How to Self Publish a Book: Three Easy Steps to Self Publishing
Although the process of self publishing a book might seem overwhelming, it can be broken down into three easy steps. Follow this guide for a more seamless self publishing experience.
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Perhaps you’ve got a great idea for a book, or maybe you’re in the processing of writing one. During this process, the question of “How do you self publish a book?” can naturally arise as you try to decide how to deliver your book to audiences of choice. To help, here are three easy steps to self publish a book.
Step One: Finishing Your Manuscript—Writing and Editing
The first of the steps to self publish a book is actually writing the book—whether that means writing it yourself or hiring a ghostwriter. Although no two people will ever write a book in the exact same way, here are typical steps taken when writing one:
Determine the type of book you’re writing: At a high level, you might choose to write a non-fiction book, a novel, or a creative non-fiction book like a memoir. Each type will come with its own unique steps and requirements, so it's important to be clear about the broad genre of your particular book.
Right-size your book topic: You’ll need to narrow your topic down to a manageable size. So, if you know that you want to write a non-fiction book about dogs, you’ll have to choose a scope that’s book-sized. You might, for example, decide that your true passion is to write about exercising with your dogs for optimal health: Yours and theirs.
Decide your target audience(s): Who would be interested in your book? In the dog example, it could be adults with an interest in fitness and/or weight loss who also love dogs. Note: It can be tempting to want to write a book that absolutely everyone will be interested in, but that isn’t realistic—even for bestselling authors. Instead, put your focus on writing the best book possible for your specific audience.
Craft an outline or otherwise structure your book: You may decide to use traditional outlines like those taught in schools or create your own format—perhaps by jotting down notes on what you want each chapter to cover. Writers often self-identify as either plotters (people who carefully design a structure for what they’ll write) or pantsers (people who write by the seat of their pants!). You may identify with one or the other or find yourself somewhere in between.
Create a workable writing schedule: Consider what works for you based upon your career, family commitments, and other issues that matter to you like volunteering. Based on that information, carve out a timetable for writing, and do your best to stick to the schedule. If you find that your original writing schedule isn’t working—perhaps being too aggressive or not aggressive enough—tweak it to create an optimal schedule for your specific needs.
Write your first draft: In this draft, you’ll want to get the story down: With care but without allowing the desire for perfection to stop you from completing the draft. Focus on excellence rather than perfection, knowing that, in the next two steps, you can further improve your manuscript.
Revise the manuscript: You may go through a few rounds of revision as you verify facts; make sure that important information isn’t missing; get rid of unnecessary duplicate information; and ensure that you’re sharing your stories in the most compelling, engaging manner.
Have someone edit the manuscript: It’s always good to have an experienced editor read through your manuscript. Even longstanding professional writers go through this step to ensure that the manuscript is in the best shape possible before publishing. That’s because the editor’s fresh set of eyes can catch typos, misplaced punctuation marks, and inconsistent details.
When you’re self publishing a book, this is often the first step where you invest money into your book project: Paying a qualified editor who ideally respects your voice and shapes the manuscript in ways that mesh with your vision.
Step Two: Getting Your Manuscript Ready for Publishing
Here’s the second of the steps to self publish a book: Getting the completed, edited manuscript ready for publication.
Key elements include:
- Book formatting for eBooks or print, depending upon what you want to do
- Selecting pictures, if relevant, making sure they are of sufficient quality and ensuring that you have the right to use them
- Designing an eye-catching book cover
- Securing your ISBN and barcode
Book Formatting
First, book formatting is different from manuscript formatting. When you format a manuscript, you’re ensuring that the margins, spacing, font, and so forth are in a form desired by an editor or publisher. Book formatting, meanwhile, means getting the text into a form that readers will see.
Here, we’ll focus on tips for print (rather than eBook) formatting. First, decide the trim size of your book—meaning its final dimensions. You’ll need to select one that’s available from the printer you’ll use. Next, choose a font that’s easily readable, leaning towards ones used by traditional publishers. If you’re writing a book with an older demographic for an audience, keep potential vision issues in mind.
