Are You Ready to Self-Publish?
by Omegia Keeys
They always say never to judge a book by its cover well then how about the horrible formatting job? I wanted to enjoy the book I purchased the night before, I truly did. Instead, I could not get past the words pushed so far down on the page. The words appeared ready to run off at any moment. As if to add insult to injury the novel was also formatted for internet content and not a published book. Double spacing between paragraphs is not for fiction books. The poor thing screamed at me that it was self-published.
There are many advantages to self-publish. No rejections and 100% royalty rate are among the top. Be advised there are distribution fees. These are great advantages but if you are going to self-publish know what you are truly getting into. Self-publishing is more than slapping your manuscript together to make a book. Self-publish should not translate to lower quality. Ask yourself these things before you seek out self-publishing.
*Is my book edited (someone other than yourself and more than one review)?
*Do you have a cover designer?
*Do you know how to properly format your novel (ebook and paperback)?
*Do you know how to obtain an ISBN# and barcode?
Those are just the beginning. If you answer yes to those then you will still need a printer, distributor, and a great marketing plan in order to get your books into the hands of readers and reviews. There are several companies that offer the basic steps of publishing a book for a fee. The key is to make sure they offer exactly what you need and that it is included in the upfront cost or you can end up paying for it later. A lot of companies charge extra for editing and formatting.
Know exactly how much you are willing to spend in order to get a quality book. Without quality you will never be able to get your book inside of booksellers such as Barnes & Noble or Books a Million. If by chance the book does slip through the cracks then you risk upsetting a reader. Readers can make or break you by word of mouth alone. Think about it have you ever bragged or suggested to one of your friends to read a crappy book? I would hope not so in turn don’t be a crappy self-publisher. Give your reader something to recommend to others.
The number one thing that most self-published authors forget is understanding what it takes to get your name out there. If one is not ready to attend book festivals (I do not mean show up and force your book on someone who has paid a vendor fee either) or set up some sort of book signing, then you are not ready to publish in any format. This is a new age and the competition is stiff therefore you must make your presence known.
If you are ready to self-publish here are a few places to help you get started. I chose these because I have actually seen them at book events, in book stores, reviews on books and have used some of them myself.
Some self-publishing companies:
Author House
Create Space
Lulu
PWP Self Publishing
Help with Marketing and Promoting:
Cadence Group
Passionate Writer Publishing
Reviewers for Independent and self-published authors:
Arm Chair Reviews
Readers Favorite
OOSA
Publishers Weekly (now have a division strictly for self-published authors)
Conversations Book Club
Until Next Time,
Omegia Keeys
Rise and Fall of a Track Star
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