There’s generally
a great deal of excitement about becoming a writer. We have visions of what it
will be like, what we and our life will
be like, once we’re published. The dream carries us on waves of energy and enthusiasm.
But there’s also the reality that most new writers—those who’ve never
approached writing a book before, need to know; and most new writers don’t know
what they don’t know, which is why assistance and guidance are beneficial.
One thing
new writers are typically not aware of are the costs involved in the process of
creating a manuscript in final form and moving it forward into publishing,
especially if the author intends to self-publish. What follows gives you a
general idea of costs involved, whether you intend to self-publish or aim for a
traditional publisher; but the focus here, after a certain point, is for
authors who wish to self-publish. Note: All costs involved are tax
deductible—as long as you publish! Keep your receipts.
Getting a
first draft (and subsequent revisions) done costs you time. There’s no way
around that. But when you’re passionate about your project, you find or create
the time and go the distance, however long that takes.
Now you
have a first draft. Is it ready to send to a literary agent to represent you,
or to a publisher who accepts submissions, or to self-publish? Only if you have
the needed expertise, is it ready.
If you
wonder about the quality of the composition (is it truly a good read?), you can
use a critique (editorial evaluation) service to let you know where your
manuscript works well and where and how it might be improved.
If you
are confident in your creative and technical writing skills (and I mean
seriously confident about your competence), you need at least a proofreader
with experience to go through your manuscript.
If you
know your manuscript needs editing, you need to hire an editor. You may even
need a developmental editor who can assist you not only with the technical
matters, but also with the creative ones.
An editor—and
especially a developmental editor, will more than likely indicate that your
manuscript needs some revision (even best-selling authors go through multiple
revisions). You might make the revisions then decide that all is well and
proceed toward publishing without letting the editor or a proofreader go
through it again. Anytime you make revisions, it’s very easy to miss simple
things, which is why another pair of eyes is worth the cost (after each revision), which is really an
investment in you and your manuscript. I’m currently doing a book review for a
self-published author who did a brilliant
job with the story, but missed simple things like using then when he should have used than, and did this more than once (two
words that often get confused in their use). It doesn’t detract from the overall
quality of the work he did, but I can’t help wonder why he didn’t hire a
proofreader to go over it one last time before committing it to print. Another
book I reviewed left notes from the editor in, in a couple of sections.
Editing
and or proofreading needs to be done
before you submit your manuscript to a literary agent or a publisher that
accepts submissions directly from authors, and absolutely before you
self-publish. Bloopers happen to the best authors (and editors and
proofreaders—we’re all human). I find typos or “oopsies” in nearly every
traditionally published book I read. It happens. Please do what needs to be
done to have as few “oopsies” in your book as possible.
Now we
focus on those who intend to self-publish. Once you have your manuscript into
final form, you need to have it formatted and you need an ISBN (the number above
the barcode on the back of the book and on the copyright page). The first thing
you have to do is decide who is going to do the publishing. If you’re going to
use an online print-on-demand (POD) service, you need to decide on the book
size and get those specifications, and you need to see what they offer
regarding ISBNs. Some services have marketing packages that are either free or
for a fee that also allow you to acquire your ISBN through them. Research what
they offer so you can make your choice. There are POD services that allow you
to publish for free and some that charge.
Then you
need to find a professional formatting service or individual who knows what
s/he is doing. There are POD services that either offer these services or have
guidebooks to take you through it to do it yourself. This becomes a toss-up
between paying for this service (which can be minimal if it’s just text, or
more if you include images, charts, etc.) or, perhaps, getting a headache
figuring it out yourself. If you’re going to also offer your book on Kindle and
other electronic devices, you need a separate ISBN (it’s considered a separate
publishing from the print version), as well as specific formatting to meet
requirements.
Then you
need a book cover (even for electronic versions). POD services have improved
their offerings of gallery covers and allow you to make changes to fonts, and upload
photos and descriptions for the back cover so that you create your own cover at
no charge. Find out the specifics for photos regarding sizing and DPI quality
(sharpness). Many POD services offer book cover creation as a paid service, or
you can find an individual who does this professionally, unless you have
expertise in this (which includes knowing how to create the spine and embed the
ISBN and barcode).
You also
want to research online services that let you upload your manuscript and book
cover files so that you can print your book in bulk quantities for a reduced
price (and with good quality), in the
event you do book signings, etc.
If you’re
going to offer an electronic version of your book, you’ll need to get it onto
those services. You can either find out what’s required and do this yourself
(or pay someone to do this for you), or see if your POD site offers this as a
paid service, possibly as part of the electronic version formatting package.
Then
there’s marketing your book. There are numerous free and paid ways to do this,
and a combination is usually involved. It all depends on how committed to
marketing your book you are.
The old
adage that says to sharpen the ax before you go to the tree applies here. It’s
best if you consider everything you need and need to do and create a Next-Steps
list to keep track of these, along with any potential or actual costs that will
or may be involved, as well as what can be done at no cost—and if you’re
willing or able to do these yourself. Do this ahead of time, while you’re still
getting your manuscript into final form, so you know how to plan and which
steps to take when (or hire someone to help you with this). Be flexible. Something always comes up,
but you learn and gain experience. Make notes for the next time you publish.
Yes,
there is a lot involved to become a self-published (or traditionally published)
author, but there really is nothing like seeing your efforts in a paperback or
hardback copy you hold in your hands. Your dream becomes your reality, and it’s
a feeling of accomplishment you don’t soon forget.
What Kind of Editing Will You
Need?
Eventually,
every manuscript needs an editor’s eyes. Learn more about which services will
assist you and your manuscript best at
Are you a
self-published author who needs your book reviewed and reviews published?
Self-Published
Authors Book Review Service
I wish
you the best with your writing and process.
Joyce
Shafer
Services
for Writers
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