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Self-PublishingForDummies®,2ndEdition

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Toviewthisbook'sCheatSheet,simplygoto www.dummies.comandsearchfor“SelfPublishingForDummiesCheatSheet”inthe Searchbox.

Chapter 9: Coming Up with Creative Page Design and Layout

Delving into Do-It-Yourself Page Design

Designing the Body of Your Book

Using Popular Desktop Publishing Software

Converting Laid-Out Pages into Printer-Friendly Files

Hiring a Professional Graphic Designer

Chapter 10: Crafting (and Judging) Your Book’s Cover

Brainstorming a Catchy Title

Keeping a Close Eye on the Front Cover

Turning to Your Book’s Back Cover

Remembering Your Book’s Spine

Working with a Design Expert to Create Your Cover

Part 3: Start the Presses! Examining Printing Choices

Chapter 11: Creating and Publishing E-Books That Sell

Looking at E-Readers for E-Books

Publishing E-Books Easily (and Cheaply)

Digging into E-Book Formats

Choosing The Right E-Book Design and Publishing Tool

Figuring Out Self-Managed E-Book Distribution Options

Distributing E-Books through Popular E-Bookstores

Establishing Yourself as a Publisher with Each E-Bookstore

Chapter 12: Trying Out Short Run Printing

The Basics of Working with a Short Run Printer

Choosing the Features of Your Short Run Printed Book

Hiring the Right Short Run Printer for Your Needs

Partnering with the Printer You Hire

Chapter 13: Print-on-Demand for Demanding SelfPublishers

Taking a Quick Tour of Print-On-Demand (POD) Technology

Looking at the Pros and Cons of POD

Surveying the POD Process

Picking a Great POD Company for Your Book

Working with Companies to Manage Money Issues

Checking out a Few Prominent POD Companies

Part 4: Making Your Book a Bestseller: Distribution Methods

Chapter 14: Selling Your Book through Popular Online Booksellers

Creating an Effective Listing

Submitting Your Listing to Popular Online Booksellers

Generating Excellent Online Reviews

Resources from Online Booksellers

Chapter 15: Distributing Your Book through Traditional Channels

Securing Major Retail Distribution for Your Book

Working with Wholesalers and Distributors

Approaching Independent Booksellers

Scoping Out Specialty Retail Stores

Hooking Up with Trade Associations, Special Interest Groups, and Conferences

Going After Mass-Market Retailers

Chapter 16: Getting a Grip on Warehousing, Order Fulfillment, and Shipping

Warehousing Your Books and Managing Inventory

Taking and Fulfilling Orders

Shipping Your Books to Customers

Part 5: Creating a Buzz: Publicity and Marketing

Chapter 17: Creating a Website and Social Media Accounts for Your Book

Choosing Between an Author or Book Website

Monetizing the Web: Opting for an E-Commerce Website

Exploring the Anatomy of a Book-Selling Website

If You Build It, Will They Come? Generating Traffic to Your Website

Promoting Your Book Online by Using Social Media

Chapter 18: Crafting and Distributing Publicity Materials

Going Over the Basics of Press Materials

Writing an Attention-Getting Press Release

Writing a Compelling Author Bio

Putting Your Best Face Forward with a Publicity Photo

Writing a Knockout Pitch Letter

Distributing Your Press Materials to the Media

Chapter 19: Publicizing Your Book for Free with the Media's Help

Talk It Up: Saying the Right Thing to the Media

Dress It Up: Looking Good When You Promote Your Book

Book It: Generating Reviews

Show It Off: Coordinating Author Appearances and Book Signings

Leave It to the Pros: Working with a Publicist

Chapter 20: Marketing Your Book with Paid Advertising and Promotional Tools

Checking Out the Pros and Cons of Paid Advertising

Deciding Where to Advertise to Reach Your Target Audience

Devising an Online Ad Campaign

Planning a Successful Ad Campaign

Effectively Using Promotional Materials

Chapter 21: Expanding Your Income with Spin-Off Merchandise and Services

Considering a Few Important Points before You Create Spin-Offs Using Multimedia to Repackage Your Content Generating Revenue with a Wide Range of Services

Part 6: The Part of Tens

Chapter

22:

