How Does Self-Publishing Work?
Self-publishing requires a lot of work and effort from the author. It includes writing the book, designing the cover, editing the text, formatting, printing, and promotion. And all of this has to be done by the author, hence the term ‘self-publishing’. With the evolution of the internet and everything going digital, there has been a rise of online publishing tools and distribution platforms in the past decades and self-publishing has become a viable and more economically apt option for many authors. Many authors and creative heads are opting for self-publishing as they can have greater creative control over the whole project and have access to a greater share of the profits. But how does the whole process work? Let’s discuss, shall we?
Research about the Genre and Topic
The urge to grab a notebook and start pouring your heart out is quite tempting but without any prior research of the market and your readers, writing your book may result in something you might not like. It is important to get a clear idea about what kinds of genres or topics are more acceptable to the readers or what kind is required by the readers but is not presented clearly in books. This will help you to write something that you and your readers are passionate about. Writing on topics that are not familiar to you can lead to the process of writing being exhausting and annoying to some point. So think about the genre you like to read and write about then research on that and the books related to that genre. When you love your context of writing, the whole process becomes much more enjoyable. And the research will further help you when you will be promoting your book.
Start Writing
If you have not already, then after you have done thorough research, it is time for you to start writing your book. Keeping the goals and the nature of the books, prepare to invest a lot of time into writing because it may take from a few weeks to several years. Writing a book is like running in a marathon not a sprint so do not get frustrated within just days of the start of the process. Most of the authors go through a phase called ‘writer’s block’ which can be frustrating but like any other good thing, a good book takes time to come out. Setting specific goals or timelines can help you achieve progress in this process, for example, picking a limit of words that you will write each day or picking a specific timeline that you have decided to incorporate in your book and sticking with that scene is helpful. This helps maintain the flow of narration of the story.
Edit Is Inevitable and Feedback Is a Must
One thing that will surely happen to you, you can bet your bottom dollar on it is you will have to edit your first draft. Yes, the first try at writing is always a draft that needs to be edited. Similar to the exam papers, you have to revise before submission to avoid silly grammatical errors and check the flow of narration. If you are not sure about your capabilities as an editor, it is advisable to hire a professional one because editing is one of the most crucial steps of writing a book.
Once you are sure about your writing, try to get your friends, family, or people you know who read a lot to read your manuscript. Ask for their feedback regarding the book, how it sounds, and what could be improvised or improved to get a clear understanding of the story or the topic in this way you will get some diverse perspectives about your manuscript, and can even give you some great ideas you did not think of before.
Formatting
When you have written, edited, and proofread your manuscript, it is time to format your book. This includes the overall image of the book, how much writing is to be placed on a single page, where the images should be placed on the pages, and how it will look in hardcover, softcover, or e-book formats. There are many online tools to help you with these and there are some good free templates that you can use as well. If you are not as good at designing as you are at writing then once again ask for professional help. Designing the book cover is also a part of it.
Promotion
The most important thing left to do is promote the book and after all of the above points if you are tired and do not want to use your energy on promotion then do not worry because several book-promoting companies have a variety of services to offer to the authors. This service includes well-written blogs, articles, press releases, and interviews that are bound to give your book the extra boost it needs to reach your targeted readers.
So, if you were waiting for a sign from the universe about whether you should go for self-publication then this is it. No need to wait around anymore for your books to get published.
