The Tidy Guide to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Your Novel

Self-publishing gives you complete control

Self-publishing is a business model wherein the author manages all publishing activities for their book. Writing is one job; publishing is another job. Self-publishing is an exhilarating, and sometimes exhausting, business model. If you thrive on being your own boss, then self-publishing is an option you should consider.

Benefits

Self-publishers control every aspect of the publishing process, from setting release dates to choosing book covers. Self-publishing also allows a writer to release a book that doesn't fit neatly into a particular genre or a book that a traditional publisher would have a difficult time marketing. Books published by their authors can often be released faster since the author is taking on much of the work and can engage freelance contractors who are more readily available.

Writers will see a greater percentage of revenue from books they self-publish, normally thirty to seventy percent of the retail price. The frequency of receiving revenue payments is often monthly, whereas traditional publishers may pay quarterly, semi-annually, or even annually.

And perhaps the greatest benefit of all is that when you self-publish, you retain all rights to your book. Whether those are e-book, print, audio, entertainment, or translation rights, they are available should you receive an offer from a publisher to sell at a later date.

Challenges

Self-publishing does not come without its own set of challenges, with the most notable challenge being up-front costs. Depending on your freelance team, you may have to pay for multiple editing passes, cover design, and formatting. The price ranges for every type of service vary greatly, generally based on the freelancer's level of experience and reputation. Editors often charge hundreds, sometimes over a thousand dollars, as do cover designers. Formatters typically charge fifty to two hundred dollars. If you plan to self-publish, be sure to build a budget or a plan for negotiating these services.

The time commitment involved in self-publishing is also significant. If you work a second job in addition to being a writer, you may need to spread out releases to avoid burnout. Being a publisher is a job in itself.

Because of time and cost constraints, and a lack of publishing knowledge for newer writers, a self-published title may have fewer people involved with transforming a manuscript into a book. Fewer eyes on a project potentially means more things slip through, especially during the editing phase. This is most apparent when a writer takes on nearly all tasks on his or her own. For example, if you rely only on your own skills to edit your manuscript, a plot that makes sense in your mind may not have been clearly communicated in words. Or, if you create your own cover without regard to design best practices, you may focus too much on conveying the story on the cover rather than on the right typography, colors, and standards specific to the genre in which you intend to market. If you must take on these tasks, then take extra care in ensuring you approach the tasks from the perspective of an outside professional and not of the story creator.

Since self-publishing is done by each writer, every self-published book is produced based on an individual's sense of quality. This has led to some self-published titles being released with inconsistent storylines and numerous grammatical errors and typos. These titles were especially common in the early years of Kindle, but new titles can still be found today. While fading, the perception lingers that self-published titles may be of a lower quality than traditionally published titles. This means you must ensure your book is of superior quality when it's released.

It's your name on the cover, so build a brand of excellence. With that mindset, you'll quickly build a following of passionate readers.