Self-publishing an e-book is a great way to share your work with the world. It can be a cost-effective way to get your work out there and allows you to control the entire publishing process. However, it can be pretty overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. In this article, we’ll walk you through the entire process of publishing your e-book so you can decide if it’s the right option for you.
What Is the Cost of Self-Publishing an E-Book?
Publishing an e-book can be costly. However, specific costs will vary depending on a few factors. For example, cover art can cost anywhere from $50 to $500, depending on the artist. You’ll also need to hire an editor, which can cost up to $2,000. Then, marketing and formatting costs will add up to the expenses.
You can always get a loan to finance your self-publishing efforts. However, if you don’t have the best credit score, you may find it hard to get a loan from traditional lenders. In that case, your best chance may be finding the best personal loans for bad credit. For that, we recommend requesting a loan from digital lending institutions that work with borrowers with less-than-impeccable credit.
If you want to save money, do the cover art, editing, marketing, and formatting yourself. However, we highly recommend working with professionals if you can afford it. It will make a massive difference in the quality of your book. Now that you know the cost, let’s move on to how to self-publish an e-book.
Step-By-Step Guide to Self-Publishing an E-Book
Writing
The first step is actually writing your book. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s essential to understand what you want to write before you start. Once you have a general outline or concept, you can start writing.
Editing
Editing your manuscript is just as important as writing it—if not more important. A good editor will catch errors, help you improve the flow of your book, and make sure everything makes sense. If you don’t want to get an editor, there are some great free resources like Grammarly.
Designing a Cover
Designing a cover is important because it’s the first thing people will see when they’re looking for your book. Your book cover has to be both professional and eye-catching.
Formatting
As for formatting, there are a few things you need to do to make sure your book is ready for publication. First, you need to format the interior of your book. This includes things like chapter headings, page numbers, and drop caps. Then, you need to create a file to be uploaded to a retailer like Amazon.
Pricing
Before going to the final step of the self-publication process, you must first come up with pricing. You need to consider the length and genre of your book. If it’s a short story within 5,000 words, you can’t expect readers to pay more than a dollar. Regarding genre, non-fiction books typically cost more than fantasy, romance, or sci-fi books.
Marketing
The final step is marketing your book so people actually know it exists. To do this, you can create a website or blog to discuss your book. You can also use social media to get the word out there. Additionally, you can reach out to book bloggers and reviewers and see if they’re interested in reading and reviewing your book.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
