How Do I Self-Publish? What Does it Cost to Self-Publish?

We hear these questions quite often, and we have worked in this industry long enough to know there is no one-size fits all answer for everyone. We can answer these questions, but how we answer them for you depends solely on you.

We firmly believe everyone has a book inside, just waiting to be written and published.

The differences between a good book and a great book are –

• the honesty and heart of the subject matter,
• the sincere desire to want to help someone else with the content,
• and whether it is published professionally or unprofessionally.

We are going to assume that, since you are reading this article, you are at least curious about the self-publishing route. So let’s walk you through the basics so you can discover your own answers to these questions.

 

How Do I Self-Publish?

1. Hire an experienced editor to review your manuscript.

These days self-publishing is as easy as uploading a document to Amazon, adding a description, using a cover you made on a template site, and clicking “publish.” The technical process itself is simple; however, if you want to lend any credibility to your name, brand, or ministry then you want to be sure you provide the best possible product to your readers. For you, this means enlisting an editor, a designer, and a developer. Nothing says unprofessional more than a book riddled with errors that could’ve easily been caught by an experienced editor. Book reviewers will often say they loved the content but couldn’t continue reading because of the typos. It is so easy to avoid this mistake. Make sure you enlist an experienced editor.

2. Use an expert designer to for the book cover and interior design.

Next, you should know that covers are the key to book sales. Whether in a book store or browsing online at Amazon, you will click on books that are attractive to you based on the covers. Try it. Experienced designers know what does and does not work. Studies have proven that books that previously had low sales significantly increased them by hiring an experienced designer to create a beautiful cover. You won’t even have to worry about the editing if no one clicks on the cover to read more about your book. Not only that but book designers can format your book for you; from print to every digital device currently known to man. That gives you more of a sales reach. They can also make the inside design complementary to the cover they’ve created.

3. Invest in a professional website or sales page for your book.

A professional developer can help you build a marketing page for your book. This is important because it will be a “home base” for your readers – a place where you can connect, chat, build rapport – and these are the lovely souls who will become your cheerleaders and first buyers for any future book you release. Check out the websites of some of your favorite authors. Look at the pages of the sites that beautifully display each author’s latest releases; see for yourself how much comfort there is in the attention to detail they have given their books.

Now imagine the opposite. What if you can’t find anything on their websites about the books? It makes a big difference.

What Does it Cost to Self-Publish?

The answer to this question can range anywhere from $150 to $2,000. It’s all in how you choose to do it.

If you have more time than money and have no deadline for publishing, then you can learn the ins and outs of self-publishing and implement them on your own using monthly-fee software and some stock photos. However, if you don’t have the time, or aren’t interested in learning which cover designs sell best over the others, or how to implement plugins and code on your website, or aren’t confident in asking all of your friends to edit your book for you… then you may consider hiring out for one or all of these jobs.

Here’s where most people go wrong…

They get multiple quotes from multiple businesses, a different business or contract for each job. Then they pick one of the least expensive options for each service and hope for the best! The result is usually a product that isn’t cohesive and is typically far from what they expected.

The key here is to find one company that offers all of the necessary services. The benefits here are – you get discounts and package deals on multiple services, and the overall vision for your book is solid and polished from cover to cover.

We love to customize publishing packages here at Mandy Roberson Media! If you don’t see a service listed on our site, it doesn’t mean we can’t customize it for you – we do it all the time. No one-size fits all; remember? Then if you want to take things one step further, our marketing strategists and social media professionals are bar none! Writing a book is an investment no matter how you decide to do it, but it’s always better to invest a little more in the beginning to avoid the lack of return in the end.

There is a book inside of you. Let us help you reflect that and bring it to life.

 

You can visit our Portfolio to see examples of our work then check out our Books & Ebooks & Book Releases sections to see the services we offer for publishing, and finally Get Started to bring the book inside of you to life!