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This page is a blog dedicated to self-publishing topics

The good, bad and ugly about self-publishing

Self-publishing is not as simple or straightforward as you may expect. This is especially true if all your information came from web searches. That is because the internet has a lot of inaccurate and incorrect information on it. It also has stuff that is simply wrong.

  • I found an editor and we agreed on a price. Now he says he can’t finish editing my novel unless I give him a thousand dollars more. What’s going on?

Most likely you are being scammed. This is especially true If you asked several editors for prices and the one you chose had the lowest price. The editor low-balled the price to get the business and now he’s blackmailing you to give him more money.

On the other hand, perhaps your manuscript is a hot mess and requires a lot more work than originally estimated. If you provided a writing sample with your query letter, this shouldn’t have happened.

  • I just got advance review copies of my new book. Man, does it feel good to hold one in my hand!

It does, doesn’t it. It makes one feel proud of all the hard work that went into producing the book.

  • Amazon is charging me a $1.38 download fee on every ebook I sell. What’s this for?

Amazon (alone among all publishers and packagers) charges a download fee for ebooks. Why does it do that? Because it can. It’s just another tactic to squeeze a bit more money out of the authors. If you have a graphics-heavy ebook, the download charges can actually exceed the price of the ebook. In other words, you lose money on every sale unless you raise the ebook price.

  • My book has been published. How come no one is buying it?

No one’s buying it because no one knows about it. If you want people to buy the book, you have to tell them about it. And that is called marketing.

- I found this website that said it would help me publish my book, but they want me to pay over $6000. Is this a scam?

Mostly likely not. There are publishers — a lot of them — who think authors should pay through the nose to get their book published. Instead of paying the outrageous fees, query the smaller publishing companies. They are much easier to get acceptance than the major publishers are and they don’t charge.

-I uploaded my manuscript to an ebook packager and it was rejected because it violated the Epub3 standard. What does this mean?

What it says is that your ebook manuscript must be formatted in accordance with the Epub3 Standard. This standard means the ebook manuscript ends up being quite different from the print book manuscript. Fortunately, there is a free guide on how to format an ebook so it agrees with the standard. You can get a copy here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52

This short compilation contains a few of issues and problems self-publishing authors can come across.

Have you faced an issue that isn’t described here? Can you tell us about it, please?

Self-publishing: Packagers and ISBNs: Total confusion!

I’ve been self-publishing my books for over a dozen years. One of the most perplexing aspects for a first-time self-publishing author is packagers and whether or not an ISBN is required. Much confusion can ensue.

So let’s look at an example to perhaps un-confuse this issue. Let’s say I have a new book that I want to publish in both print and ebook editions with maximum distribution. In this case, I’d use two packagers for the print book and two packagers for the ebook.

For the ebook version, I’d use Kindle and Draft2Digital (D2D) for distribution. Why two? Kindle distributes the ebook thoughout the Amazon universe, so it will show up on Amazon sites in the UK, other European sites, Brazil, India, Japan and a few other sites. However, Kindle will not distribute the ebook to sites outside of Amazon. D2D will distribute the book to many non-Amazon sites includijng Barnes and Noble, Kobo and library sites such as Overdrive and Hoopla. Using these two distributors will ensure the book receives maximum exposure even thought most of the sales will come from Amazon sites.

As to ISBNs: Amazon says it doesn’t require one since the ebook will never be distrubuted outside of the Amazon universe. WIth D2D, you need an ISBN and D2D will give you a free one if you wish. Or you can buy one from Bowker.com for $129 (think monopoly pricing at work here. This only applies of you live in the USA). What’s the difference? The free ISBN from D2D belongs to D2D and says D2D is the publisher. If you want the ISBN to list you as the publisher, you’ll have to buy one from Bower.

For print books, I’d use Kindle and IngramSpark (IS) as distributors. Why two? Amazon will distribute print books outside the Amazon universe and the book will show up (eventually) at sites like Barnes and Noble, but on their websites, not in the book stores. Book stores will not stock Amazon books because 1. Amazon would love to drive them out business, and 2. Kindle will not allow book returns. Book stores will, however, order a book from Kindle if you go to the store and request it.

As to ISBNs, Kindle will give you a free ISBN if you request it. Once againe the freebie will list Kindle as the publisher. Or you can buy one from Bowker

To get my print book in book stores, I’d have to use IngramSpark as a distributor. With IS, you have to provide your own ISBN and a different ISBN from the ebook ISBN. A free print ISBN from Kindle will most likely be rejected by IS who will demand a different ISBN. (Be warned, IS is a user-unfriendly website.) Once available through IS, book stores will have no problem ordering your book to put on their shelves.

