Internet has made the task of self-publishing books easier than ever. Today, anyone who has access to computer and Internet can write a book and get it printed professionally by publishers. There are free software programs, like, Book Smart, available in the market, which can be downloaded from Internet and can be accessed by the writers for designing the layout of pages, editing photos, deciding upon the fonts, and background colors. Such software is suitable for writers who do not have any knowledge of designing templates.
Why go for self-publishing books?
There are many advantages of self-publishing books:
- Foremost, you have the sole ownership, and possess all the rights of your book, so you can set your own price of your book, and take all the profits alone.
- You have a complete control over the design of your book, wherein you can settle with your own formats.
- Going to a traditional publisher may take years to get your book launched, and being a self-publisher, you can get it launched in a few months.
- If you are a first time author, then self-publishing of books is the best for you to choose, as traditional publisher might not agree to come into a contract with you.
Steps to begin with self publishing of books
To begin with, you should first think about what you want to write. Moreover, after deciding about that, research about the topic, and begin the writing. After you are done with the writing part, then comes an editing procedure, wherein you need to have excellent skills to edit, and make the book perfect without any errors. For this, you can also hire someone to edit your manuscript.
The second step for self-publishing books involves finding a print on demand (POD) publisher. These POD publishers may take a fee for publishing your book, which may be approximately $700-$5000. The POD publishers are responsible for selling and distributing your book. So, choose a publisher that is under your budget and fulfills all your requirements.
Once you get into contract with POD publisher, you have to format, create a book cover, and upload your manuscript. Again, for creating a book cover, you can hire someone and let him or her come up with a professional look. Once your price of book is set, you need to order a copy of book and review it or offer the book-to-book club for review, and make sure that the book is error free, before it is released for sale in the market.
Now, the book is ready for distribution and it will take some time for your book to be approved by your distributor. With Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles.com, it will take two-six weeks to pick up your book. At last, marketing of your book: you should get the word out about your new book on the market. Your whole profits are dependent on your marketing strategies. The more you advertise, the more you will earn.
Self-publishing a book is challenging especially for a first time writer, but is definitely a rewarding experience. So why not try it for your next writing project?
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