The Publishing Process (pt. 2)

Welcome back to this little series! The blog was put on pause for a little bit, but now we're back with Part 2 of 'The Publishing Process'. Last week (or rather, the week before that) I discussed the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing. I hope I made it clear that there are no wrong answers. This is your novel. Your baby. The choice is all yours.

And no matter which method of printing you choose, the show must go on. Because the publishing process doesn't stop there. If you're going to get your book out into the world, it's gotta be done right. Which means the smart thing to do, even if you are self-publishing, is to hire professionals that will do it right.

That's what this article is going to help you with.

PT. 2: WHO TO HIRE

I don't know about you, but it's a lot easier for me to understand something seemingly complicated when there's a list for me to read.

So here's a list of the jobs it's wisest for you to hire professionals for:

-Formatting/Layout Design

Your book's pages will be transferred from a Word document or a notebook to a digital file, which can then be transferred properly into a physical book. This can cost hundreds of dollars, depending on how long your novel is. Hiring someone else to do it isn't really a choice, unless you have years of experience and training.

-Cover Design

A beautiful design will cost you hundreds as well. The book cover is very important, so some may try to take advantage of this and charge you even more. But if the price gets too close to $1,000, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

-Editing/Copy Editing

Something you can not skip. The process will be draining, but you'll never regret hiring an editor. Oh, and yes, copy editing is a different thing. Copy editing checks for misspelling, bad grammar, and hard-to-read sentences, while other types of editing (like 'developmental') polishes your story and how you tell it. All of this usually costs 5 to 15 cents per word (which adds up to thousands, by the way).

-Illustrations

A professional artist can add some colour and life to the pages of your novel. But they are pretty expensive--more expensive than editing, sometimes. So make sure your book needs illustration in order to survive.

-eBook Conversion

If you want your novel to reach the far corners of the universe, eBook conversion is probably the way to go. Sites like Kindle and Lulu allow you to publish a digital version of your novel. If you only want your novel to be published as an eBook, the process is surprisingly simple. But if you're publishing your novel physically first, the conversion will cost you roughly $1,000.

This is why I say publishing your book is so expensive. It's not the actual printing that takes all your cash, it's the all the things leading up to the printing. But I can assure you that hiring professionals to do these things will pay off. If professionals are working on your novel, then your novel will come out of the publishing process looking professional.

Another thing you'll need is an ISBN. It's the identification on the back of every published book, sort of like a barcode, that allows you to find a copy of that specific book from anywhere in the world, from libraries to online stores.

Everything you need to know about ISBN's here:

https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-get-an-isbn/?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter

Remember to do your research! I only learned all this after months of internet searching.

There's one more, absolutely critical thing that I haven't mentioned....

Because I'll be discussing it in the next article!

Tune in for Part 3: "Marketing Your Novel"!

#writershelp #writerproblems #novel