Ten Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid

Not Targeting Your Audience Appropriately

Producing a Book That’s Inaccurate Disorganized, and Poorly Written

A Lack of Attention to Detail and Editing Inefficiently Using Money and Resources Having Poor Cover Design and Copy Choosing the Wrong Printing Method

A Lack of Comprehensive Distribution Wasting the Potential of Online Distribution Improperly Planning a Publicity and Marketing Campaign

Bad Timing throughout the Self-Publishing Process

Chapter 23: Ten E-Book Publishing Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t Ignore Proprietary E-Book File Formats

Don’t Publish Your E-Book in Only the PDF Format

Avoid Design Decisions That Make Your E-Book Difficult to Read

Never Use Typestyles That Are Difficult to Read

Don't Overuse Hyperlinks

Don’t Make Finding Your e-Book Difficult

Never Select E-Book Subject Categories or Keywords That Don’t Apply

Beware of Limited Layout and Design Software

Don’t Lowball Your E-Book’s Cover Price

Don’t Rely on E-Booksellers Only to Distribute Your E-Book

Index

About the Author

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

ListofTables

Chapter 1

TABLE 1-1 Post-Writing Tasks and Timeline

Chapter 3

TABLE 3-1 Prewriting Questions to Answer

TABLE 3-2 Identifying Other Readers for Your Book

Chapter 7

TABLE 7-1 Handy Office Furnishings and Supplies

TABLE 7-2 Initial Business Expenses

TABLE 7-3 Publishing Project Expenses (Per Book)

Chapter 11

TABLE 11-1 Software for E-Book Creation

Chapter 12

TABLE 12-1 Online Generated Pricing from BookBaby

Chapter 13

TABLE 13-1 POD versus Short Run Printing

Chapter 17

TABLE 17-1 E-Commerce Turnkey Service Benefits

Chapter 5

FIGURE 5-1: A traditional outline format features Roman numerals, letters, and ...

FIGURE 5-2: This outline uses bulleted items to organize information.

Chapter 9

FIGURE 9-1: Choose the fonts for your main text and headings from a variety of ...

FIGURE 9-2: Garamond, Times New Roman, Baskerville, Goudy, and Bookman Old Styl...

FIGURE 9-3: Unique treatments for a chapter title page.

Chapter 12

FIGURE 12-1: Three methods of book binding: perfect, comb, and spiral.

Chapter 18

FIGURE 18-1: The proper format for a press release.

Chapter 20

FIGURE 20-1: A sample bookmark (front) template.

Introduction

Youmayhavepersonaland/orprofessionalreasonswhyyouwanttoget published.Perhapsyouhopetosupplementyourincomeorgeneratean entireincomeasawriter.Maybeyouhaveimportantinformationto conveyoracompellingstorytotell.

Ifyouwanttobecomeanauthorwhohasapublishedbookasaresultof workingwithamajorpublishinghouse,youhaveachallengeinfrontof youbecauseofthehighlycompetitivenatureofthebook-publishing business.

Would-beauthorsalsohaveawaytoseetheirworkprofessionally publishedinbookore-bookform,andthendistributeittothegeneral public,through self-publishing. Newtechnologies—suchasprint-ondemand(POD)tocreateprintedbooks—eliminatetheneedtoprint thousandsofcopiesofabookatonetime,enablingyoutoprintasfew ascopyinstead.Thecostofself-publishingabookhasalsodropped dramaticallyinthepastfewyears.Now,virtuallyanyonecanaccess (andafford)themeanstopublishabook.Neverbeforehasthe opportunitytopublishaprofessionalqualitybookore-bookbeenwithin reachofanyaspiringauthor.

Peopleallovertheworldwantinformation,togainnewskills,to enrichtheirliveswithnewknowledge,ortoenjoyanescapeinto theimaginaryworldthatareallygoodstorycancreate.So,ifyou haveexpertisethatotherpeoplecanbenefitfromoranamazing storytotell,self-publishingmaygiveyoutheperfectroutetotake.

Thisall-neweditionof Self-Publishing For Dummies helpsyoutake yourideaforabook,developtheideaintocontenttofillafull-length manuscript,andthenhaveitpublishedinprintand/ore-bookformat. Thisbookdescribestheincredibleopportunityself-publishingoffersto

aspiringwritersandauthors,businessleaders,entrepreneurs, consultants,andanyoneelsewhohasagreatideaforabook.

