A few months ago, I'd written a blog post on the Glimpse website about the process of self-publishing. There are two categories when it comes to self-publishing – print and digital. I'm going to reblog my original post about the process of getting your manuscript ready for print. Next week or some time after, I'll do one for digital.
When I started writing Glimpse, I didn’t know whether or not I would print physical copies. In today’s world, anything and everything is done online. As much as I love holding a book in my hands, I really didn’t think it would be worth it for me to print a trade copy. After some self-debate and polling of friends and family, I decided to go ahead with it. I’ve self-published before and I know how much of a task I would be taking on. It’s been nearly five years since the last time I’ve gone through the process and things have changed quite a bit. I figured I’d give you all some insight into the operation.
The first thing to worry about is editing. Odds are, if you’re self-publishing, you're hard-pressed in the money department. Hiring an editor is not cheap. A keen eye and an understand of everything English is completely necessary. And you still won’t catch everything. Professional editors who work for Ingram Publishing don’t catch everything. I learned that the hard way the first time. The magic of an independent book, however, is that if it’s made with enough love and passion, it doesn’t need to be perfect. In the world of writing, there will always and forever be mistakes and typos. Nonetheless, it’s still frustrating to catch something after your book as gone into print. Hence, second and third (and fourth and twelfth) editions. If you can swing the dough (and I highly suggest saving up), get yourself on Elance (or whatever equivalent) and get an editor. You can find some excellent talent at fairly reason prices (for editing). A good edit with bring your book to levels you never knew it could (or needed to) go. If you need some direction, feel free to email me or leave a comment with your email address, and I'll be sure to point you the right way.
Next, it’s all about formatting. Certain self-publishing houses will guide you in the process, but these are companies that sell packaged deals and mark up the purchase of copies quite significantly. This is the route I went the last time, at first. After smartening up and realizing that I could pay less cost per book, I made the switch to a company that does nothing but print. No support. No formatting. That meant I had to do everything myself (and again with Glimpse). It’s not easy, but it’s worth it in the end.
In my case, I had to worry about illustrations. It’s one thing to have to format every line of text, every page number, every chapter, copyright page, Table Of Contents page, and anything else that goes into the writing portion. But to add in formatting illustrations for print? A whole different monster. Now I had to worry about color matching, clarity and print quality, and accuracy on each page. Once you submit your manuscript, the printing press makes no further alterations. Wherever your files are and however they are positioned is how they will print. Math plays a large part in the procedure, and a mathematician I am not.
The next step is the cover. Before anything is started, an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) number is necessary. Individually, they are $125. For a block of 10, $250. Quite a steep discount at that price. For any version of the book you publish (hardcover, paperback, e-book, etc.) a unique number needs to be assigned, however, so you end up using them quite quickly. Just five years ago, they were $50. Some inflation, huh?
Getting your cover set up is more than just the front of the book. There are a plethora of different sizes you can choose from when publishing a book. It’s really up to you and what style you are looking for. I chose 8.5 x 5.5 for Glimpse. This is because the book is a hybrid between a novel and a graphic novel. I wanted to keep it convenient for others to carry with them and also to store in your library at home.
The spine of the book is just as important. It’s the first thing people are going to see when Glimpse is sitting on a bookshelf (hopefully) somewhere. It needs to be centered and perfect, and that is so much easier said than done.
The next step is to submit the manuscript for approval. As long as the file types are right, they’ll be accepted and then the printing process beings. There is a set up fee for every new title of give or take $100. After everything is accepted processed, it is time to order a proof. A proof runs about $30 (and costs $30 for every subsequent one ordered if corrections needs to be made). After you are satisfied, you can lock in your title and start ordering real prints. If your manuscript needs to be edited, it will cost another $40 to edit and re-submit.
It is a painstakingly tedious process that demands patience (and money). However, once you you have that final product in your hand, it’s all worth it.
-Justin