The Self-Publishing Process - Help For Writers · The Self-Publishing Process Critique(s)/Feedback...

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The Self-Publishing Process Critique(s)/Feedback Developmental Editing Author Bio, Dedication, Acknowledgements Cover Design Typesetting Proofreading Ebook Formatting Ebook Conversion Printing POD Physical Stores Author Check Digital Distribution Digital Stores Marketing Physical Distribution Copy-Editing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Transcript of The Self-Publishing Process - Help For Writers · The Self-Publishing Process Critique(s)/Feedback...

Page 1: The Self-Publishing Process - Help For Writers · The Self-Publishing Process Critique(s)/Feedback Developmental Editing Author Bio, Dedication, Acknowledgements Cover Design Typesetting

The Self-Publishing Process

Critique(s)/Feedback

Developmental Editing

Author Bio, Dedication,

AcknowledgementsCover Design

Typesetting

Proofreading

Ebook Formatting

Ebook Conversion

Printing POD

Physical Stores

Author Check

Digital Distribution

Digital Stores

Mar

keting

Physical Distribution

Copy-Editing

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Introduction

Are you on the verge of self-publishing your book but aren’t sure where to start?

Hopefully this guide will help!

We aim to give you a summary of each stage of the self-publishing process and

let you know how we can help you if you need it.

Not all the stages apply to every book. You might decide to put out your book

as a digital-only release, in which case the steps relating to printing and physical

distribution won’t apply to you.

The steps highlighted in purple are the ones we can help with. We understand

that you’re probably on a limited budget and might not be able to afford to get us –

or anyone else – to do all these things for you. That’s fine! It’s up to you to choose

what you want to do yourself and when you need a hand. We’re just here to point

you in the right direction. After all, you’re a writer, not a marketer or a typesetter or

an editor or a graphic designer. You want to free up your valuable time to write, and

that’s where we can help.

www.helpforwriters.me

[email protected]

07814 153560

Director

Help For Writers Ltd

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Critique(s)/Feedback1

Have you asked a few friends and family members to cast an eye over your book

before taking it further? Most writers do, which is a great start.

But can your friends and family be totally honest with you? There will always

be some who just want to encourage you, and they won’t point out any major

flaws in your work. Others may try so hard to be helpful that you feel inundated by

suggestions and aren’t sure where to turn next.

The more input you can get at this stage, the more work, time and money you’ll

save further on down the line. Share extracts with a local writers’ group, use online

beta readers and find as many ways as possible to get a variety of opinions about

your work.

Remember to give something back

Whether you’re trying to get input from a

real-life writers’ group or people you’ve

connected with online, it’s important to

remember that they’re writers too, and their

own work is their top priority. Don’t go barging

in demanding help – give something back by

offering to provide feedback on someone else’s

work. If you put in the effort to become part of the

community, hopefully you’ll find a welcoming and helpful group of writers

to give you constructive criticism!

How we can help

We provide a critique service where we give an opinion on

aspects such as style, tone, plot, characters, pacing, etc.

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‘But I haven’t finished my book yet!’ I hear you say. You’ve got plenty of feedback on

your manuscript, you’ve taken it all on board and you’ve made some major revisions.

You’re about to go through it with a fine-tooth comb looking for spelling mistakes.

There’s still a lot of work to be done – after all, you haven’t even got a cover image

yet! How can you think about marketing your book?

You need to start your marketing right at the beginning. You might even have

started already, in which case, more power to your elbow! The process of promoting

your book will last right up to the book launch – and beyond. While you’re finalising

this draft, start to create a ‘buzz’ and get your potential readers excited about what’s

coming. Now is the time to grow your following, both online and in the real word, and

generate interest in your forthcoming book.

Marketing2

You’ve already published a book …

If you’ve published books before, great! You have

a readymade fanbase to tap into, and you already

have a lot of information about which marketing

methods and channels work for you and your

audience. Use your previous books as a springboard to

promote this one.

How we can help

We can give you a helping hand and take the pressure off with our

marketing service. We’ll have a chat with you about your book and your

plans, and together we’ll decide what help you need and draw up a

personalised marketing plan for you.

