Self-publishing a book used to be seen as inferior to traditional publishing, but not anymore! Nowadays it is a prudent decision that allows you to retain control over your creativity and manage your own project, without being boxed in by anyone else’s timescales or budgets. Self-publishing can seem like a vast step into the unknown, but with ShieldCrest we can work with you throughout the “how to self-publish” process to help you transform your story into a book.
Benefits of Self-Publishing
There are many advantages to self-publishing your book when compared to the traditional publishing route. Traditional publishing houses will often only accept book submissions through agents, which means before you can even begin to send your book out, you will need to find an agent. Self-publishing gives you control. With self-publishing you can choose your timeline, you have the final say over the design, the edit, and the marketing strategy. You can also make more money! If you sell a book through a traditional publishing house you will receive a percentage of the royalties. When you self-publish a book all the profit that you make after paying costs is yours. You also retain all intellectual rights to your property. There are many benefits to self-publishing your book.
Step by Step Guide to Self Publish
The self-publishing process can seem complex and overwhelming, but with ShieldCrest we will help you through every step of the process of transforming your story into a book. Whether you want to know how to self-publish a book, a novel, or a non-fiction book, we will be with you from the chrysalis of an idea to the creation of a finished book.
Writing
If you are looking into publishing a book, we can assume that you have written a book, or maybe many books, or are at least some way through your book, or novel. Till you have done the hard work of writing the book, we cannot help you with the publishing. Writing a book is hard work, it requires perseverance and dedication, but if you can keep focused and commit you will have a finished story in your hands. Then we can help you.
Book Editing
Editing is a skill. You will have edited your book as you went along. You may have extensively rewritten sections of it, but a trained editor will have a talent for picking out the weak sections, both in terms of writing and plot, and improving them. Our editors are extremely experienced at working with authors. They will work with you to ensure that your book is the very best that it can be.
Book Design
While we all know the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” this is actually what people do! We make instant decisions about whether we want to read a book based on the cover. The cover needs to reflect the story inside and make people want to turn the pages. Our designers are excellent at understanding what sells and designing covers accordingly. We will spend time discussing with you what emotions we want the book cover to evoke, and what demographic your book is aimed at.
Decision Making – Print, eBook or both
There are two ways to publish books. You can publish an eBook or a physical book. Both have advantages and disadvantages. EBooks have minimal costs associated as they are simply a digital format, and they are instantly sellable through online eBook services such as Kindle. Physical books have an associated production cost, but having something tangible to sell can be very attractive. Many people, despite the rise in eBooks, still prefer a traditional book. Offering your book in both formats can be an ideal solution to the problem.
Marketing
While some best-sellers do just happen spontaneously it is incredibly rare. Most books that sell well, do so because they have a coherent and strategic marketing plan. Our marketing department will work with you to create and advise on the best marketing strategy for your book. All books are different, and all audiences are different, so your marketing plan must be geared towards your demographic of readers.
Self-Publishing Timeline
Getting a book published is not an overnight job, so if your book is time-sensitive then it is important to consider the timeline that you should be working towards. The timescale below will give you an indication of how long it will take to self-publish a book, from start to finish.
6-8 Weeks Out
Hopefully, your book is written at this point or at least nearly finished. This is when you need to plan out your self-publishing timeline, including your book launch point.
5 Weeks Out
You should be working with your book editor during this time, and perhaps also discussing cover design for your book with a designer.
4 Weeks Out
A little more editing during this phase, and starting on the interior design of your book. You can also begin to look at ISBN numbers for your book.
3 Weeks Out
Your book can now become a book! This is when the edited version of your book is entered into the book design layout, this is when it becomes a book.
3 Weeks Out
Proofread, proofread and proofread. It is common for errors to pop up during the transformation and an eagle-eyed proofreader will pick up on errors. Errors in a finished book are to be avoided.
2 Weeks Out
You will want your book ready before your distribution deadline. So ensure that you leave yourself enough time. The lead time on print-on-demand can be lengthy so check when they will need your finished book, to meet your deadline.
1 Week Out
You should have your book, and can now concentrate on your book launch and getting your name out there.
Things Needed to Self-Publish a Book
There are certain things that you need to publish a book. You must consider these during the publishing process so you don’t get caught out.
ISBN
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and all printed books, not eBooks, must have an ISBN number. Anyone can apply directly for an ISBN number for their book, but if you are self-publishing your book with ShieldCrest we will be able to organise this for you.
Barcode
You can also source a barcode for your self-published book. Again if you are self-publishing your book with us, we will help you with these details.
LCCN Number
LCCN stands for the Library of Congress Control Number and it can add credibility to a book to have an LCCN number. We can discuss the implications of this with you when we publish your book.
Preparing For Book Launch
Your book launch should be a celebration of your book, as well as the opportunity to expose your book to as many people as possible. We will discuss your book launch with you as part of your marketing plan. The genre of your book, audience, and location will determine what your book launch should consist of.
Next Step
If your dream is to self publish a book, then the best time to start is now! Our experienced self-publishing team is here to talk you through every step. Nothing is stopping you, so head over to our self-publishing page and learn more about how you can turn that story into a book.