10 Simple Tips on How to Publish a Book
Thursday, July 30th, 2009The publishing world wants you to think publishing a book is tricky and full of pit holes to fall into. Not true! These simple 10 simple tips will help you publish your book quickly and easily, and the end result will be a professional product you can be proud of.
Tip #1 The first task to self-publishing is actually making a book out of your manuscript.
Here are just some of the decisions that go into transforming a manuscript into a book:
Cover design
Internal artwork and layout
Font, for example, Times New Roman or Arial
Type of binding, for example, spiral, ring, stitched, perfect, etc.
Hardcover or softcover
Book size (standard book size is 5.5" by 8.5")
Type of paper book is printed on
Color or black and white
Number of pages. It is generally easier for consumers to justify a book purchase if the book is over 100 pages.
While your printer can help you with a majority of these decisions by offering suggestions and examples it is helpful to go to a printer with a good idea of exactly how you want your book to look. Visit bookstores and find books that you want to model.
Tip #2 Understand the difference between publishers and printers.
POD Publishers
Unlike POD printers, POD publishers may take care of the extra costs of designing a book cover, editing your book, and obtaining an ISBN number. They can be a good option if you need less than 50 books because the price is generally lower than what you would pay for a POD printer. However, make sure that you read your contract carefully and that you fully investigate the POD publisher that you are considering. Some publishers require exclusive rights to your book.
POD Printers
POD printers are just that, printers. They do not invest in your product. They simply manufacture it. The cost can be a bit expensive and generally ranges from $5 to $10 per book, depending on your book’s specifics. POD printers can be a good and cost effective option if your book is nearing the end of its life yet you still have the occasional order trickling in. This way you can order one book at a time and it eliminates the possible expense of having to keep an inventory on hand. The print quality is usually good. Again, as with any company, read your contract carefully and make sure to investigate the company.
Digital Printers PQN, Print Quality Needed
This is a good option for the author that needs fewer than 2500 copies. It is cost effective, the print quality is good, and it normally takes less than two weeks to print.
Offset Printers.
When you need more than 2500 books, your best choice is offset printing. The cost will equate to about $1.25 per book for about 3000 books. However, the more books that you print, the less expensive your cost will be.
Tip #3 Don’t forget about distribution
The next thing that you will need to handle as a self-publisher is the task of distribution. It may actually be to your benefit to hire a distributor; however, most distributors take 65% of the profit. A distributor’s main purpose is to "sell" your book to bookstores and specialty stores.
Distributors also are able to sell your book to larger chain stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble. This can be to your benefit because it means that your exposure is much larger than sticking with smaller booksellers and specialty stores.
Tip #4 How are your customers going to order and pay for their books? Order
Decide how you are going to take orders by phone, fax, email, webstore, snail mail, or all of the above. Do you accept credit cards? How will you ship? How will you take returns, if at all? Mail order purchasing is an easy and efficient process once you have established a routine. However, shipping individual books can be expensive. Will you charge for shipping? Where will you store the books?
Tip #5 What are you going to call your publishing company?
The first thing that you will need to do, once your book is written, is to start your own publishing company. To accomplish this you will first need to decide on a name for your company. Experts recommend against placing your name in the title of the company because it makes you look like a beginner. Additionally, do you really want your name listed as both the author and the publisher?
Tip #6 How much are you going to charge? Pricing Your Book
Before you begin promotion, determine how much to charge for your book. The general rule of thumb is to charge 8 times what it cost you to produce it. Therefore, if it cost you $5 to produce the book, you’ll charge $40. However, you want to consider your market and how much they’ll be willing to pay for your book. It could be more or less than $40.
Tip #7 ISBN numbers. An ISBN number is not a requirement to sell a book yourself but it will make it easier to record your book with booksellers and it is a formal registration process that signifies that you are in fact a publisher. In short, it makes you look more professional. Additionally, most booksellers like Amazon, require an ISBN number.
Visit the ISBN website, www.isbn.org
Fill out the application. It costs $29.95 for 10 ISBNs and I have been told that it takes quite a long time to process, so have patience.
Tip #8 Library of Congress Number. This is a number that is assigned by the Library of Congress to a book. It can also be referred to as the Preassigned Control Number or PCN. Numbers are only assigned to books that will be added to the library. You can apply for a number by visiting www.copyright.gov.
Complete the application and then file for a number
Tip #9 Copyright Registration. The first step in registering your book is to print a copyright notice on your copyright page, usually the back of your title page. Your second step is to publish your book. Last, you will want to visit www.copyright.gov/forms/
Tip #10. Promotion tips. There are thousands of ways you can promote your book. Tackle them one or two at a time. If you jump in and try 10 different promotion methods/tools, things will get messy and you won’t be able to devote your full attention to each promotion method. Focus on one or two at a time.
For Your FREE MP3 (Value $97.00)
How To Make A 6 Figure Income Writing & Publishing Your Own BookGo To: Write A Book
By: Bob Burnham
About the Author:
Bob Burnham
Entrepreneur, Consultant and # 1 Amazon Best Selling Author of "101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book"
Tip #1 The first task to self-publishing is actually making a book out of your manuscript.
Here are just some of the decisions that go into transforming a manuscript into a book:
Cover design
Internal artwork and layout
Font, for example, Times New Roman or Arial
Type of binding, for example, spiral, ring, stitched, perfect, etc.
