What You Need To Know About Self-publishing A Book

By Author: Jack Simmons
Total Articles: 38
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Writers born in the age of the Internet are indeed a lucky bunch. If they can't get their work published by a publishing company, they have the option to self-publish. Instead of waiting for their work to be accepted by publishers, they can take their fate in their hands and do the publishing themselves. Now, there are pros and cons of self-publishing your own work, be it a print book or an e-book. Take heed of the following facts before you work on self-publishing your work.
The actual publishing itself is a walk in the park.
We are talking about printing and putting the pages together to form the actual book. Self -publishing means having total control over the creation of your book, so you have a say in everything-from the type of paper to the cover design. You simply convert your manuscript from Word file to PDF and submit it to the printer of your choice. You can change covers even after the first batch of books have been printed. You simply submit another cover and it will appear in stores (actual or online) after two weeks or more. If you are using a self-publishing service like CreateSpace or Lulu, you may ...
... have to pay a free for cover changes.
Go digital on your first run.
If you are a newbie author, you may want to test the waters first by producing an eBook first. This is perfect for writers who have an all-text manuscript, with no illustrations or graphics. eBooks are very easy to produce and costs less than print, so it will be easier to sell. You can try producing and selling both digital and print copies on your first run, but if you want to get your feet wet first, try the eBook format first.
Self-publishing produces more competition.
This is a no-brainer, actually. Since writers can just publish their work anytime they want to, the market is now flooded with self-published books and it can be difficult to make your work get noticed. This can be a prejudice against you as well. There are people who think self-published books are inferior to those released by major publishing companies. Fortunately, a lot of self-published works are proving to be decent, which should be good for the business.
Set realistic expectations.
Self-publishing may be taking off, but you can't deny that being backed up by a publishing house definitely has its perks. For instance, mainstream books get more marketing and advertising and they are sure to reach the shelves of bookstores. Self-published books, on the other hand, have 50-50 chance of landing on store shelves since bookstores prioritize to stock mainstream books over indie ones. Therefore, even if you know your work is superb, don't expect it to sell as well as mainstream books.
Self-publishing is indeed a gamble for the indie writer, which may or may not pay off in the long run. However, it is better to try it out than letting your potential bestseller gather dust in the closet (or in your computer drive).

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