Self-Publishing Presentation, Notes, and Information
This page contains the presentation you viewed at the class, as well as:
- The Glossary of Terms
- Regarding copyright
- Companies I recommend to create, print, or ship paperbacks
- Companies to avoid for full-service or hybrid publishing
- Creating children's books
- Website design suggestions
- Editors and types of edits
- Freelance assistance and company help
- Promotional Materials
- How-To Guides for Self-Publishing
- What is ISBN?
- Free photos (and a caution)
- Book reviewers
- Don't use spaces or tabs. Use indents and styles instead
Self-Publishing Presentation
PowerPoint PDF
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Glossary of Terms
- Case Laminate, or Case wrapped - these books have a printed cover adhered to the hardcover. A gloss laminate provides a more durable cover that will have less chance of ripping, even when opened over and over again by little hands.
- Copyright - Your work is copyrighted the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device (per the U.S. Copyright Office). Copyright protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Registration is voluntary. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.
- CS - Short for CreateSpace.com. Now defunct, CreateSpace has merged with KDP.com (see below).
- Distributor - Company, group or individual who sells products or services to retailers instead of to consumers.
- DPI - Dots per inch. Convention expressing graphic resolution of a graphic file, resolution of a computer monitor, or potential printing density of a computer printer.
- EAN Bookland Barcode - A machine-readable translation of the ISBN.
- LCCN - Library of Congress Control Number assigned by the Library of Congress to titles it is likely to acquire.
- ebook - Electronic file format to which books may be published. Although dedicated devices may be used to read eBooks, they may be read on other platforms such as PDAs and personal computers as well.
- Formatting - 1) Process by which a design team lays out a manuscript to create book pages. 2) Text effect applied to characters to make them appear bold, italic, sheared or otherwise.
- ISBN - International Standard Book Number. Unique 13.-digit number (10 or 13 digits prior to 2007) that identifies a version of a book. In the U.S., ISBNs may be purchased through Bowker.corn or via some distributors.
- KDP.com - Kindle Direct Printing (KDP). This online site used to only publish Kindle books, but CreateSpace has merged with KDP, which now handles printing of paperback books as well.
- Kindle Create app - Kindle Create is a free interior formatting tool that works well with most books published on Amazon.com. Not suited for some non-fiction formats.
- Offset Printing - Common printing technology that applies layers one at a time. A reverse image of each color interfaces with the page via a roller. The roller presses against the paper applying the proper color of ink.
- PDF (Portable Document Format) - Adobe Systems file format that can be precisely reproduced on different systems. PDF files are often sent to a printer.
- POD (Print on Demand) - A process whereby individual copies or small numbers of a text are printed to order using digital technology.
- Print-Ready - Final PDF files of a book that have been flight-checked and are ready to go to the printer. See also PDF (Portable Document File).
- Royalty - Payment to a book’s author that is usually a percentage of sales revenue.
- Subsidy Publishing or Supported Self-Publishing - A subsidy publisher shares publishing costs with the author. The publisher typically markets the book through retailers. An author must bear at least some of the cost of copyediting, typesetting, proofreading, indexing and printing the book. Some subsidy publishers require an author to purchase a large number of copies of the book to cover the costs of its initial publication.
- Wholesaler - Company, group or individual who purchases high volumes of books from a publisher at deep discounts and sells them to retailers at a discount.
Regarding Copyright (quoted from Copyright.gov)
When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.
Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within five years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law.
When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.
Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within five years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law.
Which company should I use
to create, print, or ship paperbacks?
The answer depends on what you want to do.
to create, print, or ship paperbacks?
The answer depends on what you want to do.
- To get your book listed for sale on Amazon.com: Use KDP.
But don't sign up for expanded distribution on KDP: they say they can get your book stocked into bookstores and libraries, but it won't happen—the price margins aren't good enough to make it worthwhile for B&N or other retailers. People will be able to order your book through any bookstore.
IMPORTANT NOTE: As of 3/30/2021, Amazon will not sell self-published ebooks or audiobooks to libraries. The same is true for authors published through Amazon's new imprints. - To have your book listed for sale on other channels outside of Amazon:
Use IngramSpark or Draft2Digital.
Every book that goes to B&N, Charter Books, libraries, or is ordered by another bookstore comes from Ingram, the worlds largest book distributor. IngramSpark is their self-publishing division. IngramSpark provides a direct channel to Ingram distribution, but their working interface is a little more complicated, and they charge for each manuscript (and revision) that you upload.
Draft2Digital (e-books live now and print in beta) provides a lot of the same distribution (the major players) without the hassle or the cost. Unless you crave being in the remote markets, stick with D2D. Besides, Amazon has cornered most of the market anyway.
