How to Publish a Book: 5 Things Writers Need to Know | DiggyPOD Blog
Publishing a book used to be a long, arduous process, and it could take years for writers to figure out how to publish a book. Self-publishing, however, is much simpler. Self-publishing has a long history, too; it’s nothing new. It dates all the way back to 1931. Self-published authors, since then, have chosen this route for many different reasons, from the ease of it to the freedom it allows writers.
How to Publish a Book Yourself: Self- Publish!
Self-publishing is an entirely independent project to take on. It can result in a beautiful, bookstore-quality book of your own, one you can sell or simply keep for yourself. It can make every writer’s dream come true. It isn’t a walk in the park, however. Though self-publishing can be quicker and easier than traditional publishing, there are still things writers need to know before beginning the process.
You will be able to write exactly what you want.
Unlike traditional publishing, in self-publishing, no one will ever tell you what to write. That falls entirely upon your shoulders, as the writer. There won’t be an in house editor to change chunks of your novel. Your publication won’t rest at all upon changes that the house sees fit to make. This is a big draw of self-publishing.
It’s smart to invest in an editor.
Hiring a freelance editor is a good decision when self-publishing. Unless you choose a vanity publisher (which we don’t recommend), there won’t be an in-house editor assigned to you. Therefore, hiring a freelance editor to look over your manuscript is the best decision you can make for your book.
Now, of course, you may be asking yourself, how much does it cost to publish a book? Why would I take on additional fees? It’s true that when you self-publish, you must pay for it, but there are tons of cost-efficient companies out there. That’s why we recommend choosing a POD publisher, because you can control exactly how many books you print, and therefore how much you pay for them. Hiring a freelance editor will, yes, come at an additional fee, but it will ensure that your book is error-free! You wouldn’t want to go through all the hard work of publishing the book (and paying for it) only to find it riddled with typos. We think hiring an editor, therefore, is pretty priceless.
It takes hard work.
Sure, the actual process of printing once you’ve written is, well, easy. But all that leads up to it is definitely hard work for the writer. You will wear many hats when self-publishing: writer, editor, designer, publisher, marketer, etc. This means you must remain vigilant and dedicated throughout the entire process – you can’t simply “check out” once the book is sent to the POD publisher. Don’t let this fact intimidate you: this means you control the quality of the book. Your book, whether it’s the first one you’ve written or the fifth, is precious to you, and therefore who better to entrust its success to?
Designing your self-published book is crucial.
People definitely judge a book by its cover, and they especially judge self-published books by their cover. This being so, it’s pertinent to spend time on the cover. It’s the first thing people will see, so it must grab their attention. Don’t allow this to overwhelm you, though. You can always hire a freelance designer to assist you with this. We recognize that not all writer have experience with design. There are very talented and cost-efficient freelance designers out there.
Of course, if you’re focused on how to publish a book online, the cover should still be important to you. Digital or print, it must be beautiful, eye-grabbing, and intriguing.
The journey isn’t over once you publish.
This fact should be comforting, not intimidating. After you’ve published your book, you should continue to work with it, by marketing it and selling it. And, of course, you should always be thinking of the next book to publish, whether it’s a sequel or a new story altogether. There are no limits with self-publishing, only the limits you impose on yourself.