About This Book

Self-publishingputsyouintotalchargeofyourpublishingproject.A successfulpublishingventurerequireseffectivelydealingwitheachstep inthepublishingprocess.Withoutproperknowledgeandexperience, youcaneasilymakecostlymistakes.Theinformationinthisbookhelps youavoidthemostcommonmistakesmadebyauthorsandselfpublishers,andhelpsyouproperlycateryourbooktoitsintended readers.Thisbookalsolendsahandwhenitcomestogatheringahighly skilledpublishingteamforyourventure.Byhiringfreelanceexpertsto helpyouwithediting,design,layout,andmarketing,yourbookcan moreeffectivelycompetewithalltheotherbookscurrentlyavailablefor sale.

Mostimportantly,thisbookshowsyouhowtoobtaintraditionaland onlinedistributionforyourbookandproperlymarketittogenerate sales.Byusingmarketing,publicrelations,andadvertisingstrategies— alongwiththepowerandcapabilitiesoftheInternet—youcan transformyourbookintoasuccessfulpublishingventure.

Keepinmindthatthisbookisn’ta“howtowriteabook”book oran“improveyourwritingskills”book.Developingthewriting skillsandthenecessaryexpertiseonthetopicyouplantowrite aboutisyourresponsibility.Ifyouneedtobrushuponyourwriting skills,Irecommendthatyousignupforwritingclassesor workshops.

Eachchapterfocusesononeimportantaspectoftheself-publishing process,soyoucanjumparoundtoquicklyobtainthespecific informationthatyou’relookingfor.

Ialsouseafewconventionstohelpguideyouthroughthisbook:

Italic wordspointoutdefinedtermsoremphasizewords.

Boldfacetextindicateskeywordsinbulletedlistsandtheactionpart ofnumberedsteps.

Hyperlinkedtexthighlightswebsiteaddresses.

Andbecauseyouneedtocompletemanystepstoensurethatyoumake yourpublishingventureasuccessfulone,thisbook’ssixpartsgroup topicsandsubdividethemintochapterscoveringinformationthat directlyrelatestothosetopics:

Part1:DoItYourself:GettingStartedwithSelf-Publishing introducesyoutoself-publishing,explainswhatitis,andclarifies howyoucanuseittopublishyourbook.Thispartalsohelpsyou gatherallthetoolsthatyouneedtowriteandpublishyourbook, whileprovidingyouwithbasicinformationaboutdevelopingand fine-tuningyourmanuscript.

Part2:PullingTogethertheDetails:AdministrationandDesign discussestheworkthatyouneedtodoafteryoufinishwritingyour manuscriptbutbeforeyoucanprintit(orpublishitasane-book) andsellit.

Part3:StartthePresses!ExaminingPrintingChoicesoutlines thehandfulofoptionsthatyouhaveforpublishingandprintingyour books.Youcandeterminewhichoptiontochoosebyconsideringa numberoffactors:yourbudget,yourultimategoalsforthebook, yourdistributionplan,andyouraudience.

Part4:MakingYourBookaBestseller:DistributionMethods explainsthatyoucan’tsimplywriteandpublishabooktomakeit successful.Thispartfocusesonbookdistributionmethodsandhow tobestuseeachone.Youcanalsofindouthowtohandleyourown warehousing,orderfulfillment,andshipping,ifyouneedtodeal withthesetasksbasedonthedistributionmethodthatyouchoose.

Part5:CreatingaBuzz:PublicityandMarketingexploresthe optionsforlettingreadersknowthatyourbookexists.Developinga comprehensiveadvertising,marketing,andpublicrelations

campaign—andthenproperlyimplementingit—requiresfinancial andtimeinvestment,plusatremendousamountofcreativity, planning,andinitiative.

Part6:ThePartofTensoffersyoutencommonself-publishing mistakestoavoid,tene-bookpublishingmistakestoavoid,andways toestablishyourexpertiseandcredibilityasanauthor.

