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Self-Publishing 101:
Everything You Need to Know
to Publish Your Own Book
Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. And when it comes to self-publishing, these words could not be truer.
Publishing your won book is understandably one complicated and painstaking process. It involves more than just hacking away at your manuscript. It takes more than just sending your finished documents to a printer and waiting for the print-out in the mail. Making your book, becoming a published author is not a walk in the park. But it is worth doing and worth doing well. Especially when you self-publish.
The Self-Publishing Process
So what exactly do you do when you self-publish? What does the self-publishing process look like? To help guide you through what you must do, here are the general steps that you take when you choose to publish your own book.
• Writing
This is the spark that fuels your journey. You can’t begin the publishing process without your manuscript.
Does the self-publishing journey start when you have already finished writing? Not necessarily. Can you take the first steps while you’re still writing? Absolutely! When you reach out to a self-publishing company, you will find assistance, wherever you may be in the writing process.
Check out our tips on how to finish your manuscript.
• Editing
Editing is a critical part of your self-publishing journey. It has bearings on the overall quality of your book, how it will be perceived, and its success. When you self-publish, you have the option to tackle this step yourself, hire freelance editors, or have your publishing house’s editors go over your manuscript.
Depending on the work that you have done on your manuscript, your book will likely not need all types of editing that self-publishing houses or freelance editors provide. The types of editing through which your manuscript may pass include:
- Developmental Editing - A developmental editor reviews your work from a big-picture point of view. They will analyze plot, characterization, pacing, and whether the content is ideal for its intended readers.
- Content Editing - Content editors focus on extensive restructuring of sentences. They improve phrasing and punctuation to convey your ideas better.
- Line Editing - Line editors look for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax. They also correct inconsistencies and focus on the technical aspects of your writing.
- Proofreading - Proofreaders take the last step in the editing process. A proofreader does minimal line editing. Generally, they will look at the final copy of the manuscript to check if the page breaks or formatting are correct.
• Design
How your book will look is as important to the text. This part of the self-publishing process involves designing the front and back covers and spine, the interior or pages. It can also include illustrations and images.
Cover Art - Your readers will judge your book by its cover, in complete defiance to the age-old saying. This is why design is an integral part of your self-publishing process.
Parts of a Book Cover - The following are elements of a book cover that you must take into account when designing or coming up with a design. The book title and author names are the most crucial parts but everything else also plays a role in making readers notice your book when on display.
Title & Author Name - A catchy title is just half the battle. Putting it (and your name) in a lovely typeface on your book cover matters a lot, too.
Read our tips on writing a great title for your book.
Illustration / Photo - This isn’t always needed but it can grab the attention of readers. A good cover art can set the tone for the story, make a reader curious, and act as a teaser for what your book may be about.
Spine - How your book will look while sitting on the shelf is vital when designing your cover art.
Tagline - This is another optional cover element. A good tagline, however, will attract readers.
Book Summary - This is part of the back cover and should be strong enough to convince a reader to purchase your book.
Endorsement / Author Bio - These are on the back cover and help readers learn more about you and what others thought of your book.
Price / Code - This will include the book’s ISBN.
Interior Book Design - What your book looks like when someone flips through its pages will contribute to their overall reading experience. Interior book design is not just a matter of choosing a typeface and applying it to everything; this part of the self-publishing process requires finesse and a keen eye for details.
Interior Book Design Elements
Typography - Typically, you will want to use a clean and easy-to-read typeface. However, your choice will also depend on the genre of your book.
Components - This will include the chapter, margin and alignment, page numbers, and footnote. These components are also found in ebooks.
Readability - While it’s possible to go in many creative ways with the interior, keep one thing in mind: the aim of a good interior book design is to enhance reading experience. If the colors, font type, and general layout are all over the place, your readers’ enjoyment will decrease. The chances of them recommending your book lowers, too.
Images & Illustrations - If you’re working on a graphic novel, a children’s book, or a cookbook, images and illustrations are necessary. This is another design aspect that you must take into consideration when you self-publish.
You can take photos and provide the images yourself but there are also many online platforms where you can purchase photos for your book. As for illustrations, you can also draw them or hire an artist.
