Self Publishing Basics

Steps to Self Publishing for Stay at Home Mom Income

Self publishing basics for stay at home mom income can be found right here. If you have decided that the traditional publishing route is not for you, follow these steps to self publishing to get your book printed.

Self publishing has been around since the printing press was invented. In fact, the first books printed were written by the publisher and then distributed to others. It's only in the last century with the advent of publishing houses that the steps to self publishing have gotten a bad reputation.

But is it deserved? If you are a stay at home mom who has written a novel, you may want to consider self publishing versus going through a big publishing house. In this article we will take a look at some self publishing basics to help you decide which path is right for you.

The steps to self publishing aren't as difficult as you might think. If you've explored the traditional publishing method, then you know how challenging it is to get your work in front an agent and a publisher. It's time consuming and often frustrating for a new writer.

Even if you do get lucky and have a publishing company take on your work, you are going to be giving up creative control of some aspects of the publishing process.

Often writers are asked to make changes that they may or may not agree with. Editors can demand lengthy re-writes which are time consuming and delay the release of the book.

Even things like what the cover of your book looks like may be out of your control. If these are things that concern you as a writer, self publishing is another option where the writer publishes the work themselves and pays for all the out of pocket costs.

Once done, the author can sell and market the books how they see fit with all the profit going directly into their pocket. This is one of the most important things to remember from the self publishing basics.

How do they publish the book? The steps to self publishing begin with writing the manuscript and editing it. So far this is just like traditional publishing, but this is where the similarities end.

One of the self publishing basics is that the author forms his/her own publishing company which allows them to make decisions about the front and back matter (table of contents, bibliography), the cover design, the margins of the book and the size.

Once done, arrangements are made to send the book to a printer. They print out a certain number of copies which the author pays for. The author is then free to sell or market the book anyway he/she sees fit.

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Why Self Publish?

Another of the best self publishing basics to realize is that self publishing allows the author to retain all the rights to their work. There are no contract negotiations to haggle over. Control of what the book cover will look like and the format of the book remain with the author, too.

As the publisher, the author also gets a higher profit margin. As you study the self publishing basics, you'll note that there is a quicker turn around time in this style of publishing as far as getting the physical book in the reader's hands. Perhaps, the best reason of all to follow the steps of self publishing is that you will actually be published!

Unfortunately, the steps to self publishing can lead down a rocky path. It does take money to self publish your book, and you will not have the name of a big publishing house to give your work credibility.

Many publishers don't like to work with self publishers because often the self published novel isn't very well edited.

One way to counter act that negativity is to learn some self publishing basics like the importance of editing, or hire a copy editor to review your work before publishing it.

Another drawback of this style of publishing is marketing. With a traditional publisher or even a small press, they will assist in some marketing aspects. As a self publisher, marketing and its financial cost are all up to you.

While you may have the joy of holding the physical book in your hands, it's harder for a self published novel to sit on the shelf of a brick and mortar book store.

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Print on Demand

Another part of the self publishing basics to be aware of is the option to send your manuscript to a print on demand (POD) publisher.

These subsidiary presses, sometimes called "vanity" presses, are similar to self publishing except they usually have more things you can pay for when it comes to designing your book.

To learn more about POD presses and get a list of them, click here. As a stay at home mom, you should explore all the options available to getting your book published.

There are many steps to self publishing, as well as, traditional publishing, but with careful research and thought, you can decide which road is best for you.

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Related Pages

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Steps to Writing a Book

Getting Your Book Published Traditionally

Print on Demand Publishers

Marketing Your Book

How to Publish an eBook

Marketing Your eBook

Become an Infopreneur

Become a Freelance Writer

Your Book Website

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