Foolish Assumptions

Beforewritingthisbook,Imadeafewassumptions.Iknow,making assumptionsisn’talwaysthebestidea,butindevelopingthecontentfor thisbook,Ihadtostartsomewhere.Herearemyassumptionsaboutyou:

Youhavebasicwritingskillsandagreatideaforabook.This neweditionof Self-Publishing For Dummies helpsyouevaluateyour ideaintermsofitsprofitability,suitability,andmarketability.

Youalreadyhaveinformationtoconveytoyourreaders,whether youhaveagoodstory,orvaluableandinformativecontent.Sure, thisbookhelpsyoufine-tuneyourapproachwhenitcomesto communicatingyourcontenttoyourreaders,butyouneedtodecide whatinformationtoincludewithinyourbook,basedonyourbook’s targetaudience.

Youhavecontentreadytopublishorhavealreadytriedother publishingmethods.Perhapsyouwroteyourbook’smanuscriptand wanttobypassthetraditionalpublishingprocessanddoityourself. Orperhapsyoualreadyapproachedmajorpublisherstosellyour bookwithoutsuccess,andnowyouwanttogiveself-publishinga whirl.Ifyoualreadywroteyourmanuscript,thisbookexplainshow todevelopit,publishit,marketit,andmakeitavailabletoits intendedaudience.

Icons Used in This Book

Theiconsusedthroughoutthisbookhelpyouquicklypinpointimportant information,focusyourattentiononinformationthat’sworth remembering,anddrawattentiontothingsyoushouldwatchoutforand avoidwhileyouworkonyourpublishingproject.

ThisiconappearswhenIconveyinformationworth remembering.Soundssimpleenough,right?

YouseethisiconwheneverIprovideadviceortips.The informationlistedwiththisiconcanhelpsaveyoutimeandmoney, orhelpyouimproveyouroverallproductivityandchancesof success.

Watchoutforthisicon.Itaccompaniesinformationsuchas commonmistakespeoplemake,misconceptionsthatneed clarification,orpotentialpitfallstoavoidduringthepublishing process.

Beyond the Book

Withineachchapterof Self-Publishing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, you canfindinformationaboutmanyusefulresourcesandcompaniesthat provideproductsorservicesforself-publishedauthors.Keepinmind thatthecompanieslistedwithinthisbookprovideonlyasamplingof whatyoucanfindoutthere.Feelfreetoshoparoundandresearchother companiesorservicesbeforedecidingwhichoneyouwanttoworkwith. Alsonotethatpricingforvariousself-publishing-relatedservicesvary greatly,soshoparoundtogetthebestdealbasedonyourproject’s uniqueneeds.

Where to Go from Here

Foranoverviewofwhatself-publishingisallaboutandtodeterminethe bestwaytogetstarted,Chapter1definitelygivesyouthebestplaceto beginreading.Ofcourse,theTableofContentsandIndexcanhelpyou findspecifictopics.Anddon’tforgettocheckouttheonlineCheatSheet forotherrelatedself-publishinginformation.Goto www.dummies.com andtype“Self-PublishingForDummiesCheatSheet”inthesearchbar. Neverbeforehastheopportunitytopublishaprofessional-lookingbook ore-bookbeenavailabletosomanypeopleatsuchanaffordableprice. Afteryouwriteyourmanuscript,byfollowingtheadviceofferedinthis book,youcanbecomeapublishedauthorinamatterofweeks(or months)andbeginsellingyourbook.Ifyouhavesomethingimportant, relevant,orentertainingtosay,self-publishinggivesyouaviableoption forsharingyourmessage,story,orknowledgewiththepublic.

Part 1

Do It Yourself: Getting Started with Self-Publishing

INTHISPART…

Getabig-picturelookatthescope,thejoys,andthechallengesof self-publishing.

Findoutaboutthebenefitsofself-publishingandtheskillsthatyou needtoaccomplishit.

Determinethetargetaudienceforyourbookbeforeyoustartwriting. Setyourselfupwiththewritingandpublishingtoolsthatyouneedas anauthor.

Createanengagingmanuscriptthatyourtargetaudiencewillwantto read.

Edityourmanuscriptbeforeitgetspublished.

Chapter 1 Welcome to Self-Publishing!

