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    Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book: Writer Talk
    Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book: Writer Talk
    Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book: Writer Talk
    Ebook60 pages53 minutes

    Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book: Writer Talk

    By Martina Sprague

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    About this ebook

    Self-publishing used to be the last resort when an author had exhausted all other channels. Self-publishing meant that your book wasn’t good enough for a traditional publisher. Even if you knew your sales would be virtually nil, you self-published because your vanity required it; you self-published so that you could say that you had published a book, even if it never sold a single copy. Since the e-book explosion, self-publishing no longer carries the stigma it did a few years ago; it is no longer considered equivalent to vanity publishing.

    If you choose to go independent, your luck is that self-publishing has become a whole lot easier in the last few years since the advent of the digital age. Self-publishing is no longer a last resort, but a conscious choice that comes with many advantages over traditional publishing. The technology available today has made it possible to self-publish in both electronic and paperback versions, even if you don’t have a penny to invest in the process. The electronic book market is growing, and publishers have traditionally paid lousy royalties on electronic books. Despite your lack of publishing experience, you might have a better chance making money if you self-publish rather than pursue a traditional publisher.

    But knowledge is power, and it is crucial to educate yourself on the process and be aware of the factors that might influence your decision. Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book, offers a number of tips that will raise your awareness of the benefits of self-publishing over traditional publishing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMartina Sprague
    Release dateDec 30, 2014
    ISBN9781507052099
    Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book: Writer Talk
    Author

    Martina Sprague

    Martina Sprague grew up in the Stockholm area of Sweden. She has a Master of Arts degree in Military History from Norwich University in Vermont and has studied a variety of combat arts since 1987. As an independent scholar, she writes primarily on subjects pertaining to military and general history, politics, and instructional books on the martial arts. For more information, please visit her website: www.modernfighter.com.

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      Book preview

      Going Indie - Martina Sprague

      Writer Talk

      ––––––––

      Going Indie

      25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book

      ––––––––

      by Martina Sprague

      Copyright 2014 Martina Sprague

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      ––––––––

      Introduction

      Warming Up To The Task

      1. What Should You Write?

      2. No-Cost Publishing

      3. Benefits Of Electronic Book Reading

      4. Indie Independence

      Traditional Versus Indie Publishing

      5. The Decision

      6. The Stigma Of Self-Publishing Is Dying

      7. Thank The Digital Age

      8. But What About Prestige?

      9. What Dangers Might Be Lurking All Around You?

      10. Is Self-Publishing Harming Traditional Publishers?

      11. What The Critics Say

      Writing And Designing Your Book

      12. What Is Your Writing Routine?

      13. Are Self-Published Books Poorly Edited?

      14. Choosing A Title

      15. Writing The Description

      16. Designing The Cover

      17. Designing The Print Version

      Pricing And Selling Your Book

      18. How Well Will Your Book Sell?

      19. How Should You Price Your Book?

      20. Getting Paid

      Networking And Marketing

      21. Benefits Of Open Communication

      22. Benefits And Drawbacks Of Social Networking

      23. Marketing Your Book

      24. Should You Give Away Books For Free?

      25. How Important Are Reviews?

      Summary Of Important Points

      INTRODUCTION

      ––––––––

      Self-publishing used to be the last resort when an author had exhausted all other channels. Self-publishing meant that your book wasn’t good enough for a traditional publisher. Even if you knew your sales would be virtually nil, you self-published because your vanity required it; you self-published so that you could say that you had published a book, even if it never sold a single copy.

      Since the e-book explosion, self-publishing no longer carries the stigma it did a few years ago; it is no longer considered equivalent to vanity publishing. Moreover, we now know that there are many reasons why a traditional publisher may turn down a book that is otherwise interesting and well-written. (For more on this subject, see Confessions of a Published Author: 47 Truths About What Can Go Right and Wrong When Selling Your Book to a Traditional Publisher, also by Martina Sprague.)

      If you choose to go independent, your luck is that self-publishing has become a whole lot easier in the last few years since the advent of the digital age. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other self-publishing platforms offer great programs for free. Many authors, myself included, who have published extensively with traditional houses, are now choosing to self-publish their work. Self-publishing is no longer a last resort, but a conscious choice that comes with many advantages over traditional publishing. Self-publishing requires both knowledge and tenacity, however. Services that a traditional publisher normally provides, such as editing, formatting, and designing the cover must now be done by the author. With this in mind, the bigger question might be why you would choose to self-publish rather than pursue a traditional approach to getting your work into the market.

      One reason is that the technology available today has made it possible to self-publish in both electronic and paperback versions, even if you don’t have a penny to invest in the process. Another reason is that the electronic book market is growing, and publishers have traditionally paid lousy royalties on electronic books, even though they have no large sums of money invested in the electronic version. Despite your lack of publishing experience, you might have a better chance making money if you self-publish rather than pursue a traditional publisher.

      Self-publishing is also an attractive alternative if you write on a specialty subject with a small audience. Even if you manage to land a contract with a traditional publisher, you will probably only earn a few hundred dollars over the life of the book. By self-publishing, you control the marketing of your book, and can potentially reach a greater audience by using the Internet to spread the word to thousands or even millions of possible customers. Moreover, many traditional publishers are not interested in pursuing specialty subjects that prove difficult to sell, and you might spend years trying to land a contract without ever succeeding.

      The money you earn (I don’t like to call it royalties, because Amazon and other book sellers technically don’t pay you royalties; you pay them a commission on each book sold) on your self-published book, even if

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