As an indie author who finished writing their first book, self-publishing can offer you great benefits such as the ability to pocket a larger share of profits and having maximum creative control over your work. This can easily entice anyone to immediately start looking for the best self-publishing companies, however before you join the bandwagon, here is a quick guide to help you along the way.
Your Book Must be Marketable
The success of any written material hinges on the fact whether readers will love your book enough to not only read it themselves but also recommended it to others. You need to act accordingly like an ‘author-prenuer’ who understands their audience early on and this will make selling your book easier. Hence you should research your genre, evaluate bestsellers, and position yourself against the competition.
Internalize Your Budgeting Needs
Exploring your cost-benefit ratio should be a priority and you should definitely get an estimate on how much it will cost you to self-publish, Search for all the available options and determine how your selected choice can outweigh the cost. A rough estimate should include the likes of associated costs such as formatting, editing, cover art design, proofing, etc.
Set a Price for Your Book
Having the right price for your book is a deal maker and breaker. As the author of your book, your salary determines the outcome of the whole ordeal.
While self-publishing is a better way to take control of royalties and ultimately your livelihood, deciding on how you price your book will allow you to make a profit on each book sale. One way to go about is to look at competitors within a similar format, genre, page count, and trim size and see how much they cost.
Picking the Best Self-Publishing Platform
With a range of available options when it comes to self-publishing platforms, you probably want to end up with a service that offers you the greatest number of specialized features and benefits, this can include the likes of 24/7 customer support, affordable advertising opportunities, discounts with outside experts on publisher services, free publishing tools or resources, and online sales reporting.
Moreover, you should also look for aggregator services that allow you to distribute your book to noticeable outlets, this can include but is not limited to Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, Kobo, Odilo, OverDrive, Playster, Scribd, and more.
Online community support is also a good advantage when it comes to choosing a publishing platform. These are also known as author services and include the likes of cover designing, editing, printing, proofreading, formatting, and even software support to name a few.
Lastly, you should always read the fine print in your contract and see to it that your publishing platform doesn’t come with a limiting factor such as selling only to a specific domain or locality. Your choice should focus on the enablement that empowers you to sell your book anywhere.
Marketing Your Book
Remember that once you hit that self-publish button your efforts don’t end there. As an enthusiastic person, you should deploy a vigorous approach to market your book further using platforms like social media. Setting up accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to promote your work are all excellent options.
You can also set up your own dedicated author website as it will lend you enhanced credibility to your name as well as serve to be a nice place for readers to learn about you and your life work. Furthermore, you can also have ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) printed and distributed to generate additional buzz in your community.
Additional Considerations
If you want your book to be available for sale in bookstores or with an online retailer or wholesaler, you might need an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). This is an internationally recognized identification number that you can purchase before your book designer begins working on the cover of your book so that it can be included in the back barcode.
In addition, you can also opt for BISAC Codes which are 9-character alphanumeric codes that tell book retailers, distributors, and librarians what categories and subcategories your book belongs to. While this might sound boring, it is considered one of the really important steps when it comes to publishing a book.
Final Word
With the book industry thriving and self-publishing on the rise, I hope this post was able to offer you valuable insights as to how you can continue your journey to become a self-published author, There are no gatekeepers blocking your way, plus with higher profit margins and more control, you also have technology on your side to access high-quality printing options and book distribution networks. Gone are the days when traditional publishers would ask you to bend your backs, it is time you take control!