What you need to know to self-publish your manuscript

We love working with authors. Writing a book is a huge accomplishment. I’ve heard so many people say they want to write a book, but few actually do the hard work of getting it done.

If you’re one of those that has a final manuscript ready to go – Congratulations! You have accomplished your goal – take a moment and pat yourself on the back and celebrate!

Now let’s get it published!

You as the author are responsible to make sure all the parts in this process are accomplished. If that seems overwhelming to you, we can help.

Becky’s Graphic Design has been working with authors for over 15 years, almost since indie publishing began in the late 90’s.

We’ve all seen poorly written and designed self-published books that have hurt the industry as a whole.

But that doesn’t have to be the norm anymore.

It’s our goal to change the self-publishing world by walking alongside you and sharing our knowledge and expertise.

We use the technology available today to make every self-published book look as professional as any book from a large publishing house.

GETTING A MANUSCRIPT READY FOR PRINT

There are six basic parts to preparing a manuscript for printing.

  • Writing the manuscriptYour job!
  • Professional editingCheck out this post written by one of our favorite editors
  • Illustrations and graphics created (optional) – We can help or we can work with your illustrator
  • Cover designWe love building great covers that sell your book!
  • The manuscript formatted for print in digital software such as Adobe InDesign – We specialize in book production and know how to prepare it for the publisher as a print or ebook file.
  • Digital files uploaded to the publisher and the book is printed – We know how to get this done right!

CHOOSING THE PUBLISHER

PRINTER/PUBLISHER OPTIONS

The process of creating a book starts with an understanding of the printing and distribution options available in the self-publishing or indie book market.

The printer/distributor is responsible for printing the book and sending it to the book retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBook, Books-A-Million) you’ve chosen.

You as the author can purchase the book directly from the distributor in whatever quantities you choose and pay only for printing and shipping fees.

If you choose a POD (print on demand) printer/distributor they will print and send out a book for you every time it is ordered. You don’t need to fulfill the orders yourself – no need to run to the post office!

There are many book printer/distributor for the author who wants to self-publish. These are a few we’ve worked with and recommend:

Self-publishers

Each one of these companies specializes in different things.

If you’re just printing a paperback book, KDP is free and easy. Their focus is on digital books and trade paperbacks. Plus they already have the best marketing platform out there for you to tap into. If your focus is on SELLING your book – KDP is your best option.

For more book format options, IngramSpark publishes paperback, hardcover and ebooks and has wide distribution channels for a small fee.

You can also be creative and use two different book publishers. If you really want to have a hardcover version of your book – submit it to Ingram for POD. Then publish the trade paperback version and ebook through KDP. You’re in charge so you can decide what will be best for your book!

It’s time to think of yourself as an entrepreneur or as we prefer to say an “AUTHORPRENEUR” Find out more about marketing your book and becoming an Authorpreneur here!

It’s important to start you book publishing journey knowing what options are available. Please do your research to find what fits your needs best.

PRINTING COSTS

The cost of the book (how much it costs to print each book) is determined by a number of things.

  • TRIM SIZE OF THE BOOKindustry standards are less expensive than custom sizes
  • COVER STYLEsoft or hard cover, with or without dust jackets
  • BINDING check your printer for which type(s) they offer
  • COVER FINISHgloss or matte
  • NUMBER OF INSIDE PAGESminimum for self-publishing is 24 interior pages, remember to include these pages too – copyright, title page, TOC and any additional pages for images.
  • PAPER STOCKweight, color and finish
  • COLOR OR BLACK AND WHITE INTERIORyour book is a color interior even if you want to have black type and a few color charts or photos.
  • QUANTITYthe more you print at one time the less cost per book or you can choose Print on Demand, which prints one at a time based on orders.

ADDING ILLUSTRATIONS

Does your book need some concepts illustrated? If you’re working with an illustrator you’ll need to discuss the following with them BEFORE they start your work. I have a post here on how to create digital images for your book.Illustrations

  • THE SIZE OF THE FINISHED BOOK  You need to make sure the images you draw will fit the book dimensions. Make sure the book size you’d like is a standard size with your printer or it’ll cost you lots of money to be unique!
  • HOW MANY IMAGES YOU NEED TO DRAW – Work with the author to create a story board of the book, so you both know exactly how many images you need to create.
  • BE CAREFUL TO FOLLOW PRINTER SPECS and make sure you leave plenty of room for bleeds and don’t leave any extra marks on the drawings
  • SCAN THE FINISHED ARTWORK with a high-resolution printer at 1200 dpi and save to .tiff

COVER DESIGN

Having a well-designed cover is the most important thing you can do to promote and sell your book. (See the covers we’ve done in our portfolio here)

This is not the time to try your hand at design or hire the neighbor’s kid to create your cover in Microsoft Word or even Canva.

There is an art to creating a cover that will appeal to your target market, capture attention and sell your book over the competition.

But remember the front cover is only part of what you’ll need to publish if you’re planning on a trade paperback or hardcover book.Full Book Cover Design

The publisher will need a complete cover file – front, back and spine with crops and bleeds. The bar code will need to be added as well.

Book publishers usually provide a cover template to use based on your page count with the spine size prepared. This template is prepared to be used with InDesign or even Photoshop if necessary. (I don’t recommend using Photoshop for your whole cover design, but it’s great for the background image design work, then the cover can be completed in InDesign)

Make sure the copy on the back of your book compels the reader to buy it. There is a science to copy writing and this is another place to make sure you get the best you can afford.

