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I want to publish a book. But I am doing it on a shoe string budget. I have published a book before (about 10yrs ago), but I was young and naive and got taken advantage of by the publisher - so even though the book was on their top ten list for a while, I did not see a penny/dime.

This time round, I want to have more control, also, I am thinking of using the book, to launch my new website. Here are the alternatives I am considering:

I am thinking of creating an eversion of the book, and selling it via my website. Once there is sufficient sales, I can possibly think of printing the book physically.

I would like advice on:

  1. The best way/source of getting designers for the artwork for the book cover
  2. Whether there is a proof reading/editorial service I can outsource to, so I can get a better quality product(how much do such services typically charge?)
  3. Whether to take on production of the (physical) books by myself, or whether to outsource the pysical production of the books to a publisher, who will share the risk (What are the questions I should ask, what are the usual terms, and how much do such publishers usually charge [or pay])?
  4. I will be approaching a publisher only once I have managed to sell a decent number of books in e format - and possibly, once I have a back order for softback/hardback copies of the book. In such a scenario, I would expect the publisher to pay me for effectively bringing them business - is that how it works (of course we will take a split on the margin of the books sold)

I would like the opinion of someone (who has actually undertaken a similar endeavour before) - bearing in mind that I am starting from a very small budget (effectively, a one man team startup)

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4 Answers

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Publishing books has become an increasingly easy task as publishing companies and others have developed DIY publishing platforms and services. Let me address your questions from the perspective of one who has recently seen a family member go through this process.

  1. My family member was able to find a friend who was good at design to do the design, layout, and cover work., If you do not have the personal connections to make this happen, consider using an online service like 99designs, CrowdSpring, or even a freelance marketplace like oDesk or elance.

  2. Once again, if you have personal connections to an editor/proofreader then be sure to take advantage of them. My family member was able to connect with an English professor at a local college to do the editing/proofreading. The professor (with the authors permission) even allowed students to read/edit excerpts as an exercise, as well as critique them and provide feedback. If this is not an option for you, the freelance marketplaces mentioned above will suffice.

  3. Rather than making a huge investment in an initial production run of books, check into either Lulu or CreateSpace. You can create your complete book, have it published, and then sell electronic copies as well as hard copies and have them printed on-demand rather than have to have a big run printed and stock them. Doing so will mean a bit more of a marketing effort from you to drive people to online sales pages, but it may be worth if in an effort to avoid the costs of printing a few thousand copies of your book.

  4. I would just let a publisher approach you. If your book is a good enough seller, I am sure that many will be waiting in line to contact you. Otherwise, if you think you can continue to handle it all on your own - don't share the profits, just keep them all to yourself and continue to expand and scale as you find necessary.

I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if I can clarify or further explain anything!

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Thanks Ethan. You have answered all my questions - this is a fantastic site! :) – skyeagle Jan 26 at 22:40
It is always a pleasure! I agree, this site is great! – Ethan Jan 27 at 3:55
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You could make a ggolge search and see what designers may be up for the project, of course you gotta find someone that wants to work, for little money or some shares.

There are editors you can outsource the job to, but that is costly, I don't know if it will exceed your budget or not. You can check some here.

When it comes to outsourcing the product or do it yourself, do you actually have the means? If you do, you can go for it, but it will be less trouble to outsource it, that's what most people do.

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You can publish your book completely free on unibook.com . On our website you can publish your book without start-up costs or conditions. We will print, bind and ship your books worldwide.

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I recommend a great book on this subject that walks you through each stage step-by-step. It is called, "The Well-Fed Self Publisher" and its by Peter Bowerman.

Take a look on Amazon.

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