Don’t wait until you’ve got the finished product in your hand – get the

ball rolling straight away!

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Developmental Editing3

Developmental editing is sometimes called structural editing. A developmental editor

will look at your manuscript as a whole, covering areas such as plot, characterisation,

themes, voice, dialogue, pace and flow. They’ll look at the ‘big picture’ and how

everything fits together, and should also pick up on major inconsistencies and

inaccuracies.

Developmental editing is complex and time-consuming. It also usually results

in a significant amount of rewriting, so make sure you have this wrapped up before

moving on to copy-editing or proofreading.

Look for an editor who works in your genre. They

know what keeps a reader from putting the book

down, and can help make your book one of those

can’t-put-down books.

With the ease of finding editors online, you’re not

limited to someone based in your country – but make

sure their first language is your language. We don’t just

mean English; do you write in UK or US English? Everyone’s

familiar with differences like ‘colour’ and ‘color’, or ‘tap’ and ‘faucet’, but did

you know that punctuation is different as well? There are lots of other subtle

grammar rules to consider, so do yourself a favour (or favor) and choose an

editor who is fluent in your book’s primary language.

Are you ready?Now is the best time to write a synopsis. Don’t forget that a synopsis is

different from a blurb! It should be about one A4 page long and contain

all the major plot points – including spoilers. A synopsis should describe

what happens in your book.

Writing a synopsis is a great way of picking up on plot holes or

things that don’t make sense. You can correct these issues before

sending your work to an editor, saving them time and you money!

How to find the right editor for your book

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Don’t be afraid to ask editors for references. You could ask the referee about

their experience working with the editor, if deadlines were met, if the final cost was

as quoted, how the editor improved the book, and if they have worked or would work

with them again.

Working style is also important. Are you looking for someone who will take your

book, edit it and send it back to you? Or are you looking for someone who will walk

you through every step and consult with you about changes and recommendations?

Most editors know how much communication and involvement they like to have, so

if you have a strong preference one way or another, discuss this with them to see if

you’re a good fit.

You and your editor are a team with the goal

of making your book the best it can be. It’s

essential that you work well together, so

choose someone you like and with whom you

have a ‘spark’. If you don’t like the way they

communicate with you or the vibe you get

from them, keep searching.

Personality matters

Author Bio, Dedication, Acknowledgements4

While you’re still editing your book, think about what you need as well as the main

text. All the stuff that goes at the front is referred to in the trade as ‘preliminary

matter’ or ‘front matter’, and there’s a lot that can go here – especially if your book

is non-fiction and has lots of illustrations and tables – but there are some things in

particular that you might want to think about including.

The following list is just a guide – not every book has a foreword or a preface, for

instance – but if you do include them, the pages should appear in this order:

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• Title page (title of the work, name of the author, publisher’s name – we

recommend you set up your own ‘micro-publishing’ company for this purpose)

• Imprints page (publisher’s name and address/website, publisher’s logo, date of

publication, publishing history, copyright information, ISBN)

• Dedication

• Foreword (written by someone other than the author)

• Preface (written by you, the author)

• Acknowledgements

• Contents

Remember that these pages will also need to be checked for spelling, punctuation,

accuracy and consistency, so don’t leave them to the last minute! This is particularly

important if you’re creating an ebook only, and not a hard copy. Because you’re

dealing with a digital file instead of a printed one, it’s easy to forget about these

conventions, but once the file has been formatted as an ebook, it takes extra work to

insert more pages and will cost you time and money. If they’re rushed, you may not

have time to get them professionally proofread or give them due attention yourself.

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Cover Design5

While you’re getting your work edited and making sure you’ve got your preliminary

matter together, it’s also a good time to think about your cover design. By this time,

you know where the book is going: the main themes, the characters, the atmosphere

you want to convey and the key scenes. If you start work on the cover design now,

it’ll be ready along with the rest of your book.

A good cover design is an important factor in making your book stand out on the

shelf, particularly online, where images are smaller and usually viewed as thumbnails.

You need to catch people’s eye and make them want to pick up your book!

