To self-publish or not to self-publish?
To self-publish or not to self-publish? This is the question. In this post I will try to sum up everything that I know about both worlds.
Do It Yourself.
Like a bed you just brought from IKEA, if you self-publish, you will have to build your book yourself. This means that you have full control and full responsibility. This also means that you will get better with each subsequent book you publish. If you just have that one book - we will call it your first book. If you could write one, you can write another one. Maybe not today or tomorrow but believe me when I tell you, another idea will come to you if such is your desire.
OK, not yourself, you need a team.
You don’t really do all of it yourself but you do need a team. Let’s cover the basics for a children’s book author.
You wrote the book.
Now it would be great to got it critiqued. You can find some information about this on my blog. You can choose to skip this step but you can’t skip any of the next ones.
You MUST get an editor. It’s a book you’re publishing - your name will be on it. The writing must be of the highest quality, so get a copy-editor.
You will need an illustrator. The great thing about self-publishing is that you can choose him or her (you can’t if you publish traditionally).
You need someone to put your book together for you (do the layout and design).
You can purchase all of these services from your publisher (CreateSpace offers excellent services, which I’ve used before) but it will cost you much less if you set up a team yourself.
Now to the benefits of self-publishing:
It’s fast - once you have the team in place - it only takes a few months to get your book out there (as opposed to years with traditional publishing - and that’s after your manuscript has been accepted!).
You’re in control - the book is yours, so is the copyright, you may do with it as you please, you can sell foreign rights or you can retire your title whenever you want.
Higher royalties. Of course royalties depend on how you price your book but in general you make more dollars per copy sold than traditionally published authors.
You can call yourself a published author and get to the other side.
The other side is book promotion. You now have a product of your own and you can start learning the tricks of the marketing trade. This will help you to write books that people want to read, to optimize titles and key words. You can start submitting your book for awards and if you get one - you can use it for other book-marketing and self-marketing purposes.
It gives you confidence. You’re a published author now and if you desire to become a traditionally published author as well, you will have plenty of material to show to your agent. Who do you think they will choose (if both manuscripts are of equal value)? A first time author with no platform or marketing skills? Or a published author who has received media exposure, awards and already has a group of fans? Traditional publishing houses aren’t stupid. They want to make money too and if they see that you can help them do that - they will chose your manuscript, because you’re already a pro.
So yeah, self-publish.
Alinka Rutkowska has created a tale that will appeal to children, which teaches about choices, and encourages communication and sharing. Rating: 5.0 stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviews.
Embark on a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented, breathtaking adventure with Maya and Filippo as they travel around the globe on board the “Fun Princess” — a cruise ship full of surprises. Discover their fascinating ports of call, find out what the local customs and traditions are, join the kids in activities at sea, and explore the remarkable world they create through the power of their positive outlook.
This time the kids spend a day on board the Fun Princess. They become junior chefs at sea and learn how to bake a cake. Maya and Filippo discover how trying out different recipes gets them closer to creating the perfect dessert. They also discover the power of sharing.
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Genre - Children's Picture Book
Rating – G
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