Tips for self-publishing your book or ebook
1
Understanding self-publishing 7
Ebooks 9
Aims and audience 10
Dates: publication, street, and release 10
Researching 11
Outlining 14
Permissions 14
Drafting 33
Formatting 34
Editing 40
Design and layout 46
Your copyright 64
IBPA membership 65
Blurbs 65
Production of the printed book 66
Reviews 74
Publicity 78
Selling 103
Steps later on 115
Bibliography 116
1
Table of Contents in depth
1
1
Understanding self-publishing 7
Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing 7
Self-publishing’s sequential steps 8
The types of costs 8
Crowdfunding your book 9
Ebooks 9
Aims and audience 10
Optimize and maximize your title 10
Dates: publication, street, and release 10
Researching 11
Save your work twice 11
Note-clipping and bookmarking websites 11
If you have to interview people 11
Get an interview release 11
Template 12
Referencing 13
Endnotes versus in-text 13
Reference style websites 13
A referencing software program 13
Outlining 14
If reviewing scholarly research 14
Crowdsourcing your outline 14
Permissions 14
Steps for obtaining permission 15
No permission needed 15
Facts and fact-based theories 15
Works in the Creative Commons 15
Works in the public domain 16
Excerpts that qualify for “fair use” 16
Unpublished or out-of-print: permission still needed 16
Contacting the owner for permission 16
Start with online permission services 17
Other ways to find the owner 17
If more than one author or publisher 17
When you can’t find the owner 18
Determining the fees for usage 18
How to minimize or negate them 18
The agreement letter 19
Cover-letter template for text permission agreement 21
Text permission agreement template 22
Photo permission agreement temp. 25
Artwork permission agreement temp. 28
Permissions tracking sheet 31
Storage 32
Drafting 33
Have a spectacular first page 33
Opening and ending non-fiction chapters 33
Supplying supplemental info 34
Sidebars 34
Lists 34
Resource boxes 34
Helpful graphic icons 34
Formatting 34
Margins 34
Capitalizing titles and headings 35
Metric forms 35
Tables 35
Fonts and size for the body and headings 35
Running heads 35
First letters of a chapter 35
Proper ordering of sections 36
Front matter (in order) 36
Sample copyright page (recto verso) 38
Front matter for ebooks 39
Body of the book 39
Rear matter 40
Editing 40
The best editing manual 40
Some grammar specifics 40
Gender pronoun issue 41
Use past tense for current events 41
Avoid the -zation suffix 41
When editing on the computer 41
First edit alone: Proofread aloud dryly 41
Self-editing checklist 41
Then edit and proofread as a duo 42
Now friends, family, & volunteers edit 42
Taking criticism from them 43
Then edit w/writer niche communities 43
Next, crowdsource the editing 43
Lastly, now hire freelance editors 44
Finding them 44
Questions when interviewing them 45
Price 46
Types of editing and their costs 46
Design and layout 46
A helpful website 46
Sharing of large files 47
Interior photos and artwork 47
Permission needed for copyrighted artwork 47
Other types of permission needed 47
Stick to black and white 47
Adding figure numbers and captions 47
Hiring a photographer 47
Acquiring an existing photo 47
Stock-photo aggregator services 48
Stock sites for photos illustrations 48
Photos in the public domain 48
Charts, diagrams, and other geometric drawings 49
Resolution issues 49
Image sizing and resizing 49
If you have any borders 49
Legality of resizing another’s photo 49
ppi / dpi issues 49
Layout / placement 50
Indexing 50
Software vs. the human indexer 50
Finding an indexer 50
Guidelines for pricing 51
Information the indexer needs 52
You need an ebook index too 52
Evaluating it 54
The book’s cover and layout 54
Finding a designer 54
Look at the prospects’ own websites 55
Questions for interviewing one 55
Setting a fair price 55
Information the designer needs 55
For your cover and spine 56
For the interior 56
For your back cover 56
Your book’s cover 57
The spine 57
See award-winning covers 57
Crowdsource your cover 58
Hold a design competition 58
Interior layout 58
Having a designer do it 58
Laying out the book yourself 59
Importing from MS Word 59
InDesign tips 61
For an Apple Multi-Touch ebook 61
Preview final layout (any export) 62
Identifier codes you’ll need 63
The ISBN 63
ISBNs and print-on-demand firms 63
