Finally, you have finished it. The manuscript of the book is complete and is ready to get published. But how do you do it? If you are a new author, getting your book published can be as tedious as writing the manuscript, especially if you choose a traditional publisher. That’s where self-publishing comes into play. What is self-publishing? What are the advantages of self-publishing over traditional publishing? Let’s dive in.
Self-publishing, as the name suggests, is the process of getting your work published without the help of a traditional publisher. The usual steps involved in publishing a book, like editing, formatting, cover design and marketing are done with the author’s resources.
Self-publishing offers freedom and creative control over your work. This is possible because the author himself/herself takes care of each of the following 5 steps of publishing.
Start writing by making an outline of that brilliant idea you have. Then elaborate by adding characters and subplots. If you are an author who wants to write what the audience wants, research thoroughly the current trends and the contents of recent bestsellers. Your book should be marketable, whatever the genre be. Surf through online forums and social media platforms, to know a general opinion and wants of the readers of the particular genre you write in. Completing your manuscript takes time, patience, hard work and a couple of revisions.
Getting feedback is also important to mould your manuscript into the desired shape. Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback from a person who is honest and thorough in the genre you write.
Self-editing your book can be a little tricky because you wrote the entire work believing that it is right. Taking a break from your book for a couple of days and then editing it will help you to have a fresh perspective.
Investing in a professional editor after you are done with self-editing is never a waste of your money. If your resources allow it, it is always desirable to go through the proper process of editing, i.e., developmental editing (where overall pace of the narrative, plot-holes, character development etc. are analyzed), copy-editing (line-by-line editing which saves you from discrepancies of facts, like a character having blue eyes in the first chapter later appearing to be green-eyed) and proofreading (punctuation, grammar, syntax, etc. are taken care of).
Formatting is about the way the contents of your work look. It includes style elements like font and technical aspects like line spacing and font size. The way you format your book depends on many factors like the genre in which you write, your intended publishing format, etc. A thriller novel needs to be formatted differently from a children’s book with illustrations or pictures. Whether you want to publish your book as a paperback, hardcover or eBook, each platform has its own requirements for formatting.
An author can never underestimate the importance of a good cover design. Readers do judge a book by its cover. Cover designs make the book stand out from the crowd. A cover is what tells the reader what to expect from the book.
If you are confident enough to design your own cover, go for it. Being the cover designer of your own book could be time-consuming, but it will save you a lot of money. If you are not, you should definitely make use of a professional designer’s help. There is no need to go for expensive, fancy covers. It is the subtlety and thematic significance of the objects in the cover that makes it attention-worthy. Whether you design the cover yourself, or hire a designer, you should have a rough idea of what you want the cover to be. Think like a marketer to figure out what makes a reader pick your book, whether in an online store or a physical one. Keep in mind that you should also pay attention to the designs on back cover and spine.
Now that your book is almost ready to hit the stores you need to decide which publishing platform you need to go with. You can hire the services of a self-publishing company in assisting you with the process. India’s self-publishing industry is growing at a fast pace and there are many self-publishing companies in the industry. But it is important to choose the right one since you are hiring them with your hard-earned money.
Clever Fox Publishing is a leading self-publishing platform in India who helps the authors from across India to materialise their dream.
One of the most promising advantages of self-publishing over traditional publishing is retaining your freedom. From writing the manuscript to marketing, your discretion is final. But this can also be scary for some authors, especially beginners, because more freedom means more responsibilities. This is where Clever Fox’s Guided Publishing Packages have relevance.
Clever Fox offers several publishing packages from which you can choose one according to your book type, goals and budget. You can also customize the packages the way you want it to be. This enables you to avail all the professional services you need once you complete your manuscript from a single package, while retaining your freedom.