Congratulations on completing your book. Although publishing can seem like an uphill task to many people, it is not as daunting as it seems. If you are thinking of a publishing house to publish your book, you must reconsider your decision. Your manuscript could end up in a huge slush pile alongside thousands of others, making it difficult to shine out among others.
In the past, writers sent their manuscripts to publishing houses and waited for months, usually only to get a rejection letter. Do you know famous books like Harry Potter were rejected more than 10 times? Thankfully, we now have much better solutions for publishing our books.
Publishing through traditional publishing houses is no less than a dream coming true. However, what if we tell you that you can skip all this hassle? Yes, you read it right; you can write, edit, and sell your book on your own without depending on a publishing company.
In this guide, we have mentioned all the simple steps of publishing your book with confidence. Furthermore, we have mentioned the difference between traditional and self-publishing books. This detailed guide will help you to show your book to the world. Let’s jump into all the important details.
What is Self-Publishing?
Self-publishing simply means that you publish your book by yourself, without the help of an agent or book publishing services. These days, many authors have decided to self-publish on platforms like Amazon’s KDP(Kindle Direct Publishing). The book publishing platform has been recognized as the world’s largest bookstore for the past decades. It is definitely going to maintain its status in the future.
Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
| Traditional Publishing | Self-Publishing |
| Decide a topic, compile your ideas, and write your book. | Decide a topic, compile your ideas, and write your book. |
| Contact your genre-specialized agent. | Begin the publishing process on your own. |
| The agent will submit the work to a publisher. | Edit, design, and format your book by hiring a professional or by yourself. |
| Cross your fingers and hope your manuscript gets accepted. | Choose a platform where you want to publish your book. |
| If accepted, the publisher will begin working on your book. | Upload your manuscript and click submit. |
| You may have to pay for upfront and editing. | No upfront payments and you have to decide the price of the book. |
| It is simpler to get feedback on your book. | You must actively ask for feedback and hire an editor. |
| You get help from professional and established teams. | It’s all do-it-yourself work. |
| The process is much slower. | The process is very fast. |
Step-By-Step Guide to Publish a Book
Learning how to self-publish a book may take a lot of time, but it is much faster than the traditional route. For your assistance, we have mentioned below all the steps you need to follow through the process.
1. Write Your Book
The first step of the journey is to write your book. It is necessary to recognize your target audience before you start writing. Learning who you are writing for and how they will respond to your work is important.
2. Pick an Appropriate Title
Your book title is what initially attracts readers. Conduct detailed research to pick the best title for your work. An attractive title can catch the attention of potential readers and make them more interested in your book. If you are trying hard to come up with a good title, try using a book title generator for help.
3. Book Editing
Editing can be the most challenging part of the publishing procedure. It needs a lot of time and attentive eyes to catch all errors. A book that is not composed in the right way can lose its credibility and charm. You can either hire a professional editor or ask someone you trust who has strong editing skills.
4. Finalizing Your Manuscript
This is another tough process; it usually involves several revisions with copy and line editors. Don’t lose your motivation at this time, all your struggles will be worth it when you will see your final product. Invest time in making sure all the details are polished and ready to be published.
5. Design An Attractive Book Cover
People judge everything by its cover, especially a book. Don’t fall for the advice that is against it. An attractive cover can prominently influence a reader’s decision to opt for your book. If you don’t have good design skills then you can hire a professional designer.
6. Decide The Right Platform
Deciding where to publish a book is an important part of the self-publishing procedure. There are many platforms available, like Amazon KDP, Kobo,iBooks, and some others. These are famous options among self-publishers and give great exposure to your book.
7. Formatting Your Book
The next step is to format your book. No one likes to read a book that has inconsistent font sizes and margins. Formatting errors can irritate the readers. Thankfully, there are several online tools and software available that can assist you format your book in the right way.
8. Plan A Good Marketing
Making a marketing strategy is necessary both before and after the launch of your book. You can utilize different marketing tactics, like social media marketing. Ask influencers in your genre to share your book on their platforms to boost your audience reach.
9. Decide The Price Of Your Book
Deciding the right price depends on various factors. This involves the prices of similar books and what your target audience is willing to pay. Research the competitors to see how they price their books. You may also consider offering discounts or promotional pricing for a limited time to attract more readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I write a book without any experience?
The answer is simply yes, you can write a book with zero experience. Every writer writes their first book with no experience. So you can also write without having any experience.
2. Is self-publishing more profitable than traditional book publishing?
Yes, self-publishing is more profitable than traditional publishing. Your royalties are expected to be higher than traditional publishing because you are an editor, author, marketer, designer, and publisher. So you are the only owner of all profits.
3. Can I publish my book without any cost?
Yes, you can publish your book free of cost. You don’t need to hire any designer if you are a good designer yourself. Also, if you think you are a professional proofreader or editor, then you don’t need to hire an expert. Various publishing platforms like iBook, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and Smashwords allow users to publish books for free.
The Conclsuive Statement
We hope that this guide will help you in your publishing journey. Keep in mind that it is just the summarised procedure of publishing. You need to learn and research to avoid any mistakes. Furthermore, you can change these steps according to your situation. For example, you can use smart tools to edit and cover design. This will save you the cost of hiring a professional. Everything depends on your choices. It is crucial to go deep in every step when you are working on a self-publishing method.