Create wide enough margins so that there’s enough white space for readability. When doing so, consider the gutter size, which is the margin space on the parts of the pages closest to the binding. You’ll need enough space there for the bookbinding to take place and to ensure that the text isn’t too cramped in that margin. Formatting software exists for a relatively small cost, or you could hire a professional formatter.
Be sure to include a copyright page to let people know that your book isn’t in the public domain. In other words, let them know that you own the intellectual property to discourage plagiarism. At a minimum, include this information: © Date Your Name. All rights reserved.
Selecting Pictures
Whether this means photos or charts, diagrams, or other visual elements, having them interspersed in your book can make it more attractive and appealing. However, you’ll need to consider a few things.
First, choose between colour or black & white. Visual elements in colour can be especially eye-catching but come with a greater printing cost. When doing so, consider the DPI. For the pictures to look attractive in a book, you’ll need ones with a certain number of dots per inch (DPIs). At a minimum, go with 300dpi. Also, make sure you have appropriate permissions. Typically, the person who takes a photo owns the copyright, and that’s the only person who can give you permission to use a picture in your book. In other words, just because someone has a physical copy or scan of a photo, this does not mean they can give you permission to publish it.
Designing a Book Cover
Despite the saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, people often do. So, you’ll want to have an engaging one that attracts readers. Decisions you’ll need to make include these:
Title and, if applicable, the subtitle: If you want to use a catchy title that inspires curiosity, you could use a subtitle that provides more information about the genre and what a reader might expect when buying your book—giving them a sneak preview.
Name or pseudonym: Will you publish under your real name? A pen name?
Font size and type: Just like with your text, you’ll need to choose font sizes and types for your cover.
Images: Will you feature a picture on the cover? A collage of images? An abstract design?
Tone: Create a cover design that dovetails with your book. What you’d choose for a family history book would be quite different from a science fiction story.
Don’t forget the back cover! This is where you can include a promotional blurb about your book, which could include snippets of a review and your author bio.
Securing Your ISBN and Barcode
When self publishing a book, you’ll typically want to get an ISBN (an International Standard Book Number) so that you can potentially sell your book to libraries and in bookstores and online retailers. If you only plan to sell your books directly, perhaps from your own website and/or through events like craft shows, then you don’t need one.
The same is true with barcodes. If you plan to try to sell your book in stores and the like, then get a barcode. You can get both of these items at Bowkers Publishing Services.
Step Three: Going Through the Publishing Process
So, returning to the original question—how do you self publish a book?—two broad pathways exist. You can literally do all of these steps yourself to self publish a book, hiring an expert when something is beyond your skills set or knowledge (or to save time). Or, you can hire a publishing partner like StoryTerrace.
Let’s first run through the process if you did everything yourself. You’d either write the book yourself or hire a ghostwriter. Then, find a qualified book editor, hiring them and paying them their fee. Format the book appropriately or hire someone else to do so. Collect photos and ensure that you have permission to use them and that they’re of appropriate quality.
Design a cover or hire someone to do that. Finally, get your ISBN and barcode.
Once all is completed, you’d then find a printer that specializes in printing books or a company that will print them on demand. With the second option, when you get orders for your book, the company would print what’s needed. Then, it’s time to market the book, asking bookstores, libraries, and the like to carry your book. You could schedule a book party, set up and promote book signings, and otherwise get your completed book out into the world.
If this sounds like it can be a lot of work to take on yourself, it can be. Some people thrive on doing everything themselves while others might wonder if this is the best way to self publish a book. For that second group, they may prefer working with a partner. If you’re wondering “How can I self publish a book with StoryTerrace?", Contact us!
When you contact us to talk about your book idea, we’ll discuss how to self publish a book with our company so that you have a good understanding of our processes. Alternatively, you can also have a look at our publishing packages here.
Once you’ve decided what package makes sense for you, we’ll match you with the best writer in our extensive network of 600+ ghostwriters. Throughout the process, you stay in full control while outsourcing the tasks to us. Our talented designers will format the book and create an eye-catching cover. And, throughout the process of self publishing a book, you can count on our Bookmaker technology to keep you fully informed.
Then, when everything is complete, we’ll deliver your hardbound, full-colour books directly to you.
