Writing stars, I love the DIY approach to self-publishing, but as you know, I'm a stickler for quality. To compete with traditionally published books, indie books must meet or exceed the standards the big houses have set, and that's a good thing. From writing, editing, cover art, layout and design, indie books must raise the bar so that the differences between traditionally published and self-published books are barely perceptible.
Today's guest post by Libby Fischer Hellmann, best-selling crime author and self-publishing expert, thoroughly and thoughtfully lays out the process of publishing a high quality book.
"How much does self-publishing cost?" Writers ask this question with not a little fear and trembling. It's true, publishing companies have much deeper pockets than we do, but as Libby's article suggests, you must approach self-publishing like any other business. To put out a good product, you'll have to spend a little, but Libby shows us you don't have to break the bank to do it.
Donna Marie
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Six Steps of Self-Publishing (Mostly for Traditional Authors)
by Libby Fischer Hellmann
June 12, 2013
I
was at Printers Row this past weekend, the annual Book Festival
sponsored by the Chicago Tribune, and I was struck by how many people
wanted me to tell them about self-publishing. They were mostly
traditionally published authors, some of whom have large followings, but
they’re dissatisfied with either the pace of traditional publishing,
dislike the lack of control, or want to try something that their current
publishers don’t.
Those of you who already self-publish probably know these steps, but
you may be interested in my process; it’s a little different, and, yes,
it costs more money. In fact, I disagree with those who tout that
self-publishing is basically free. I believe that if you want to be
taken seriously, you need to invest. No short cuts.
Let me put it this way: I was hoping to go to Vienna, Prague and
Budapest later this year. Um. That’s not going to happen now. I’m
investing in my book instead.
I’m going to describe what I’m doing so far with Havana Lost.
As some of you know, it’s coming out in September. And here’s the thing.
Except for the actual production of the book, the process isn’t that
different from the way traditional publishers approach the task. Btw,
it’s now June, and all of the steps below I’ve done, except for the last
one. If you’re self-publishing, and you want to pursue print as well as
ebook opportunities, give yourself 3-4 months to accomplish all these
tasks.
Step One – Editing
There are two types of editing, and you’ll need both.
Developmental Editing: Whether you pay a good developmental
editor to read your book for continuity, character development,
authenticity, and plotting, or whether you’re lucky enough to have
discriminating readers or author friends who’ll do the job, you
absolutely need another pair of eyes on your manuscript. In traditional
publishing, you get it automatically (or at least you used to). But when
you self-publish you need to factor it into your plans. And it might
cost a bunch of money. I used to work with a developmental editor who
charged about $1500. I now rely on authors and friends, but they have to
be honest, and they have to be thorough. Believe me, it’s not always
pleasant, but it’s critical.
Copy editing: This covers all the other stuff; grammar,
punctuation, style, consistency and accuracy. If you are like most
authors, by the time you approach the end of a book you won’t be able to
see the forest for the trees. You will need fresh, expert eyes to add
those essential finishing touches, smoothing any rough edges and turning
something that is good into something awesome. Don’t sabotage your work
by a shoddy presentation. As an editor once said to me, “a good writer
deserves a good editor.”
Step Two – The Cover
Expect to pay at least $200 for a cover… and as much as $700. I’m not
a fan of pre-designed covers or templates. I prefer a cover that says
something worth knowing about my books. Marketers recommend that, too;
your cover has a vital role to play in catching readers’ imaginations
and compelling them to find out what’s inside. Not to mention creating
or sustaining your brand.
So be choosy. If you’re paying, don’t settle for a design you don’t
like. Tell the designer to try again. Pay attention to fonts, the
arrangement of words versus images, the clarity of the images, and the
overall design. Good design is pleasing on the eye, poor design isn’t.
It jerks your eyes around, making it difficult to read, or includes
illogically placed text that makes the reader work harder than they
should.
If you’re doing a print version, which I recommend, the designer will
need to do the back cover and spine as well. Here’s what my designers
came up with for Havana Lost.
Step Three – Preparing Materials
Your publishing imprint – I recommend coming up a Publishing
Imprint, the trade name under which your book will be published,
especially if you create a print version (which I’ll talk about in more
depth next week). You’ll need it if you want to establish an account
with Lightning Source for print copies, and if you are planning to use Ingram Spark (which seems like an efficient, quick way to print books). My imprint is The Red Herrings Press.
This is NOT to hide the fact that you’re
self-published. In fact in my query letters to reviewers, I make sure to
tell them I self-publish; an imprint is simply something that makes you
look more professional.
ISBNs - You’ll need at least 3 different ISBNs per
book. One for your ebook, one for print, and one for audio, if you plan
to produce one (I am producing an audiobook through ACX.)
Yes, ISBNs are outrageously expensive. But they’re worth it,
particularly if you plan to use more than one platform to sell your
book. You can split 10 with a friend or even buy ISBNs in bulk for a
lower cost. Head over to Bowker.com, the official US and UK ISBN provider.
Jacket copy/Book Description – You need to to craft a couple
of paragraphs that describe the novel. Keep it short and punchy. Get
some help from other authors or writers whom you know and respect.
