Publish Your Own Book
Interested in publishing your own book? Follow along with this helpful guide to find out everything you need to know about self-publishing.
You will learn why self-publishing may be beneficial, the best self-publishing tools and platforms, and the costs associated with self-publishing. When you are planning to write or have already written an amazing book, you may be excited for the next step, to send your book off into the world to be read and enjoyed. You may have considered traditional publishing where you seek out a well-recognized publishing house to approve your work. Yet, this may be unappealing for several practical and personal reasons. Imagine that you could publish your own book, maintain all the rights to your own work, receive all the profits, amongst other benefits. It is certainly possible through several self-publishing means. In this guide, you will learn what self-publishing is, the advantages of self-publishing, the best self-publishing tools, self-publishing platforms, and the costs associated with self-publishing.
What Is Self-Publishing?
Self-publishing refers to the complete process and associated actions of writing, editing, formatting, designing, printing, binding, and marketing your book. You can publish on your own, with the help of special, curated resources. In the past, if you wanted to print and sell your book to a large audience, you needed to pursue publishing through a publishing house or a publishing company. Unfortunately, self-publishing was a limited procedure and offered little return. Courtesy of the digital age, it has become easier to find a wide array of helpful tools and successful marketing methods.
What Are the Benefits of Self-Publishing?
There are many benefits to self-publishing, namely:
Creative Control
One of the major advantages to self-publishing is that you can maintain creative control over every aspect of the writing, editing, publishing, and marketing process. If you pursue publishing through traditional means, you give the majority if not all your control away to the publisher. Effectively, they can alter the complete message and meaning behind your work according to their opinion. On the other hand, when you publish on your own, you will be able to maintain the integrity of your writing.
Higher Revenue
When you publish a book through a publishing company, you only receive a certain, partial amount of the revenues. In fact, most authors only make between 5% and 25% off their books whether they are print books or eBooks. When you self-publish, you have the opportunity to make between 40% and 70% depending on your provider platform.
Flexible Timeline
As a writer, you may know that there are certain periods of time where you cannot write as easily or as well as other times. When you have entered a contract with a publishing house, you need to finish writing chapters or complete books by certain deadlines. When you self-publish a book, you set your own timeline and your own deadlines. Moreover, since you are in control of your own editing and publishing process, you may speed up the overall procedure by running on your own schedule.
Fan Base
One of the major draws of traditional publishing is the fact that they can create a name for you and draw in a fanbase for your future work. However, with the assistance of social media, self-publishing can be equally, if not more, effective. There are various popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, allowing you to cultivate a significant number of followers and fans in a short amount of time.
Best Self-Publishing Tools
If you are interested in publishing your own book, it may be overwhelming to seek out the best self-publishing tools. The following list details the top-rated self-publishing tools currently available:
Scrivener
Scrivener is an app that is much like Word yet includes many advantageous tools for writers that Word does not contain. For instance, it has a book outlining tool, visual storyboard creator, and a management system for notes, ideas, and research.
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a popular program allowing you to format and illustrate your book. It is especially excellent for online publishing because you can format your book to fit any necessary requirements.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is the leading program for any writer, self-published or traditional. It allows you to write easily, as it includes basic, yet necessary, tools. Google Docs is a free version of Microsoft Word, allowing for automatic saving, and collaborative editing.
Vellum
Like Adobe InDesign, Vellum can help you with formatting and design. However, it may be limited to Apple users.
Top Self-Publishing Platforms
Unless you are providing your self-published work from your own self-publishing website, you may wish to publish on any of these popular platforms:
Amazon KDP
Amazon KDP is one of the most popular platforms to distribute your book. You can receive 70% on eBooks priced between $3 and $9.99. In this way, it may be one of the highest royalty rates online for self-publishing authors. Another appealing feature is that you can upload your book onto the platform for free. In exchange for these benefits, you can only sell your eBook through Amazon KDP and you cannot launch it through other distribution methods.
Apple Books
Apple Books is another leader in the self-publishing domain for eBooks. Like Amazon KDP, you can receive up to 70% on most of the books you can sell. It is only free to upload your book if you utilize iBooks Author.
Barnes & Noble Press
Barnes & Noble Press is an excellent platform to upload any eBook. You can earn up to 70% off most books, or you can upload books that are free. You can also use Barnes & Noble Press while distributing your book elsewhere.
Self-Publishing Costs
On average, you can expect to pay $50 to $400 for appropriate software programs. For the writing process, you can use Google Docs which is free with a Google account. If you use Word or Scrivener, you will pay around $50 for their programs. When you perform illustrating, designing, or formatting, you can use Adobe InDesign which costs $20 per month or Vellum which is a flat rate of $200 for eBooks or $250 for both eBooks and print books.
It is always a good idea to hire an editor, proofreader, or a second reader. You can expect to pay at least $1000 for professional editing or proofreading services. However, you can also enlist the help of freelancers who may charge lower rates. If you decide to hire a designer or editor, you can add on up to $500 to your total costs.
Overall, your total costs for self-publishing may cost around $1700 at minimum. Depending on the success of your book, you may be able to make this cost back relatively quickly and profit. However, your success will depend greatly upon marketing. Fortunately, you can market your book easily and for free on many social media platforms
