Help for self-publishing authors
The publishing business is changing.
With smaller publishers closing their doors because the investment into marketing is too high to make a decent profit, or because they can't compete with big publishers, low book prices, and free giveaways created by self-published authors.
The large publishers are cautious and choosy because they want to publish only potential bestsellers. I've seen a publisher putting it on their submission page: "We'll consider self-published books that sold at least 500 copies."
Yeah, it would be profitable to publish a book that is popular already, but then why would the author need a publisher if their book is selling so well?
Authors who decide to self publish:
There is a lot of help on the net and you can learn the publishing process step by step.
Editing:
There are a few great editing programs out there. I've tried a few and although they provide great help, correct grammar and catch improper word usage, nothing replaces a good human editor. It's worth to invest in editing and have your story corrected and polished by a good editor.
Book formatting:
There are formatting programs you can use but I'm partial to manually format books in MS word. I used the Kindle formatter recently and although the book looked okay on the formatter program's screen, there were a lot of issues after I uploaded the Mobi file to KDP. I ended up reformatting the book manually.
In this video you can see the formatting errors authors make.
Formatting errors
A little help for authors who don't know how to use the formatting options in MS word.
(Sorry for the bad recording, my PC is ancient and I really need a new microphone) Authors can download a free, formatted template from my website.
Download the MS word template here: https://www.authorerikamszabo.com/store/p238/Formatted_Book_Template.html
Need help preparing your book for publishing? GBB Publishing Services: https://www.goldenboxbooks.com/
YouTube has many educational videos, this is a pretty good one that explains how to format in MS word.
Correct formatting
Book cover design:
If you use Photoshop, this tutorial is pretty useful.
Marketing and promotion help:
This video explains how to set up your AMS ad
This tutorial is helpful when you advertise on Facebook:
Getting help with the steps you need help with:
There are a lot of Publishing Services you can use. Do your research, compare prices, and get recommendations from fellow authors.
Beware of vanity publishers that promise to do everything but deliver very little. They rely on the authors to pay for everything, therefore, they have little interest in selling books to other than the authors. Don't fall for their great salesperson's well designed speech.
https://www.authorerikamszabo.com/my-thinking-board/the-warning-signs-of-vanity-publishers
https://www.authorerikamszabo.com/my-thinking-board/the-warning-signs-of-vanity-publishers
Research Publishing Services that tell you exactly what you're getting for the price you pay.
Visit our pages
Great information here, Erika. You are always on top of your game. Knowledge is power.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is Lorraine!
DeleteErika does an amazing job formatting! I highly recommend her.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cindy! I really appreciate it :)
DeleteGreat post. These are some great resources and tips to follow. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Toi!
DeleteWow! What a mine of information in one post. A must read for anyone wishing to self-publish.
ReplyDeleteWe have to help and support each other in the author community.
DeleteGreat info. Thank.
DeleteVery useful information, and as usual united we grow. The real se cret of success is being united as writing force. NOne of us is in competition with any other writer, but we all need each other for a suggestion, support, exchanging of experiences and so on.
ReplyDeleteWell said!
DeleteI am going to give my shout-out to GBB. Erika formatted my nonfiction memoir collection and uploaded it where it needed to be. I fully intend to stay the course with my next book, having no need to look further--or, do it myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you Eva, I appreciate it! Some authors are less tech-savvy than others or because they have full-time jobs, family, and other responsibilities besides writing, I'm here to help :)
Delete