Photo Credit: Louis Kirby
In this digital age, publishing a book has never been easier. In fact, you can take a manuscript, load it up onto one of a dozen websites and in a day have your project out in the marketplace. But it won’t sell nor will anybody likely read it. It takes some attention to detail to get it right and give your fabulous novel or nonfiction book the opportunity to become successful. I will walk you through the steps you need to follow to get a quality product, one that you will be proud of. And who knows – maybe it become a bestseller!
My experience in self-publishing comes from writing and publishing Shadow of Eden, a medical-political thriller that has been an Amazon bestseller since its release. Using Shadow of Eden as an example, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to get it published. While the process was relatively straightforward, having a guide will make things a lot easier for you.
I’ll describe three stages of publishing your eBook: perfecting the manuscript, publishing (print and e-book), and marketing. While I cannot give you an exhaustive explanation for the entire process, this guide will give you a really good to start.
Phase 1: Pre-publication
Photo credit: Louis Kirby
Shadow of Eden is the product of a couple years of research (think Michael Crichton) and another two years of writing. This is where we’ll start on the self-publishing path; you with a first draft of your masterpiece-to-be. You can find an agent and go the traditional publishing route, although, if you are reading this, you probably have made the decision to self publish. In either case, your manuscript is your product and you have to polish the product before it hits the market. There are four stages in perfecting your manuscript.
Manuscript: Write the best manuscript you can. Set it aside for a period of time and then come back to it later and critically reread it. Try to see it through the eye of a new reader. You will see plot holes, poor sentence constructions and other flaws that you did not notice before. That’s normal. Make your revisions. Then repeat as often as required to get it right.
Script doctor: When you finally have the manuscript in the best shape you can, have a script doctor or several objective friends read your manuscript for content, pacing, story, plot, accuracy, characterization, and so forth. If you have unnecessary plot lines, dialogue issues, tepid suspense, flat characters, or technical inaccuracies, then now is the time to fix it. I know we become enamored with our own writing and we will resist comments and suggestions from others. That is why I recommend you pay someone to read it. You are then literally invested in listening and carefully considering the opinion of someone who is an expert. I used Marlene Adlestein at Fixyourbook.com. She wanted me to shorten the manuscript and pull out a critical plot line. Oww! That hurt. Worse, it was some of my best writing. But (sigh) I did it and guess what? Even though I still think it was some of my best writing, removing it tightened up the story and made it flow at lightspeed. It was the correct decision.
Proofreader: Find a professional proofreader who will check your manuscript for grammatical errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes. Yes, I guarantee you have them no matter how carefully you have read your own work. I used Shannan Anderson (email: TriggerHD@aol.com). As a bonus, she also found a few plot errors which I fixed before the book went to press. An alternative to a paid editor, find several patient and highly literate friends who will read your manuscript in detail and mark the errors. Many self-published books are marred by preventable mistakes that jar the reader out of the story. With good proofreading, yours will look professional.
Front and back matters: You need to put in the front pages that you see in a print book to include a Title Page, a dedication page, Copyright page, and perhaps a forward or acknowledgements page. The copyright page will include: the claim of copyright and date, your ISBN (if you have bought your own), Publisher address (added as you decide on the publisher later).
At the back, add About the Author and optionally include a photo, followed by Other Books by this Author, if you have any, and information on where your readers can contact you, Twitter, Facebook, Blog page, etc. I have also seen requests for Amazon reviews as well. You will also need to write a catchy cover blurb to go on the back of the print book or on the website of the eBook publisher. This is a bit of an art and you should take some time to get it right, as it is a gateway to selling your book.
Phase 2: Publication stage
Cover credit: Louis Kirby
Now that the manuscript is ready, you are set to publish. Many self-publication houses offer a one-stop package that includes interior formatting and cover design. Publishers generally offer these items at additional cost. The advantage to you is the convenience of a one-stop shop. Or you can do what I did (do most of these steps yourself) and maintain a higher level of control and flexibility across the entire project.
