Self-publishing is often seen as only for the vain or desperate. Here, Nina Bhadreshwar debunks the myth, and introduces us to the world of the self-publisher.
Self-publishing is like putting up an IKEA flatpack: anyone can do it, though it depends what you are doing it for. Don’t do it if your aim is to make money! I self-published for five years and it was one of the best things I ever did. It opened up doors of opportunity and a whole world that I wouldn’t have entered otherwise. I broke even, and I learnt about writing for audiences and the commercial market. It was also a real confidence boost! I felt at least that I was on the right road and began to work harder at my writing in a more professional way. Let’s face it – there are worse things to do with your time and money! OK, and there are better.
Myth 1 Self-publishing is vanity publishing
Vanity publishers charge you a large sum of money to do all the production work, then claim to pay you royalties on sales made, but having already received all your cash upfront, there is no real incentive for them to market and sell your book. If the ‘Published by…’ statement on the title page is not your name and/or you are being offered ‘royalties’, then it’s vanity publishing.
In self-publishing you, the author, are the publisher. All the decisions, risks and profits are yours. You could contract out some of the services – proofreading, typesetting, design, printing and so on – but it’s ultimately your call at every stage.
Myth 2 Self-publishing is something to be ashamed of
Many well-known and respected authors have, at one time or another, self-published, including Rudyard Kipling, Lord Byron, D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, Beatrix Potter, T.S. Eliot, Edgar Allen Poe, Virginia Woolf, William Blake and Mark Twain, to name but a few. Dave Eggers (A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius) has created his own successful and creditable self-publishing empire, McSweeney’s, much to the chagrin of the New York publishing world.
However, self-publishing is hard work and it is best to expect a loss rather than a profit. Breaking even rates as success. On the other hand, self-publishing tells the world you value your own work and it has the potential to get you ‘out there’. You achieve what you are prepared to put into the venture.
Myth 3 Publishing is a risky profession
In the publishing industry, it is calculated that, for every ten books published, three lose money, four break even and three go into profit. Blockbusters are few and far between. But if you calculate prices correctly and make no marketing blunders, as a self-publisher is is possible to sell everything you produce.
How to do it:
Printing costs
This depends on the size of book, number of pages, quality and type of paper used, number of copies, whether you are printing in black only or full colour, and the type of binding (hard or paperback). The price per book decreases as the quantity increases. For example, 1000 copies of a book in full colour, 64 pp, Royal format (234 x 156mm) would cost approximately £1,800. If you operated a print-on-demand black only text, full-colour cover, 200pp at Royal format, the set-up would cost £70 and each copy would be £2.80. It is best to run out of copies than to have a surplus you can’t shift.
What is an ISBN? Do I need one?
If you’re just selling to friends, family and customers, you probably don’t need an ISBN. But if you want bookshops, including Amazon, to be able to order your book, it must have an ISBN. What is it? The International Serial Book Number (ISBN) is a number that uniquely identifies a book. It is valid worldwide but has to be obtained from the home country of the publisher. The ISBN is a 10-digit code comprising a publisher prefix (for a small publisher normally 8 of the digits), one digit for the book starting at 0 for the publisher’s first title and a check digit. Right now, an initial allocation of ISBN in the UK and Ireland costs £75 including VAT. [Check]
ISBN Agency
Division of J. Whitaker & Sons Ltd
12 Dyott Street
London
WC1A 1DF
Tel: 0207 420 6000
Or visit www.isbn.nielsenbookdata.co.uk
Bar codes
An essential part of book production. Once you know your ISBN, a code can be prepared for you in hard copy by one of several specialist providers. Again, this augments the commercial-friendliness of your book. Bar codes should always appear on the back of the jacket, on the right hand side at the bottom.
Axion Auto I.D. Ltd
Church Road
Weston-on-the-Green
Bicester OX6 8QP
Tel: 01869 351155
Axis Multidata
Maestro House
4 Fir Road
Bramhall
Stockport
SK7 2NP
Tel: 0161 440 9877
Don’t sleep on Amazon
As it’s the UK’s largest online book retailer, you would be a fool to ignore amazon.co.uk. For details on enhancing your listing, send a blank email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Also visit www.amazon.co.uk/publishers guide, author guide and catalogue guide. You can update title details at www.amazon.co.uk/add-content-books. You may feel it’s worth joining Amazon’s Advantage programme (www.amazon.co.uk/advantage). It means giving Amazon a 60% commission/discount and not being paid until the books are sold, but it ensures book marketing and profile. Your book will assume some credibility just from being listed!
Copyright
You are required by law to send a copy of your book to the British Library (free of charge) and, if requested, a further five copies for the other copyright libraries.
Legal Deposit Office
The British Library
Boston Spa
Wetherby
North Yorkshire
LS23 7BY
Copyright is like property; you can sell it or rent it. If you sell it then the purchaser’s name will appear next to the copyright symbol rather than your own. If you rent it, e.g. by allowing your writing to appear in an anthology edited by another, then the copyright of the item itself stays yours. The selection will be the copyright of the editor.
Business Name
Assuming a business name gives your publishing ‘imprint’ credibility. DJ Ron Ellis sold far more copies of his poetry book ‘Diary of a Discotheque’ under the Nirvana Books imprint than he would have under his own name. Adopt an air of enterprise; make them think you’re ‘big time’. You never know, it may become true! Inform your bank and open an appropriate business account as payments to you will be made in the name of the business and these are usually ineligible for clearance through your personal account.
Register your business at:
Companies House
Crown Way
Cardiff
CF4 3UZ
Tel: 029 2038 8588
www.companieshouse.gov.uk
Book-keeping, tax and VAT
Keep outgoing and incoming account books and ALL receipts. Books don’t have VAT slapped on them at present, thank goodness. Even though it’s unlikely you’ll be affected by tax, you should still keep your financial records in order.
Getting your book into libraries
You need to get onto the British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Programme. For more information write to:
British Library by Bibliographic Data Services
24 Nith Place
Dumfries
DG1 2PN
Tel: 01387 266004
Or:
The British Library
National Bibiographic Service
Boston Spa
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS23 7BQ
Tel: 01937 546989
Helpful books
How to be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Book Published, Richard Curtis [Amazon links to all titles here]
How to Publish Yourself (Writers’ Guides), Peter Finch
The Self Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book, Dan Poynter
How to Start and Run a Small Book Publishing Company, Peter I. Hupalo