- To ship your book to U.S. readers who order from your website, for giveaways, or to send review books to bloggers, etc.: Use KDP or Snowfall Press. Both are inexpensive and quick.
- For printing copies to have with you for autographing: Use Snowfall Press, IngramSpark, or Draft2Digital.
[For AZ writers, the local outlet for Snowfall Press is in Phoenix, saving shipping costs entirely if you pick up your books from their south Phoenix location at D&L Press (www.dandlpress.com/)]
Self-Publishing Companies to Beware Of
Unfortunately, a number of predatory companies exist that want only to get your money and return nothing.
You can read reviews of Companies for Assisted Publishing (by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors:
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/allis-self-publishing-service-directory/self-publishing-service-reviews/
Here is a list (from https://self-publishingschool.com/vanity-press/#avoid) that are known to be (or have been) bad choices. Some items below have links to more in-depth reviews.
Unfortunately, a number of predatory companies exist that want only to get your money and return nothing.
You can read reviews of Companies for Assisted Publishing (by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors:
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/allis-self-publishing-service-directory/self-publishing-service-reviews/
Here is a list (from https://self-publishingschool.com/vanity-press/#avoid) that are known to be (or have been) bad choices. Some items below have links to more in-depth reviews.
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Author Solutions
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Children's Books
BLURB for creation & printing. www.blurb.com/childrens-books
I mentioned an online service that allows authors to create children's picture books and delivers printed copies. That company is called Blurb (www.blurb.com/childrens-books). I haven't used them myself, but I've read good reviews of the company and the finished product.
Snowfall Press for printing. Various sizes of case-laminate books can be printed through Snowfall.
SCBWI. www.scbwi.org
The acronym stands for Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. This is a good group to join for contacts and information. They have meetings and workshops, although most are held in Phoenix or Tempe. Online resources include illustrators who have portfolios of their work.
BLURB for creation & printing. www.blurb.com/childrens-books
I mentioned an online service that allows authors to create children's picture books and delivers printed copies. That company is called Blurb (www.blurb.com/childrens-books). I haven't used them myself, but I've read good reviews of the company and the finished product.
Snowfall Press for printing. Various sizes of case-laminate books can be printed through Snowfall.
SCBWI. www.scbwi.org
The acronym stands for Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. This is a good group to join for contacts and information. They have meetings and workshops, although most are held in Phoenix or Tempe. Online resources include illustrators who have portfolios of their work.
Website Creation
I recommend a couple of companies (Weebly and Wix) to you because they have free options that are easy to use and maintain without having to hire a designer. The website you're viewing was made with Weebly (www.weebly.com). If you need more than the free option provides, they have paid options described on their sites.
You may also use WordPress to design a website (and it's free), but this requires a bit of work at the outset. Once the site is in place, though, using it is relatively easy. New (at least to me) "builder" plugins that allow modular creation and movement of page elements make WordPress much more manageable. Some of these are free, but I think even the paid themes (Divi being one) might be worth the cost.
Take a look at other authors' websites to get an idea of the different things you can do to "sell" your book.
I recommend a couple of companies (Weebly and Wix) to you because they have free options that are easy to use and maintain without having to hire a designer. The website you're viewing was made with Weebly (www.weebly.com). If you need more than the free option provides, they have paid options described on their sites.
You may also use WordPress to design a website (and it's free), but this requires a bit of work at the outset. Once the site is in place, though, using it is relatively easy. New (at least to me) "builder" plugins that allow modular creation and movement of page elements make WordPress much more manageable. Some of these are free, but I think even the paid themes (Divi being one) might be worth the cost.
Take a look at other authors' websites to get an idea of the different things you can do to "sell" your book.
Editors and Types of Edits
Many editors will allow you to send a few pages from your work in progress and they'll provide a sample of their work (a brief edit), as well as an estimate of charges for the project.
Self-Editing Tools I Recommend:
Before you solicit the help of others for editing, you should edit your own work. A number of great tools have emerged in recent years that make your prose shine. Here are a few:
Editing comes in a number of flavors:
Local Editors I can recommend:
Writing & Critique Meetups around the Phoenix area:
Many editors will allow you to send a few pages from your work in progress and they'll provide a sample of their work (a brief edit), as well as an estimate of charges for the project.