IN THIS CHAPTER

Decidingwhetherself-publishingmakessenseforyou

Creatingandeditingyourmanuscript

Choosingfrombookdesignandprintoptions

Distributingandpromotingyourbook

Checkingoutabriefself-publishingtimeline

Whetheryouknowitornot,justabouteveryonehasauniquestoryto tell,experiencestoshare,knowledgetodisseminate,oracreative imaginationthatallowsthemtobrainstormincrediblestories.Because you’vestartedreadingthisbook,you’relikelyoneofthesepeople.If you’veeverdreamedofhavingabookpublishedwithyourname prominentlydisplayedonthecover,you’reinluck!Formorepeople thaneverbefore,self-publishinghasbecomeaviablewaytogetyour bookpublishedandaccessibletoapotentiallyvastaudience.

Mostbookpublishingcompaniesaren’twillingtoworkwithfirst-time authorswhohavelittleornoprofessionalwritingexperience,butthis situationisnolongeraroadblockforgettingyourbookpublished. Again,thankstonewdigitalpublishingtechnologies,justaboutanyone whohasgoodwritingskillsandagreatideaforcontentcanhaveabook professionallypublishedandmadeavailabletothegeneralpublicin print,digital,and/oraudioformats.Thisprocessiscalled selfpublishing.

Thischapterprovidesanoverviewofwhatbeingaself-publishedauthor involves.Therestofthisbooktakesyoustep-by-stepthroughtheentire self-publishingprocess.Usethissecondeditionof Self-Publishing for

Dummies tofindoutwhatyoumustknowsothatyoucanputyour knowledgeandideasintowritingandpublishyourownbook.

Figuring Out Whether SelfPublishing Works for You

Self-publishingoffersmanyawesomebenefits.Itallowsordinarypeople —businessleaders,celebrities,entrepreneurs,educators,students, retiredpeople,orstay-at-homeparents(thatis,justaboutanyone)—to becomeapublishedauthorforarelativelylowfinancialinvestment. What’srequired,however,isatremendousamountoftime,creativity, anddisciplinetowrite,edit,design,publish,promote,distribute,andsell yourbook(ifyouwanttobesuccessful—andwhodoesn’twanttobe successful?).

Whenyougethiredasanauthorbyamajorpublishinghouse,yourjob issimplytowritethebook’smanuscriptandperhapsgathersomeorall theartworkthat’sincludedwithinthatbook.Forthiswork,you’re typicallypaidanadvanceandaroyaltyonbooksales.Variousexperts workingforthepublisherhandlealltheothersteps(andtherearemany ofthem)inthepublishingprocess.Keepinmind,theauthorisexpected toparticipateinthemarketingprocesswhenworkingwithatraditional bookpublisher.

Self-publishingisdifferent.Astheauthor,you’restillresponsiblefor writingyourbook’smanuscript,butyou’realsoresponsibleforevery otheraspectofthebookpublishingprocess.Thegoodnewsisthatifyou haveagreatideaforabookorknowledgethatyouwanttoshare,but you’renotalreadyaskilledwriter,youcanfindmanyprofessional ghostwriterstohelpyoutransformyourthoughts,knowledge, experiences,orideasintoaprofessionallywrittenandpolished manuscript.

Forotherpartsoftheprocess,youcanalsofindskillededitors,graphic designers,illustrators,publishingconsultants,andbookmarketing specialiststoprovideanyskillsyou’recurrentlylacking.Andyoucan

hiretheseprosonafreelancebasistohelpout.Inotherwords,youdon’t havetohandleallthestepsinvolvedwithself-publishingbyyourself. Evenwhenyouhireawiderangeoffreelancersandcompaniestohandle majorstepsinthepublishingprocess,you'reultimatelythedecision makerandthepersoninchargeoftheentireproject—fromstartto finish. Note: Themoreyouhireandrelyonotherpeople,themore expensivetheself-publishingprocessbecomes.

Self-publishinghastwomajorbenefits:

Control:Youget100percentcreativecontrolovereveryaspectof thebook’scontent,layout,design,format,pricing,distribution, advertising,andmarketing.

Profits:Insteadofjustgettinganadvanceplusaroyaltyonsales, yougettokeepmostoftheprofitsgeneratedbythesaleofthebook.

Weexplorethesetwobenefits(andmanymore)inthefollowing sections.

