We hear a lot of the cons to self-publishing. Now, let’s talk about some perks!
One exciting benefit of self-publishing is not just being in control of how you will publish the book and who you want to help you, but you are also in control of distribution.
Remember, all self-publishing means is you are your own publisher.
You can decide where to sell the book and offer discounts and deals to bookstores and larger corporations who want to carry your title.
Publishing with Amazon is just one step in your author journey. You can also set up an account with Ingram Spark to configure these discounts, returns, and wholesale prices.
This becomes important when you start petitioning booksellers offline.
Navigating this part is exciting for authors who always dreamed of seeing their titles on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. (Do people still visit the library?)
It can also be a learning curve, though.
For instance, while getting books into bookstores is thrilling, the job is only complete once the book has been sold.
If the book does not sell, it will have to be returned, which means that your books will be returned to you if they do not sell.
For this reason, booksellers tend to put self-published authors on trial periods, only accepting so many books for a specified time, to test demand for the title.
However, you can also sell your book to booksellers and corporations as a publisher.
The world of self-publishing is extensive!
Should we go deeper into this side of the business? Let me know if you enjoyed this post and want to hear more on this topic!
First-time self-publishers often worry about copyright or that someone will steal their idea. This is typically the first sign of a novice self-publisher.
However, new and established authors might worry about someone stealing their books now that AI is here.
First, you should know that you own the copyright to your book at the moment of creation.
This is why it’s irrelevant for vanity presses to tell you that you keep 100% of your rights as a perk to working with them. You already have it.
But, if you want to take it a step further, you can obtain an official copyright through the US copyright office (copyright.gov) and receive a Library of Congress number, which allows librarians to catalog your book at LOC.gov.
Note: If you plan to request US Library of Congress (LOC) cataloging, be sure to assign the ISBN well in advance of publication to allow for LOC processing time.
Photo by lil artsy
Keep in mind that the ISBN has nothing to do with the copyright or the ownership of the work. It is also not connected to the Library of Congress cataloging. The ISBN is simply a number identifying the book and who published it.
It is important for self-publishers because we want to be listed as the publisher of record. That is why we self-published: to be in total creative control of the process and our own publishers.
Seeing the name of who published the book might not be a big deal to readers or authors who intend to stick to selling their books online, but for authors who wish to get the attention of booksellers or to sell their books in bulk to larger corporations, it is a bigger deal. Booksellers find it too inconvenient if the book is not returnable through Ingram (the book distributor, not IngramSpark the self-publishing arm). Although KDP’s extended distribution actually goes through Ingram, one of the main reasons why retailers don’t want to stock titles published by Amazon is that they are not returnable.
And Amazon is their biggest competitor.
Frankly, bookstores can care less about Amazon or that you are an Amazon bestseller.
Free ISBNs could also restrict your distribution options.
Distribution
Copyright is not to be confused with distribution rights.
Like traditional publishing, self-publishers want their books available through multiple channels. They want to control the distribution of their book.
In its simplest form, distribution rights is the right to make your book available to the customer.
When you are signed with a publisher, you must go through them to get copies of your book.
When you are your own publisher, you can order as many author copies of the book as you want and decide where your book shows up.
For print books, for example, it means going from your printer to a retailer or directly to your reader.
In the case of ebooks, this can entail sticking to Amazon exclusively or using an aggregator like Draft2Digital to make your work available at a variety of stores, including Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks, and Books-A-Million.
For distribution to bookstores,* small publishers and self-publishers do not typically have the manpower to use a full-service distributor like traditional publishers who can warehouse and distribute large book print runs. Thus, we usually opt for a wholesale distributor such as Ingram because it is best suited to print-on-demand (POD) printing.
*Having your book on Ingram Spark does not necessarily mean bookstores will order copies of your self-published book from Ingram.
The best practice is to self-publish through Amazon’s KDP for Amazon and then publish separately through Ingram and other platforms.