LCCN (or PCN) number 63
Cataloging-in-Publication data (CIP) 64
EAN and UPC barcodes 64
Your copyright 64
Don’t do it too soon 65
Mention it in your will 65
Important websites 65
IBPA membership 65
Blurbs 65
Location on the book 65
When blurbs come in 66
Production of the printed book 66
Use a print-on-demand (POD) company 66
The contract 67
Understanding the royalties 68
Preferred paper and dots-per-inch 69
Cover 69
Interior 69
Reviewing proofs 69
A checklist to follow 70
Two popular POD companies 70
Lightning Source 70
Amazon’s CreateSpace 71
Pairing CreateSpace with AmazonAdvantage 72
Best choice: Use both CreateSpace and Lightning Source 72
Eight other outstanding print-on-demand firms 73
Your book’s profile on resellers’ websites 73
Amazon’s Author Central 74
Reviews 74
Pitching to reviewers and bloggers 74
Book-review websites 75
For Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly 75
If sending bound galleys to reviewers 76
Contact Amazon’s top reviewers 76
Book bloggers and blog tours 76
Bloggers who interview authors 77
Generating Amazon-user reviews 77
Filter reviews through a friend 77
Getting publicity 78
Build your platform (Networking) 78
Answering, “What is your book about?” 78
Your book’s business card 78
A good, free book-publicity site 78
Think like a publicist 78
Starting local 79
Write a publicity and sales plan 79
Your book’s website 80
Your e-commerce page 81
Have friends test it out 81
If they don’t want to buy online 81
Opt-in mailing lists and e-newsletters 81
Set up a blog 81
Category for the book’s journey 82
Comment on related blogs 82
Host a live call-in broadcast 82
Other blog websites 82
Social media 83
Facebook 83
Twitter 83
LinkedIn 83
Google + 83
Use social-cataloguing book websites 84
NetGalley (use it before book’s release) 84
Utilize online video 84
Screencasts 84
Webcasts 85
Webinars 85
A “book trailer” 86
Getting media publicity 86
Lead times for each outlet type 87
Sending a pitch letter 87
Format 88
Sample media pitch letter by a publicist 89
A good website for pitch letters 90
Your press kit 90
The press release 90
A free distribution service 90
Using press releases to monitor your publicist 90
Format 91
Author bio (for the press kit) 93
Optional photo 93
Format of bio 93
Q&A section for the press kit 94
Your publicity photo 94
The electronic press kit (EPK) 94
The interview itself 95
Tasks to do on the publication date 96
Hosting a book event in person 97
Publicize the event 97
Have enough books for sale 98
Have someone introduce you 98
During the event (usually 30 minutes) 98
When signing books for buyers 99
Multi-author events / panels 100
Venues for events 100
Bookstores 100
Living room tours 100
Libraries 101
Book clubs 101
Trade conferences 101
Other ways of getting publicity 101
Online groups 101
Be a reviewer yourself 101
Mention signed copies at stores 102
Speeches and consulting 102
Book award contests 102
If your book is related to your job 102
Turn book into some other cool thing 102
Selling 103
Pricing strategies 103
Importance of preorders 103
Digital Rights Management (DRM) 103
Use a free ebook to sell the printed book 103
Selling through Amazon 104
Sales ranks 104
One downside 104
Help customers find your book 104
Categories 104
Keywords 104
Tags 104
Selling your printed book on Amazon 105
CreateSpace 105
Sending interested buyers to Amazon from your website 105
Selling your ebook on Amazon 105
Kindle Direct Publishing Select 106
Read Kindle version w/o a Kindle 107
Wait 90 days and then sell elsewhere too 107
Selling your ebook elsewhere 107
Apple’s iBookstore 107
Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press 108
Google Play 108
Kobo 109
Smashwords 109
Selling your ebook via your website 110
Selling your printed book elsewhere 111
Barnes & Noble 111
Other stores 111
Independent booksellers 112
Sales tip-sheet template 113
Selling in person 115
For accepting credit cards 115
Steps later on 115
Making an audio version 115
Releasing a new edition 116
Upgrading to AmazonEncore 116
Bibliography 116
1
Understanding self-publishing
Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
Advantages of self-publishing
· Publication is faster; it takes days or weeks, not months or years.
· You will have your choice of trim size and paper stock.
· Print books on demand, even just for one copy.