If you’re struggling for inspiration, have a look at some of your favourite books

in the same genre. Pop into your local library or bookshop and check out the relevant

sections there, as well. Which books catch your eye and why? What do you like about

the covers?

Think about the subject matter of your book and the mood you want to convey.

Jot down the important points so that you can let the designer know the kind of thing

you have in mind.

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• Remember that thumbnails are tiny. Don’t try to cram too much detail in.

• Think twice before going against genre conventions. If you don’t want a

clichéd cover, that’s understandable. You want to stand out, right? But if the reader

mistakes your book for a different genre they’ll feel misled and disappointed, and

they might not read much of it, which means you’ll get paid less if they’re on

Kindle Unlimited. They might even leave negative reviews.

• Make sure your title works. It’s surprising how many people fall madly in love

with a title and refuse to listen to any negative feedback. Listen to fans of the

genre and find out what they think about your proposed title before you commit.

And make sure the cover design sits well with the title. There’s no point in having

the cover send out a different message from the title.

• Don’t forget the spine and back cover. They need to be designed as well!

Don’t leave the back cover to the last minute and then fail to pay proper attention

to it. A typo in the blurb or endorsement would be … well, perhaps ‘disaster’ is

stretching it a bit, but we’re pretty sure your heart would drop into your boots

when you spotted it. The design of the back cover and spine can make all the

difference between an amateurish- and a professional-looking book.

Our top tips for a stand-out cover design

How we can help

We can provide either a basic or a

deluxe cover design. If you already

have a high res image that you

would like to use, then the basic

package might be suitable for you.

If you’d like us to create a cover

design from scratch, the deluxe

package would be a better fit.

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Our director, Catherine Dunn, is a

qualified copy-editor and proofreader and

a member of the Society for Editors and

Proofreaders (SfEP), the UK industry body.

She undertakes all our copy-editing work

personally and will work with you to make

sure your book is as good as it can be.

What exactly is copy-editing?

Lots of writers say their book needs ‘proofreading’ when what they really need is

copy-editing. So what is copy-editing and how is it different from proofreading?

A copy-editor checks spelling, grammar and punctuation, just like a proofreader

would. However, they will also make sure that your writing is clear and fit for

purpose – that the style is suitable for your intended audience and that it reads as

well as possible. The copy-editor will flag up any ambiguities and anomalies for your

attention, suggesting possible solutions, and will make sure your work is consistent.

They won’t just check the story itself; they’ll also copy-edit the preliminary

matter, tables, graphs, illustrations, footnotes, endnotes, bibliography – everything

that comes between the front and back covers! They’ll query errors of fact, misspelt

names, numbers that don’t add up, incomplete references and a host of other things.

They’ll even flag up any potential legal issues, although the final responsibility for

these rests with you.

Where developmental editing looks at the big picture, copy-editing looks at the fine

detail. Along with cover design, this is one of the most important things you can do to

get your book ‘public-ready’.

Copy-Editing

How we can help

Friendlier than she looks ... we promise!

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How is copy-editing different from proofreading?Proofreading happens after your book has been

typeset for print. The proofreader looks for errors,

including those introduced by the typesetting

process and those that are only obvious after the

text has been typeset, but their brief is to intervene

as little as possible, because changes at this stage

cost time and money. If you are producing your book as an

ebook only, and not a print version, you’re better off asking for a ‘proof-

edit’ rather than a proofread.

Ebook Formatting7

An ebook is a different beast from a traditionally printed book. The reader can change

the text size, the margins, and even the font on the display. When you’re getting a

book ready for print, all these things are crucial. But if the reader can change the

appearance themselves, how does that affect the way you need to format your work

and what can you do to make the conversion to ePub and MOBI formats as smooth as

possible?

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• Keep it simple. When formatting an ebook, less is more. Almost all the formatting

is stripped out during conversion, so there’s no point doing anything fancy. By

keeping everything as simple as possible, you reduce the risk of introducing

anything that will be too distracting to the reader. After all, you want them to focus

on what you’ve written, not on what it looks like.

• Remove rogue spaces. Don’t use double spaces after full stops. You might have

been taught to use them at school, but when converting a file to ebook formats

they make the job tricker and the text can look gappy. You should also remove any

spaces from the beginnings and ends of paragraphs. (Hint: if you click the ‘Show

non-printing characters’ button in Word, it will make that job much easier!)

