How long does it take to self-publish a book? You can put one on Amazon in less than an hour, because the formatting takes a few minutes and the upload system walks you through each step. That’s the easy part.
But a quickly formatted book may look amateurish and not convey the professionalism of your business. Readers notice your shortcuts.
Why self-publishing fits most authors I work with
Traditional publishers produced my first several books, starting in 1986, when self-publishing didn’t exist as an option. I’m glad I learned the process from people who knew it well.
But the traditional route is hard on a new author. Most traditional publishers won’t take on someone without a track record or a large following. Royalties can earn you as little as 8 to 12 percent of the net price, and it can take a year to go from the finished book to the printed copy.
Some mainstream publishers as well as indie publishers expect the author to help subsidize the publishing process. I heard of one mainstream publisher who asked the coauthors for $50,000 to publish their book.
You’d likely never sell enough copies to cover that kind of investment. I laughingly tell people I’ve made about 35 cents an hour in royalties. What paid off were the doors those books opened.
Self-publishing gives you control over the content, the cover, and the timeline. Print on demand took away the old risk of needing to buy a minimum number of books. Authors used to pay for hundreds or thousands of copies up front and end up with a garage full of books to sell.
Print on demand means that now a reader orders your book, and a single copy gets printed and shipped.
Choose your formats
You don’t have to pick only one format for your book. Many authors start with a paperback and add the others.
A PDF ebook is the simplest, since all you do is save your Word file as a PDF and sell it on your own website. It carries less weight than a printed book, but it’s a good way to get your book to advance readers who will give you a review. It also enables you to keep all of the income generated by the sale, instead of splitting royalties with Amazon.
Kindle gets you on Amazon’s virtual shelves fast, and free promotion days help you build buzz. Several authors who hired me as an editor ran 99-cent Kindle launches that reached bestseller status.
An audiobook works for business, self-help, and health topics. It flops for books that depend on figures, photos, or quotations. Most audiobooks sell through ACX, Amazon’s audio platform. Some authors I know are using the services of ElevenLabs.io to clone their voice, and then have the platform create the audio files from Word files.
Where self-published books give themselves away
Have you ever picked up a book and known within a few pages that the author did it all alone? Readers can’t always say why a book looks homemade, but they feel it. Most of the time, the giveaway is inside the book — in the type, the margins, and the spacing.
Some authors attempt to stretch their books with large type, wide margins, and double spacing. Others cram as much text onto each page as they can to keep the price down. Both look cheap.
Four steps before you upload
- Hire an editor. You’re too close to your own words to see what’s repeated or missing. A second set of eyes catches typos and what you skimmed past.
- Pay for what you can’t do well. If you are not skilled in book layout, hire a person with that skillset. Layout artists format books for Kindle and print. Cover designers know what makes a book look like it belongs next to the ones from big publishers. I used to think I did a pretty good job laying out my books until I compared my results with those of a designer.
- Read every contract. Some companies that call themselves publishers expect you to pay toward production costs. Know what you’re paying for and what you get back and have a publishing attorney review the contract before you sign. There can be hidden expenses; know what your total commitment will be before signing.
- Send a PDF to advance readers. They’ll catch problems you missed, and their comments give you testimonials for your back cover and your launch.
Make your decisions before you upload, and your book will look professional.
If you’re getting ready to self-publish, I can edit your book and guide you through each step to the finish. Use the contact form at patiyer.com/contact to set up a call.
Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC is a consultant, speaker, author, editor, and book coach. She has written or edited 73 of her own books and worked with dozens of authors as an editor and book coach. Book 74 is coming out in a month.
Authors work with me as a book coach to help them accomplish their goal of getting that book written. Let’s talk about how I can help you. Reach me through the contact form at patiyer.com/contact.