Chapter2talksspecificallyaboutwhyyoushouldconsiderselfpublishing,andyoucandiscoverthebenefitsoftheprocess.Italso revealshowjustaboutanytypeofcontent—fictionornonfiction— canbeself-publishedandtransformedintoane-book,paperback,or hardcover.Youcanalsofindoutwhatspecificskillsyouneedtobecome aself-publishedauthor.

Don’tgettooexcitedjustyet!Althoughself-publishingdoes offeranamazingopportunityforjustaboutanyonetohavetheir bookprofessionallypublished,comparedtohavingyourbook publishedbyamajorpublishingcompany,self-publishinghasafew drawbacks,aswell.IalsogooverthesedrawbacksinChapter2.

Gathering the Right Publishing Tools

Beforeyousitdowntowriteapotentialbestseller,gathertheproper writingandpublishingtools.(Chapter4focusesontheequipmentand toolsthatyouneedtosuccessfullywriteabook.)Somepre-writingtasks thatyouneedtoaccomplishinclude

Creatingacomfortablewritingenvironment:Payattentionto yourwritinglocationandthefurnishingsyouuse,butalsofocuson thelightingandtemperaturewhereyouwillbewriting.

Identifyingandminimizingdistractionswhenyou’rewriting: GetridofthatTVormessagingappthatpullsyourmindawayfrom writing,andfindwaystoadjustyourworkhabitsthatallowyouto stayfocused.

Puttingtogethertheperfectwriter’stoolbox:Makesurethatyou haveeverythingyouneed,notjustagoodwordprocessor.

Whatyouneedinyourwriter’stoolboxvaries,basedonwhatformat(s) youultimatelywantyourbooktotake.Forexample,beyondjustaword processingprogram,youneedspecializedsoftwaretoformatandpublish e-books;andyouhavetohaveseparateapplicationstodesignthelook andfeel,andprepareyourmanuscriptforprintingintheformofa traditionalhardcoverorpaperbackbook.Whichapplicationsyouuse dependsonseveralfactors,includingwhetheryouwanttoprintthe contentwithinyourbookinblackandwhiteorinfullcolor,forexample.

Asanauthor,youneedcertaintoolstomakethewritingprocess easierandmaximizeyourproductivity:

YoucanuseaWindowsPCorMacdesktoporlaptopcomputer that’sequippedwithapowerfulwordprocessingprogram(suchas

MicrosoftWordorGoogleDocs)andthathasaccesstotheinternet andaprinter.

Somepeopleopttodotheirwritingbyusingatablet(suchasan AppleiPad,SamsungGalaxyTab,orMicrosoftSurfacePro)thathas anexternalkeyboardattached.However,formostwriters,thisisa secondarywritingtool.

Ofcourse,youcanalsoplantowritethefirstdraftofyourbook freehandbyusingapadandpen.(Ifyougothisroute,expectto windupwithaverytiredhand!)Youcanfindapplicationsthat automaticallytransformyourhandwritingintoeditabletextonyour computerortablet,soyouhaveoptions.

Putting Together a Winning Manuscript

Thebeautyofself-publishingisthatyoucantransformalmostanytype ofcontentintoaprofessionallypublishedbook.Dependingonthetype ofbookyou’rewriting,afull-lengthmanuscriptmaybeanywherefrom 50,000to100,000words(orlonger).Acompilationofpoemsorshort stories,aphotobook,oracookbookthatcontainsrecipesfollowdifferent formatsaltogether.Meanwhile,akids’bookistypicallylessthan500 words,butabookthatcontainschapterscanbeaslongas20,000words, whileabooktargetedtoamiddleschooloryoungadultaudiencecanbe between50,000and80,000words.Besurethatyouunderstandyour audienceandthebook-lengthandformatthey’reaccustomedtoreading.

Comingupwiththeperfectbookidea—somethingthat’s uniqueorthatoffersanewtwistonsomethingthat’sbeenwritten aboutbefore—isanimportantstepinthebookwritingand publishingprocess.Equallyimportant,youneedtoresearchyour informationandmakesurethatyouhaveenoughinterestingand informativecontenttofillanentirebook.Youthenneedtoproperly organizetheinformationsothatthereadercanmakesenseofand makeuseofit.

