Self Publishing Cost Effective and
Easy.
A few tips on getting into print
I have made all the mistakes of a first time writer and
wanting to publish. I got caught by self
publishing firms that promise the earth and don’t deliver. I have experimented on the internet until I
have now honed this process. If you are
content to electronically self publish this is my overview of how to set about
it.
If you want to have a few hard copies at your disposal, this
is also possible with this method.
The First part is your creative skill
·
Make your document.
·
You may want to embellish with clip art or
photographs, this enhances the document.
You can use your own or photos on line. Beware of copyright- on
photographs it can be an expensive mistake.
·
You may want to number the pages- this is
required if a long novel.
·
On your last page include a photo of yourself
and a profile. People want to know your qualifications and who you are.
Part Two
·
The most important thing is the title and the
font which is explained
·
This is an example of one of my book title pages
as recommended by Smashwords.
The
Plucky Police Car
By Zoe Ainsworth-Grigg
Published by Zoe Ainsworth-Grigg
Copyright 2013 Zoe Ainsworth-Grigg
Discover other titles by Zoe Ainsworth-Grigg at
© All Rights Reserved. No part of this book
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means
without the written permission of the author
When you have done this
You will also have to produce a cover with an image that is
acceptable TO SMASHWORDS.
To create a book cover or if you have a high resolution
photograph of the correct size you can add text at
www.addtext.com
Step Three
·
Go to Amazon and log on to their front page.
·
Right at the bottom of the page is a heading “make
money with us” and under that “INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISH WITH US”.
·
Go through the details of publishing and then it
is best to upload your coverto Smashwords specification.
·
Continue and publish on Kindle.
·
You can come back to this and edit at any time,
more later.
Step Four
·
Go back to Smashwords and using your produced
cover image.
·
At this stage make sure to get your free ISBN
number. Useful if a library buys your book.
·
Go back to Amazon and add the ISBN number by
editing the document.
·
Add this number at the bottom of your document
so that when you make a hard copy it will be there.
You are now published electronically
Publishing a hard copy
There are two sites which will help with getting you
document ready
Choose your printing company as there are many locally that
give good deals.
Step Four
·
and the
size of your book
·
It is important which ever printing company you
choose, to determine how they would like to receive the cover and back page.
Usually they require a pdf document which includes the cover image
·
Play about with the paper weights until you find
something that you like within your price range.
·
Copy the details of paper weights and details of
the cover paper weight if you are then going to go to a local printer.
·
Ask printers for prices; be specific of your
requirements.
·
Accept and remember to include in the order a number
of copies that you will give to relatives and friends.
·
Do not set a price on the print.
·
Order
You are now in print and published.
You can now sell your book on Amazon too.
Step Five -Advertising your book
·
Facebook, twitter, electronically, there are
group sites for Kindle ( Kindlefancast) and other group Facebook sites.
·
Selling to friends; this is the most lucrative
when you are starting out as an author.
·
Book signings.
·
Table at local fairs.
Consider giving a copy to your local
library.
Zoe Ainsworth- Grigg
·
© All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without
the written permission of the author