YOU, AS THE AUTHOR, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCOMPLISHING ALL THE PARTS IN THE PROCESS. IF THAT SEEMS DAUNTING TO YOU, WE CAN HELP. 

Today, we use the technology available to make every self-published book look professional, like any book from a large publishing house.

GETTING A MANUSCRIPT READY FOR PRINT

There are six essential parts to preparing a manuscript for printing.

• Writing the manuscript
• Professional editing
• Illustrations and graphics created (optional)
• Cover design
• Formatting the manuscript for print 
• Digital files uploaded to the publisher

CHOOSING THE PUBLISHER

Creating a book starts with understanding the printing and distribution options available in the self-publishing book market. The printer/distributor is in charge of printing the book and sending it to the retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBook, Books-A-Million) you’ve chosen.

You can purchase the book directly from the distributor and pay only for printing and shipping fees. If you select a Print on Demand (POD) printer/distributor, they will print and ship a book for you every time someone orders it. There are many book printers/distributors for those who want to self-publish.

These are a few we recommend:

• Kindle Direct Publisher (Amazon’s KDP)
• IngramSpark
• Bookbaby
• The Book Patch
• Vervante

Each one of these companies has specialties. For example:

If you’re printing a paperback book, KDP is free and easy. Their emphasis is on digital books and trade paperbacks. Additionally, they already have the best marketing platform. KDP is your best option if your goal is to SELL your book. For more book format options, IngramSpark publishes paperback, hardcover, and ebooks and has wide distribution channels for a small fee. You can even use two different book publishers. If you want to have a hardcover version of your book – submit it to Ingram for POD (print on demand). Then publish the paperback version and ebook through KDP.

It’s essential to start your book publishing journey knowing what options are available. Do your research to find what best fits your needs.

PRINTING COSTS

Many things determine the cost of the book (how much it costs to print each book).

• TRIM SIZE OF THE BOOK – custom sizes are more expensive than industry standards
• COVER STYLE – soft or hardcover, with or without dust jackets
• BINDING – check your printer for which types they offer
• COVER FINISH – gloss or matte
• THE NUMBER OF INSIDE PAGES –  the minimum for self-publishing is 24 interior pages. Remember to include the copyright, title page, table of contents, and any additional pages for images.
• PAPER STOCK – weight, color, and finish
• COLOR OR BLACK AND WHITE INTERIOR – even if you have a black type, your book is considered a color interior if you include charts or photos.
• QUANTITY – the more you print at one time, the lower the cost per book, or you can choose Print on Demand, which publishes the books as customers order them.

ADDING ILLUSTRATIONS

Does your book need illustrations? If you’re working with an illustrator, discuss the following with them BEFORE they start your work.

• THE SIZE OF THE FINISHED BOOK – They need to make sure the images fit the book dimensions.
• HOW MANY IMAGES THEY NEED TO DRAW – They should work with you to create a storyboard, so you both know exactly how many images they need to create.
• BE CAREFUL TO FOLLOW PRINTER SPECIFICATIONS – and make sure you leave plenty of room for bleeds and remove extra marks on the drawings
• SCAN THE COMPLETED ARTWORK with a high-resolution printer at 1200 dpi and save as a .tiff file.

COVER DESIGN

Having a well-designed cover is the most vital thing you can do to promote and sell your book.

Now is not the time to try your hand at design or hire your nephew to create your cover. There is an art to crafting a cover that will attract your target market, capture their attention, and sell your book. But if you’re planning on a trade paperback or hardcover book, the front cover is only part of what you’ll need to publish.

The publisher will need a full cover file – front, back, and spine with crops and bleeds. You will need to add the bar code as well.

Book publishers usually provide a cover template with the spine size prepared based on your page count.

Make sure the back copy of your book compels the reader to buy it. There is a science to copywriting, and this is another place to be sure you get the best you can afford.

Another vital piece of hiring a cover designer is their ability to provide the book mock-ups and advertising you need for promoting and marketing your book. In addition, you’ll need images for your social media, website, printed pieces for in-person networking, and any other marketing ideas you and your team discover.

Don’t wait until you’ve finished your manuscript – Call us as soon as possible so you can do the pre-sale marketing with the actual cover images!

INTERIOR BOOK DESIGN

Before sending the files to the designer, make sure you have edited them to save money. The more page styles and unique features in your book, the more time is involved, and the more expensive your project will be.

The interior design should be as consistent as possible with the cover design. Then, when we complete the layout, we can quickly export it to PDF and provide a chapter at a time or the entire book for review.

MARKETING YOUR BOOK

As we mentioned before – you are in charge of your book and its future. There are many ways to make sure your target audience finds your book on Amazon or other popular book platforms.

As a subject expert, you could present yourself as a speaker or plan special events surrounding your book release!

Let us help brand not only your book but you as an author!