Partnering With StoryTerrace to Self Publish a Book
Let StoryTerrace streamline the process for an amazing product that connects with your vision for your unique book. Ready to get started? Book a call with us!
Perhaps you’ve got a great idea for a book, or maybe you’re in the processing of writing one. During this process, the question of “How do you self publish a book?” can naturally arise as you try to decide how to deliver your book to audiences of choice. To help, here are three easy steps to self publish a book.
Step One: Finishing Your Manuscript—Writing and Editing
The first of the steps to self publish a book is actually writing the book—whether that means writing it yourself or hiring a ghostwriter. Although no two people will ever write a book in the exact same way, here are typical steps taken when writing one:
Determine the type of book you’re writing: At a high level, you might choose to write a non-fiction book, a novel, or a creative non-fiction book like a memoir. Each type will come with its own unique steps and requirements, so it's important to be clear about the broad genre of your particular book.
Right-size your book topic: You’ll need to narrow your topic down to a manageable size. So, if you know that you want to write a non-fiction book about dogs, you’ll have to choose a scope that’s book-sized. You might, for example, decide that your true passion is to write about exercising with your dogs for optimal health: Yours and theirs.
Decide your target audience(s): Who would be interested in your book? In the dog example, it could be adults with an interest in fitness and/or weight loss who also love dogs. Note: It can be tempting to want to write a book that absolutely everyone will be interested in, but that isn’t realistic—even for bestselling authors. Instead, put your focus on writing the best book possible for your specific audience.
Craft an outline or otherwise structure your book: You may decide to use traditional outlines like those taught in schools or create your own format—perhaps by jotting down notes on what you want each chapter to cover. Writers often self-identify as either plotters (people who carefully design a structure for what they’ll write) or pantsers (people who write by the seat of their pants!). You may identify with one or the other or find yourself somewhere in between.
Create a workable writing schedule: Consider what works for you based upon your career, family commitments, and other issues that matter to you like volunteering. Based on that information, carve out a timetable for writing, and do your best to stick to the schedule. If you find that your original writing schedule isn’t working—perhaps being too aggressive or not aggressive enough—tweak it to create an optimal schedule for your specific needs.
Write your first draft: In this draft, you’ll want to get the story down: With care but without allowing the desire for perfection to stop you from completing the draft. Focus on excellence rather than perfection, knowing that, in the next two steps, you can further improve your manuscript.
Revise the manuscript: You may go through a few rounds of revision as you verify facts; make sure that important information isn’t missing; get rid of unnecessary duplicate information; and ensure that you’re sharing your stories in the most compelling, engaging manner.
Have someone edit the manuscript: It’s always good to have an experienced editor read through your manuscript. Even longstanding professional writers go through this step to ensure that the manuscript is in the best shape possible before publishing. That’s because the editor’s fresh set of eyes can catch typos, misplaced punctuation marks, and inconsistent details.
When you’re self publishing a book, this is often the first step where you invest money into your book project: Paying a qualified editor who ideally respects your voice and shapes the manuscript in ways that mesh with your vision.
Step Two: Getting Your Manuscript Ready for Publishing
Here’s the second of the steps to self publish a book: Getting the completed, edited manuscript ready for publication.
Key elements include:
- Book formatting for eBooks or print, depending upon what you want to do
- Selecting pictures, if relevant, making sure they are of sufficient quality and ensuring that you have the right to use them
- Designing an eye-catching book cover
- Securing your ISBN and barcode
Book Formatting
First, book formatting is different from manuscript formatting. When you format a manuscript, you’re ensuring that the margins, spacing, font, and so forth are in a form desired by an editor or publisher. Book formatting, meanwhile, means getting the text into a form that readers will see.
Here, we’ll focus on tips for print (rather than eBook) formatting. First, decide the trim size of your book—meaning its final dimensions. You’ll need to select one that’s available from the printer you’ll use. Next, choose a font that’s easily readable, leaning towards ones used by traditional publishers. If you’re writing a book with an older demographic for an audience, keep potential vision issues in mind.
Create wide enough margins so that there’s enough white space for readability. When doing so, consider the gutter size, which is the margin space on the parts of the pages closest to the binding. You’ll need enough space there for the bookbinding to take place and to ensure that the text isn’t too cramped in that margin. Formatting software exists for a relatively small cost, or you could hire a professional formatter.
