The Work That Goes Into Self-Publishing

The world of self-publishing is very D.I.Y. You're your own boss, and everything is up to you. It may sound scary, but if you do your homework you can make it work.

Cover design

 There are a few different options to choose from when you approach the cover design for your self-published book. One option is to use a premade cover. A lot of self-publishing companies offer premade covers that you can use for your book. Most companies also offer artist services to design a cover for you, though this can get costly. If you or someone you know is skilled in photography and Photoshop, then you can design a cover completely on your own. You can also purchase stock images and create a custom cover for your book. The latter two options are the best in my opinion as you will have a cover unique to your book for a much cheaper price.

Editing

When you self-publish your book, you have the option to hire an editor to read through your manuscript and edit it for you. I myself have never done this, though it is an option. I do a lot of editing myself and have family and friends read through my book, looking for mistakes and then I'll go through the book and fix them myself.

Printing

Once your book is ready to go, you'll upload the Word file and the cover file to your publisher's server. You'll fill out all of the required information and then they'll list it on their store (if they have one) and you can order copies to distribute yourself. They'll ship the copies to your home and then you can do what you want with them. Any money you make from these books is yours.

All in all, there is a quite a bit of work that goes into self-publishing a book, but if this is your dream, then it's worth it.

Come back tomorrow to read my tips on selling and marketing a self-published book!

-Miranda Atchley