Self-publishing Crash Course

Your Audience

Books are to be read. Your reader must always be you primary concern. If you don't have a happy audience, your book will never sell. When self-publishing do the proper research, look at your competition, and decide how your book will be superior. Is your book one that will have a broad appeal or one that will have a specific audience? Although mass appeal books could make you the most sales, it is a cluttered market place; marketing to a specific audience is often easier for a new author.

Before writing, but especially before publishing a book, it is vital to plan your marketing strategy. Are there elements that could be added to your book that would help sales? Is it a time sensitive book? What size and format will your readers prefer? What will those same readers pay? What title best sells your book? Are there special sales opportunities to large organizations or corporations? What is your niche? It is best to think outside the bookstore only mindset. They will only stock books they can sell and often take 40% of every book sold. The chances of your book selling nationwide once released is very slim, simply because you do not have the marketing budget large publishers have. Start with your local bookstores, organizations, and media.

Now that you know your reader, you must determine what level of editing and design you need. There are structural or substantive edits that deal with the organization and overall structure of the book. Line edits are used to clarify and communicate your text, ensuring a coherent message. Copy-editing addresses items such as spelling, grammar, and liability. Each one of these edits is a separate step. Proofreading is also important, often the cheaper of the editing expenses. It does not occur until after the book is designed (typeset) and a proof (sample) has been printed. Depending on your writing style and your intended audience you will need to determine what is necessary and what is not. Your budget will likely be the determining factor.

Giant Beaver Publications provides professional substantive, line, and copy editing; design and typesetting; and proofreading.

When designing a book there is nothing more important than the cover. The cover is what everyone buying the book will see first. An attention grabbing cover could be the difference between success and failure. It isn't hard to design a cover, but a great one is very hard. Again the budget may be the determining factor, but people do judge books by their covers.

Once you have a book that readers want, you must also plan how you will get the books to them. If you are selling directly to the customer, the Internet is a miraculous tool. If you are selling through stores then a distributor will be required. Also bookstores will order books 4 or 5 months in advance of their publication. For books selling in fall, large bookstores will require a catalogue that previews upcoming publications and each book's marketing plans. New authors are often best to release their books in spring when their are fewer books to compete against. Many large bookstores will not meet with self-publishing authors, so the help of a distributor is often necessary.

Since Giant Beaver Publications is a publisher and distributor we will be able to affordably distribute your books to bookstores or direct to customers on the Internet. We will also add your books to our catalogues that we market to stores.

Now that you have determined your audience, only one major step remains: budgeting.

Next Step: Budget