Step 1: publishing platform Choose your publishing platform: eBook, print or both. Each of these platforms has specific requirements and options. If you are writing a novel, you will want to publish on an eBook platform. My sales of the Kindle version have outsold the physical version by 10-1. If you have an illustrated or photo book, you may decide on print only. The physical print version requires a few additional steps to take (more below). Within the eBook platform you have several choices including Kindle, Nook, eBook, iPad, Sony and more. Most eBook publishers, not directly affiliated with a specific reader, will offer you options for formatting and distribution on several eBook platforms (e.g., Smashwords, Lulu).
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10119891-82/self-publishing-a-book-25-things-you-need-to-know/
Step 2: Publisher. Then you need to decide on which e-publishing house offers you the best benefits. This will require some research on your part, but I have included some references to get you started. I used CreateSpace (owned by Amazon) but the decision was not a slam dunk. You can also change your publisher if you need to later.Read the contract before you sign. Typically publishing outlets allow you to keep full copyright control over your work, however, there is variation in pricing, distribution, royalty margin, and so forth. Most of the outlets also have free downloadable guides to self publishing although they will, of course, emphasize their convenient services on offer.
http://thefutureofink.com/ebook-publishing-platforms/ http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-20010547-82/how-to-self-publish-an-ebook/
Step 3: Cover. Create a cover for your masterpiece. Unless you are particularly handy with Photoshop, use a professional cover designer. I can often tell a self-published book literally by its cover. You can use the publishing house cover design services, but again, your options are limited and the experience of an experienced book cover designer can often work wonders for your specific needs. I found my own, through a Google search for book cover designers, yielding hundreds of designers to choose from. I picked two at random because the going rate was around $50.00 per custom cover although the price can go up with lots of revisions. They each made several cover versions and I had two excellent covers to choose from. As a result, I’ve had a number of people comment on the cover of Shadow of Eden. Make sure the design fits into your genre and is highly visible in a tiny thumbnail size that is presented by Amazon and others.
Step 4: Formatting. You next need to format your manuscript for the actual platform you chose in step 1. Formatting means choosing the typeface, margin size, making chapter heading margin and numbering consistent, and follow other conventions set by the publisher for that platform. Each publisher will have written formatting guidelines you can follow on your own. Fortunately, it is not difficult but it is tedious and some decisions you make may not look as professional on the page as you would like. I took the easy way and hired a company (52 novels, www.52novels.com).
They produced 4 formats that took care of 95% of the format requirements out there. They also included some of my custom requests and added a nifty presidential seal icon at the beginning of each chapter.
http://theperfectplot.blogspot.com/2013/04/self-publishing-ebook-part-1-formatting.html
Step 5: ISBN. You will need to get your own ISBN number or let the distribution partner (e.g., Amazon, Lulu) supply you with a number. The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is the 10 or 13 digit number on the back of the book and on the copyright page. It serves as the unique identifier of the book for accounting, book identification, and inventory purposes. It is also linked to the publisher.
Most publishers will supply you with a unique number or an ISBN number that does not require any additional effort on your part. If you choose to use the publisher’s assigned number, it will list them as the publisher. I chose to become my own publisher (for increased control and flexibility) and got my own ISBN number. If you go this route, don’t name the publisher after yourself, it is a dead giveaway it is self-published. Make sure the publisher’s name and address are included on the copyright page.
You will need a unique ISBN for each platform (e.g., Kindle, Nook, Print). Bottom line: if you are publishing only for personal use and distribution, use the services provided by your platform. If you plan to be serious about your writing, get your own. Print your ISBN number on the copyright page.
Discussion: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/11/isbn-101-for-self-publishers/
Exclusive US ISBN vendor: http://www.bowker.com
Step 6: Copyright. On the copyright page, claim the copyright to the work. This is really all you need to do. Copy the language from any other book. I registered the copyright with the US copyright office because, “Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney’s fees in successful litigation”. See the link below for more FAQs. It’ll cost you a form and a $35 fee.
US Copyright office: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/
Step 7: Upload. Once you have formatted your manuscript and completed all the copyright page modifications, you will need to upload it to the website of each platform you have chosen. Taking Amazon as an example, you register with Kindle Direct Publishing (https://kdp.amazon.com) and follow the steps. During this process, you will need to fill in a number of blanks, including the author, title of the work, name and address of the publisher (your address if you are using your own ISBN), contact information, and importantly bank information, including account and routing numbers that can be found at the bottom of a check. This allows Amazon to directly deposit your earnings into your bank. You will also need to decide on a price for your book. There are a number of forums that discuss pricing strategy, but that is also beyond the scope of this article. I chose $2.99.