Self-Editing Tools I Recommend:
Before you solicit the help of others for editing, you should edit your own work. A number of great tools have emerged in recent years that make your prose shine. Here are a few:
- Pro Writing Aid Prowritingaid.com
- Writer's Diet http://writersdiet.com/
- Grammarly https://www.grammarly.com/
Editing comes in a number of flavors:
- Developmental editing
The editor works with the author to develop a manuscript from initial concept, outline, or draft (or some combination of the three) through any number of subsequent drafts, making suggestions about content, organization, and presentation, based on analysis of competing works, comments of expert reviewers, the client’s market analysis, and other appropriate references, rewriting, writing, and researching, as needed, and sometimes suggesting topics or providing information about topics for consideration of authors and client. - Substantive editing
The most intensive form of editing. The document is evaluated as a whole and problems of structure, organization, coherence, and logical consistency are corrected. Sentences may be removed or added. Paragraphs may be rewritten, condensed, or expanded. Blocks of text may be moved from one section to another. - Copy editing
The editor corrects problems of grammar, style, repetition, word usage, and jargon. - Proofreading
Proofreading is the lightest form of editing. Minor errors are corrected. Minor errors include:
• errors of grammar and style
• errors of capitalization, punctuation
• errors of spelling and word usage
Local Editors I can recommend:
- Shanan Winters http://wintersmithpress.com
- Victoria Hay http://www.thecopyeditorsdesk.com/about-us/
The companies below are suggested by Jane Friedman:
- Copy Write Consultants offer very affordable copyediting and proofreading services for any genre.
- Reedsy is a marketplace of book publishing professionals.
Writing & Critique Meetups around the Phoenix area:
- Visit http://bit.ly/2rf7iF7
For those not in Phoenix, check Meetup.com for "writing" or "critique.
Freelance Help
Reedsy is a marketplace of book publishing professionals.
Another one-stop shop for many kinds of services, from editing to illustration and more, is www.upwork.com. The freelancers listed there are rated by the people who have used them previously, which helps in selecting someone new.
Cover Designers and Artists I Can Recommend:
Reedsy is a marketplace of book publishing professionals.
Another one-stop shop for many kinds of services, from editing to illustration and more, is www.upwork.com. The freelancers listed there are rated by the people who have used them previously, which helps in selecting someone new.
Cover Designers and Artists I Can Recommend:
- Reedsy Reedsy.com
- Bespoke Book Covers http://bespokebookcovers.com/
- Trevor Smith trevorsmithart.com
- 99 Designs 99Designs.com
What are ISBN, EAN, & LCN?
ISBN: International Standard Book Number. ISBNs are purchased by the publisher and cannot be sold or re-assigned.
An ISBN is required to sell a book through traditional channels. Most self-publishing services will provide you with an ISBN, or you can obtain your own. (In the US, you can buy through MyIdentifiers.com.)
EAN Bookland Barcode: A machine-readable translation of the ISBN.
LCCN: Library of Congress Control Number assigned by the Library of Congress to titles it is likely to acquire.
Note: An ISBN is not required for basic distribution through most retailers. Many provide one free. You may also purchase one (or more) through MyIdentifiers.com. (Note: this is pricey).
LCCN: Library of Congress Control Number assigned by the Library of Congress to titles it is likely to acquire.
Note: An ISBN is not required for basic distribution through most retailers. Many provide one free. You may also purchase one (or more) through MyIdentifiers.com. (Note: this is pricey).
How-to Guides/Sites for Self-Publishing
The Six Best Blogs (and Websites) for Indie Authors
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/60852-six-great-blogs-for-indie-authors.html
This list, compiled by Publisher’s Weekly, includes Jane Friedman,
Joel Friedlander (“The Book Designer”), Joanna Penn (“The Creative Penn”), Indies Unlimited, CJ Lyons’ “No Rules Just Write,” and Passive Guy’s “The Passive Voice.”
- Jane Friedman https://janefriedman.com/
- Pocket Guide to Self-Publishing:
https://www.ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/Pocket%20Guide%20to%20Publishing.pdf - KDP Jumpstart:
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202187740
The Six Best Blogs (and Websites) for Indie Authors
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/60852-six-great-blogs-for-indie-authors.html
This list, compiled by Publisher’s Weekly, includes Jane Friedman,
Joel Friedlander (“The Book Designer”), Joanna Penn (“The Creative Penn”), Indies Unlimited, CJ Lyons’ “No Rules Just Write,” and Passive Guy’s “The Passive Voice.”
Promotional Materials
- 405 Media 405Media.com
- Wicked Cheap Bookmarks WickedCheapBookmarks.com
- 55 Printing 55Printing.com
- Sticker Shop Stickershop.com
- VistaPrint vistaprint.com
Where to find free photos
(and a caution)
Many sites offer free photos or images, but you should be aware of a few things before downloading and including them in your book.
