Five Essential Steps on How to Self-Publish a Book

The Book Publishing Process and How to Get it Right

Self-publishing books has become popular to many authors, especially since traditional publishing has become more difficult to get into. Vanity publishing has turned into a viable option, considering it’s easy enough to have a book published at your own discretion. But this doesn’t mean that it’s a quick process to go through. There are still steps you need to follow before anything else.

Below are the five essential steps on how to get your book published.

1. Finish your manuscript

Your manuscript, first of all, is the most important part. You need to have a finished manuscript before you even think about publishing. After all, there’s nothing to publish if the manuscript doesn’t exist, and an unfinished manuscript is hardly favorable.

Never submit a half-baked work. Even if you finished your manuscript, you also need to make sure it’s well-edited and proofread, free from any inconsistency stemming from poor writing. Thus, take it slow when writing your manuscript. Errors become glaring if you write under pressure.

2. Pick a package

Ask yourself: how much does it cost to self-publish a book? A self-publishing company may have various packages you can choose from. There are certain considerations you need to take note when choosing a publishing package. For example, the prices of packages can vary. Depending on how you set your budget, you may go either for an e-book, a printed copy, or both.

Some self-publishers will also just grant you percentage royalties of the book’s sales. Make sure companies explain their royalty policies and learn to calculate the suitable royalty rates yourself, as well as the self-publishing costs.

There are also some independent book publishers that have add-on options which you may want to take into account. Find out about their promotional activities and decide if they suit your budget.

3. Have your book produced

The publisher will finally begin with the publishing activities depending on what they’re offering, such as editing, layout, and cover design, among others. The publisher may send you a copy of your book for evaluation, in case you want to make minor changes to your work, as well as alterations to the layout and design. Production is usually on demand book printing.

The publisher usually knows best on how your book will look, so it’s best if you consult them firsthand before making decisions on how your work appears.

4. Promote your book

The tricky yet perhaps the most crucial part of self-publishing is promoting your book, especially when you’ve signed into an indie publishing company. How you market and promote your work defines your sales expectations. After all, you’d want to spread your book to the rest of the world.

The packages that publishing companies offer will define how far they’d be willing to promote your book. If they have dynamic promotion options, then consider grabbing a package that’ll make it all easy for you. Publishers can provide press kits, news releases, and ads, to promote your book at a price.

5. Share it with the world

Once publication is finally done and the printing, designing, and layout process is complete, it’s time to release your book. Your publisher may send printed copies to retail stores to be displayed.

The publishing process does not stop here. You need to continue marketing your book through your friends, your personal networks, and other bookstores. Get on social media and post as much as you can, just so others can hear about your book. You may also start a website where customers can place an order of your work.