Be sure to include a copyright page to let people know that your book isn’t in the public domain. In other words, let them know that you own the intellectual property to discourage plagiarism. At a minimum, include this information: © Date Your Name. All rights reserved.
Selecting Pictures
Whether this means photos or charts, diagrams, or other visual elements, having them interspersed in your book can make it more attractive and appealing. However, you’ll need to consider a few things.
First, choose between colour or black & white. Visual elements in colour can be especially eye-catching but come with a greater printing cost. When doing so, consider the DPI. For the pictures to look attractive in a book, you’ll need ones with a certain number of dots per inch (DPIs). At a minimum, go with 300dpi. Also, make sure you have appropriate permissions. Typically, the person who takes a photo owns the copyright, and that’s the only person who can give you permission to use a picture in your book. In other words, just because someone has a physical copy or scan of a photo, this does not mean they can give you permission to publish it.
Designing a Book Cover
Despite the saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, people often do. So, you’ll want to have an engaging one that attracts readers. Decisions you’ll need to make include these:
Title and, if applicable, the subtitle: If you want to use a catchy title that inspires curiosity, you could use a subtitle that provides more information about the genre and what a reader might expect when buying your book—giving them a sneak preview.
Name or pseudonym: Will you publish under your real name? A pen name?
Font size and type: Just like with your text, you’ll need to choose font sizes and types for your cover.
Images: Will you feature a picture on the cover? A collage of images? An abstract design?
Tone: Create a cover design that dovetails with your book. What you’d choose for a family history book would be quite different from a science fiction story.
Don’t forget the back cover! This is where you can include a promotional blurb about your book, which could include snippets of a review and your author bio.
Securing Your ISBN and Barcode
When self publishing a book, you’ll typically want to get an ISBN (an International Standard Book Number) so that you can potentially sell your book to libraries and in bookstores and online retailers. If you only plan to sell your books directly, perhaps from your own website and/or through events like craft shows, then you don’t need one.
The same is true with barcodes. If you plan to try to sell your book in stores and the like, then get a barcode. You can get both of these items at Bowkers Publishing Services.
Step Three: Going Through the Publishing Process
So, returning to the original question—how do you self publish a book?—two broad pathways exist. You can literally do all of these steps yourself to self publish a book, hiring an expert when something is beyond your skills set or knowledge (or to save time). Or, you can hire a publishing partner like StoryTerrace.
Let’s first run through the process if you did everything yourself. You’d either write the book yourself or hire a ghostwriter. Then, find a qualified book editor, hiring them and paying them their fee. Format the book appropriately or hire someone else to do so. Collect photos and ensure that you have permission to use them and that they’re of appropriate quality.
Design a cover or hire someone to do that. Finally, get your ISBN and barcode.
Once all is completed, you’d then find a printer that specializes in printing books or a company that will print them on demand. With the second option, when you get orders for your book, the company would print what’s needed. Then, it’s time to market the book, asking bookstores, libraries, and the like to carry your book. You could schedule a book party, set up and promote book signings, and otherwise get your completed book out into the world.
If this sounds like it can be a lot of work to take on yourself, it can be. Some people thrive on doing everything themselves while others might wonder if this is the best way to self publish a book. For that second group, they may prefer working with a partner. If you’re wondering “How can I self publish a book with StoryTerrace?", Contact us!
When you contact us to talk about your book idea, we’ll discuss how to self publish a book with our company so that you have a good understanding of our processes. Alternatively, you can also have a look at our publishing packages here.
Once you’ve decided what package makes sense for you, we’ll match you with the best writer in our extensive network of 600+ ghostwriters. Throughout the process, you stay in full control while outsourcing the tasks to us. Our talented designers will format the book and create an eye-catching cover. And, throughout the process of self publishing a book, you can count on our Bookmaker technology to keep you fully informed.
Then, when everything is complete, we’ll deliver your hardbound, full-colour books directly to you.
Partnering With StoryTerrace to Self Publish a Book
Let StoryTerrace streamline the process for an amazing product that connects with your vision for your unique book. Ready to get started? Book a call with us!