Hardcover or softcover
Book size (standard book size is 5.5" by 8.5")
Type of paper book is printed on
Color or black and white
Number of pages. It is generally easier for consumers to justify a book purchase if the book is over 100 pages.
While your printer can help you with a majority of these decisions by offering suggestions and examples it is helpful to go to a printer with a good idea of exactly how you want your book to look. Visit bookstores and find books that you want to model.
Tip #2 Understand the difference between publishers and printers.
POD Publishers
Unlike POD printers, POD publishers may take care of the extra costs of designing a book cover, editing your book, and obtaining an ISBN number. They can be a good option if you need less than 50 books because the price is generally lower than what you would pay for a POD printer. However, make sure that you read your contract carefully and that you fully investigate the POD publisher that you are considering. Some publishers require exclusive rights to your book.
POD Printers
POD printers are just that, printers. They do not invest in your product. They simply manufacture it. The cost can be a bit expensive and generally ranges from $5 to $10 per book, depending on your book’s specifics. POD printers can be a good and cost effective option if your book is nearing the end of its life yet you still have the occasional order trickling in. This way you can order one book at a time and it eliminates the possible expense of having to keep an inventory on hand. The print quality is usually good. Again, as with any company, read your contract carefully and make sure to investigate the company.
Digital Printers PQN, Print Quality Needed
This is a good option for the author that needs fewer than 2500 copies. It is cost effective, the print quality is good, and it normally takes less than two weeks to print.
Offset Printers.
When you need more than 2500 books, your best choice is offset printing. The cost will equate to about $1.25 per book for about 3000 books. However, the more books that you print, the less expensive your cost will be.
Tip #3 Don’t forget about distribution
The next thing that you will need to handle as a self-publisher is the task of distribution. It may actually be to your benefit to hire a distributor; however, most distributors take 65% of the profit. A distributor’s main purpose is to "sell" your book to bookstores and specialty stores.
Distributors also are able to sell your book to larger chain stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble. This can be to your benefit because it means that your exposure is much larger than sticking with smaller booksellers and specialty stores.
Tip #4 How are your customers going to order and pay for their books? Order
Decide how you are going to take orders by phone, fax, email, webstore, snail mail, or all of the above. Do you accept credit cards? How will you ship? How will you take returns, if at all? Mail order purchasing is an easy and efficient process once you have established a routine. However, shipping individual books can be expensive. Will you charge for shipping? Where will you store the books?
Tip #5 What are you going to call your publishing company?
The first thing that you will need to do, once your book is written, is to start your own publishing company. To accomplish this you will first need to decide on a name for your company. Experts recommend against placing your name in the title of the company because it makes you look like a beginner. Additionally, do you really want your name listed as both the author and the publisher?
Tip #6 How much are you going to charge? Pricing Your Book
Before you begin promotion, determine how much to charge for your book. The general rule of thumb is to charge 8 times what it cost you to produce it. Therefore, if it cost you $5 to produce the book, you’ll charge $40. However, you want to consider your market and how much they’ll be willing to pay for your book. It could be more or less than $40.
Tip #7 ISBN numbers. An ISBN number is not a requirement to sell a book yourself but it will make it easier to record your book with booksellers and it is a formal registration process that signifies that you are in fact a publisher. In short, it makes you look more professional. Additionally, most booksellers like Amazon, require an ISBN number.
Visit the ISBN website, www.isbn.org
Fill out the application. It costs $29.95 for 10 ISBNs and I have been told that it takes quite a long time to process, so have patience.
Tip #8 Library of Congress Number. This is a number that is assigned by the Library of Congress to a book. It can also be referred to as the Preassigned Control Number or PCN. Numbers are only assigned to books that will be added to the library. You can apply for a number by visiting www.copyright.gov.
Complete the application and then file for a number
Tip #9 Copyright Registration. The first step in registering your book is to print a copyright notice on your copyright page, usually the back of your title page. Your second step is to publish your book. Last, you will want to visit www.copyright.gov/forms/
Tip #10. Promotion tips. There are thousands of ways you can promote your book. Tackle them one or two at a time. If you jump in and try 10 different promotion methods/tools, things will get messy and you won’t be able to devote your full attention to each promotion method. Focus on one or two at a time.
For Your FREE MP3 (Value $97.00)
How To Make A 6 Figure Income Writing & Publishing Your Own BookGo To: Write A Book
By: Bob Burnham
About the Author:
Bob Burnham
Entrepreneur, Consultant and # 1 Amazon Best Selling Author of "101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book"
For Information on How to Write and Publish your Own Book go to Expert Author- http://www.expertauthorpublishing.com
Bob started his carpet cleaning business in 1976 and quickly built it to 26 locations across Canada. By the time he was 30 years old he had 600 full and part time employees and did over 6 million dollars in annual sales. Bob sold all the locations across Canada and retained only the British Columbia locations, which were expanded into Flood and Fire restoration and are still operating successfully today. Through both the marketing of his fire and flood companies and franchising Bob has developed
many marketing strategies that have propelled profits both for his own businesses and many other who have come to him for help. Bob spends tens of thousand each year on seminars, CD’s and is a voracious reader to help both his companies and others achieve massive success. Many of the people he has worked with have had success on many levels due to Bob’s keen sense of identifying the hidden opportunities in their businesses.