Each day large publishing houses receive countless manuscripts. Under these conditions it is no wonder that your own work often does not get the necessary attention. However, nowadays the existence of e-books and their distribution platforms undoubtedly make the possibility of self-publishing increasingly feasible. But what does this alternative publishing process involve and what obstacles must one expect to face?
The advantages of self-publishing are great: you retain control in the publication process, allowing yourself more freedom for example, in the choice of format, plus you hand over considerably less of sales revenue. Above all, you are not dependent on the response from a publisher or agency and can start the publishing process immediately on completion of your text!
However, these liberties also entail great responsibility. Suddenly you are responsible for the whole process of a book publication, be it editing and proofreading in the beginning or the decision on the layout and cover as well as the question of how to deal with marketing and distribution of the book.
The personal responsibility is rather big and the probability of having extensive knowledge in all these areas is fairly small. Often one cannot manage it alone and has to delegate certain tasks to others. These are factors that need to be included in the budget, so that for instance if it comes down to it a graphic designer can be hired to design the book cover. It should also be noted that publishing an e-book, eliminates the entire cost of printing however, it also means losing a large part of the audience reach.
At first glance self publishing can seem intimidating but one should always consider this opportunity to bypass the established publishing houses and publication procedures. For this reason, we offer consultations with Anja Schreiber, an experienced self publisher. She can explain the relevant steps to you and ease the way a little with her extensive knowledge.
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