Many writers decide to self publish their books, but what are the benefits and costs of doing so? We’ll discuss costs and formats, and look at cross-subsidies. If you’re ready to take the plunge, read on. You’ll soon be surprised at how easy it is to get started. Here are four ways to get started:
Benefits
The advantages of self publishing a book far outweigh the disadvantages. Publish your book yourself and have more control over the entire process. This method will give you a better chance of selling your book and making an impact. You will have a much better chance of achieving your vision for the book and earning more money, too. But you will need more time to devote to marketing your book. Self-published books may not be available in bookstores, and they will not be accepted for returns.
Vanity presses can be effective for a niche book, but you will have to pay for their services. Vanity presses also do not have the resources to reach mainstream readers. If you write a book about your experience as a teenager or an adult, it is more likely to reach a wider audience. Publishers have resources to advertise their books, have connections with book stores and online reviewers, and have a wider distribution network than you do.
Costs
There are several costs involved with self-publishing a book, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Most self-publishers choose to use print-on-demand services, but some published authors prefer to have physical copies. Costs for printing a book vary greatly, but typically range from one to two dollars per book, based on the number of copies. Online retailers also take a percentage of sales, which can add up to several thousand dollars per book. Audiobooks may cost several hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the narration.
If you choose to hire a professional editor, keep in mind that your book will cost you. A developmental editor will shape the overall structure of the book. This type of editing can cost $0.07-$0.012 per word. Copy editors, on the other hand, ensure that your book is perfectly readable. They may also fact-check your work. Finally, you will want to hire a proofreader to polish your book before hitting the Publish button.
Formats
eBook formats can be confusing for the self-published author. Ebooks are files that online book retailers accept. From text to multimedia, there are several formats to choose from. Using the right one depends on the format of your book and what it’s being used for. Some are more widely accepted than others. To get started, learn what your book needs in order to be published and find out which format you should use. Listed below are the different formats for ebooks.
Adobe InDesign is a great tool for formatting photography, cookbooks, and children’s books. InDesign includes many templates and can help you create a professional-looking book. Another useful tool is Vellum, a software program that organizes your ideas and makes it easier to format a book yourself. While book formatting can be daunting, it’s not hard if you follow these simple guidelines. Using a template will also help you avoid errors and save time.
Cross-subsidies
If you’re interested in gaining extra income from your book, you may have considered self-publishing. Subsidy publishers may offer turnkey book production services. Such companies are a boon to writers who don’t have time or knowledge to learn the craft of self-publishing. But one former president of a publishing company questioned whether this practice was true self-publishing.
In cross-subsidies for self-publishing books, the author partners with the publisher for a portion of the profits. These subsidy publishers don’t purchase manuscripts, and make their money from royalties the author earns. Some subsidy publishers are university or scholarly presses, which own the books and distribute them. These publishers are often less expensive, and the authors pay royalties for them.
Plagiarism
Self-publishing has made it easy for anyone to create and upload documents to Amazon, but it is not free of plagiarism. Some books are copied word for word, while others are altered to make it harder to detect. Plagiarism is a form of copyright infringement and a criminal offence. However, the good news is that this practice is relatively easy to spot, even for the inexperienced reader.
In one case, an author named Rachel Ann Nunes published a book that contained large swaths of content from another author. The reader noticed similarities between Nunes’ novel and Sam Taylor Mullens’s. Both authors denied any collusion, but it is possible that one of them has plagiarized the work of another author. The two authors were not credited with the copies. While neither author has publicly stated who stole the other’s material, the incident has created a public discussion about the nature of plagiarism in self-publishing.
Authors’ rights
Authors have many legal issues to consider when self-publishing their books. As a result, understanding these issues can be helpful. Although most authors aren’t lawyers, they’re creative types who spend countless hours developing characters and setting. Knowing what to avoid can help avoid legal problems in the future. Here are a few important points to keep in mind when self-publishing:
First, it’s important to understand that you do not own the words you wrote. The words you write belong to a third party, which means that you cannot use them in any way you’d like. Most authors agree to this when they sign with a traditional or hybrid publisher. However, you can still protect your rights by self-publishing your book. Read Starr’s article on copyright and self-publishing to learn more.