· You can be 100% certain of publishing and getting it up on Amazon.com.
· Royalties will be much greater, from 20% to 80%. A few even offer 100%.
· You will control the foreign rights.
· Self-publishing lets you have global distribution of your ebook on day one.
· You have final say on the overall project, the content of the book, its interior layout and design, its cover, its price, its marketing, and the amount of resources spent on it.
· With print-on-demand and ebooks, you can keep your book in print forever, revise it immediately, and change the price of your book whenever you want.
· Most ebook resellers provide real-time or near real-time sales results, and many print-on-demand printers can provide similar information.
Advantages of traditional publishing houses
· More credibility in the eyes of bookstore owners and readers
· A sales team with multiple titles of other authors to sell to bookstores, who usually do not want to work with someone who is just selling one title.
· Less of a time commitment: You do not have to worry about responsibilities that would otherwise be yours if you went the self-publishing route (editing, layout and design, printing, marketing, advertising, promoting, selling, and distributing the book).
· Less of a financial commitment: When you self-publish, all the costs are your responsibility. You must be equipped to handle each major task as both the author and the financial backer.
· Acceptance of book returns from stores: Companies that help with self-publishing usually do not accept returns from booksellers, retailers, and distributors.
· Offers of credit terms for your book to distributors, booksellers, libraries, and other retailers: These stores buy on credit, and won’t carry your book if you or the printer of your books do not offer credit terms. Most printers that help with self-publishing do not offer credit terms.
· Money up front for you: You can get an advance for your book.
Self-publishing’s sequential steps
- Define your target audience.
- Research the content.
- Create a detailed outline.
- Write the manuscript.
- Have the manuscript edited.
- Apply for an ISBN, LCCN, copyright, and other book-specific codes, if necessary.
- Set the cover price for your book.
- Select a publication date.
- Create an index if it is a non-fiction book, or hire a professional indexer.
- Have the manuscript's interior pages designed and laid out.
- Hire a graphic designer and create your book's front and back covers.
- If making a printed book and not just an ebook, choose a print-on-demand (POD) firm.
- Develop press materials for your book.
- Plan and implement a comprehensive marketing, public relations, and advertising campaign.
- Develop a website to promote your book.
- Begin pre-selling your book by sending out press materials, promoting the book, lining up booksellers to sell it to, being active in social media, and so on.
- Have your book listed with online retailers.
- Establish your publishing company (if applicable).
- Arrange for book events, whether they are in bookstores or people’s homes.
- Publish the book and ship it to consumers, retailers, and distributors, as appropriate.
- Continue promoting and marketing your book while filling orders from customers.
The types of costs
· the opportunity cost of the time you’re taking to write something.
· a flat fee for using a POD company (such as Lightning Source) on top of the per-book cost
· permission fees for using excerpts of others’ works
· content editor / developmental editor
· technical editor / fact checker
· copy editor / proofreader
· indexer
· cover designer
· interior book designer for layout
· stock photography/artwork/illustrator
· copyright registration fee
· ISBN code and other identifier codes
· membership fee for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
· book copies for reviewers and blurbers
· author photo
· marketing (business cards and keyword research)
· publicity (hiring a publicist and paying for book tours or events)
· NetGalley membership
· website (architecture, design, and upkeep)
· bookstore touring
· merchant account fees for credit cards
· printing (print books only)
· business-filing expenses for having your own publishing firm (optional)
Crowdfunding your book
You can use a service such as Unbound (http://unbound.co.uk), Pubslush (www.pubslush.com), Indiegogo (www.indiegogo.com/projects?filter_category=Writing), GoFundMe (www.gofundme.com), or Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) to generate sales revenue before you ship your book. Create an online campaign for your book and then use social media to spread the word to your friends, family, and the public. Include a description of your book, your background, and a video. You could offer different benefits depending on the size of the commitment (each higher level includes the perks of the previous level):
· $10: public thank-you on Facebook
· $25: copy of the finished ebook
· $50: signed paperback
· $100: Skype call with the author
· $500: your name in the acknowledgment section
Ebooks
Have an ebook option when your first edition comes out. Ebooks can be unlimited in length and contain any type of text, photographs, or graphics. They can also be modified quickly and cheaply. If you have an ebook version, your book will never go out of print. You may want to launch with an ebook only and move to paper later. The ebook, however, still needs an ISBN.