How to Self-Publish Your Book

A Guide for First Time Authors in 6 Easy Steps

In May 2009, when I was eighteen years old, I finished the manuscript to my first novel, The Gulick House. It was 124 pages in total and I even designed the cover art myself. The only question left on my mind that late, spring night was : Not what?

Prior to writing my novel, I really had no clue on how to actually get it published. I tried looking for an agent, but without knowing how to write a query letter, that turned out to be a dead end for me. I thought about getting the books printed and bound at FedEx/Kinkos, but then I realized how expensive that would be. Desperate, I opened a search engine and typed in "how to publish a book." It was then when I learned about self-publishing and how easy the process is. In this guide, I will go through the important steps on how to self-publish a book of your own.

Step 1: Finish the manuscript 

I think this is the most important step. Self-publishing can be a very exciting thing, so exciting that you may tend to lose focus on your actual book. Be sure that the story is complete and that all of the editing is correct. You may even want to consider printing out a hard copy on regular computer paper and reading it in that way so you can catch any mistakes. It is important to catch mistakes and make sure everything makes sense in your story, otherwise people may not take you seriously as an author.

Step 2: Pick a self-publishing company 

The next most important step is to pick what company you would like to self-publish with. Beware of any sites that are trying to scam you out of your money. The two companies that I have self-publish with and recommend the most are Createspace and Lulu, as both are associated with Amazon. Both are easy to navigate and highly reputable. A couple of sites to beware of are ElvesonShelves.com and Bookwhirl.com. I read on an authors forum that ElvesonShelves.com is a scam site. I have personally dealt with Bookwhirl.com. I gave them my email and phone number and I began to get harassing phone calls about buying one of their publishing packages. I have used both Createspace and Lulu and have been happy with both of their services.

Step 3: Set everything up
Once you have researched and picked a legit company, create an account and set up your first title. The cost for each book will usually depend on how many pages your manuscript is, what size and type binding you want, and whether the interior is color or black and white. Your manuscript will have to be usually at least 24 pages for each type of binding. Remember not to set the cost of your book too high; otherwise people may not buy it. Set it at a reasonable price where you make money and allow other people to afford it.

Step 4: Design your cover
Now for the exciting part: designing your cover! Createspace and Lulu both have options where you can design your cover in an outside program and import it into the template. For those who are not artistically inclined, they also offer an array of ready-made templates. They also offer cover design packages in where professionals will design a cover for you. Since I have not personally tried this option, I cannot say whether the package is worth the money or not. Consider asking a friend who is good at art to help you design your cover. Tell them you will give them credit and there is a good chance they will help out. If you chose to design your own cover in an outside program such as Photoshop, be sure to take note of the size and dimensions the file needs to be.

Step 5: Publish!
Once everything is order, order a proof copy of your book to make sure that none of the text bleeds or is cut off and that the cover is not blurry. Once everything turns out to be good, you can order a batch of your books to sell directly or you can just get people to order it from the site. Like for cover design, Createspace and Lulu offer packages such as editing, marketing, etc. Again, I have not personally used any of these services so I cannot give an opinion on them.

Step 6: Market
The most important element in selling your book is marketing. Easy ways to do this are make groups and pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. You may also be able to build your own website for free, as many companies such as Weebly and Webs.com offer this. Next, print fliers and posters, donate a copy to your local library, lend out a few "free test" copies and ask people to circulate them, call your local newspaper, etc. You can even make a Youtube channel to promote your book.

As long as you follow these six easy steps, you will be on your way to self-publishing in no time. 


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