10 STEPS ON HOW TO

SELF-PUBLISH A BOOK

While the self-publishing world may seem stressful and complex, it doesn’t have to be at all. Self-publishers are still able to achieve all the same heights as any others – although a little bit of assistance from experts in the field never hurts.

10 STEPS ON HOW TO

SELF-PUBLISH A BOOK

Get to know your market, subgenre, and audience.

Read similar books. Think about what you want to accomplish by self-publishing, and why you’re the best person to write your book. What can your idea offer to your audience that other books in your genre don’t? What makes your book special? Where does it fit into the market? Starting with this understanding will help you throughout your self-publishing journey.

Start building a platform and connecting with your audience.

The same factors that make it easy for you to self-publish your book have also allowed the market to be flooded with books of varying quality. Getting noticed won’t happen automatically, and quality writing isn’t enough to stand out.

Even major book publishers look for authors with an established platform, an existing following, or at least a reason for your audience to be curious about what you have to say on your topic. If you’re starting from scratch, this could involve posting short pieces of writing on a blog, supporting it with social media, and interacting with your followers. This kind of preparation will ensure there are readers ready and waiting when your book is published, and can even help provide early reviews on places like Amazon.

Write your manuscript.

This is the step that weeds out most would-be authors. Quality aside, it’s hard to write a book. This step isn’t about perfection, but it can be a huge challenge in terms of discipline, follow-through, and time management. Try setting aside an hour, or even a half hour, to consistently write each day.

It’s really less about cranking out lots of pages each day, and more about consistency over time. You may have other responsibilities and obligations that make this tough, so the key is to make a plan and stick with it.

Refine your first draft.

Take a break once you’ve completed your book, and then read through your manuscript. All books will need professional editing, but make sure you have your manuscript in decent shape before it goes to an editor.

While you can’t expect perfection at this stage, your manuscript is part of how you communicate your vision to your editor, so you want to make sure you’ve hit that mark, and that you won’t change your mind on the overall direction of the content after this stage.

Manuscript assessment.

This is where publishing professionals will take a first look at your manuscript. Is it ready for editing? Does it just need a proofread for typos, developmental editing for structure and content, or something in between? Is there a market for your book? Find out before you dive in.

At Izzard, two editors with major publishing experience, as well as an advanced AI system, will review your manuscript to help plot an Action Plan moving forward. This ensures you invest your resources wisely

Find a team of professionals who can help.

Each of the following publishing steps is an entire industry and field of expertise unto itself. To self-publish a quality book, you’ll need professionals who are experts in their fields. That’s how traditional book publishers get results, and that’s how you will too.

Collaborative editing.

Every book needs some kind of editing. Sometimes we hear from authors who believe that their writing is good enough that editing is unnecessary. But traditional publishers don’t publish unedited books and neither should you – even the most skilled writer should never skip editing or edit their own manuscript.

Find an editor that shares your vision and collaborate actively in a give-and-take process to get the best results.

Design the cover and book interior.

Readers do judge a book by its cover, and homemade-looking covers often hold back self-published books from real success. A lackluster book cover design can stop readers from ever getting to appreciate your writing.

Professional cover designers understand the expectations for covers in different genres, and what visual choices will appeal to your target audience. Interior design is also important, as mistakes here can make it much tougher to read your book. Get an expert.

Figure out a plan for distribution, marketing, and promotion that meets your needs.

This depends on your goals, audience, and genre. Are you just publishing an eBook? Is print-on-demand right for you? Are you ready for a press run? How about an audiobook? Once it’s out there, how will you make sure it reaches readers?

Once again, experts have so much to offer here – although promotion also requires active participation from the author.

Never give up!

Publishing a book is no small thing. Many have failed repeatedly, but we believe that great stories can also be found beyond the covers of the book, with ambitious authors that dedicate themselves to sharing their art and wisdom with the world. Never give up!

Remember, it’s always ok to ask for help. We’re here for you.

Save $1000's by Avoiding These Costly Mistakes

At Izzard Ink we’ve noticed how often authors make the same handful of mistakes when self-publishing – in our guide, we’ll pass that wisdom on to new and prospective authors. If you can learn from the costly mistakes of others, you can avoid making them yourself. These mistakes routinely cost authors hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Any way you approach it, publishing is a big investment – of both time and money – and it’s worth learning how to do it right.