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Several weeks ago, I posted that I had stopped seeking representation for my book, Grace (full title to be revealed with the book cover), and go down the Indi path. As a complete publishing novice, my first reaction was ‘where the hell do I begin?’ And, for those others wondering the same thing, promised I would report back on anything I had done or learned.

Here are my first steps taken, leading up to the publishing stage. Apologies to those already in the know, who likely went about things differently.

Firstly, my reasoning behind going Indi.

I did initially find an agent, who promised great things – but who could not have predicted Covid and its effect on the publishing world. Grace was then seen as too dark when cosy crime and light reading took over. I worked on lightening the story, but the problem was that my agent had already pitched it widely, and I was advised these trad publishers wouldn’t accommodate a second approach. Certainly, another agent would be put off taking Grace on.

Then I began hearing of how some fellow authors faired at the hands of agents and trad publishers. Some, like me, had rugs suddenly pulled from under them (some with no real explanation); the successful ones were having to do all their own promotional work anyway (apparently that luxury is limited to big best-sellers and celebs now). But I still clung onto hope that, just maybe, a smaller publishing house might be interested. I selected my shortlist; went through their picky demands as to how and what one should pitch, taking many hours to perfect it – only to discover most are as guilty of not getting back if the answer is no. Unforgivably rude, I’d say.

Feeling pretty much defeated, I picked up some notes I had made during workshops and online, and felt hope seeping back. If you did want representation, it seems agents take on as many Indi authors as slush-pile enquirers. However, without going into statistics, it appears some of the largest earners are Indi authors. Many others fare better than trad, and today’s technology offers as many resources as small publishers have on-hand, meaning their books can look every bit as professional. You also have the final say in everything, since you own the show. What’s more, it’s you who chooses if or when to pull the plug on your book – no-one else, and you don’t have to accept a share from a publisher’s earnings.

The downside is that you have to swat up on the best way to go about it. That, I discovered, very much depends on your aims and how much work you are willing to put in. Of course, nothing’s promised at the end of it – nor is anything in a trad deal. But I wanted more than a download onto Amazon, or a bulk-buy for local bookshops, which meant swatting up.

My ‘swatting-up’ materials were the Writers’ and Artists’ Guide To Self-Publishing, which I found informative if a little confusing for a rookie like me (perhaps an information overload). I also dug out my York self publishing workshop notes by Gwynn GB, though she mainly concentrates on Amazon. Jericho run an online course by her, but only for their premium members. They also sell a self-publishing course at an incredible £2000 (how many books would you have to sell to get that back?). Instead, I decided to take advantage of the free advice on Youtube and online. David Gaughran gives loads of sound advice there and on his website. Alli (mentioned below) is another giving advice. Most will tell you not to spend what you cannot afford in your publishing journey: there are ways around most things on a budget. I mapped out what I could do myself, also what I was best investing in.

If budget isn’t a problem, there are companies like Troubadour who offer a whole publishing package right down to sales. I know of some who have gone down this route and are very happy with the result. However, my budget won’t cover their costs and so I am taking on each step myself, with the exception of book cover and typesetting services.

<u>Book Cover:</u> Every mentor will tell you that your book cover is the most important thing behind writing a good book. It is your shop window, and a bad one can have readers passing by.

David Gaughran’s website has some excellent advice titled <u>‘How to Design a Book Cover That Sells’</u>. There, he recommends a website – GoOnWrite.com – for those on a budget, which sells unused cover designs for a fraction of their usual cost ($45 for one cover, discounts for more). They don’t allow any adjustments other than name changes, although, unlike stock covers, once you have purchased one from GoOnWrite, they won’t sell it to anyone else so you’re guaranteed an exclusive.

They didn’t have what I had in mind, so I looked at alternatives. A recommended book cover designer, who also offered a typesetting service (another thing you are urged to get right and, being a novice, I was keen to take that up too). Their quote (excluding potential other costs like artwork) approached £1000 for cover and typesetting for Ebook and hard copy. As my budget didn’t stretch that far, I looked online and found a company called Creative Covers, whom I noticed did work for Emma Darwin. Emma said that while Ken Dawson (the designer) can be slow, he is good and is used by some publishers. He has four packages with prices clearly displayed (no hidden charges), from ebook design only (£250), to hard-copy and ebook cover design plus typesetting, currently at £450. I took this option. While Ken has proven to be slow, I have been impressed by his work and have made my cover choice, which I will reveal on my facebook pages nearer to launch time (I don’t know how long the rest of the process is going to take).

Book ISBNs
Though quite an expense, once you are ready to set up your book onto your chosen print/ distribution platform, it is recommended you buy your own ISBNs (your book identifier). ISBNs are regulated and non-transferrable. The <u>only</u> UK place licensed to sell them are Neilsen’s (online). Each version of each book requires a separate ISBN (ebook/ paperback/ differing print formats/ languages etc), so it is cost effective to buy at least 10 (£93 for one; £174 for 10) unless you truly have only one hard copy/ Ebook to sell. Once allocated to a publication, that information is passed on to libraries, including the British Library, who register you as the author.