• Metadata
How will readers find your book? This is the question that your book metadata answers. In terms of self-publishing, the metadata is information that you will provide when you submit your book for printing or when you apply for an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Metadata Elements
- Book Title - Be original but most importantly, be searchable. Check spelling, use of certain punctuation, use of names, etc.
- Subtitle - This is an extension of your title and should describe your book further.
- Description - Aim for straightforward and simple. Word count should be between 150-200 words.
- Book Specs - Provide type of book, whether hardback, softcover, or color, and paperweight and color. This also includes the total number of pages and book size.
- ISBN - An ISBN is an identification number for your book. It comes with 13 digits and is considered the fingerprint of each edition of your book.
If you are self-publishing only for personal reasons (e.g. you wish to give your book to your family and friends), you will not need an ISBN. However, you must have it if you wish to distribute your book for sale in bookstores or online shops. It is a tool that librarians or booksellers use to locate or promote your book more efficiently.
Publication Date - The date when the book will be available for sale.
Category - Choose categories for your book, such as non-fiction, autobiography, fantasy, horror, etc.
Copyright Claim - Your book is your life’s work. You have worked hard on it and self-publishing it will likely cost a chunk of your savings. It is important that you stake a copyright claim to every part of your work. You don’t want to have to deal with someone copying your work or reproducing it without your explicit consent.
Under US copyright law, you own the rights to your book the moment you wrote it. By law, it is yours unless expressed otherwise. However, for some cases, this is never enough. It is still highly recommended that you file for copyright registration in order to rightfully claim as the intellectual property owner of your work. This will create a public record stating that you are the author of your book. This gives you a more solid legal recourse in the event of plagiarism or reproduction without permission.
You can file a copyright for your book on the Official Copyright Website. The process is simple. Simply fill out the forms properly, submit your work, and pay the fee.
Other elements that you may include are the Library of Congress number, keywords, and target audience.
• Publishing
After taking care of writing, editing, design, and metadata, it’s time for the next crucial step: publishing.
Here are a few things that you must think about when starting this part of the self-publishing process:
Book Format - These days, you can self-publish your book in several formats, you are not limited to print only. You don’t have to stick to just one of the following; releasing your book in all three is highly recommended if you want to reach more readers.
Digital - A book in digital format is an ebook. This is generally cheaper to produce and distribute, making it an ideal book format option for those who have a limited budget. A digital format of your book must be prepared in several types of files: EPUB, PDF, and MOBI.
Print (Softcover, Hardcover, Leather-bound) - If you want your book on store and library shelves, you will want to include print format in your self-publishing must-haves. This format will require a higher budget than doing digital-only because additional work and manpower will be involved.
Other factors to consider are binding, your book genre, and the types of readers you want to purchase your book. For example, softcover printed books are affordable and more common. Hardcover books, however, are more durable, while leather-bound ones are ideal for collectors who don’t think twice about spending on premium items.
Audiobook -Your self-published book does not have to be purely in written form. Nowadays, authors must also take bookworms on-the-go into consideration. Releasing an audiobook involves finding a narrator, editing the recording, and many other steps that require technical skills.
• Marketing
Promotion and distribution are critical steps to give serious consideration when you self-publish. Your journey does not stop when the books arrive at your doorstep. You have to put them in your readers’ hands next.
Generally, when you self-publish, every little bit of the marketing aspect largely rests on you as well. You will decide how to go about promoting your book—whether online, offline, using traditional means or by taking advantage of free modern platforms.
These days, with the availability of free social media platforms, you will find that it’s not so complicated to do digital marketing for your book yourself. You can also hire professionals who can handle your social media marketing or even build you a website.
These 6 steps outline basically every step that you need to cover when you begin your self-publishing journey. You may not have to do all 6 or might do more than these when you begin self-publishing.
The details of the process you will go through for each step will depend on where you are with your manuscript, what your budget is, what you wish to accomplish by self-publishing, and many other factors.
Who Can Self-Publish?
Technically, anyone can self-publish.
As long as you have the resources to complete the publishing process and pay for the services, you can self-publish. If you are a minor, you can self-publish. You will need an adult to assist you or sign for your contracts but it’s still possible for you to have a published book even before you reach legal age.
