Uncategorized, Wendy Speaks

How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish?

Many authors ask, “How much does it cost to self-publish?” The question should be “What should an author invest in their project based on their marketing goals?” Most authors self-publish in hopes of selling their book. While your book needs to be appealing and have good content, a solid marketing plan is essential to selling to your book.

I always recommend professional copyediting and a custom cover to all authors who are serious about sales. Authors are given approximately eight seconds for potential buyers to decide if they like the cover enough to consider purchasing the book. Therefore, the cover needs to be unique and eye-catching. In addition, nothing will “kill” a sale faster than a manuscript that is riddled with typographical errors or bad grammar. This is especially important for non-fiction books that are positioning the author as a credible expert.

Self-publishing should be looked at from a business perspective. I cannot imagine any business, new or old, not budgeting for advertising. When prospective authors ask me how much money they need to include in their self-publishing budget, I typically respond that $2500.00 is the average amount. In this estimate, I have allotted $1500.00 to the actual production of the book.  The additional $1000.00 should be used for marketing services. The cost for professional copyediting is not included in this amount, but I do recommend investing in professional copyediting.

 Although many people spend more or less than this amount, I believe this is a good estimate for self-publishing authors. However, it comes down to each individual’s goals for their book and their individual reason for publishing.

 

 

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.

 

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: March Forth: My Journey through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery from Breast Cancer

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

March Forth: My Journey through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery from Breast Cancer

Marci A. Schmitt

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432776008

Reviewer: Vicki Liston

Hearing about breast cancer, Susan G. Komen and the “Race for the Cure” are commonplace in our fast-paced world of information. However, do we really know what it means to endure this diagnosis? To play waiting games with medical tests or paperwork games with insurance companies? What about the physical, mental, and emotional battles that go along with chemotherapy? Author and cancer survivor Marci A. Schmitt spells it all out in her book “March Forth: My Journey through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery from Breast Cancer.”

“March Forth” is an eye-opening personal account of one brave woman’s life-changing experiences with breast cancer. Told from the first person point of view, Schmitt includes every step in her journey toward freedom. After having to watch her mother die of the same disease, she “marches forth” at each chapter’s end, as obstacle after obstacle seem to line up and obstruct her path to good health. After two mastectomies, Schmitt maintains a playful wit while looking the unimaginable in the eyes and holding on when most of us would think we would surely fail. Her vivid descriptions of chemotherapy horrors brought many tears to my eyes and helped me better understand how debilitating these treatments can be on the human body. Thankfully, the book ends on a positive note with Schmitt alive and doing extremely well.

“March Forth” is a beautiful, inspirational read for anyone having to go through cancer themselves as well as those hoping to be a supportive and understanding friend for someone else. It gives the down and dirty on what someone might expect when dealing with this disease, but it also presents advice on how you could effectively help someone going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment. These recommendations can potentially assist in lessening any awkward or uncomfortable moments where someone may not really know what to do or say to be empathetic.

Schmitt is exceptional in recounting her story, describing her situations with detailed clarity, organizing her thoughts, and letting her strength and faith shine through her words. She describes “chemo brain” towards the end of her story, but I didn’t find anything random or foggy about her text. Well-edited while maintaining a constant flow, “March Forth” is a clear light of profound hope and conviction. Inspiring!

Contests, Kelly Speaks

Balcones Fiction Prize

The Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College is committed to recognizing outstanding works of literary merit through its Balcones Literary Prizes. The program is currently accepting submissions for books published in 2011. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2012.

Last year’s winner, Linh Dinh, was awarded $1,500 and was flown to Austin, Texas for a public reading. Congratulations Linh Dinh!

For more information on how to enter, please visit http://www.austincc.edu/crw/html/balconescenter.html.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Cheri Speaks

Tips for Creating a Publishable Manuscript

The best way to ensure that your self-published book looks and sounds professional is to create a professional manuscript. This will make the publisher’s and your job easier when it comes time to creating and reviewing proofs, and it will lead to a finished product that is worthy of your reader’s time and praise. Here are easy ways to create a publishable manuscript.

  • Always run spell check and grammar check, but never rely on these tools alone.
  • Hire a professional copyeditor. Spell check and grammar check don’t catch all errors, and they don’t pick up style errors.
  • Turn on formating remarks so you can see where spacing may be off.
  • Only use hard returns at the end of paragraphs. Do not use them at the end of each line. Computers are not typewriters.
  • Change margin and page settings from “letter size” to “book size.” This will identify any areas that may need reformatting.
  • Do not use space or tab to indicate new paragraphs. Instead set paragraph settings to first line hanging .25″.
  • Use Microsoft Word to type your manuscript. This will prevent conversion problems.

If you have any other tips for fellow writers, feel free to share them by leaving a comment.

Cheri Breeding ABOUT CHERI BREEDING: Since 2005 Cheri Breeding has been working as the Director of Production for Outskirts Press. In that time, she has been an instrumental component of every aspect of the Production Department, performing the roles of an Author Representative, Book Designer, Customer Service Representative, Title Production Supervisor, Production Manager and, Director of Production. She brings all that experience and knowledge, along with an unparalleled customer-service focus, to help self-publishing authors reach high-quality book publication more efficiently, professionally, and affordably.
Wendy Speaks

How To Submit Print Ready Files

Although most authors allow the self-publishing company to create the cover art and to format the manuscript to industry standards, it is not uncommon for some authors to hire a graphic designer to create the digital artwork for their cover. In these cases, the work needs to adhere to the self-publishing company’s exact specifications. For instance, Outskirts Press explains these specifications in the Print Ready File Creation Guidelines. Be sure to ask your self-publishing company for information on their specific requirements.

During the pre-production phase of publishing, authors will submit a mock-up of their cover. This confirms that the authors and their graphic specialist understand that the cover includes the front cover, the spine and the back cover. Once authors are in production and they approve the interior file for printing, the self-publishing company will send the author the exact cover template for the designer to marry with his/her design. The publishing company will wait until the interior file is perfect before sending this template to authors because the company needs to know the exact page count to determine the exact width of the spine. The template also comes with the authors unique ISBN number, bar code and chosen retail price. Additionally, the publishing company will supply a copy of their logo to be placed on the back cover.

Print Ready Interiors are not as common and are typically submitted by authors who have very complicated interiors with many images and/or charts and graphs. Again, an outside graphic artist is typically involved as most authors do not have the programs or expertise to create these files to meet stringent industry standards. POD (print on demand) is an extremely specific process and has non-flexible technical requirements. For specific requirements and submission details, contact your self-publishing company.

 

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.