During our August meeting at Write Links, as part of our Professional Development session, we looked into self-publishing.

There are many ways of publishing from traditional publishing to self-publishing, partner publishing and other hybrids.

The benefits of self-publishing are many and it can be quite lucrative, however, most of us have seen some average self-published books and many of us are naturally weary, many of us have also heard the horror stories of authors being taken advantage of by vanity publishers . 

We were fortunate to have Anthony Puttee from Book Cover Cafe giving us an insight into self-publishing and how to do it well. Anthony also talked about what makes a good cover.

Here are Anthony’s tips on self-publishing:

1. Determine that self-publishing is right for you.
Like writing, publishing requires effort. Anything worth doing does. We all know this, but successful self-published authors have a few key traits.

·        They are goal orientated

·        They have a willingness to learn

·        They like to be the captain of their own ship

·        They want to make money from their writing

If you identify with some of these items, then you’re more likely to thrive when self-publishing your books and have a blast doing it!

2. Avoid the sharks in the publishing seas, matey!
When looking to self-publish stay clear of vanity publishing companies who prey on naive first-time authors. You can spot them because they charge crazy amounts of money to publish a poor quality book.

These companies price the books they publish outside the competitive market price which means no one will buy them. They don’t offer the flexibility authors need when self-publishing, such as pricing, book quality, optimised book categorisation, marketing strategies and more.

Always check for some testimonials and signals that help show a company’s credibility before dealing with them.

3. A good editor can make or break a book.
A good editor is on your side and should not re-write aspects of your story but simply edit and shape your words. When seeking an editor for your children’s, YA or picture book, make sure the editor has had experience with books in these genres. You don’t want an editor who has only edited tax law books working on your picture book!

4. An effective cover creates the first impression.
The purpose of the cover design should entice the potential reader, compelling them to either turn the book over to the back, or glimpse inside to find out more.

The cover design should communicate what type of book it is in a blink of an eye and appeal to your target audience. Whether we like it or not, the cover makes the first impression on any prospective reader looking to purchase a book. They’ll make a judgement on the cover before looking inside or reading the back cover description.

Avoid designers who only do logos or website design because book cover design is very different and serves a different purpose. A good book cover designer will understand what makes a book cover work.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 
The only silly question is a question that’s not asked. Don’t be afraid to ask credible sources to get good information about self-publishing. Better to ask questions upfront than make expensive mistakes.
Anthony Puttee is the founder of the award-winning publishing service vendor Book Cover Cafe. The team of ninjas at Book Cover Cafe have helped many authors, including Write Links members self-publish the smart way.

If you would like honest and pro-active guidance for delivering your book to the world, Anthony and the team can be found at BookCoverCafe.com and on Facebook here.

Anthony Puttee is the founder of the award-winning publishing service vendor Book Cover Cafe. The team of ninjas at Book Cover Cafe have helped many authors, including Write Links members self-publish the smart way.