Wondering How to Get Your Book Into the World?
Transform Your Manuscript into a Finished Book
If you love books, you may have dreamed of publishing one yourself. An often-cited survey from the Jenkins Group says that 80% of people want to write a book. But after reading about what it takes to get published, many people become discouraged.
What's the "Right" Way to Get Published?
You have three primary options for publishing a book:
- Traditional Publishing: You get an agent, write a book proposal, and get signed by a traditional publishing house.
- Subsidy Publishing: You write the book and use a "pay-to-publish" subsidy press like iUniverse, AuthorHouse or Lulu to produce it.
- Self-Publishing: You purchase a block of ISBN numbers, write the book, set up your own micropublishing company, hire freelancers (or produce the book yourself), line up a printer, and self-publish the book. (The steps we use are explained below.)
Each of these publishing options has pros and cons. You can read about them on this page. The "right" way to publish depends on your goals for your book.
After being traditionally published and researching self-publishing, we developed our Publishize System. Now 10 books later, we feel this approach offers the best publishing "bang for your buck." We avoid any "subsidy press stigma" and make way more money self-publishing than we ever did when we wrote books for the "big guys."
It's NOT really that complicated. We have a line of books we are proud to call our own. Self-published doesn't have to mean "low-quality."
Follow These Steps to Self Publish Your Book
Thanks to advances in desktop publishing software and printing technologies, the publishing industry has experienced an incredible transformation over the past decade. Our Publishize System takes advantage of these advances so you make more money, while still releasing a quality book.
Finish Your Manuscript
This step should be obvious, but many people fret way too much about the "publishing" part of the process before they have actually finished the book. Research your market carefully, so you know who will read the book. Then write a GOOD book.
Stay motivated by signing up for our free Publish a Book FAQ, which answers the questions we get most often about book publishing.
To ease your mind while you're writing, you also can learn more about self-publishing with our free Publishize Newsletter. You'll receive inspiration and advice that will help you become a successful author and self-publisher. Check out the newsletter archive to see the topics we have covered so far.
For the big publishing picture, you may also be interested in our award-winning book Publishize: How to Quickly and Affordably Self-Publish a Book That Promotes Your Expertise.
Get the Book Edited
Every book needs an editor. (Our books do too!) Do not try and skip or skimp on this step. First get people you trust to read the book. The more critical they are the better. Consider sending sections out to experts in your field. Than hire a professional editor to edit your manuscript. We offer Non-Fiction Manuscript Critique services and can offer referrals to great copyeditors we use.
Buy ISBNs
Any book that is distributed in the book trade must have an ISBN. Go to R.R. Bowker, Inc. at isbn.org and purchase your own block of ISBNs. This company is the official source for ISBNs in the United States, so spend the money and get your ISBNs there. Don't believe "self-publishing" companies that "give" you an ISBN. Buy your own. To be listed on online book sites such as Amazon.com, you must have an ISBN. If you do not buy the ISBN, you are not the publisher of record, and you are not truly self-publishing.
Avoid all the add-ons or upsells from Bowker. It's best to buy at least a block of 10. If you need more detailed advice, our Self-Publishing Business Toolkit gives you everything you need to know to add publishing to your business. The toolkit includes:
- Book Registration: We help you figure out which numbers you need for your book (ISBN, LCCN, LOC) and explain how you get them.
- Book Printing: We can teach you the ropes in working with Lightning Source, the premier POD printer. (That's step 4 below.)
Get Set Up with Lightning Source
When you set yourself up as a publisher with Lightning Source (LSI), you gain access to LSI's massive distribution network. LSI is owned by Ingram and getting into the Ingram database via LSI makes your book available to leading distributors such as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and many others. Your book is printed only when it is ordered, so you don't have to carry a large inventory.
If you need help with this part of the process, again our Self-Publishing Business Toolkit gives you information and advice. Or you can take advantage of a Book Brainstorm Consultation call with us. This hour-long strategy session can help you get your questions answered and map out "what's next."
Write Your Cover Copy
After the title of your book, the marketing copy that appears on the back cover is probably the most important text you can write. On the back cover you describe whom the book is for, and why this book will solve their problems. The back cover is an important marketing tool, so you want to choose every word wisely. If you need help with your copy, contact us for a quote on our marketing writing services.
Do Book Interior and Cover Layout
The least expensive way to lay out a book is obviously to do it yourself. However, not everyone has the time or technical expertise to do that. In that case, you may want to take advantage of our book packaging services.
We can help you with: Interior layout, Indexing, and Book cover design
We use Adobe InDesign for all our book layout, which typographically speaking is the best tool for the job. We create a layout that reflects the look you want for your book, yet also conforms to standard publishing-industry conventions.
If you decide you don't have the time or inclination do to the book yourself, you may want to consider our Publishing Agency program. With this premium service, you outsource your book writing and publishing to us entirely. You end up with a printed book based on your content without all the "heavy lifting."
"Susan and Logical Expressions helped me create a journal that was
even better than what I had envisioned. With her professionalism,
knowledge, and key understanding of my audience I felt confident and
assured through every step of the process. I recommend Logical
Expressions to anyone who wants have an enjoyable and successful
experience in creating and publishing their book."
~ Valery
Satterwhite, InnerWizards.com (read more testimonials)
Get a FREE Consultation Now!
Submit our Self-Publishing Business Questionnaire with no obligation, we'll talk with you personally about your self-publishing plans and needs.
Publishing Services for Self Publishers
Because we have gone through the publishing process ourselves, we have learned many of the pitfalls and problems associated with bringing a book into fruition. Now we are helping other people. Whether you just need a little help getting four-color covers done or you need a full "book packaging" service, we can help. Here are two keys to remember:
- You own all your rights
- You are the publisher of record because you are publishing under your own ISBN
In the publishing world, what we offer is sometimes termed "book production" or "book coaching" services.
We are not publishing your book for you; we are offering services that help you self-publish your own books. There's a big difference.
Print On Demand Without the Subsidy Press Stigma
Despite what the subsidy press folks would have you believe, print on demand is just a printing technology. A book is printed when it is ordered. In fact, "green publishing" is now possible. With POD, books are printed only when they are sold.
In the traditional publishing model, thousands of books are printed in each run, and many of them are returned as "remainders" that are destroyed or sold to warehouse stores at pennies on the dollar. What a waste!
In fact, thanks to today's technology:
- Getting started as a publisher is affordable like never before. If you are willing to do absolutely everything yourself, you can publish your first book for less than $500, and your second for less than $200!
- POD printers have direct hooks into electronic distribution systems, so your books are available for sale as soon as you approve the proof!
- You can make corrections to your book without making thousands of pre-printed books obsolete. You just provide new content to your printer and all new buyers get the new book.
- Major online booksellers like Barnes and Noble offer your books to a worldwide audience. They can order directly from your printer, so you make money on every sale, without having to handle a single book!
- You retain control over how, when, and where your book is published, which gives you incredible flexibility. If you get a big order, you can decide to print through an offset printer to save money. You aren't tied up in legal contracts that limit your ability to reproduce your own work.
As publishers ourselves, we have used print on demand printing to produce our books. The quality is good. In fact, many huge mainstream publishers use POD to publish many of their "backlist" titles. You probably have POD books on your bookshelf and didn't even realize it.
Get a Free 15-Minute Consultation on Your Book Project by Filling Out Our Self-Publishing Business Questionnaire
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