• Turn hyphenation off and don’t force line breaks. Even if you don’t like where a

line breaks, remember that if the reader changes the font size, the line breaks will

shift anyway. If you add a hyphen manually, there’s a danger that it will end up

stuck in the middle of a line at random, looking like a mistake. Similarly, don’t try

to correct widows and orphans.

• Don’t include page numbers. Ebook files don’t have universal page numbers,

but some devices allocate page numbers depending on the reader’s settings. They

usually tell the reader how far along in the book they are – ‘Page x out of y’ or

‘43% completed’. This also means that page numbers in your table of contents are

irrelevant. Don’t worry! The table of contents will link to the relevant places.

• Don’t use the tab key. If you

opt for indented rather than block

paragraphs, use the ‘First line

indent’ tool in Word to set the

indentation.

• Use page breaks when you start a

new chapter. Don’t just keep hitting

‘Enter’ until a new page appears.

• Use Word’s ‘Styles’ palette to

organise your body text, chapter

headings, subheadings, displayed

quotations, etc.

Our top tips for ebook formatting

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How we can help

If you’re feeling unsure about formatting your book ready for ebook

conversion, give us a call or drop us a line! We will happily give you a

hand. If you think it will take you a long time to ‘tidy up’ your manuscript,

why not pass the job over to us to save yourself the hassle?

Ebook Conversion8

You’ve formatted your manuscript and it’s ready to go. Now you need to convert it

into a format that’s compatible with e-readers. What are these formats and how can

you convert your book?

Amazon Kindle e-readers use the MOBI file format. All other e-readers use ePub

files. Although some authors opt to release their book on Kindle only, we recommend

you make it available in as many stores as possible so that you can reach a wider

readership around the world.

How we can help

We will make sure your

book is converted to ePub

and MOBI formats. No

more fiddling about with

conversion programmes;

no more frustration with

getting the formatting and

specifications just right.

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Author Check9

A vital part of the process and not to be overlooked! Of course you’ll want to check

what your book looks like on your own e-reader. If you spot any errors in the file that

were introduced during the conversion process, we’ll make sure they get sorted out

before your book goes on sale in stores.

Friendly warning!We don’t proofread your book for typos

or punctuation errors unless you’ve

specifically asked for our proofreading

service. So make sure you’ve gone

through it with a fine-tooth comb before

you send the manuscript to us

for conversion.

Digital Distribution10

It’s time to send your book to online stores!

How we can help

We’ll distribute your book to over 60 stores

worldwide. Why limit yourself to just one or

two stores when you could have an even wider

readership?

Now you can start selling your books! When the store pays us,

we pay you – we don’t take a percentage of your royalties and we

don’t set minimum payouts, so whatever you earn is yours.

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Typesetting11

If your book is destined for hard copy printing, you’ll need to get it typeset.

This means getting it to look exactly as you want it on the printed page, and it’s

sometimes referred to as ‘book design’. It’s very hard to do this successfully in Word;

we recommend Adobe InDesign as a good typesetting software.

Doing your own typesetting?If you’re doing your own typesetting,

our top tip is to pick a book you like

the look of and copy its style and

layout. Remember: readability is key!

Readers are quite conventional when it

comes to the internal layout of books –

conventions tend to exist for a reason.

So now is not the time to get all wacky and

way-out with your font choices. And try to

resist the temptation to make line spacing and

margins narrower to reduce the page count and save

money. It makes the book harder to read and you run the risk of it

looking and feeling ‘cheap’.

How we can help

We can typeset your book in Adobe InDesign. Along with a good

cover design, this gives your book a professional edge which will

make a good impression on everyone who picks up a copy. Who

knows – they could be an influential agent!

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Proofreading12

In the traditional publishing process, your book would be proofread after typesetting.

The proofreader’s job is to do a final ‘quality check’ of the text, images and layout.

They’ll check for consistency and accuracy, but they won’t edit your work in the same

way that a copy-editor will.

