Writers’ and Artists’ Guide to Self-Publishing
At the end of 2019, I was commissioned to write a chapter about book production for the Writers’ and Artists’ Guide to Self-publishing (published by Bloomsbury), an accompanying title to the perennial bestselling writers’ bible, the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. The chapter covers a vast array of topics, from choosing a self-publishing company to looking at methods of print, making the right choices for your book in terms of format (paperback/hardback, size, materials), how to format and produce an ebook – all in just 9000 words. This book has just been published and it is now available. We thought it would be interesting to look at key take-outs covered in this chapter.
Different ways to self-publish
The way you choose to produce or print your book will determine how it is distributed to retailers, and the sales and marketing opportunities your book will have. You can go for a print run (printing copies upfront) or Print on Demand (POD) – where copies are printed as ordered – or an ebook. Within these models, you either use a company to help you, go it alone and do it all, use a platform (like Amazon) to produce or sell your book, or buy in services as you need them. But, do you understand how the method you choose to self-publish impacts on the availability and sales opportunities for your book?
How you begin your book production journey will depend on the route you have chosen for self-publishing – using a POD provider often means you are creating and uploading your own files to a POD supplier’s specification. Using a full-service company means you will be working more in partnership as the book comes together. If you are buying in services as you need them, then your timeline will be influenced by the external suppliers you have chosen.
I assess the pros and cons of each route in Writers’ & Artists’ Guide to Self-publishing – but here are the key points to consider when starting out.
Why are you self-publishing?
Knowing what you want to achieve with your book should dictate how you produce it. Skills, budget and aspirations all come into play. Some authors advocate that it is not ‘true’ self-publishing unless you do everything yourself. My take is that writing and producing a book is a liberating experience, and each author should produce their book in a way that best suits them – and is right for their market.
Aspirations – if you want your book on the shelves of every bookshop in the UK and with a poster on the side of a bus, you have to make sure you have put the money into the marketing and distribution, and POD won’t give you the results you are hoping for! If the book is for family and friends only – then do you need an upfront print run? Full colour books for younger readers are not always successful as ebooks… Understand what you want from self-publishing at the start to help you make the right choices.
Budget – using a propriety platform that is free to access (but might limit your distribution to a wider retail market) or invest upfront in a print run? What is your budget? Know exactly what is included in any contract – including payment schedules.
Skills – be honest. What skills do you possess and how can you leverage those in the production of your book? If you don’t have the skills to produce your book, then consider a more full-service option.
The Right Book for the Market
Once you’ve understood the difference between print and distribution models and assessed your aspirations, budget and technical skills, you should be in a better position to move forward with your production, which means considering the more physical aspects of how you want your book to look.
For retailers and readers, a book has to be right for its market. This means making sure the book is the correct format (size, price and medium) for the audience and looks right for the genre. If you are publishing a cookbook, the market will expect professional-looking photos of delicious food. A crime or thriller reader usually expects a book to be a familiar size and have a ‘genre look’. Don’t put unnecessary obstacles in your path by trying to be clever with your book production. Consider the following:
- Paperback or hardback? What would your readers expect for this kind of book?
- What kind of paper? All papers are not the same, some papers are more suited to novels, others to illustrated works. There are different ‘weights’ of paper, measured in GSM (with lower GSM more prone to ‘show through’) and different textures (coated, uncoated, etc.).
- Colour or black and white printing? What are the cost implications? And what does a reader expect?
- Size… Look at the books on your shelves, certain genres have more ‘standard’ sizes, again, often unconsciously realised by readers.
- Cover – can you enhance the cover with foil, lamination, textures, embossing of fonts etc? Most of these are not available if going down the POD route but adding such touches will make your book stand out to buyers.
Summary
Not one method or route to publication will suit every author, and there is no one-size-fits-all option either. It’s important to enjoy the process – take time to prepare your manuscript and cover, leave time for proofreading, get everything together before you start; it will make the process smoother and more enjoyable.
Self-published books can be let down by poor production. I regularly see self-published books that have been poorly realized, be that a weak cover or text design, the wrong choices of format and size or poor-quality printing. Producing a quality book requires skill, knowledge and an understanding of what you are trying to achieve. Getting your production wrong results in a book that won’t reach its potential – regardless of the quality of the writing.
This is a whistle-stop tour of my chapter on book production in the Writers’ & Artists’ Guide to Self-publishing – which is available now – https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writers-artists-guide-to-self-publishing-9781472970299/.
Jane Rowland, Operations Director
