You’ve probably heard of self-publishing, but do you really know the ins and outs of the process?
At Alexander’s we help lots of authors self-publish their books.
The first question they typically ask is, “What are the pros and cons of self-publishing?”
Traditional Book Publishing
In the traditional publishing process, a publishing company reads manuscripts and then decides if they want to publish the book. Publishing companies incur all costs to edit, format the text, design the cover, and market the books, meaning they have artistic license to do whatever they want with the design and content of the book. The author is given a contract and paid a royalty on the books that are sold.
Seems like an easy process, right? Well, unless you’re a well-known, established author, most publishers won’t accept your manuscript. If they do, they’re likely to print and distribute a minimal amount of your book, leaving you a rather small royalty.
Self-Publishing
This is where self-publishing can come in handy. With the rise of short-run and print-on-demand printing, authors can self-publish books affordably and successfully.
The self-publishing process is different than traditional publishing because the author controls the content, cover design, editing, etc. Authors will hire someone to help them design and format the book, or they complete those steps themselves. Additionally, anyone looking to self-publish a book will need to procure an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Once the book is ready to print, authors can work with any printer that fits their needs and budget. We often warn a first-time, self-published author not to print too many copies of their book just to attain a lower cost. Unless the author is sure of their market, or has already accepted orders prior to printing, printing a modest amount of books and tracking sales before increasing the amount of books printed often renders better results. We hate to hear of authors with boxes of unsold books in their basements. Remember, it’s always possible to print more. After printing occurs, the author will either hire a distributor or complete the distribution process on their own, contacting companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble to help them distribute their book.
Twenty years ago, self-publishing was a difficult and costly process, but today anyone who would like to can publish their work without breaking the bank. If you’re interested in book printing, please let us know. We’d love to help.
