Each year, thousands of people begin a journey they have been dreaming of for a long time: the quest for the success of a published work. For some that means submitting queries to literary agents in hopes of securing representation for a collection of written works. For others, this means setting out into the publishing world themselves by publishing books to an online bookseller site or a personal website. The end goal can be the same for both groups, and the journey can be fruitful. However, if you plan to self-publish and then seek representation for your books, you want to be sure that you follow some of the publishing world's best practices-exuding the professionalism, competency, and technical know how of a traditional publishing outfit.
While there are many approaches to successful and professional self-publishing, I have included a few pointers here that will assist you in getting set up. As a writer, you will want to put on your business development hat as you progress along your journey. The amount of effort, time, and resources you put into this enterprise will pay off in the end. But first you have to start from scratch.
There are several things that you will need before you begin your journey toward self-publishing success. This all assumes that you have written your manuscript and are ready to begin your quest. Many of these steps can be done later in the process, but it is important that you understand what will be necessary before your book can be published.
1. Start a Publishing Company
I put this first because this should be the cornerstone of your self-publishing experience. As an author, you may be concerned about writing your manuscript. But soon you will be performing functions that are more descriptive of a publishing company (i.e., organization of book production stages, promotion, and other necessary services).
a. Come up with a name for your company and determine what kind of business structure you will have (sole proprietorship, LLC, Inc., etc.)
b. Develop a simple mission statement for your company (i.e., "The purpose of Three Rivers Press is to promote the education of the common man on matter of national importance..."). This will assist you later in marketing and promoting your products.
c. Register the business in the state where you reside. There may be fees associated with this depending on where you live.
d. Secure a tax identification number from the IRS. You will need this to file taxes for your business and hire employees/contractors. If you are setting up a sole proprietorship (DBA), your social security number is your tax ID number. However, if you intend to hire anyone for anything other than a contract basis, you will need a tax ID number to do this.
e. (Suggested) Hire a graphic designer to develop a professional logo for your company. This will be the face of your company; it's important that it is representative of your genre, and what you aim to develop through the company over the years.
2. Secure a team of talented professionals
You will doubtless be in contact with several book production and promotion specialists over the course of your journey. And there are many ways to pursue this search. I will list the types of people you will be looking for here:
a. Manuscript editors and proofreaders: an editor will read through your entire manuscript and thoroughly correct it against an approved house style for grammar, punctuation, and word usage. A proofreader reads the page layout after it has been formatted and checks for additional errors that may have been missed during editing and/or introduced during formatting.
b. Typesetters: often called book formatters, typesetters will be responsible for taking your manuscript and formatting it based on the specifications of the printer. Oftentimes, a typesetter can also create ebook versions of your book.
c. Graphic designers: the graphic designer will create your cover design and any additional pieces in your printed book (diagrams, formatted image files) that are necessary for printing.
d. Web developers: they are responsible for creating your website and any other web-enabled applications that you will use to get the word out about your books. A website is the front line in promoting your publishing company and your book.
e. Book promoters: a handful of people will invest money in marketing and promoting their books. It's necessary to find the right people who can reach your potential readers.
3. Determine what book publishing service you will use to print your books.
The rise in self-publishing has introduced a handful of very competent book printing companies, often called print-on-demand services or PODs. PODs will store a print-ready file of your book and will print it once someone purchases it on a major bookseller site (like Amazon.com). Each POD has its own set of rules and fees associated with setting up a title and printing it. Some of the most popular PODs are:
a. Lightning Source
b. CreateSpace
c. Lulu
4. Secure ISBNs for each version of your book
Each book that is published must have a unique international serial bin number (ISBN), and each version of a single book (paperback, hardcover, ebook) must also have its own ISBN. You should secure enough ISBNs before beginning the book production process. Determine how many versions of your book, and how many different books, you will be publishing. Then visit http://www.bowker.com to order your ISBNs.
Setup Fees
Many self-publishing authors are not aware of the costs to set up a publishing company and to fulfill all of the tasks necessary to create a successful self-publishing enterprise. Your initial budget will help to determine what types of services you will use and the quality of those services. There is an old adage that says, "You get what you pay for." This is true in book production and promotion.
The single most important thing I can convey to you throughout this process is do your homework. Referrals are always helpful, but you will want to choose professionals who have specialty in the type of work you are producing (the genre) and who have a proven track record with clients. There will be more on this when we get to the specific stages of book production.
The typical cost for book production and promotional services will set you back about $3,000. Again, you may be able to get all that you need for less money, but be weary of hiring anyone who offers to do work on your behalf for far cheaper than the average price.
Start your journey toward self-publishing success with the helpful tips included in Self-Publishing Made Easy: What Authors Should Know about Book Production ( http://amzn.to/KIJEqw ).
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