How to get a book published
There are two main ways to publish your own book, the information below is meant to help you understand your options so you can get your own book published the best way possible. Also read below for our article on, "Things to look out for when choosing a company to self publish your own book."
Traditional publishing
In traditional publishing, the author completes his or her manuscript, hires a literary agent who will writes a query letter or a proposal, and submits these documents to a publishing house. An editor reads it, considers whether it is right for the house, and decides either to reject it (leaving the author free to offer it to another publisher) or to publish it. If the publishing house decides to publish the book, the publishing house buys the rights from the writer and pays the author an advance on future royalties. This basically acts as a loan for the author as the author must make back the advance or risk owing the publishing house money the book did not earn. The publisher puts up the money to design the book, prints as many copies of the book as it thinks will sell, markets the book, and finally distributes the finished book to the public.
Self publishing
The process is a bit different for self publishing. An author who decides to self publish must proofread the final text or purchase an editing service. In self publishing, the author provides the funds required to publish the book and have the book designed. The author is responsible for their own marketing, selling or filling orders, and printing of their own book. In the past, the author had to decide on the number of copies to print, sometimes resulting in too many books purchased and stacks of unsold books gathering dust. Fortunately, with Print on Demand (POD) technology, the authors can have fewer copies printed-only as many as they need, in fact. One of the biggest benefits of self publishing is the amount of money you are able to make from your book, see blow.
Editing is now included in the Publishing and Marketing packages offered by A Book's Mind. In addition to the marketing material created for authors in these packages, A Book's Mind markets and distributes their author's books. With the addition of www.abooksmart.com, a new online bookstore, authors reach a new market to sell their books and can securely sell their e-books online. A Book's Mind author’s receive priority in the www.abooksmart.com quarterly catalog to book reviewers and bookstores across the U.S. and are included in the monthly newsletter to a growing list of consumers.
Fundamental differences of traditional publishing and self publishing
Time: With traditional publishing, a manuscript can take years to become a book. First, an author may have to pitch the manuscript to several literary agents, then to publishing houses before it is picked up. Considering that publishing houses can take six to eight months to get to your manuscript, and that you will likely have to try multiple publishing houses before you get one to show interest, can take years before you negotiate a deal with your book. That's a lot of waiting. Then, if a house does decide to take your book, the actual process of producing the book takes at least another year. Admittedly, this process applies mainly to fiction. Nonfiction books that are topical and relevant to current world events might be pushed through more quickly. With self-publishing, depending on the company, an author can literally have a finished book in his or her hands within one to two months. Of course, authors have to pay for this service, which raises the issue of money.
Money: With self publishing, you often pay thousands of dollars, depending on the company you choose. In contrast, with traditional publishing, you are paid an advance, ranging from small sums to seven-digit figures for more established authors. In traditional publishing, the publishing house promotes your book. When you self publish, both you and the company promote to get your book into stores and into people's hands. The major payoff for all of your self publishing efforts come from the amount of money you make per book sold. With traditional publishing the author might see as little as $0.15 per book sold, making it difficult to pay back the advance, where as with self publishing the author can make much more. With self publishing, if the author is paying $4.99 to print a book and selling for $14.99, the author is making $10.00 per book.
Control: Often an author's joy at selling a manuscript turns into despair when an over-zealous editor at a publishing house rips that manuscript into unrecognizable shreds. Publishers might refuse to publish a book because it is too controversial, doesn't fit the house's list, or simply because it won't sell. With self-publishing, the author has much greater control over the contents, design, and appearance, as well as where the book is marketed and distributed.
Having looked at the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus self publishing, ask yourself some tough questions about what is best for you, your intentions, and your manuscript. Are you willing to play the waiting game in order for a traditional publisher to pay to have your book created? Or is the control of your manuscript, quick turnaround, and making more money per book more important?
The good news is that the available tools - POD, Internet, and online booksellers - are leveling the playing field between traditionally published and self published books. Authors now have more options when it comes to getting a book published and are finding self publishing to be a very lucrative alternative
Things to look out for when choosing a company to self publish your own book
Very important to read this before selecting a self publishing company
The cost to print your book
When you're thinking of getting a book published or self publishing your own book, you should ask yourself the following question. Is the book just for my family and friends, or do I plan on selling my book and making money from it? If you plan on selling and making money from your book, there is more to consider than just the publishing price. When you're getting a book published, one of the most common things that are overlooked is the cost of printing your book. You might find a publishing company that will self publish your own book for a good price, but you might be paying way more to print your book.
We compared the printing cost of three of our competitors. For our example, we compared the printing cost of our theoretical book, a 152 page, 6X9 paperback book.
AuthorHouse: $7.82 per book
LuLu: $7.41 per book
BookSurge: $7.98 per book
A Book's Mind: $3.27 per book
A Book's Mind prints the same book, with the same quality for $3.27 a book. That means that our authors are making around $4.50 more per book sold. Another benefit of having your book published with A Book's Mind is that if you happen to find a lower price to print your book, you're able to print there, no strings attached. With other publishing companies you might be under contract to print with them and their inflated price. Check out our income example and see how much money you can make with your book through hand-to-hand sales and our distribution channels.
Does the publishing company charge extra for custom designed covers?
Almost all self publishing companies will have an attractive, low list, price for publishing but as you look deeper you'll find that custom designed covers and interiors come with a larger price tag. On top of that, if you want a personalized back cover, that's extra as well. There is a lot of competition for authors and it's important that your cover looks excellent and appeals to customers. When you're getting a book published with A Book's Mind, you're getting custom designed covers, and even illustrated covers, at no additional cost. A Book's Mind develops a custom design, literally from the ground up, for both the cover and interior for every book. No templates are ever used, meaning your book will be completely unique, at no extra cost.
Does the publishing company charge extra if you want graphics in your book?
The majority of publishing companies will charge extra, as much as $25 per image or graphic, that you want inserted into your book. That gets added on to your publishing price and can easily end up costing hundreds more than what you planned to spend to publish your own book. With A Book's Mind, there is no additional formatting charge for adding graphics into your book. A Book's Mind provides a sample design using your manuscript and allows you complete freedom to revise what our team has built.
A Books Mind
A Book's Mind is quickly being recognized as a leader in customer satisfaction and superior cover designs in the publishing industry. Contact A Book's Mind to start your publishing experience today.
