The Steps Involved in Publishing a Book

By Ashly Lorenzana

Thanks to the eReader revolution, publishing an eBook is easier today than it has ever been before. In the past, major publishers ruled the written world due to their hold on the industry. If you wanted to get your book in print, you had to capture the interest of a literary agent who would sell your story or book idea to one of the Big 6 publishers. Also known as "gatekeepers," it was the literary agent who would more or less decide if your manuscript ever saw the light of day.

This system is incredibly flawed for a number of obvious reasons. First, the quality and worthiness of your book is decided by a single individual. Sure, the publisher has to want your story as well. However, without an agent to play middle man, your writing would never reach a publisher for consideration.

Agents and publishers both may have years of experience, which has given them insightful knowledge on how the industry works and what manuscripts are likely to rake in the highest profits. However, it's important to remember that they are naturally most interested in manuscripts that will increase their own bottom line the most, should they choose to publish it.

This also explains why author royalties are setup the way they have been by big publishing companies. For the majority of traditionally published authors, they can expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 10% in royalties from their paperback sales. In my opinion, this is hardly fair to the author.

Things are starting to change rapidly, and the allure of traditional publishers is fading. Why? Because a much better option for aspiring authors has recently emerged over the last few years.

The first option is print-on-demand publishing, which makes it easy for writers to self-publish without having to print bulk orders of their book in order to sell them. Instead, customers can order copies online which will then be manufactured and shipped. This virtually eliminates the potential of financial loss that has long been associated with self-publishing in the past. Using print-on-demand to publish your book means that you can only make money from selling books, not lose it.

The second option is to simply publish an eBook instead of a print book. Since eBooks are digital and do not require printing and can be created for free with little difficulty, they are becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to printed books. Industry leaders in digital publishing such as Amazon have created simple, easy resources and products for both readers and authors alike. Their Kindle eReader and Kindle Direct Publishing Platform have bridged the gap between authors and their customers.

What this means is that you no longer need to send out query letters to agents, hoping that one of them thinks your manuscript is good enough to sell tons of copies. In many cases, the market for a particular story or book may be too small or insignificant to interest a publisher or agent. Passing up on a manuscript in that case would make lots of sense for both parties.

But it doesn't make sense for the writer or author. If you decide to self-publish your eBook, you will generate more money from the sales than you would if you never did anything with your writing at all. Maybe selling 1300 copies in one year isn't going to interest a major publisher, but I'll be it might interest you.

Let's say that you decided to publish your eBook on Amazon and priced it at $4.99. Since Amazon offers a 70% royalty rate for authors, that means you'd be earning roughly $3.50 per copy that you sell. At that rate, you would be bringing in an extra $350 each month. That may not seem like a huge number, but it's completely passive income! I don't know about you, but I wouldn't object to a few hundred extra dollars every month if I didn't have to work for it!

So if you aren't sure how the process works and what steps you need to take to make this happen, the following list should help you get started. 

• Choose a topic or find an idea for your story. Create an outline. Write your book!
• Edit and proofread your manuscript. Hire a professional editor if you can afford one. Otherwise, ask friends and family to help. Proofread multiple times.
• Choose a compelling and descriptive title for your eBook. Be sure it accurately describes what your book is about, for non-fiction. For fiction, pick a title that captures the essence of your story and is tailored to your genre. Non-fiction eBooks should probably have a sub-title as well, to reinforce the title.
• Format your manuscript and create versions in the following file formats: Kindle, Mobi, PDF and ePub.
• Create an attractive cover design for your eBook. Hire a professional graphic designer if you can afford one. Otherwise, try freelancing sites or learn Photoshop/GIMP yourself and find tutorials on YouTube and other sites. If you choose to DIY, download cover templates from the POD company you are using (if provided). If money is not an issue, POD companies all offer professional cover design services also.
• Buy an ISBN or get one for free from a POD company. You need an ISBN for your eBook. Buy your own or get one assigned for free through a site like Lulu, Smashwords or CreateSpace.
• Write a powerful book synopsis. Think of this as rewriting your book as 3-4 short paragraphs. Describe your story in an exciting way that makes people want to read your more.
• Select two genres/categories for your eBook. No matter what you have written, it likely falls into at least two different genres or categories of writing. The broad genre will always be either fiction or non-fiction. The second category is more specific, such as romance novels or biographies.
• Make a list of tags that describe or relate to your eBook. This is important. Write down a quick list of tags that people might use to describe your eBook or your type of writing. Remember, tags do not have to be one word only. You should also include phrases up to 3 words long that may be added to your eBook.
• Decide on a price for your eBook. One of the final steps is pricing your eBook. New authors who are unknown should generally price their eBooks lower than more established authors. The nice thing about this part is that you can go back and change the price at any time, to whatever amount you think will increase your profits. Experiment.
• Upload your eBook and sell it Amazon and other sites. First stop is Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, which will be your biggest sales distribution channel of them all. Next, Barnes & Noble's PubIt. After that, Smashwords and Lulu. You can even upload and sell it on GoodReads too.

It's pretty straightforward and simple, isn't it? Of course, you will be learning a lot along the way as you work through each step. Try your best to have fun with it and remember that it's an adventure!

Ashly Lorenzana is a freelance writer, blogger and memoir author. Her passions include technology, writing, social media and creative marketing. Her specialties include press release writing, website copywriting, marketing and promoting