Many websites provide pictures you can download for private use (e.g. background wallpapers) yet disallow images to be used commercially (such as on business cards, websites, posters, or in books). Now, however, a number of sites provide pictures that you can use without paying a fee and without of copyright infringement. I found a website that offers most everything you need to know. I'll give you the URL (site address) in a moment. Read the notes when downloading the photo. Sometimes, you are asked to credit the owner in a certain way, typically with certain words of attribution in a caption. (Captions are always a good idea, whether in your book, on a website, or anywhere the photo is placed).
This is the link to today's best sites for downloading royalty-free photos and graphics:
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-websites-for-free-stock-photographs/
DON'T use photos commercially that are not permitted for commercial use. This pertains particularly to getting photos from Google Images. When you find a photo there, also be sure to check if it's truly free. Here's an example. I went to Google.com, clicked on "Images" in the menu, and searched for "free picture of mississippi bridge." Many pictures came up; these were the first two. Though you may not be able to see it, my mouse was hovering over the second, which reveals that it is "licensable."
Many websites provide pictures you can download for private use (e.g. background wallpapers) yet disallow images to be used commercially (such as on business cards, websites, posters, or in books). Now, however, a number of sites provide pictures that you can use without paying a fee and without of copyright infringement. I found a website that offers most everything you need to know. I'll give you the URL (site address) in a moment. Read the notes when downloading the photo. Sometimes, you are asked to credit the owner in a certain way, typically with certain words of attribution in a caption. (Captions are always a good idea, whether in your book, on a website, or anywhere the photo is placed).
This is the link to today's best sites for downloading royalty-free photos and graphics:
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-websites-for-free-stock-photographs/
DON'T use photos commercially that are not permitted for commercial use. This pertains particularly to getting photos from Google Images. When you find a photo there, also be sure to check if it's truly free. Here's an example. I went to Google.com, clicked on "Images" in the menu, and searched for "free picture of mississippi bridge." Many pictures came up; these were the first two. Though you may not be able to see it, my mouse was hovering over the second, which reveals that it is "licensable."
Screenshot of Google.com, search results.
When you click the photo on the right, the screen changes to show an enlarged version of that photo with details about it. Click the large picture to see more info and to download it.
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While no specific information can be found here about the need for attribution or royalty, clicking on "Needpix.com" in the upper left brings up their main page, which says:
Welcome to needpix.com! Over 2+ million royalty free, public domain images for all your needs. So you may use this picture any way you like. It's always a good idea to keep notes about where you obtained the photo and a list of any royalties you may pay, too. |
Book Review Sites
Company Website
Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/
Feathered Quill https://featheredquill.com/
Kirkus Reviews https://www.kirkusreviews.com/
BookPage https://bookpage.com/
Reader’s Choice https://readersfavorite.com/
Book Reporter BookReporter.com
Book Review BookReview.com
Armchair Interviews http://www.armchairinterviews.com/
Blog Critics BlogCritics.org
Book Ideas BookIdeas.com
Library Journal https://reviews.libraryjournal.com/
Publishers Weekly https://selfpublishingadvice.org/publishers-weekly-reviews/
Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/get-reviewed
BookBrowse https://www.bookbrowse.com/
Blue Ink Review https://www.blueinkreview.com/
Indie Reader https://indiereader.com/
Small Press Reviews https://smallpressreviews.wordpress.com/
Compulsive Reader http://www.compulsivereader.com/
Mostly Fiction http://bookreview.mostlyfiction.com/
My Shelf http://myshelf.com/reviews.htm
New Pages https://www.newpages.com/reviews
ForeWord Review https://publishers.forewordreviews.com/reviews/
Booklife http://booklife.com/about-us/review-submission-guidelines.html
Indents & Styles
Don't use spaces or tabs. Use INDENTS instead
One thing you should avoid doing when composing your manuscript is the use of spaces or tabs to indent or adjust lines of text. The reason is that, especially with ebooks, text flows in ways you can't predict. The reader has control over the appearance of the text and so your text must be kept basic and "flowable."
Instead of using tabs or spaces, you should learn how to indent properly. It's pretty simple, and I found a video that I think you'll like:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AccQ3S1bOSA&ab_channel=professorjedi
Instead of using tabs or spaces, you should learn how to indent properly. It's pretty simple, and I found a video that I think you'll like:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AccQ3S1bOSA&ab_channel=professorjedi
Using Styles
Once you've mastered indents, go on to learn about styles. You'll be glad you did. (At least I was.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2lES-5Ynbk&ab_channel=GCFLearnFree.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2lES-5Ynbk&ab_channel=GCFLearnFree.org