Pubbin Ain't Easy Man

Book publishing is an interesting business. Despite By Hook & Crook being my first fiction novel, I’ve had a few nonfiction technical books published, and also worked for John Wiley & Sons (a prolific publisher of hyper-expensive textbooks, and For Dummies guides).

The fiction world works a lot differently. You’ve really got two choices:

Traditional Publishing

With this route, you query publishing agents. Not publishers, they generally won’t hear from unrepresented authors. Instead, you find agents from various firms. Once you find some that are a good match for your book and genre, you’ll send your manuscript in their preferred format. After a few weeks (or months), you might get a yes or no response about whether they’ll represent you.

If they do, they’ll get your book in front of publishers. If selected, the publisher will generally help you move forward from here. They may require you make changes to your manuscript, characters, and plot points, but all in the name of improving its sales through market research. You’ll get a sexy colophon (that little logo belonging to the publisher) on the spine and title page, lots of editing, and mass distribution.

Marketing will generally still be up to the author. The publisher will help, but their real goal is to lead sales by their name and distribution.

Self Publishing

The stakes have really changed in the book world. 50% of all print books worldwide are sold on Amazon. 71% of readers bought a book through Amazon in the last year. And Amazon Kindle has a 72% stake in eBook purchases.

In true Amazon fashion, they’ve used this for a self-service, “enable the builders” strategy with Kindle Direct Publishing. This channel allows authors to upload their own titles and their own books and sell those on Amazon (optionally exclusive to Amazon Kindle Select). You can also set up print books with Print on Demand, selling hardcovers and paperbacks through Amazon directly that are printed when ordered.

The thing is, you’re not going to get those books in bookstores. If you want that, you have to distribute through a channel that they’re comfortable with. That’s where Ingram Spark comes in. Ingram is a huge name in the distribution and publishing industry. By signing up with them, you have the option to distribute books far and wide, both in eBook format and in print.

So what does it actually take?

If you want to get a book out there, and you want to self-publish, here’s what you’ll need to work out:

1. Proofreading and editing (self-edits are cool but it’s recommended you get a pro)

2. Purchase and register your ISBNs (like book serial numbers). You’ll need one ISBN for each format you release in (eBook, paperback, hardcover).

3. Optionally register with the Library of Congress for an LCCN (control number).

4. Design (or commission) your book cover, spine, and back cover

5. Format your manuscript for print with appropriate fonts, margins, gutters, title and legal pages, etc. (or commission a typesetter)

6. Format your manuscript for eBook readers.

7. Optionally set up a publisher name and colophon

8. Create an author page and book page in order to market and promote your book

9. Figure out the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) team and how you’ll distribute your books to advance readers (hint: BookFunnel is great for this).

10. Research your Amazon keywords, categories, and possible ad buys. Publisher Rocket is a fantastic tool for this. Or just search and click around Amazon.

That’s not all of it. There’s alpha readers, beta readers, social media networking, marketing, getting on podcasts, and god knows what else. But… it’s how you publish. And it’s a fun madhouse.

It’s worth noting, you can get by with none of this. You can simply publish a book on Amazon or other distribution sites with a free ISBN, design your own cover in Canva, and tell everyone you know about it. And that’s awesome too! Simply getting your ideas out there is half the battle.

Anyways, why am I telling you all this? Is it to get pats on the back? Nay. It’s because…

My Kindle pre-order page is live!

If you’re a Kindle Unlmited reader, you don’t need to pre-order or buy anything! You’ll get access to read this in your subscription for free on 11/15. You’ll also be able to buy print copies on that date. Or just wait to get the Kindle edition then!

One More Thing!

I really appreciate you all joining my newsletter. The next thing you’ll receive from me is a survey asking if you’d like to be on my Advanced Reader team. If you are, you’ll be able to get an advance eBook copy before the public release of the book! And I’d greatly value your thoughts and feedback if you choose to be part of this team.

Be on the lookout, and thanks for reading!