Starting with an outline and an audience

Thetricktowritingasuccessfulbookinvolvesfirst brainstormingandcarefullyoutliningexactlywhatyouplanto write,andthenclearlydefiningyourbook’saudience.Makesure thatthecontentwithinyourbook(andlaterallthemarketingforit) targetsthatspecificaudience.Iexplainhowtodetermineyour targetaudienceinChapter3.Notonlydoyouneedtodefinewho willpotentiallywanttoreadyourbook,butyoualsomustthen makeyourpublishedbookaccessibletothisaudienceandmarketit sothattherightpeoplefindoutaboutitsexistence.

Mostauthorsbeginthewritingprocessbycreatingadetailedoutlinefor theirbook’smanuscriptbeforetheystartresearching,writing,and addingvisualelementssuchasphotosandillustrations. Chapter5 focusesonhowtoprepareanoutline,researchthecontentforyourbook, anddecidewhatelementsyouwanttoincorporateintoyourmanuscript.

Everythingwithinyourbookmustbecompletelyoriginal,unless youhavewrittenpermissiontoincludesomeoneelse’scopyrighted materialswithinyourbook.Plagiarismissomethingyouwantto

avoidasawriter.Meanwhile,developingyourownvoiceasa writerissomethingthatyouwanttoestablishearlyonwhenyour writingcareeristakingoff.InChapter5,IfocusabitonAItools forwritersandwhyyoushould not relyonthemtocreateyour manuscript.

Fine-tuning your manuscript

Themanuscripteditingprocessrequiresseveralsteps.Anexcellent strategyhasyoubeginbyeditingyourownwork,andthenhiringa professionaleditortofine-tunethemanuscript.InChapter6,findout whataprofessionaleditordoesandhowtohiresomeonewho’shighly skilled.Editingrequiresaverydifferentskillsetthanwriting,andpeople trainformanyyearstomasterhowtoeditwell.

Keepinmindthatsoftwareandonline-basedtoolscandoaprettygood jobhelpingyoufine-tuneyourmanuscript,aswellascorrectgrammar andspellingerrors.But none ofthesetoolsisareplacementforhiringa professionaleditortoreviewyourmanuscriptbeforethelayoutand designprocess,andthenagainbeforeitgoestopress.

Prepping the manuscript for publishing

Inthepublishingworld,thedocumentthatyoucreate, containingyourwrittenworkandsupplementalmaterialsthatwill eventuallybepublishedintoabook,isreferredtoasa manuscript. Afteryoueditthemanuscriptandformat,layout,anddesignthe pagestolooklikepageswithinatraditionalbook,thefinished documentisreferredtoas galleys. Thisgalleycontentgetsprinted asatraditionalsoftcoverorhardcoverbook,orformattedasanebook.

An e-book isapublishedbookthat’sdistributedinadigitalformatsuch asepub,PDF,oraplatform-specificformat.Readerscanaccessitby usingadedicatede-reader(suchasanAmazonKindleoraBarnes& NobleNook),onacomputerscreen,oronthescreenofamobiledevice

(includingasmartphoneortablet).Thepagesofane-booklookexactly likethepagesofatraditionallyprintedbook,butamongotherthings,the readercanchoosethetypefaceandfontsizeforthetextdisplayed.

Dealing with Administration and Design

Dependingonwhatyourgoalsareforthebook,someself-published authorsestablishtheirownsmallpublishingcompany(aformalbusiness entity),especiallyiftheyplantodirectlysellanddistributetheirown printedbooks.Discover,inChapter7,whyyoumaybenefitfrom formingacompany.

Taking care of the administrative details

Evenwithoutestablishingyourownpublishingcompany,youneedto completesomeadministrativetasksbeforeyourself-publishedbook goestopressorisreleasedinanydigitalformat.Forexample,basedon howyouplantodistributeandsellyourbook,youlikelyneedtoacquire auniqueInternationalStandardBookNumber(ISBN),aLibraryof CongressControlNumber,andacopyright.Chapter8outlineshowto accomplishmanyofthesetasks.(However,insomecases,ifyouhirea printerthatspecializesinworkingwithself-publishedauthors,the printeroftenhandlesmostorallthesetasksforyou—butforafee.See Part3formoreinfoonprintanddigitalpublishingchoices.)

