This article is Part 4 of a four-part series on self-publishing from the point of having a polished and edited manuscript that’s ready to go.
I went over hiring a book formatter, getting a book cover, getting an ISBN, a barcode, and an LCCN. You can check out the first three articles at the end of this one.
Now it’s on to the steps to upload your book for publishing and distribution.
At this point, you should have your print-ready files in hand.
Okay, let me backtrack just a bit.
Pricing Your Book
When you register for the ISBN and the LCCN, you’ll be asked the price of your book, so figure that out beforehand if you can. If you can’t figure it out, you’ll definitely need to figure out what you’ll be charging at this point.
First know that different retailers may have different pricing rules. Check the retailers you’ll be focusing on.
If you want an ebook and you’re going with Amazon and want a 70% royalty rate, you’ll need to price your book between $2.99 and $9.99. For a full list of Amazon’s list price requirements, click the link.
The pricing works slightly different if you’re publishing a paperback. Amazon or any other retailer or distributor will need to factor in the cost of printing.
Keep in mind that printing a children’s picture book will cost more than a non-picture book. This means your royalty per sale will be less because the printing cost will increase.
You can check out KDP Amazon printing costs with the link.
To give you an idea, my book, How to Write a Children’s Fiction Book, is 250+ pages and there no colored pictures, I went with $9.99 for paperback and $6.99 for the ebook.
I also sell the ebook directly from my website using PayPal. You can check out how that works HERE.
Now you’re up to speed and ready for uploading to an aggregator or retailer. Which will it be?
First thing is to decide what service you’ll use to distribute your book.
I published on Amazon KDP first.
I uploaded the files but forgot to take down the first version of the book, so both books ended up blocked. I did end up fixing the problem.
TIP: If you have an existing version of your book that you no longer want active, take it down before uploading the new version.
While my book on Amazon was on hold, I uploaded my files to IngramSpark, which is an aggregator. You can list your book with both Amazon and IngramSpark.
I used IngramSpark because I wanted to be able to sell from other retailers aside from Amazon.
While you can get Global Distribution with Amazon, they’re not as far-reaching as IngramSpark.
Using an aggregator for distribution allows your book to be listed in places like Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, schools, libraries, and thousands of other venues.
Other aggregators include Smashwords, Draft2Digital, Ebookit, Publish Drive, and Streetlib.
FYI: An aggregator is a service that publishes and distributes your book to multiple venues.
Other reasons IngramSpark may be necessary.
Amazon only publishes hardcover books with a minimum of 75 pages. If you write picture books or chapter books under 75 pages, you’ll have to go with IngramSpark.
Another factor is if you want a flap jacket or a duplex cover. Amazon does not provide these options.
CREATE AN ACCOUNT
Go to the retailer and/or aggregator you’re going to use.
I already had an Amazon account for two other books, so I worked on creating an IngramSpark account.
Note here: Amazon and IngramSpark are both currently free to upload an ebook or print book. Other services may not be.
You can just publish an ebook, but with POD (print on demand) there is NO extra cost for publishing a print book. It’s worth it to publish both formats. Especially since there are still those who like to hold a book, I recommend offering both.
What to do
With either service, simply click on the option you want. You’ll be asked to fill in some information to create an account: your name, email address, and password.
They’ll send a verification email for you to click on to activate your account.
Next, you’ll need to accept their agreement terms and fill out your personal or business information. Then, you’ll need to accept more agreements.
After this, you’ll be brought to a page to fill out your book’s information which will include the following:
- Title
- Subtitle
- Description
- Keywords
Think about the description and keywords carefully, as well as the keywords. These marketing tools are what will help readers find your book and motivate them to buy. This is not a step to rush through.
You’ll also need to provide your banking information to receive book sales payments. They also want a credit card on file to pay to upload and distribute your book/s, and for any other services you purchase from them.
Word of advice: Create your “Add new book” when you’re ready to upload your print-ready file. I filled out all the information before I had the file to upload and lost it all. I had to redo it.
Now onto uploading the book.
Follow Instructions
IngramSpark’s interface does have a couple of glitches, so you’ll have to be patient when you’re uploading.
Follow their instructions and if you still need help, they have a community that should be able to answer your question. IngramSpark also has a number of articles on self-publishing. Or, you can do an online search. From experience, IngramSpark’s customer service is lacking.
Pricing.
I priced my ebook at $6.99 and the print book at $14.99. At $14.99, my royalty would be about $5 if I didn’t have the max of 55% discount set.
If I priced it at $9.99, my royalty would be $2-$3.
Markets.
You’ll also be able to include other markets, such as United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Australia, and Global Connect.
I chose them all.
You can check out what your royalty will be for different prices at:
https://myaccount.ingramspark.com/Portal/Tools/PubCompCalculator
Discounting Your Book
When you fill in your pricing, you’ll be asked about Wholesale Discount for bookstores and other retailers of print books.
You can read more about discounting your books at:
https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/why-should-i-discount-my-book
I chose to go with the highest discount. While you’ll receive a much lower royalty on your sales to wholesalers, at least you’ll have the opportunity to sell more.
UPDATE: Be careful with this one. With all the fees associated with selling through IngramSpark, with the highest discount I make less than a dollar per book.
At the time of writing this article, Amazon doesn’t provide for discounts.
Returns
This is a tricky one. If you intend to sell to book stores and other retailers who buy in bulk, know that most will not purchase your book, even at a discount, if they can’t return it.
The catch with returns is that if a book is returned, you will be charged for the wholesale price of that book. So, if you allow returns, save the money from discounted purchases for a while, to ensure you have enough funds reimburse any returns.
If you do allow returns, be sure to choose “Returns – Destroy.” With this option you’ll only pay for the wholesale purchase amount, not shipping and handling fees.
I don’t know if there’s a time limit on returns from discounted sales. I’ve researched and haven’t been able to find an answer. If I do, I’ll add it to this article. If anyone knows, please add it in the comments!
Amazon automatically allows returns.
You can read more about Book Returns below:
Making Your Book Returnable
Returns 101 – What Authors Need to Know
Distribution
Once you upload your book and they approve it, the distributor (IngramSpark) or retailer (Amazon) will make it available for sale.
Hope this eases the process of self-publishing your books.
You can check out the first three articles in the series here:
Self-Publishing a Book (1) – Formatting
Self-Publishing a Book (2) – The ISBN, the Barcode, and the LCCN
Self-Publishing a Book (3) – The End of the Formatting Process
Working with so many clients, I found many need help figuring out how to self-publish. So I started Writers on the Move Publishing. See how it can help you.
Let me take a look at your notes, outline, or draft. I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. I can turn your story into a book that you’ll be proud to be author of.
Simply email at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com (please put Children’s Ghostwriter in the Subject line). Or, you can give me a call at 834—347—6700
Let’s get your story in publishable shape today!
If you already have a publishing-ready manuscript but need help with self-publishing, you can check out: Writers on the Move Press.