What Can You Self-Publish?
You can self-publish any original body of work. Just like traditional publishers, there is no limit to the genre of book that you want to publish if you choose the self-publishing path. You can self-publish fiction or nonfiction, a book in prose or verse form. You can self-publish a book of poetry, a children’s tale, a novel, a cookbook, or an autobiography—the choice is entirely yours!
Take note, however, that some self-publishing companies have specific themes or standards by which they may pick the book you can publish. It’s best to look into a good number of companies to see which one has services that fit your needs and whose values match yours.
How Much Does Self-Publishing Cost?
One of the major differences between self-publishing over traditional publishing is how much it costs. While there are no upfront monetary costs to going the traditional path, there are still expenses that you have to take into account. The publisher will take care of costs to edit, provide book cover, and format your book but this method is not exactly 100% zero-cost.
When publishing traditionally, you will likely still shell out for:
Literary Agent Commission - This can range between 10% to 15% and will typically be taken out of your book advance.
Finding an Agent - If you decide to join an online database where you can network with literary agents, you will have to spend monthly membership fees.
True Publishing Cost
In true self-publishing, expenses will be entirely under your control. If you are handling editing, art, and formatting yourself, you only have to pay for the platform or software that you will use. You likely already have these in hand.
However, if you are looking to hire freelancers or contractors for their professional services, take note that upfront average costs vary by task. You may be charged per hour or per word. The cost of true self-publishing can be low if you don’t need to hire too many people to handle much of the publishing process.
However, if you need to hire for every task, the cost can rack up. Depending on how much work your book needs, you may need to hire someone for the following:
- Copyediting
- Design / Art / Formatting
- Development editing
- Indexing
- Line editing
- Marketing
- Permissions
- Proofreading
- Research
- Fact checking
- Transcription
- Translation
- Ghost-writing
Supported Self-Publishing Cost
In supported self-publishing, packages and services are organized into packages. Here at Xlibris, the most affordable plan is priced at $999 but they can cost a lot more, depending on the services that you need to finish your book.
Supported self-publishing packages are often customizable, too. If the basic plan does not have all the services that you could need, you can always customize your package. Simply pick service add-ons without feeling like you must purchase a pricey plan.
Should You DIY or Choose Supported Self-Publishing?
The answer to this question will ultimately hinge on the following: budget, time, support, & quality.
How much are you willing to spend?
When you go the true or DIY publishing route, your expenses can be very cheap but can also be extremely steep. If you do everything on your own, you will not have to spend too much. On the other hand, if you hire contractors for every step of the process, your expenses could rack up beyond your budget.
On supported self-publishing, you know upfront how much you will be spending. It is easy to set aside a budget because you are given publishing packages to choose from. Additionally, every service that you wish to add to your package comes with a set price. This takes away the guesswork that comes with self-publishing costs.
How long are you willing to wait to get published?
If you DIY everything, the time it takes to get published will largely depend on you or how soon your contractors can finish their work. This can be between several months to more than a year, of course.
When you go the supported self-publishing path, the end date of your publishing path is more or less set. Generally, you will have your book in 3-4 months.
What kind of support will you receive when you self-publish?
Under true or DIY self-publishing, support might be limited because you will do things on your own. This could make the journey lonely and difficult.
On the other hand, when you choose supported self-publishing, you will have a team of experts to guide you every step of the way. Have questions about the general process? A book consultant will help you. Need assistance in polishing your manuscript or finalizing the cover of your book? You have expert editors and artists to implement your vision. Want to know how you can promote your book? Your team has marketers to help you achieve your sales goals.
Do you want to self-publish a quality book?
As you can see from the process we broke down above, self-publishing requires a long list of technical skills. There are many talented contractors out there who can help you produce a book of top quality.
However, if you choose to work with a supported self-publishing company, you are guaranteed the skills and technical know-how of every person who will touch your book. The result? A book of superior quality, a book that is, in every facet, a manifestation of your creative vision.
Choose the Supported Self-Publishing Path
Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. And when it comes to self-publishing, choosing the supported self-publishing path guarantees you an endeavor that you can start with no regrets and complete control.
Download our FREE Publishing Guide.