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This week I took delivery of my latest book, a history of Dunblane Football Club. I've got no illusions about it hitting the best-seller list, but I think it will be well received locally in the town. What I can be sure of is that it won't bankrupt me. Niche publications with a small print run are affordable and achievable by almost anyone these days thanks to online publishing services.
In fact, this is the fifth book I have produced through Createspace, all pictured above. Three were my own sports history titles while the other two were for family members who had written biographies of their ancestors for private circulation.
If you are considering something similar, perhaps a book about your town, a history of your local club, a biography or even a novel, this is my quick guide to the process. You probably won't find it easy, but the great advantage of this approach is that you are in complete control of the whole process. There are no set-up costs, you can publish quickly or at your own pace, there is no minimum order and the cost per book is low.
What are the main challenges?
Researching and writing the text of your book might seem like the biggest challenge for an author. But when it comes to self-publishing you have to be proficient in MS Word to create the content of your book: this includes all sorts of fiddly things like formatting text and pictures, page numbering, chapter breaks, etc. When choosing a size for your book (eg 6x9) make sure your text is formatted at the correct size, not in the usual A4.
You also have to design a cover, and a good cover definitely helps to boost sales. Createspace provide some fairly humdrum design templates, which are free, but if you want a quality cover you may need a tame designer.
Selling your book
As Createspace is owned by Amazon, your book will automatically become available on Amazon (who will pay you royalties), which may or may not be a good thing for you. A big plus is that they provide a free ISBN and barcode. .
Of course, you may want to sell the book directly, which makes more sense financially, but if you want people to buy from you, you need to make it easy for them. That means setting up your own website, able to accept Paypal payments. If you sell through shops, be wary of their commission charges. Whatever you do, make sure you publicise the book in any way you can!
A few tips
Think ahead as to what postage price band your size of book will fit in. A paperback up to about 140 pages will weigh under 250 grams, costing £1.19 to post as a 'large letter'. A little bit bigger and postage will be £1.51, but if it is much more than 200 pages, it will jump up to a 'small parcel' costing £2.80. If you are going to send out a lot of copies, buy padded envelopes in bulk – you can cut the cost dramatically.
Printing in black and white is much much cheaper than colour. So if most of your images are mono, be aware that your costs will rise considerably if you include a few colour photos.
As the book is published electronically, you can continue to make changes after it comes out, such as correcting a typo or adding updated information, and even change the price or the cover. Hence it is a good idea to print, say, 30 copies initially, for review and immediate contacts and see how they go; you don’t have to find storage for thousands of copies like in the old days.
Finally, although I use Createspace, it is not for everyone, so check out other self-publishing companies such as Lulu or Lightning Source. They offer different features and your costs may be lower.
Can I help?
I know the publishing process is daunting, but the rewards are immense and I strongly recommend giving it a go. If you think you need professional help, I can offer expert advice at any stage, from commissioning an entire book or managing a specific part of the job. Just get in touch for a chat!
In fact, this is the fifth book I have produced through Createspace, all pictured above. Three were my own sports history titles while the other two were for family members who had written biographies of their ancestors for private circulation.
If you are considering something similar, perhaps a book about your town, a history of your local club, a biography or even a novel, this is my quick guide to the process. You probably won't find it easy, but the great advantage of this approach is that you are in complete control of the whole process. There are no set-up costs, you can publish quickly or at your own pace, there is no minimum order and the cost per book is low.
What are the main challenges?
Researching and writing the text of your book might seem like the biggest challenge for an author. But when it comes to self-publishing you have to be proficient in MS Word to create the content of your book: this includes all sorts of fiddly things like formatting text and pictures, page numbering, chapter breaks, etc. When choosing a size for your book (eg 6x9) make sure your text is formatted at the correct size, not in the usual A4.
You also have to design a cover, and a good cover definitely helps to boost sales. Createspace provide some fairly humdrum design templates, which are free, but if you want a quality cover you may need a tame designer.
Selling your book
As Createspace is owned by Amazon, your book will automatically become available on Amazon (who will pay you royalties), which may or may not be a good thing for you. A big plus is that they provide a free ISBN and barcode. .
Of course, you may want to sell the book directly, which makes more sense financially, but if you want people to buy from you, you need to make it easy for them. That means setting up your own website, able to accept Paypal payments. If you sell through shops, be wary of their commission charges. Whatever you do, make sure you publicise the book in any way you can!
A few tips
Think ahead as to what postage price band your size of book will fit in. A paperback up to about 140 pages will weigh under 250 grams, costing £1.19 to post as a 'large letter'. A little bit bigger and postage will be £1.51, but if it is much more than 200 pages, it will jump up to a 'small parcel' costing £2.80. If you are going to send out a lot of copies, buy padded envelopes in bulk – you can cut the cost dramatically.
Printing in black and white is much much cheaper than colour. So if most of your images are mono, be aware that your costs will rise considerably if you include a few colour photos.
As the book is published electronically, you can continue to make changes after it comes out, such as correcting a typo or adding updated information, and even change the price or the cover. Hence it is a good idea to print, say, 30 copies initially, for review and immediate contacts and see how they go; you don’t have to find storage for thousands of copies like in the old days.
Finally, although I use Createspace, it is not for everyone, so check out other self-publishing companies such as Lulu or Lightning Source. They offer different features and your costs may be lower.
Can I help?
I know the publishing process is daunting, but the rewards are immense and I strongly recommend giving it a go. If you think you need professional help, I can offer expert advice at any stage, from commissioning an entire book or managing a specific part of the job. Just get in touch for a chat!
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