5 Things to Know Before You Self-Publish

5 Things to Know Before You Self-Publish

According to a popular saying, if you want to have one good idea, you got to have several ideas. Yet, even if you do manage to think up a good idea, you could fail in implementing it because of poor management and planning. The same thing is a truism when you talk about self-publishing a book.

When you talk about self-publishing your own book, the ladder to success is paved with a number of obstacles, a lot of hard work and insomnia. You have to understand that writing a book, marketing it and selling it for a decent amount has little room for daydreaming. Mentioned below are five things you should take into account before you attempt to self-publish your novel or book:

1. Remember Your Book Will Be More than Just a Printed Story

When you post a blog or post content for your personal website, you don’t have to worry about creating a cover for your posts, any formatting or copyright issues. However, if you consider self-publishing, you have to consider all the aforementioned aspects. A book is something which requires a lot of things, for example, an ISBN, back cover, a nice formatted front cover, an author’s bio and a disclaimer. So, if you can’t afford to or don’t possess the necessary skills to fulfill all these requirements, you’d have to hire a self-publishing company that can take care of all of this.

2. Consider Different Formats for a Larger Audience

Electronic publications are preferred by many online readers. However, if you wish to reach out to a much bigger audience, it would be wise to consider providing readers with a minimum of two separate platforms. One can be an e-book platform and the other can be a PDF format. These are both essential platforms.

3. Think About How You Would Get Used to the Idea of Having a Double Life

Self-publishing a book means you would be sharing your book with everybody in the world which in turn means you would have to become a public figure. It is important you don’t take this situation lightly. This also means you will have to take both praise and criticism like a professional and listen to opinions of others if you wish to take your work in the right direction. So, it goes without saying you’d be leading a parallel life, so prepare for it.

4. Consider Your Competitors

Do reviews matter, you might ask? Of course they do. This is primarily due to the reason there are thousands of books being published every month, more than libraries can handle. As it is an impossible feat to read each book, they tend to rely on the opinions of professional reviewers, you don’t have to like this but it is an important aspect when you consider the marketability of self-publishing your book.

5. Take to the Bookstores with Your Book

It is imperative you understand the fact that most bookstores do not consider keeping POD (print of demand) books. Not unless those POD books are a massive hit. But why is this so? Well, it is because of the fact POD books cannot be deemed returnable. Traditional books are given a 90-day return policy. So, make sure to do everything you can to promote your book online.

All in all, these are some of the more important things you should consider before you opt for self-publishing your book.

  • Posted by A Guest
  • October 6, 2014 8:35 AM PDT
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