The ‘proof copy’ is the proofreader’s chance to see exactly what the book looks

like before the actual print run takes place. They may have a physical copy of the

book just as it would come off the press, or they may work on a pdf copy.

Bear in mind all the work that the typesetter has done. The book is largely fixed

at this stage, and even a small change can have drastic knock-on effects, so the

proofreader will only intervene with good reason.

How we can help

As we mentioned before, our director is a qualified proofreader

and a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP).

Catherine undertakes all our proofreading jobs personally and will

work directly with you to make sure your book gets the final polish

you’re aiming for.

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Printing POD13

After typesetting, your book will go down one of two

routes: either a print run or print-on-demand

(POD). The difference between these is that

with POD, books are printed as and when

customers place their orders. Someone can

go into Waterstones or onto Amazon, order

your book and the store will send their

order to a POD company, which will print

the relevant number of copies (even if it’s

just one) and send them to the store for the

customer to collect (or, in the case of Amazon,

directly to the customer).

A straightforward print run has a less complicated

supply chain. You send the typeset file directly to

a printing company and they run off X number

of copies for you. They get delivered to you

and you sell them yourself or use them as

you see fit, e.g. as promotional giveaways.

Going down this route may have a

lower per-unit cost, leaving you with more

profit from each sale. The down side is that

you won’t have your book available through

the big high street stores. They only have

shelf space for a relatively small number of titles.

However, you may have luck getting local independent

bookshops to carry some copies, which you can replenish if

needed. It does mean that you’re responsible for storing and

distribution, and you may find yourself with leftover stock.

or

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Physical Distribution14

The final link in the chain – getting your book into the hands of your readers.

If you’ve chosen to use POD, you’re ready to roll. People can go into their local

bookshop and order a copy, or simply get out their smartphone and place an order

online.

If you’ve had a traditional print run, you’ve probably got a few boxes of books

sitting at home somewhere waiting to get out there and find their fans. You may be

wondering what to do with them, how to sell them, or just how to get them out of

your way! After all, don’t forget that free giveaways can be a very useful marketing

tool. Here are some of our ideas.

What to do with your hard copies

• Sell them through your own website. Make sure you include your web address

in all your online communication – email signature, social media, etc. And tell your

readers why it’s important for them to buy directly from your site. They’re your

fans; they want you to get the best possible return on your work.

• Sell or give them away at your launch party. An obvious place to have lots of

hard copies knocking around!

• Send them to reviewers. Reviews are

vital in helping you build your reputation

and sell more copies. Don’t forget that

reviewers often have a mountain of books

to get through, so it may take them a

while to get to yours. Do your research

and make sure they’re interested in your

genre before you send a copy. Don’t

forget bloggers and YouTubers as well as

the more traditional media outlets.

• Send them to other influencers.

Agents, local media contacts ...

influencers don’t have to be big in

the world of books. If your book deals with a particular topic, think of people

connected with it. The more niche the field, the more likely they are to sit up and

take notice.

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• Contact your local bookshop – more than one, if you have them. You might

find that they’re keen to promote local authors and may even help you arrange a

launch party or book signings.

• Use them for signings. If your local bookshop isn’t helpful, look for other places

to hold signings. The library, a nearby café, the neighbourhood hall or community

centre ... if there are any creative events taking place in the area, you may be able

to get involved, perhaps tying your book signing in with a workshop or talk.

• Plan giveaways and competitions.

You can use these to generate interest

among your fans online. Why not ask

people to share photos of your book in

different locations?

• Get creative with your promotional

ideas! What about setting up a mini

treasure-hunt? You could leave a

handwritten message inside a copy of

your book, put it in a local café and

see what happens. Repeat a few times

and you might even get local media

interested in the ‘mystery’. That’s just

one idea plucked at random – you can

probably think of something much more exciting!

We hope you feel enthusiastic about getting your book out there and full of ideas

about how you’re going to promote it. We can’t wait to hear from you!

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the self-publishing process or about

how we can help, visit our website, drop us an email or call us.

www.helpforwriters.me

[email protected]

07814 153560

Limited Company No. 10008322. Company registered in England & Wales.

All that’s left to say is ... good luck!