I’ve written about my process of self-publishing a book. This is the third instructional article in a four-part series.
While I’ve ghostwritten a lot of children’s books, I hadn’t followed the process after that.
I have done some illustration reviews, but usually, I handed the polished manuscript to my client with a list of illustrators and formatters, and that was it.
After a while, I realized that figuring out what to do once you have your manuscript can be a bit overwhelming. I wanted to provide my clients with more information to help them with the next step, so I decided to revise a book I had published a few years ago.
When I first wrote the book, I paid someone on Fiverr to take my Word doc manuscript, format it, design a cover, and upload it to Kindle. I had no involvement whatsoever aside from writing the manuscript.
From that experience, I learned that you need to hire someone or a service that knows what they’re doing. While sometimes going the cheap route can work out, more often it doesn’t. So, buyer beware.
Okay, back on track.
I had a book cover design service create the front and back cover. They did an amazing job.
Once the cover was ready to go, I sent my fully edited manuscript along with the cover image to the book formatter. This service is no longer in business.
Since the book I published is nonfiction, all I needed to do was send the manuscript in a Word doc along with the cover. They designed the interior and created a PDF of the book (a print-ready file), which they sent to me for review.
Once I okayed the PDF, the formatter moved on to build the ebook.
You will need to let the formatter know which selling platform or aggregator you’ll use to upload your book, such as Amazon KDP (Retailer), Smashwords (Aggregator), IngramSpark (Aggregator), or another platform. There are different formats for different publishing platforms.
Most authors publish using KDP and IngramSpark.
An aggregator distributes your book. In other words, they make it available for sale at various retailers and wholesalers, such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Not all aggregators have the same distribution network. IngramSpark has an extensive network with over 39,000 retailers, including libraries.
An overview of how it works:
After your manuscript is complete and fully edited:
- You hire an illustrator or book cover service to create the front cover, the back cover, and the spine for your book.
- The manuscript and cover go to the book formatter/designer.
- The formatting is done, and you get digital and print-ready files to upload to retailers and aggregators (like KDP and IngramSpark)
What Is The Process For A Picture Book?
I asked the formatting service I used what their process is, and it’s pretty straightforward:
The steps to get your picture book formatted:
- Submit your finalized cover.
- Submit your fully edited manuscript in MS Word format.
- Submit your images (illustrations) in a separate file. The images must be at least 300 DPI. Your illustrator should know this.
- Provide clear instructions on the placement of the images.
Let’s backtrack just a bit.
You will need a quality and fully edited manuscript, no matter what type of book you’re publishing.
And if you have a picture book or chapter book, you’ll need to hire a ‘good’ illustrator, one who knows what they’re doing.
Things you might add to your manuscript before getting it formatted:
-The dedication page. This usually goes in the front matter, before the story begins. But I’ve also seen it in the back matter.
-The author page. This brief ‘about you’ introduces you to the reader. It goes in the back matter, after the story, on a separate page. You might include an author headshot.
-The formatter/designer will include the title page and copyright page.
One thing I didn’t mention is the back cover copy.
This copy is an enticing description of the book. It should motivate the reader to actually BUY your book. Just be sure not to give the ending away.
You’ll give the back cover copy to the illustrator doing your book cover. If the illustrator has a problem with this, a good formatter will handle it.
I’ve worked with a couple of illustrators who didn’t want to handle covers, front or back.
All in all, it’s not an overly troublesome process.
Once you have all the building blocks for your book (a fully edited manuscript, the book cover, and illustrations), give them to a book formatter to build the book. The service will then provide the files you’ll need to upload an ebook, a paperback, and possibly a hardcover book.
That’s it.
Then, you create an account at Amazon, IngramSpark, or any other retailer or aggregator service you want.
Next, upload the print-ready files to the services you’ve chosen. (I have more on uploading your book in Article Four.)
Making Your Book Searchable and Findable
Retailers and aggregators will need information about your book, such as a powerful description, keywords, category, price, and so on.
Read the questions and information they ask for carefully and complete everything carefully. It’s this information that will help sell your books. It allows the distribution service to categorize your book and make it available for relevant search queries.
Once you upload your book, it can take 24-72 hours before your ebook and print book will be available for sale.
Like anything else, take it one step at a time. Knowing what to do makes it so much easier!
One Final Note
If you don’t think you can handle this process, there are self-publishing services that will put it together and publish it for you. You do need to be careful, though. There are a lot of unscrupulous services.
It’d be wise to check out some of the books the service you’re considering using has published. I’ve seen some poor-quality work (books) from services I didn’t expect would do that. If a service will publish ‘anything,’ think twice.
Keep in mind that these services will offer a wide range of services, including editing, illustrations, covers, marketing, and so on. Many of these services hire unprofessionals to keep their costs down and profits up. Again, be careful.
Working with so many clients, I now offer help for children’s authors with WRITERS ON THE MOVE SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICE. You can check it out to see if it’s a fit for your needs.
I know this is a lot of information, and I’ve tried to make it as clear and understandable as possible. If you have any questions or if I’ve missed the mark, please let me know.
You might find the first two articles in this series helpful also:
Self-Publishing a Book – Formatting (Part 1)
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2020/02/24/self-publishing-a-book-formatting/
Self-Publishing a Book – The ISBN, the Barcode, and the LCCN (Part 2)
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2020/03/01/self-publishing-isbn-barcode-lccn/
Self-publishing a book may seem overwhelming, but if you get it done in steps, it won’t feel daunting. This article discusses the ISBN, the barcode, and the LCCN. All things you’ll need for your book.
Let me take a look at your notes, outline, or draft. I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and editor. I can turn your story into a book that you’ll be proud to be author of.
Email me at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com
Let’s get your story in publishable shape today!
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