A Quick-Start Guide to Self-Publishing Your Book
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So, you’ve decided to self-publish your book. Congratulations!
The decision to self-publish shouldn’t be made lightly. If you haven’t yet researched the pros and cons of publishing your book independently, I encourage you to read through the article linked here. If, however, you’ve done your due diligence and you’re ready to begin your self-publishing journey, today’s article will serve as an overview of the self-publishing process.
Firstly, know that there is no “right” way to publish your book independently. To self-publish simply means to publish without the support of an established publishing house. The intent behind a writer’s decision to self-publish can vary wildly, from the desire to have a few printed copies to share with family and friends to the pursuit of a career as an independent author.
Understanding what you’d like to accomplish by self-publishing your book is key to creating a self-publishing plan best suited to you and your stories. If you haven’t yet established your definition of writing success, now’s the time to do so. If you’re planning to publish for profit, now is also the time to explore the most common author business models.
Authors who choose to self-publish must contend with the stigma that their books are of inferior quality to those published by traditional publishers. This stigma doesn’t have to hold true. Successful indie authors understand the importance of building their own publishing teams, working with editors & proofreaders, cover designers, and formatters to create high-quality books.
Though the stigma surrounding self-publishing is slowly abating, authors who self-publish with the intent to build a career in writing often call themselves “indie authors” or refer to their books as being “independently published.” These terms indicate a level of professional commitment to their craft despite their decision to forgo the traditional publishing industry.
All this said, there’s nothing wrong with self-publishing a book on the cheap if you aren’t looking to make a living from your writing. If you are, you click here to learn more about the cost of self-publishing to a professional caliber.
How do authors self-publish their books?
Rather than drawing upon the resources of a publishing house, indie authors work directly with online distributors to get their books into readers’ hands. Doing so is as simple as uploading your book cover and finalized manuscript to your distributor of choice, creating the book’s print and e-book listings, and pressing “publish.”
No need to stock and ship physical copies of your book yourself. Distributors like Amazon KDP, Nook Press, and Ingram Spark offer print-on-demand services through which they print and ship books directly to readers upon purchase. Popular e-book-only distributors include Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo Writing Life. In addition to listing your book in their online marketplaces, many distributors allow you to make your book available to schools, libraries, and bookstores worldwide.
Distributors either charge a fee or offer a royalty rate per sale, though some charge a one-time listing fee up-front. Despite these rates and fees, self-published authors still make a far higher royalty rate per sale compared to authors in the traditional publishing industry. You can click here to learn more about how trade authors earn their livings.
Should you go wide or stay exclusive?
Some distributors, mainly Amazon KDP, offer monetary benefits to authors who choose to list their books exclusively on their platform. For example, enrolling your book in Amazon’s KDP Select makes your book eligible for 70% royalty earnings on sales to customers in Brazil, Japan, India, and Mexico; allows you to earn additional per-page-read income from Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library customers; and grants you access to exclusive promotional tools.
Given that Amazon drives the bulk of self-published authors’ income, staying exclusive is an attractive option for many writers. However, authors who stay exclusive place all their eggs in one basket. This can be dangerous considering that Amazon retains the right to change its fee structure and exclusive benefits at any time.
Diversifying income streams by going wide (i.e. listing through multiple online distributors) is a smart choice for many writers, as it allows them to cater to a wider pool of readers and create more long-term stability when fees and services fluctuate.
Learn More: Exclusivity vs Publishing Wide for Ebooks, Print, and Audio with Joanna Penn
Should you use an aggregator to distribute your books?
Listing your books online can take time, as can updating your listings. If you plan to go wide and find yourself pressed for time or patience, you may wish to use an aggregator to list your books through multiple distributors at once. Bear in mind, however, that aggregators charge a higher fee for their services compared to distributors.
The most common aggregators are Draft2Digital and Smashwords. Here’s an overview of each:
Draft2Digital: Distribute your print, e-book, and audiobook to Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Tolino, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Scribd, Hoopla, and more. No upfront charge. 10% fee on sales.
Smashwords: Distribute your e-book through the Smashwords marketplace and premium catalog, which includes Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Kobo, Overdrive, and more. No upfront charge. 10% fee on sales.
(Note: Smashwords only distributes to Amazon if you’ve made more than $2,000 in sales.)
When I published Build Your Best Writing Life, I chose to upload my book directly to Amazon KDP, NookPress, Kobo, Google Play, and Ingram Spark. I then used both Draft2Digital and Smashwords to maximize my book’s availability worldwide, though this certainly isn’t necessary.
Which formats should you publish?
Because it’s more difficult to get books into physical bookstores when self-publishing, most indie authors earn the bulk of their income from e-book sales. For this reason, some indie authors choose not to publish their books in print, as print cover design and interior formatting typically cost several hundred dollars in total.
Publishing your book in e-book format alone is a valid approach if you’d like to keep your production expenses as low as possible. However, with every new format you offer, your work will appeal to a wider array of readers. Each format you create will therefore act as an additional income stream, helping you increase sales and earn more revenue.
If you have the budget and an interested readership, I recommend offering your book in as many formats as possible, including print, large-print, and audiobook editions. As your career and readership grow, you might also wish to offer your books in hard-back and foreign-language editions. Ultimately, however, it’s important to consider your personal definition of writing success when deciding which formats you’ll offer, as each format requires time and money to produce.
All in all, self-publishing is a highly personal process. There are endless ways to go about self-publishing your fiction and building your career as an independent author. In the end, what matters most is that you understand the options available to you and pursue the self-publishing path that’s best for you and your stories.