Manycompaniesoffercomprehensivepublishingsolutionsfor self-publishedauthors,includingprint-on-demand(POD)and small-print-runprinters.Thesecompaniescanhandlesomeorallof thenecessaryadministrativetasksonyourbehalf.Usingoneof thesecomprehensivepublishingsolutionscanhelpfirst-time authorsbecausetheservicemakesthewholeprocesseasierand savesyouconsiderabletime.However,dependingonwhichservice youhireandwhattasksyouexpectittohandle,you’llneedtopay

fortheirworkupfrontandoutofpocket—whichisafinancial investmentonyourpartthatcouldbeanywherefromseveral hundredtoseveralthousanddollars.Youcanreadmoreabout short-runprintersandPODcompaniesinChapter12andChapter 13,respectively.

Crafting a book design

Inadditiontothemanyadministrativetasksthatyou(orsomeoneon yourbehalf)mustcompletebeforeabookgetspublished,youneedto layoutanddesignthemanuscript,aswellascreatethebook’sfrontand backcovers.Thesetasksapplytobothtraditionallyprintedbooksandebooks.However,youcanmoreeasilyandquicklycompletetheprocess fore-booksthanforwhatwillultimatelybeatraditionallyprinted softcoverorhardcoverbook.Youcanhandlethesestepsyourself,using desktoppublishingandgraphicdesignsoftware(seeChapters9and10 fordetailsabouttoolsusedforpagelayoutandcoverdesign),oryoucan hireaprofessionalgraphicdesignertodothisdesignworkforyou. Chapter9focusesonhowtodesignandlayouttheinteriorofyour book,usingdesktoppublishingsoftwarerunningonaWindowsPCor Mac.Chapter10providesinformationregardinghowyouneedtocreate themostimpressiveandhigh-impactfrontandbackcoverpossible.

You’veprobablyheardthatsaying,“Youcan’tjudgeabookby itscover.”Well,whenitcomestoself-publishing,theappearanceof yourbook’scoverandawell-writtenbookdescriptionbothplaya hugeroleinwhetherreadersarelikelytopurchaseyourbook. Hiringanexperiencedbookcoverdesignerisoneoftheexpenses youshouldsplurgeonduringthepublishingprocess.

Checking Out Your Printing Options

Printedbookscomeinallshapesandsizes,andyouhaveoptionswhenit comestoprintingyourbook.Basedonwhichprintingmethodyou choose,goingwithanindustrystandardtrimsizewillkeepyourcosts

down.Aprintedbook’s trim size referstothedimensionsofthebook (it’swidthandheight).Pagecountdeterminesitsthickness.Themost commontrimsizesforstandardbooksare:5×8inches,5.5×8.5 inches,or6×9inches.

Herearethemajorself-publishingprintoptions:

Traditionalprinting:Usingoffsetprintingtechnologytopublisha largequantityofbooksatonetime.Majorpublishinghousesusethis process,anditoffersmanyadvantages(butalsoafewdrawbacks) forself-publishedauthors.Unlessyouknow,with100percent certainty,thatyoucansellhundredsorthousandsofprintedcopiesof yourbook,don’tpursuethisprintingmethodasaself-published author.

E-bookpublishing:Theleastexpensivewaytopublishand distributeabook.Becauseusingadedicatede-reader,acomputer,or atablethasbecomeaverycommonwayforreaderstoacquireand readbooks,itmakessensetohaveyourbookavailableinpopularebookformats.Icoverhowtocreate,publish,anddistributee-books inChapter11.

Ifyouwant(orneed)tokeepyourinitialfinancial investmentlowandknowthatyourtargetaudiencetendstolikeebooks,stronglyconsiderpursuinge-bookpublishingexclusively. Whenyouusespecializedsoftware(suchasVellum),youcancreate andpublishe-booksmorequickly,easily,andaffordablythanyou canprintbooks.Infact,youmaybeabletopublishane-book entirelybyyourself.

Shortrunprinting:Havearelativelysmallnumberofbooks printedinonebatch.Infact,youcaninitiallyorderjustafewdozen orafewhundredcopiesofthebook.Youhavetopayahigher printingcostperbookthanyoudowithatraditionalprintingoption, butthefinancialriskismuchlowerifyourbookdoesn’twindup