. Who knows – they could be an influential agent! 12 Proofreading
In the traditional publishing process, your book would be proofread after typesetting. The proofreader’s job is to do a final ‘quality check’ of the text, images and layout. They’ll check for consistency and accuracy, but they won’t edit your work in the same way that a copy-editor will. The ‘proof copy’ is the proofreader’s chance to see exactly what the book looks like before the actual print run takes place. They may have a physical copy of the book just as it would come off the press, or they may work on a pdf copy. Bear in mind all the work that the typesetter has done. The book is largely fixed at this stage, and even a small change can have drastic knock-on effects, so the proofreader will only intervene with good reason.
How we can help
As we mentioned before, our director is a qualified proofreader and a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP). Catherine undertakes all our proofreading jobs personally and will work directly with you to make sure your book gets the final polish you’re aiming for. 13 Printing or POD
After typesetting, your book will go down one of two routes: either a print run or print-on-demand (POD). The difference between these is that with POD, books are printed as and when customers place their orders. Someone can go into Waterstones or onto Amazon, order your book and the store will send their order to a POD company, which will print the relevant number of copies (even if it’s just one) and send them to the store for the customer to collect (or, in the case of Amazon, directly to the customer).
A straightforward print run has a less complicated supply chain. You send the typeset file directly to a printing company and they run off X number of copies for you. They get delivered to you and you sell them yourself or use them as you see fit, e.g. as promotional giveaways. Going down this route may have a lower per-unit cost, leaving you with more profit from each sale. The down side is that you won’t have your book available through the big high street stores. They only have shelf space for a relatively small number of titles. However, you may have luck getting local independent bookshops to carry some copies, which you can replenish if needed. It does mean that you’re responsible for storing and distribution, and you may find yourself with leftover stock. 14 Physical Distribution
The final link in the chain – getting your book into the hands of your readers. If you’ve chosen to use POD, you’re ready to roll. People can go into their local bookshop and order a copy, or simply get out their smartphone and place an order online. If you’ve had a traditional print run, you’ve probably got a few boxes of books sitting at home somewhere waiting to get out there and find their fans. You may be wondering what to do with them, how to sell them, or just how to get them out of your way! After all, don’t forget that free giveaways can be a very useful marketing tool. Here are some of our ideas.
What to do with your hard copies
• Sell them through your own website. Make sure you include your web address in all your online communication – email signature, social media, etc. And tell your readers why it’s important for them to buy directly from your site. They’re your fans; they want you to get the best possible return on your work. • Sell or give them away at your launch party. An obvious place to have lots of hard copies knocking around! • Send them to reviewers. Reviews are vital in helping you build your reputation and sell more copies. Don’t forget that reviewers often have a mountain of books to get through, so it may take them a while to get to yours. Do your research and make sure they’re interested in your genre before you send a copy. Don’t forget bloggers and YouTubers as well as the more traditional media outlets. • Send them to other influencers. Agents, local media contacts ... influencers don’t have to be big in the world of books. If your book deals with a particular topic, think of people connected with it. The more niche the field, the more likely they are to sit up and take notice. • Contact your local bookshop – more than one, if you have them. You might find that they’re keen to promote local authors and may even help you arrange a launch party or book signings. • Use them for signings. If your local bookshop isn’t helpful, look for other places to hold signings. The library, a nearby café, the neighbourhood hall or community centre ... if there are any creative events taking place in the area, you may be able to get involved, perhaps tying your book signing in with a workshop or talk. • Plan giveaways and competitions. You can use these to generate interest among your fans online. Why not ask people to share photos of your book in different locations? • Get creative with your promotional ideas! What about setting up a mini treasure-hunt? You could leave a handwritten message inside a copy of your book, put it in a local café and see what happens. Repeat a few times and you might even get local media interested in the ‘mystery’. That’s just one idea plucked at random – you can probably think of something much more exciting!
All that’s left to say is ... good luck!
We hope you feel enthusiastic about getting your book out there and full of ideas about how you’re going to promote it. We can’t wait to hear from you!
In the meantime, if you have any questions about the self-publishing process or about how we can help, visit our website, drop us an email or call us.
www.helpforwriters.me
07814 153560
Limited Company No. 10008322. Company registered in England & Wales.