I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for a while, but I’ve been working hard on marketing A Deadly Rejection and editing my second novel (working title is under wraps for now). But then I was chatting to someone recently who asked how I’d found the self-publishing process. I described it as ‘slightly overwhelming’ and this is true. There’s a lot to think about and even though I’d read widely on the subject, it still felt a lot like groping in the dark at times.
So, I’ve pulled together a few pointers which may help guide others in the right direction:
The process
1. Time – like any project, you need to vastly overestimate the time you need to complete the process. You’re going to be working with external contractors for editing, proofreading and cover design at the bare minimum. You need to factor in their availability to work on your project and also your time in checking and signing off what they’ve done.
2. Outsource where it’s sensible – yes, you may want to learn ab
out every step of the process, but there are some areas where outsourcing is the wisest move. I decided that I’d format the paperback version of my book myself. Big mistake. It’s a very tricky process and I spent far too much time on it, time that could have been spent in areas where my existing skills can be put into play. The next book will be formatted by a professional you can be sure.
3. Respect your contractors – these guys are professionals and, if you’ve chosen well-respected people, they’re going to be popular and therefore busy. You need to respect their schedule and match yours accordingly. Contact them early to secure their time but make sure your part will be done well in advance. Make sure that you give them a good briefing – for example, my editor asked was there anything particular that she needed to look out for – I’d changed one character from a man into a woman so it was vital that she spotted so uses of ‘he’ instead of ‘she’. I also use the word ‘so’ a lot in dialogue and I warned her to look out for that. My cover designer gave me a questionnaire to fill in and if this happens, make sure you take time to fill this in properly. It could mean the difference between getting things done quickly or going backwards and forwards and risk losing out on their time and costing you more money.
4. Finish each step before starting the next – I tried to multi-task and do my cover while the book was being proofread to save on some time. This would have been fine if I was only doing an ebook, but I was doing a paperback as well. Because I’d gone to the cover designer early, she needed to know how many pages the book would have to design the spine of the book. This was something I’d not considered. I wasn’t able to get the measurements to her by the deadline we’d agreed because the formatting took a lot more time than I thought. I was lucky she was able to fit in additional work but it’s not very professional on my part.
5. Setting a budget – Before you set out on the whole self-publishing process, look at how much it’s likely to cost for each stage and draw up a rough budget of how much it’ll cost. It’s important to add in a bit of flexibility for any extras you have to pay for or for something being more expensive than you hoped. Make sure you have the money saved up or to hand before you begin so that you’re not scrabbling around to find it at a later stage.
Are you a self-published author? What was your experience of the process? Comments and suggestions welcome below.