The other important piece of hiring a cover designer is their ability to create the book mock-ups and advertising you’ll need for promoting and marketing your book. You’ll need images for your social media channels, author website, printed pieces for in person networking and any other ads and marketing ideas you and your team discover!

BGD TIP: Don’t wait until your manuscript is done – find your cover designer as soon as possible so you can do all the presale marketing with the actual cover images!

INTERIOR BOOK DESIGN

Before sending the files to the designer please make sure they are completely edited. This will save you money in the long run. You will be charged by the hour to do excessive edits outside the scope of your contract.interior page designs

At Becky’s Graphic Design we love using Adobe InDesign for our book production. This industry standard software allows us to create a beautiful interior including all page styles, such as the table of contents, chapter title page, headers and footer, including pull out quotes consistently.

Obviously the more page styles and special features the more time is involved and the more costly your project will be. A basic novel would not be as expensive to produce as a complex non-fiction with illustrations and endnotes.

We offer our clients a proof of the layout design, fonts and page styles we will be using for review. The design should be consistent with the cover design as much as possible. When the layout is finished we can quickly export to PDF and provide the entire book to our client or a chapter at a time for review.

BGD TIP: Make sure you arrange for your book designer as soon as possible so they can schedule your project on their calendar. A complex book can take 10 days or longer depending on other projects on the designer’s docket.

MARKETING YOUR BOOK

As we mentioned earlier – you as the author are in charge of your book and its future. This is your chance to shine!

There are lots of ways to make sure your book will meet your target audience, be found on Amazon and on popular book platforms.

Does your book speak to a larger purpose you’re passionate about?

Maybe you’d like to present yourself as a speaker, or you’re planning special events surrounding your finished manuscript release!

Let us help you brand not only your book, but yourself as an author!

HOW WE CAN HELP

Paperback Mockup of Business Book

Let BGD help you move forward to get your manuscript designed and published, then we will help you market it to the right audience. We offer the following services as needed for your project.

  • Assistance with planning for publishing
  • Manuscript Layout for Print and ePub
  • Cover Design and Layout
  • Help with understanding ISBN and Bar Code Requirements
  • Packaging the book from InDesign to PDF for Printer/Publisher
  • Assisting you in preparation for your book release

Check out this article about Marketing your book. We can produce the mockups of your book and help you find additional marketing and PR experts to guide you in the actual marketing decisions.

We have over 15 years of experience working with authors and publishers plus we have a wide connection of collaborative partners who are experts in their field. Feel free to check out our design packages for our pricing structure or set up an appointment with Becky and speak to her about you book or you can fill out our contact form which will tell us more about your project.

 

RECOMMENDED READING

I highly recommend these books I’ve read myself. They will help you understand the world of self-publishing, marketing your book and most importantly how to SELL your book! Why not learn from the experts who have successfully accomplished what you’re trying to do!

Becky’s Graphic Design is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

You Must Write A Book

Boost Your Brand, Get More Business, and Become the Go-To Expert by Honoree Corder

You’ll learn:

  • Why a book matters to your business
  • Pre-planning and strategic thinking, before putting even the first word on the page
  • How to write your book by committing to only a few words per day
  • How to hire ghostwriters or other professionals to get your ideas on the page, without writing a word
  • The steps for launching your book like a pro
  • Marketing plans-both for your book, and using your book to market yourself and your business

I Must Write My Book Companion Workbook

You were inspired by You Must Write a Book, and the time has come to begin writing yours! I Must Write My Book provides the guidance and space to capture your thoughts, gain clarity, and move through the process with ease.

I spent a Saturday morning with Honoree and a group of writers, working through this workbook. I know from my own experience how helpful these two books will be to you and your writing!

If you intend to be successful as a writer – spend less than $25 on yourself and get the step by step guidance of author who continues to be successful!


Kindle Publishing by Gundi Gabrielle

Kindle Bestseller Publishing (2019): Publish a #1 Bestseller in the next 30 Days!

This book might sound too good to be true, but the author has the social proof to back up her claim. Even if you’re not ready to publish that quickly, the information she provides is priceless if you intend to sell your book on Amazon. I highly recommend this book for you to understand how Amazon works and how to position your book to sell.

  • Researching profitable Book Ideas
  • Understanding Amazon’s Algorithm and how new readers can find you
  • How to optimize your meta data, including your book title to trigger Amazon’s algorithm to promote your book heavily
  • Category and Keyword Research and how Bestseller ranking on Amazon works
  • How to market your book during Launch Week

Sell Your Book Like Wildfire

The Writer’s Guide to Marketing and Publicity by Rob Eagar

If you are planning on building a brand around your book – this is the book to read. Here are some of my favorite chapters:

  • Establish Your Expertise
  • Light a Fire in Your Readers
  • Make Your Mark with an Author Brand
  • Turn Media Interviews into Book Sales
  • The Skinny on Social Networking
  • Feed the Beast: How to use Amazon to Sell More Books
  • Working with a Publisher

This book has more highlights than most of the books I’ve read – if you’re writing a book – this is the book to help you SELL IT!


Platform

Get Noticed in a Noisy World, A Step-by-Step Guide for anyone with something to say or sell by Michael Hyatt

If you self-publish you also have to self-market. You have to learn how to build a platform so you can let the world in on your secret – “I’ve PUBLISHED A BOOK!” Now learn how to sell it!

Best Book Cover Software, Designers and Services

Are you wanting to create your own book cover? Here is a list of some cover design software you can use to create a book cover yourself and a list of some of the best cover designers (including us!) from Kindlepreneur.com

 

Ready to Publish?