If you're fond of writing, a great storyteller, or someone who has something meaningful or educational to say, then you've probably been interested in publishing or writing a book. However, writing is only the first step in this journey, and one would still need it to get it to the readers.
Years ago, publishing was an exasperating journey. The manuscript needs to go through an agent first and then the publisher second. After that, there is still much work to do, a constant cycle of revising and editing to the publisher's satisfaction. Even then, there is still no guarantee that the book will be published, and the manuscript will be left somewhere accumulating dust and forgotten. New publishing methods have emerged as times changed, and publishing a book has never become more accessible, even for the first-timers.
In this step-by-step guide, you will find professional tips that you'll need to get your book into the readers' hands.
How to Publish a Book
Knowing How You Want to Publish
There is no one right way to publishing, and therefore, one would need to choose appropriately a path that would be both convenient and will have an enormous effect on the way the book is redistributed.
Next is the part where you'll need to decide whether you want to self-publish or traditionally publish.
In traditional publishing, an agent is needed to publish the book. The publisher will pay for the processes like editing, proofreading, typesetting, printing, binding, cover art and design, promotion, advertising, warehousing, billing, and paying author royalties. This path will also provide mainstream publicity and other literary prestige. However, as an author, you will have minimal creative control over the manuscript, and it will usually take a long time before it gets published.
On the other hand, self-publishing will let you have free rein over the publishing of the book. You will be financing, enterprising, marketing, and other processes that the publisher usually does. This will give authors complete creative control and will only need an ample amount of time before its publication. As the saying goes, on one's own time.
Edit the Book
How you write the manuscript will determine the course it will take. When it is eventually published, it will be read and criticized. Editing the manuscript will significantly impact the success or the failure of the book.
To do this, you would need to have a detailed plan on how to write the manuscript. From the plot to the personalities of each character so that it has a sensible structure. For books that are non-fiction, constant fact-checking is needed to provide an incorruptible background of the study. Editing the book the right way would determine the readers' reaction and judgment, so it's best to edit it thoroughly.
Get Feedback
Once the first draft of the manuscript is complete and edited, you should hire or interest some friends to read your manuscript. This is a crucial step to determine whether the book is up to satisfaction or if major edits are to be made in the whole story, narrowing down on problematic and incomprehensible parts and structures. One can look for professional critiques, writing communities, and book communities to do this step.
Choose a remarkable title
All good titles can easily pick up a reader's attention. Titles need to spark interest at first glance, and it needs to be unique.
Pro Tip: The simpler, the better
Book titles don't have to carry the whole plot of the book. It only has to communicate the interest that your book is specializing. Guaranteeing the readers that they will be able to read what the title promises it to be.
Professional Editing
All manuscripts need to go through proofreading and proper editing, and this can be done by a professional that can thoroughly check all the boxes. Every book should be formatted professionally so that it doesn't seem churned out creatively. This is important as books still need to have a format.
There is book editing software on the internet that is either free or paid. If you're self-publishing, you might want to try that out. It can be expensive, but it is needed nonetheless.
Make a book cover that converts
A good cover will not only attract readers, but it will connect to the readers' interest. The book will make itself known to the reader and allow the book cover to speak for itself. Bookworms can go for a book if the cover itself is aesthetically pleasing and beautiful as they look for specific design elements of a book.
The cover can be illustration-based, typography-based, or photography-based, and some can indicate the genre they belong to. Design is crucial for a book, and this will help market the book effectively.
Good Book Description
Do you know those plot summaries or hooks in the back of the book?
Those are book descriptions, and optimizing one can be of huge impact on your book. It contains the summary and the main characters of the book that introduces its story to the readers. Some include a cliffhanger. It is a question that can also make readers curious about what the book is all about. It should hook the readers with a unique headline that will leave them wanting more!
Design a Multifaceted Launch
The book is needed to be promoted, especially if you're a budding author and it's your first book. This means that a multifaceted approach will ensure many pathways in promoting and marketing your book. Thorough planning and designing will help you launch your book easily after it is published.
Various promotional materials like social media posts, videos, critical reviews of the finished and completed book will not only create a discussion but will raise awareness that your book is being launched. People will need to hear and talk about it to hype them into the story and eventually buy the published and printed book.
Finally, publish your book
Self-publishing is pretty easy and one would only need to upload it on online market websites. This means pricing it, uploading the book cover and description, complete with categories and tags to help people find your book. Selling it on websites like Amazon, Book Depository, or Book Outlets or sell it through social media pages is entirely up to the author. The only important thing about this step is making sure that people can easily access and buy your book from you or through the channels mentioned.
Market, Advertise and Promote
It's important to make yourself known!
Market your book, advertise through different ways, promote it with the help of friends and family. Make sure that your efforts will not be wasted and ignored. It will ensure that your self-written story will be heard and read by the people. Connect with the readers and make the most of the readership you've accumulated. After all, good marketing is determined by how many people are talking about it.
Final Thoughts:
Publishing a book is a huge responsibility. It can be an adventure especially for the first-timers, and it will not always be easy. Whether publishing traditionally or by yourself, both processes are exasperating and time-consuming, but it's important to note that journeys will not always be easy. Through the help of this guide, you've learned the pros and cons of each. You've also seen a glimpse of what it takes to be an author.
We believe in your ability to write. May your words echo and be heard throughout the reading community through the book you've written and poured your heart out.
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