It is strongly advised not to take up any offers for a free or reduced price one, because as they are not transferrable, it is their details which will appear as the book’s owner/author when books are scanned, not your own. Similarly, dummy ones or Amazon’s ASBN’s are not properly registered as you being the author. Even if you sell via Amazon, it is recommended you invest in your own ISBNs.

Typesetting: I have learned that you need to insert front/end pages at each side of your manuscript prior to typesetting (as you would find inside a standard book). I looked at other books and did a patchwork version of their copyright & info to suit my needs. I was also inspired by some Bio’s and Acknowledgement sections. I took on advice to also advertise my social sites and other book(s) in my end pages. These pages should be included in your word count when asking for quotes.

Another tip I picked up is to keep the front pages to a minimum. If you have maps, lists, indexes etc, to consider placing these in with the end pages. The reason is that when a potential buyer flicks through an online preview, they might lose patience and close out if they have to flick past too many pages to get to the story.

Printing and distribution. You have a few options, I learned.

Troubadour, after you pass off the covers and typesetting, they will launch your work as an ebook (if that’s all you want) for £650. For £3000, they will do your proof reading, then send you 200 hard copies to sell and make it available to the book trade.  For £7,500 they pretty much do everything, including marketing, as I understand it.

OR – you can opt to use a print-only company, like Biddles, who have a minimum order of 250 books, but also offer a book design service. These bulk-bought books work out cheaply priced if you’ve space to store them in and a mind to sell each one yourself. You also need to factor in other costs involved such as commissions, stall rental, transport, and possibly postage before setting a retail price.

After reading up on the pros and cons, I have chosen to use a print-on-demand service.

Blurb is one such company: easy to use and have a reputation for excellent quality, but their prices are among the highest (they quoted my Grace novel at £13.87 each, with a 10% discount if ordering over 10. That’s okay if you’re not aiming to sell many more than for personal use, but you will operate at a loss once commissions are taken if you don’t charge a high price for your books.

Writers & Artists, and some others, mainly talk about Amazon vs Ingram Spark, plus a very few others.

Amazon is the easiest, quickest (and cheapest print on demand) company to use. They have the largest shop window and their commission is very reasonable. They have a ‘Cover Creator’ which I understand is AI, though you are not guaranteed exclusivity.

However their quality is said not to be consistent and they do try and take over things. You have to leave the ‘Extended Distribution’ box unticked while downloading if you wish to sell away from Amazon, and use another publisher for that. However they come out on top for Ebooks, and I shall be taking them up on that (keeping the extended distribution box unticked!).

Ingram Spark is a USA print on demand company, but they are said to be hellishly difficult to use, plus it is impossible to speak to someone in the event of a problem/query (you actually have to purchase time with an advisor!). They have a good reputation for quality and sell through Amazon and Waterstones etc. A big minus though, is that they insist on setting a huge commission allowance for book shops (over 50%) and you have to agree to returns, including books that are man-handled in store and can be unfit for resale. I read that you are charged the return postage for this, so it can be cheaper to have them destroyed – or opt not to sell to these bookshops.

None of the above hit the sweet spot for me. However Ken Dawson at Creative Covers suggested a UK based alternative; a company called The Book Vault. They do charge to upload each book title onto their system, but they waver these charges for Alli members, which I was strongly recommended to join. The Book Vault are said to be easy to use (I haven’t got that far yet), that you can bulk buy copies if you so desire, sell direct via a website, or through a number of other ways including Amazon and The Great British Bookshop. They also seem approachable and their prices are competitive. I’ll report back separately about how I get on with them.

Alli (Alliance of Independent Authors) came recommended, and I felt the Associate Member fee of £89 annually was a worthwhile investment because they have a legal team to consult (to prevent you falling foul of cons/regulations). You can also check out any services you intend to use, and they have an advice centre and support room. As mentioned above, they have struck deals within the industry (eg, Book Vault’s charge waver) for their members and have now opened a bookshop for members to promote and sell their books. They have a library of guidelines and advice, which I have found extremely helpful. Once published, I need to upgrade to Author Member, but there is more on offer with this membership. The decision to Join, again, depends on an individual’s aims and needs, but I have read of too many bad experiences not to invest, and the Book Vault deal offsets some of my cost, not to mention it is another platform for which to sell my books.

So, that’s what I’ve picked up so far – please speak up if you have anything to add or correct.

My next job, once the typesetting is done, is to do a close edit (my last chance to find errors) (My budget won’t stretch to a professional editor for this, although I did pay for a critique-cum-edit at an earlier stage). Once done, it is time to try out the publishing company.

Meanwhile I need to put some promotional stuff together and decide where that goes, but that’s another learning curve and another blog.

I hope some of this proves useful to those considering the same path. If so, I’ll report again when further along the line.