How to Self Publish

There are several reasons why you may want to learn how to self publish. You may want to remain in control of your book’s future and copyright. You may have tried several publishers without success. Or you may simply want to get your message out.

Whatever your motivation to learn how to self publish, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, you can self publish at minimal cost and effort, but marketing costs can be quite high. Secondly, a self-published title that does not have a timely market can find itself with few sales. Thirdly, you do not have the support of a well-known publisher to give your title credibility.

After considering the above factors and deciding that you want to self publish, begin by having your work edited for professionalism. From there, you will want to design your pages properly. Here is how to do it simply in Microsoft Word: Perfect Pages: Self Publishing with Microsoft Word, or How to Design Your Own Book for Desktop Publishing and Print on Demand (Word 97-2003 for Windows, Word 2004 for Mac).

You will need a professional book cover. You can do this on PowerPoint, but my personal favorite is BookCoverPro. The software offers several options for placing pictures (stock photos or your own) and text with a wide variety of font styles. Book Cover Pro is compatible with self publisher’s book specifications, and so, you won’t run into difficulty with margins or readjustments, which can cost several hundred dollars in continuous set-up fees.

If you choose to use a full-service publisher, they may offer interior and exterior design, an ISBN number, and distribution. A full-service publisher also offers direction, can provide worldwide distribution, and drop ships to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and several other online distributors.

Once on Amazon, you can blog under your book page, and you can add the Search-Inside feature. You will need a web presence. Here, of course, my favorite is Sitesell. No other web host provides so much information for producing a successful Web site. You can join the Independent Book Publishing Association for more ways to promote your book, or purchase John Kremer’s 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, Sixth Edition (1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers).

If your goal is to eventually find a mainstream publisher, be aware that most publishers will not look at a book that has already been published unless it is a top seller. That is why it is important to research your market and attempt to sell your work leaving self-publishing as a final alternative.

Book Writing Tips

How to Self Publish to Outside the Box Writing Tips