Step 8: Review Formatting. Once you have uploaded your masterpiece the platform will then show you how it will look like on their eBook reader. Take this opportunity to page completely through the book to ensure there were no formatting glitches. Don’t skip this step! You do not want to find out when an irate customer leaves a flaming 1-star review. I saw an author who failed to do this and his Kindle version was a mess. I stopped reading it after two pages and sent the author, through his web page, a message about his formatting errors.
If you find some errors, you will likely be able to fix them on your end and then re-upload the repaired manuscript. If not, call or contact the vendor for help. With a professional formatting specialist, you will not likely have these issues. Once you are happy, you will press the button to make it go live. Cool! You are now a published author.
Special considerations for print publication.
There is nothing like holding your own book in your hands, a real book with heft, a shiny cover design and your name spelled out for all to see. You can sign it (many will ask), give it to friends, hand it off to a reviewer, and host book signings. You can’t do this with an eBook edition. Some will wait to buy the hard copy and others won’t have the eBook platform you’ve chosen. Still others will want to buy 20 copies for gifts. And it is only a few more steps after you have your eBook version ready.
The real innovation in book publishing is something called Print on Demand (POD). Your POD publisher sets your book up, ready to print, but waits to print and ship until an actual order comes in. This saves you paying for actual inventory incurred by using a traditional vanity printer. The POD publisher charges a fixed amount for each book printed regardless of the number of copies ordered. You can set the retail price and your royalty is the net of your retail charge minus the fixed cost of the print copy. Authors get a special discount price for their own use. I order them regularly so I have books to take to book signings. You can consign them to bookstores or other outlets and make a profit for everyone they sell.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_on_demand
Top 10 publishing houses: http://online-book-publishing-review.toptenreviews.com
4 of the best POD publishers: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-4-online-selfpublishers-book-write/
Phase 3: Selling Your Masterpiece
Even major publishing houses rarely make a significant effort at selling first time authors. It is up to you. The publishing houses make it easier for you since you are more likely to get print reviews and you are more likely to get carried in bookstores. But they also take a much larger share of your royalties and your marketing is mostly up to you anyway.
While there are a lot of books and articles telling you how best to market your book, there are few actual documented examples of what works with specific examples of sales increases as a result of specific activities. That is because there are so many variables including the genre, your interest and ability to promote your book, how well written the book is and more. Beware of the plethora of vendors all too willing to take your money in return for a nebulous sales result. Carefully weigh all your options and decide the best way you should go for your specific situation.
I have a number of suggestions that have worked for me. I have cataloged them into a separate post on my website at www.louiskirby.com. Whatever you do, be persistent. If you can write a book, the rest is easy. Good luck!
For more on Louis’ thoughts on marketing: www.louiskirby.com.
http://www.iuniverse.com/ExpertAdvice/MarketingYourBook.aspx
About the author
Louis Kirby is the Amazon bestselling author of Shadow of Eden. It is available on Amazon in Kindle and print editions. Louis has specialized in research and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, chiefly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, during his professional career as a neurologist. Dr. Kirby served as principal investigator on nearly 400 human clinical trials. Throughout his life he has always been drawn to writing. While in medical school he published several stories, one landing him in hot water with the Dean of Medicine.
Shadow of Eden tells the story about the stunningly effective new weight loss drug that is more ubiquitous than Tylenol and more fabled than Viagra, and how it rips through a society obsessed with attaining physical beauty at all costs . . . yet it harbors a latent deadly side effect, putting millions at risk.
As Dr. Steve James races to diagnose patients suffering from an irreversible brain disease, an increasingly erratic U.S. President struggles to manage a rapidly escalating crisis with China that catapults the country to the brink of war, and a charismatic drug company CEO dispatches an assassin to keep Dr. James from putting it all together.
“Brilliantly imagined and flawlessly paced, Kirby’s story leaves you thinking long after you’ve closed the book. Smart and exciting like a thriller should be.” William Gartner author of Biotoxin.
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