What Is Self-Publishing – A Guide For Beginners
For book authors, the term ‘self-publishing’ almost always prompts a sense of important decision-making. This is because one of the most important decisions a book author must make, is whether to try and get their book published via a traditional publishing route, or self publish. Technically, self-publishing is the practice where authors publish their own books and other content without the help, assistance, and mediation of third-party publishers.
Currently, self-publishing accounts for only a minimal percentage of the entire publishing industry (with respect to sales). However, it is fast becoming more popular as an option for numerous book and content authors. Because the publishing industry is obviously changing its landscape, it is expected that more and more authors will choose to self publish in the future.
Self-publishing is not an entirely new practice. In fact, it has been around, though in different forms, ever since the start of the publishing history. These days, self-publishing is logically increasing thanks to the ongoing advancement of modern-age publishing technologies. With the emergence of desktop publishing systems, xerography, the Internet, and print on demand, self-publishing has become a clear phenomenon in the changing publishing industry.
Many observers note that self-publishing is getting more attention these days. This can be attributed in part by the emergence of different cultural phenomena, like the proliferation of various independently-owned media channels, the emergence and popularity of the DIY movement, and of course the now very popular practice of blogging. Now, anyone can opt to self-publish.
What makes self-publishing a very attractive option and prospect among authors? In practice, the absence of traditional publishers serves as a key distinguishing characteristic. The author decides to fulfill this role instead. Because of this, he or she is able to assume full control over the editorial content. The author also assumes key roles like arranging the printing, marketing, and distribution of the printed or finished output. It can be a tedious job but there is an aspect of fulfillment and satisfaction that can be obtained in terms of quality and potential revenue.
Without the third-party publishers, self-publishing authors are directly exposed to the risks and challenges of publishing. People may not be fully aware of it, but publishing is a really tedious and challenging activity. Third-party publishers have editors that approve content of authors’ works. They decide whether the material is fit for publishing or not. Of course, editors would give a go-signal to content that has the potential to create a commercially favorable impression among book readers. As a commercial enterprise, traditional publishing houses generally only approve for printing materials that they think will be commercially viable and profitable.
Without the use of professional editors to provide an objective input to the work, an author may be at risk. Some authors don’t have sufficient experience or business skills to know what type of content would appeal best to the current commercial market. On the plus side, the absence of third-party publishers and editors can mean more creative freedom and the creation of highly original content. Many authors like the idea of having their book published exactly as they have written and envisioned it, without minor revisions and major alterations. This question does need to be carefully considered and approached in a serious manner, however, as more often than not, ignoring the commercial reality of the marketplace could mean that your highly original book will fade into oblivion before anyone ever gets a chance to sample your creative talents. It is important to remain open to criticism and consider various other sources of input from people around you before making any final decisions.
Are authors, then, bound to make more money through self-publishing? It really depends. In most cases, self-publishing authors incur losses because they not only have to assume all the financial aspects of printing, releasing, marketing, and distributing their book, but they can also become blinded to the cost of creating a "labor of love" (i.e. the extra time and effort invested in making sure that your book is exactly as you would like it to be). If the book does not sell well, the self-publishing author could be in trouble, although with modern technologies like print-on-demand and digital downloads, the financial risk can be minimized. The upside, of course, is that if a self-published book does make the big time in a commercial sense, the author will then enjoy a considerably greater share of the revenue. like any business, you need to view your book as a "commodity" and assess the strategic risk of getting into self publishing as a way of getting your product into the market place.
If you do decide to go down the self-publishing route, here then, are just some of the things you should be looking into:
• The number of copies can influence what kind of publishers you should approach. For example, if you want to produce about 25 to 500 copies, then print-on demand publishers would be suitable. You can also consider vanity publishing. Vanity Press means that you write a book, the vanity publisher then prints it for you but you have to pay them upfront for the number of copies you want. Usually vanity publishers have a minimum numbers of copies to print—some require at least 100 copies in one run.
• When looking for publishers that will handle the technical aspects of your book, look for those that can provide service and assistance in areas like book layout, printing and production demands. When shopping around for a publisher, ask for samples of the books that they have published before. Ask them questions about printing. There are some printers or publishers that cannot handle a specific layout or that have limitations. Make sure that the publisher you choose can handle your specific design and book layout.
• Design and book format can help your book stand-out. If this is your first time self-publishing a book, look for a mentor that can help you with the process. Some self-published authors use the services of a professional book designer to assist in layout and make their book design standout.
• As a self-published author, be prepared to assume all the expenses. Make sure that you are familiar with all the various costs and expenses that will be incurred in the process and have these written up in a financial projection spreadsheet so you can plan and budget for it. Become familiar with printing costs and how these will vary depending on the number of copies and services you will require. As well as printing costs, you also need to consider things like photography, copy editing, requesting the International Standard Book Number which will make your book uniquely identifiable, and so on.
• Distribution is another important thing you need to prepare for. In traditional publishing, publishers generally cover the costs of marketing and distribution of the book. But since this is self-publishing, you need to identify how you plan to distribute your book and who will receive your product. Some bookstores will only take some copies initially to see if they will sell. If they don’t you then have to get your books back. You can also explore online sales and set up a sales page website with e-commerce capabilities for accepting orders and processing payment.
• Marketing is important in any kind of book selling. Apart from publishing, you also have to carry the marketing and promotion of your book. You can hire a publicist to do it for you or you can do it yourself.
With all of these additional things to consider, what can self-publishing give you in return? In a traditional publishing arrangement, an author can expect to get about 8% of royalties, while with self-publishing you can expect to get about 30% – 50 % of the returns depending on your marketing strategy. Apart from that, of course, you also get to retain control over most aspects of publishing and distribution.
I hope you have found the above information useful and that it has given you better insight into the potential benefits and advantages of self-publishing.
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