In other words, you don’t have to be concerned about someone stealing your book concept. Every book has already been written. Your perspective is the key ingredient. The way you write it is what makes it unique. Nobody else can write like you. Additionally, your book was already protected by copyright when it was written. For more security or peace of mind, you can also purchase a copyright through copyright.gov.
Draft2Digital is a gem. D2D is an aggregator that distributes your books to major retailers online, from Barnes and Noble to Apple iBooks to Baker & Taylor. They have merged with Smashwords and now also offer a paperback option. The upload procedure is simple and efficient. Your only issue is if your book still needs to be formatted. You should finish, edit, and format your text before uploading it.
I have only used their ebook service so I cannot comment on the quality of the paperback, but it is an option for self-publishers who don’t want to use Amazon. Also, the speed of making your book available everywhere online is top-tier.
Ingram is another option, although the upload process is slightly more complicated. However, it is set up that way because Ingram is a distributor designed to get your book into bookstores.
During the process, you’d want to think about things like your wholesale price (usually 40%), and you will need an ISBN. While Ingram does offer a free one, I highly recommend Indie authors own their ISBN.
Buying them in bulk (assuming you will self-publish more than one book) from Bowker can save a ton of money. I haven’t had to buy one in three years. I am using Ingram for the hardcover version of my book (which requires a different ISBN than the paperback), and I was able to use one of the numbers I still have left.
Note: Do not give away your ISBNs unless you are a publisher. Your number is like your book’s social security number and is attached to your name or the company you registered under. Thus, you will be the publisher of the record.
Photo by Pixabay
An exciting thing about Ingram Spark is its choice of paper. As experienced self-publishers know, you can choose your paper, usually white or creme, during uploading on Amazon. However, with Ingram, you have another choice. You can select Groundwood, an eggshell paper typically used in traditionally published mass-markets.
Note: I recommend using Amazon separately.
Upload your files for ebook using Kindle Direct Publishing like you normally would to put your book on Amazon. Then, use the other programs for the other retailers. If you do this, do not check the expanded distribution box on Amazon.
Example: If using D2D or Ingram and your ebook is already published on Amazon, you do not need to check the Amazon box during set-up.
For independent authors who want to self-publish but don’t have the time to look for editors and cover artists, Bookbaby is a possibility. By offering you publication packages for cover design, ebook conversion, ISBN, and even marketing, Bookbaby serves as a self-publisher assistant or vanity publisher.
Any publishing that demands payment is regarded as vanity publishing despite being verified and far more professional. Pay attention to the features supplied with each tier when using Bookbaby because it is also rather pricey and not all packages include editing. Remember that even if they include books with each bundle, ordering your own books through Amazon’s KDP or Ingram will save you a lot more money.
I’ve seen from other authors that their print quality is pretty good. So, though I have not used them, and have my concerns about their prices, they are an option.
Lulu is a possibility. However, it’s not my first pick. Early on, I utilized them for The Stella Trilogy and my volumes of poetry. Your book can be distributed via Lulu to several online retailers. The pricing of the books is substantial, and I don’t like their customer support method. The paperbacks’ quality is great and solid, though. Additionally, their upload procedure is quite simple. Again, they are an option, albeit I wouldn’t make them my first pick.
Now 48 Hour Books is what I like to call a hidden gem. They are an organization that prints bookstore-quality books. They work as a book printer and offer book templates, editing resources, self-publishing, and more. Imagine if Amazon’s KDP went down; 48hr books would be a great resource for printing your books. They also sell ISBNs and Barcodes, though I only recommend buying ISBNs from Bowker.
I have not used them, but I want to in the future to investigate their quality. From what I see, the paperbacks are top-notch.
Remember that you are not limited to the mainstream or most popular option when you embark on your self-publishing path. You may always assess what best aligns with your vision and objectives. You are not constrained to a single viewpoint either. Whether you hire a publisher or outsource, you are free to publish your book however you see fit.
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