To summarze: using these four distributors will require at least one ISBN (for IS) and possible two (one for ebooks and one for print book). To expand on this possible confusing situation, if you provide the ISBNs, the ISBNs belong to you, not to the distributor and you can use the ebook ISBN for any number of ebook distributors. Similarly, you can use the print ISBN for any number of print distributors.


Basic self-publishing issues

I asked Athena, my AI agent, this question: "I want to self-publish my book. How do I start?"

This is how Athena responded:

Starting your self-publishing journey can be both exciting and overwhelming, but with a clear plan, you can navigate it smoothly. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Humorous Note

Self-publishing is like baking a cake: you need the right ingredients (your manuscript), the right tools (editing and cover design), and the right oven (packagers like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing). Don't worry, I'll guide you through the recipe!

Key Points for Self-Publishing Your Book

  1. Manuscript Preparation

    • Drafts and Editing: Ensure your manuscript is polished. Consider hiring professional editors or using beta readers to improve your work.

    • Beta Readers: Recruit beta readers to provide feedback on plot, characters, and consistency. Use a questionnaire to guide their feedback.

  1. Professional Help

  1. Cover Artist: Invest in a unique cover that reflects your story. A good cover is crucial for attracting readers.

  2. Editors: Hire a professional editor to refine your manuscript. There are different types of editors (developmental, line, copy, proofreaders), so choose based on your needs.

  1. Book Description and Keywords

  1. Book Blurb: Craft a compelling blurb that grabs attention and highlights what’s unique about your book.

  2. Keywords: Develop relevant keywords to improve discoverability on platforms like Amazon. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner.

  1. Packagers and Distribution

  1. Ebook Packagers: Use services like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Smashwords, or Draft2Digital for ebook distribution.

  2. Print Book Packagers: Consider IngramSpark for print-on-demand services to reach bookstores and libraries.

  1. Marketing and Author Platform

  1. Author Website: Create a professional website to centralize your book information and updates.

  2. Social Media: Establish a presence on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Goodreads to engage with readers.

  3. Marketing Plan: Develop a strategic marketing plan that includes pre-launch activities, launch day tasks, and post-launch strategies.

  1. Launch and Post-Launch Activities

  1. Pre-orders: Set up pre-orders to build anticipation and secure early sales1.

  2. Reviews: Solicit reviews from beta readers and other reviewers to boost visibility1.

  3. Promotions: Run promotions or discounts to maintain momentum post-launch.

By following these steps, you can successfully self-publish your book and start building your author career. Good luck!

Self-publishing is easy (not!)

If you prowl the internet searching for self-publishing information, you may get the impression it’s easy. At least that is what various tidbits of information say. This is especially true in social media groups.

Let’s establish a goal for your self-publishing project: you want to create a quality book package for your content. Well, creating such a package requires quite a bit of work and contradicts the contention that it is easy.

Actually, self-publishing a book can be easy and many authors do self-publish with what I call the lazy way. Under the lazy way, the author finishes the manuscript on Monday (an early or even a first draft), gets a generic cover on Tuesday (or hand-draws one) and uploads the manuscript on Wednesday. Hooray! The author is now a published author. Except the book is a piece of junk and is as far away from a quality book package as it can get.

The issue here is the author is the publisher. As such, the author has to do all the work a publishing company would do if the author had sold the book to the publisher.

So, the reality of self-publishing is this: it requires time, work and money. It also requires the self-publishing author recruit other people to work on the project.

Another issue that confuses the newbie self-publishing author is the interval. How long is the time between the finishing the manuscript and launching the book? Six months is an adequate interval. Your initial reaction to this statement is probably disbelieve because it is so counter to the stuff you read on the web.

I’ve self-published over twenty-five books and the absolute minimum time I allocate for the interval between competing the manuscript and launching the book is four months. Most times, my interval is five or six months and sometimes longer.

Inexperienced self-publishing authors will naturally look to the internet for answers to questions or issues. This is where another problem can crop up: scammers. The internet swarms with scam artists looking for inexperienced authors who are searching for publishing assistance. These scammers have slick web sites and mention all the pain points self-publishers run into. It is quite natural for the author to gravitate toward these sites because they seemingly offer solutions. Unfortunately, these sites offer little or no actual assistance and they charge premium prices for it.

One way to avoid these scammers is to be suspicious of all offers you come across on the web. Investigate before committing money. It is especially important to read all the fine print on the site, on every page. Another useful method is to type the site’s address into a search box and look through the results. Take note of negative comments and articles. Only after completing the site examination and the search results should you make your decision about using the site.

Another factor inexperienced self-publishing authors overlook is book marketing. Marketing has to be an integral part of the publishing project. Without marketing, no one will know about the book and no will care. The purpose of the marketing piece of the project is to tell the world that your book exists (or will exist).

This article was originally published in Medium

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