Research other authors’ books in your genre and see how they do it. The
same as your book cover, the aim is to seduce readers to such an extent
that they can’t resist finding out more.
Here’s mine:
On the eve of the Cuban Revolution,
headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless
Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting
with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the
US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her.
So begins the first part of a
spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family.
Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold
riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity,
and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal
consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to
the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of
chasing power instead of love.
HAVANA LOST is award-winning author
Libby Fischer Hellmann’s tenth novel and third thriller that explores
how strife and revolution affect the human spirit. HAVANA LOST is a
testament to Hellmann’s gift for authentic historical detail as well as
her talent for writing compulsively readable thrillers.
How will you use it? Your jacket copy
will inform the query letter, the sell sheet and all the platforms
through which you distribute your work. It will become ubiquitous, so
make sure it’s powerful.
The sell sheet - This is a single sheet of paper with
full details about your book. It should go out to all your reviewers and
possible distributors, and it’s handy to have as an at-a-glance
reminder. Here’s my Sell Sheet for Havanna Lost
The query letter - This is a simple query letter for
bloggers and reviewers, politely asking them if they’d like an Advanced
Reader Copy (ARC) to review. The better you make your book sound, the
more people are likely to be interested. It is another small but
critical marketing job that can make a difference in how influential
people perceive your book and how many of them get around to reading and reviewing it.
Interior design for print books - If you are creating a print
version, as I recommend, someone needs to design the inside of the
book. You can do it yourself, but I choose not to. It’s above my pay
grade.
Step Four – Print and Distribute ARCs
Bound galleys – Just like traditional publishing, you need some bound galleys to send to reviewers and bloggers. I used CreateSpace, which is fast, efficient, and doesn’t cost a lot. I ordered 35 copies— the rest of my ARCS are pdfs.
Assembling a list – Assembling a list means capturing the
contact details of professional reviewers, bloggers, and other potential
influencers. If people/organizations have reviewed you favorably in the
past, approach them first. There are lists all over the Internet, and
at KindleBoards to
help you find reviewers. It helps if you have an email list because you
can canvas your contacts, asking if they’ll review your book in
exchange for an ARC.
Paying for reviews – If getting the book into bookstores and
libraries is important to you, consider paying for a review from PW,
Kirkus and/or Foreword Magazine. They still have enormous influence and
they are important enough to receive a bound galley.
Simplified covers – If your permanent cover isn’t ready yet, you can use a simplified one for the ARC. Here is the cover of my ARC:
Step Five – Formatting and Uploading
Self-formatting – Plenty of writers format their ebooks
themselves. I don’t. I’ve found people who will do it for me very
reasonably. However you do it, You’ll need an epub, mobi and .pdf file,
each with a cover embedded.
Forward and end materials – You will need acknowledgements, a
dedication, a list of your other books, snippets of reviews, etc, and a
call to action at the back; something like “If you liked this book,
would you consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads? Thank you so
much.”
Multi-platform upload – Upload your book to every available
platform, unless you intend to go exclusively with one vendor. This is
probably the simplest step of all. Essentially it’s just pushing buttons
and filling out forms.
Step Six – Promotion and Marketing
Marketing is the black hole of time and money. You can spend as much
or little as you like, but one thing is certain; you need to do some promotion Here are a couple of essential basics.
Solicit blurbs from other authors in advance – You’ll use them on the front and back cover, in descriptions on Amazon and Kobo, within your website pages.
Promotion Budget - I suggest you
prepare to spend at least $1000 on various promotional activities,
mostly advertisements on blogs with a broad reach, eg. Book Bub, ENT,
and Pixel of Ink. Ads on Facebook can also work well when you get them
right.
Invest time – Time is just as
important as money. Figure out how much social media you can get done
without going crazy; Twitter, your Facebook fan page, Google Plus,
Linked In, etc. This is, of course, above and beyond what you do on your
website. But that’s another story. And blog post.
I’ll probably do another marketing post later, because it’s a huge
subject all by itself. And, of course, marketing is much more of a
journey than a destination.
The green stuff
Before I leave you, I want to give you an idea of my costs. Clearly,
not everyone wants or needs to go this route, but here’s my ballpark:
$500 Cover
$200 Print ARCs
$600 Reviews (PW, Kirkus)
$450 Interior Design/Ebook Formatting/Print production
$500 Copy edit
$150 ISBNs
$100 Mailings
Total investment $2,500. Give or take.
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Check out Libby's site for her next post on the importance of producing a print version of your book.
Libby Fischer Hellmann writes the Ellie Foreman mysteries, the Georgia Davis thrillers, and
several stand-alone thrillers. Her Ellie books are a cross between
“Desperate Housewives” and “24”, but the Georgia Davis PI thrillers are
more hard-boiled. Her stand-alones include a “trilogy” of thrillers set
during the revolutions of Iran, Cuba, and the turbulent late Sixties in
Chicago.
Libby's forthcoming book, Havana Lost, will be released August 16. Let's support a fellow indie author and pre-order today on Amazon!
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