However, the journey to becoming self-published can be quite involved with many available options and the path is different for each writer. A number of people have asked over the past 18 months how I got started and I always had to add a caveat to my advice that my route may not necessarily work for everyone. But perhaps it may be useful to some. So at the risk of being lost amongst all the other voices offering advice, I'll add mine to the pile.
A Note on Indie/Self-Publishing/Vanity-Publishing services.
There's no getting past the fact that self publishing your work is a daunting task with a seemingly endless array of options, many of them quite technical when it comes to formats, publishing platforms, distribution, pricing and payment options and marketing. All elements that need serious consideration and can't be ignored.
The complex nature of this process has led to a new model within the publishing industry which will take care of some or all of the above elements for a fee. Some have likened this to Vanity Publishing, though I think that's very unfair as Indie Publishing is still very much a viable and professional publishing model for many.
A number of the companies offering "Self-Publishing" services are actually linked to, or subsidiaries of, some of the big, traditional Publishing houses. Others are smaller publishing presses who perhaps use Self-Publishing services as an extra source of income. Some companies offering these services are not actually publishers at all acting more like a self-publishing consultants. While there are an increasing number of writers now offering their skills and experience in this regards, again, an excellent source of further income when many writers are struggling to make ends meet.
I can certainly see the appeal of a service that offers to take on the burden of self-publishing allowing the writer to concentrate on, well... writing. And perhaps there are those who feel getting to grips with the various aspects of file formats is just beyond them, so paying someone else to do it is a good idea. And that's fair enough. I wouldn't tell anyone not to use these services, though I personally never have for better or worse. All I would say is that if you decide to take this route, take time to know who you are dealing with and what they are offering as it can be an expensive process and you don't want to pay for something that isn't exactly what you need.
But here's the thing. I think that anyone who has the drive, skill and talent to complete a manuscript to the point it can be published can also get to grips with every aspect of Self-Publishing. Yes it will be frustrating, complicated and time consuming and there will be times when actually all you want to do is pay someone to take it off your hands. But with a little patience, effort, time and the utilisation of the resources available, I believe the majority are more than capable of publishing a book without paying others to do it.
Part 1 - Preparation
MANUSCRIPT: How to write a book and how to publish a book are very different topics and I'm not going to assume to tell anyone how to do the former. But I will offer some advice to those who have finished or think they have finished their manuscript. As I pointed out in an earlier post, getting to this point is a huge achievement, which many of those who attempt it fail to reach. But in the excitement and relief of finishing a work it's easy to blindly upload it to Amazon and hit "Publish" before the book is anywhere near ready.
In this regard I speak from experience. Even though I followed the advice I'm about to give and thought I was on top of things, in retrospect I still published my book before I should have, not once... but twice. A mistake made worse not just because you have to go back and amend the uploaded document, but also because once it's live it's there for people to judge... and they will. Luckily, I probably got away with it. Other than a few friends and family who I excitedly sent an early copy too (sorry guys... I know, I know) and a few bloggers who more than likely dismissed it with ease, I doubt anyone really noticed the swift and slightly embarrassed exchange of versions available so early after the first was published. *bangs head on table*
One of the ways the Indie Publishing scene is very similar to traditional publishing is that, in the end, a book will be judged on quality, not its marketing; not its cover. So it's down to you, and you alone, to make sure that book is the best it can possibly be. Selling books is hard and the competition is huge, so if your book isn't the best it can be... if you haven't put in everything you possibly can... you're putting your work at a disadvantage right from the start.
Yeah, that 3rd draft was a killer to finish, but run it by people you trust before you sign it off.
You consider yourself a good writer who can spot a spelling mistake? Believe me, you WILL still need not just one, but a number of people to proofread your work. Here's an embarrassing admission (what, another one?) I edit and proofread as part of my job. And yet it still took me three attempts and numerous other proofreaders to publish something I eventually was happy with. And I'm still fairly certain there are some mistakes hiding away in the book, sniggering in corners.
The thing is, no matter how good you think you are it's almost impossible to successfully proofread your own work. You wrote it and then re-read it countless times through various drafts. Your brain knows what's coming and will likely skip-read through bits of it even when you are trying your very best to look for possible mistakes. The only way around this is to get someone else to read through the book for you. And even then things might be missed, so ask someone else... and someone else. Basically just assume that your book is merely a collection of spelling mistakes masquerading as a story. It doesn't mean you're a bad writer, it's natural. You can't throw 80,000 words at a page and expect them all to stick. But you must try your best to find the buggers afterwards and certainly before you happily send it off to Amazon.
COVER: Remember when I said that there really isn't any part of the Self-Publishing process that a determined writer can't do themselves? Well I'm going to contradict myself in a second. The book cover is a vital component, even for an eBook. It must be engaging both at full size and thumbnail and be of a quality that doesn't scream "Amateur!". It certainly shouldn't be a last minute bodge to enable you to publish your book ASAP.
But the cover is one area where many writers will need help whether they like it or not. Unless they have either graphic design or illustration experience or are just naturally gifted in that area, most won't be able to produce something by themselves that doesn't let down their excellent book.
If you're lucky enough to know someone who can help, great, but even then you must take note of the specifications laid down for covers by many of the publishing platforms. Your best option is to look online where you will find many illustrators and designers experienced in producing quality covers. It may not be cheap however and you will need to work with them to make sure the cover suits your needs and looks a bit different from the thousands of other books out there.
Of course, being wilfully stupid, I ignored the perfectly sound advice to hire someone to produce a professional looking cover. In my defence after 5 years of graphic design and animation at college I was reasonably confident I could come up with something decent, if not amazing. My main concern was to make something that looked a bit different to other titles available and yet didn't shout "Self-Published".
I actually quite like the result and it was fun to try and depict the main characters myself. I feel I managed to represent them quite well. The thing is, while it was cheap (just my time) and is OK, I know it's not brilliant, so for the next book I will ask someone with a bit more talent than I have to illustrate both covers, re-releasing the first book in line with the second. You can see the current cover at the top right of the page. Let me know what you think.
BLURB: Other than reviews of the book and the cover, the other main way of declaring your book to the world is the blurb. As important online as it is to people browsing in book shops, the blurb, like the cover, can't be a last minute thing. It takes time and a little patience to craft what amounts to just a few sentences yet encapsulates your entire book. You'll probably need a few attempts at this to get something you're happy with, and even then it's worth returning to it every now and then. I've amended mine a few times and will likely do so a few more.
So before you even think about uploading your work to a publishing platform like Amazon, It's imperative that you are happy with not just the manuscript itself, but also the cover and blurb. Patience is key here. Indie publishing by it's very essence means you are in control. There are no market factors or release schedules that dictate when your book must be released. Set yourself a goal, yes, but take your time to make sure your work is ready first and don't press "publish" until you are satisfied that the three elements above are the best they can be.
Of course, the current digital age of publishing gives us all a great "Get out of Jail Free" card. Even with "Print on Demand" services like Createspace, you can always change the MS, The Cover and the Blurb at any point, but I would advise not to let that fact allow complacency. Think of the potential readers who may have passed on your work before you noticed a mistake.
In the next post I'll look at the different publishing platforms available, why I chose the ones I did and their merits to the prospective self-publisher.
If you have any advice for things that need to be looked at before you think your book is ready, feel free to comment.
In the next post I'll look at the different publishing platforms available, why I chose the ones I did and their merits to the prospective self-publisher.
If you have any advice for things that need to be looked at before you think your book is ready, feel free to comment.
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