5 Smart Steps to Self Publish Your Book in 2023

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About Anjita Ganguly

Co-founder & Publication Expert at Exceller Books, Anjita describes herself as a teacher by heart, traveler by passion and a publication expert by profession. An  unfaltering pursuit of literature has cultivated in her a diverse mood, lovely temperament and boundless patience – a bunch of essential qualities for managing a publishing process. She switches between being firm and friendly while coordinating between the in-house teams to deliver the most effective job. When she is not saddled with her day-to-day responsibility, she can be found tripping along uncharted territories in the hope of experiencing new people and cultures.

“Everyone has a story to tell” and that story demands to be read. We all deserve to let people know who we are, where we come from, what we have created but this is not an easy mission. In the process one way or another we all have got our hearts broken; sometimes our manuscripts were rejected, sometimes we lost creative control over our own writings, we received low royalty rate, lack of significant marketing help and what not. But we can not let these issues slow us down or stop us from sharing our thoughts. And there is only one solution to all of these problems – self publishing. Do you know self published authors are actively turning down offers from publishing companies nowadays? Sounds unreal, doesn’t it? Here is a guide that will help you achieve the same.

These five stages must be executed skilfully to publish a bestseller:

  1. Title – Some new authors make the mistake of choosing the title before writing the story but this is not how it should be done. Look for a title only after finishing the first draft of your manuscript otherwise you will try to align your story with the title and it will disrupt the entire plot. While brainstorming the title remember keeping it simple and make sure that it goes well with the plot. There are many book title generator tools that might come in handy such as Fantasy Novel Title Generator (for fantasy), Portent’s Content Idea Generator and CopyWritingCourse Book Title Generator (for Non-fiction), Pulp Sci-Fi Title-O-Tron (for Science fiction) etc. The only problem is that all these platforms generate flat titles and that is why we are there to help you.
  2. Editing – It is the most crucial part of the project therefore it is important to take as  much time as you need during this stage. Lack of good editing can make your extraordinary work mediocre. There are several stages in editing too such as Manuscript critique which looks at plot, character development and narrative voice, Comprehensive Editing that checks structural issues, writing style and use of language, Copyedit which reviews technical flaws like grammar, spelling and punctuation and the final stage is Proofreading which examines the final copy of the manuscript. If this gets overwhelming you can always reach out to professionals like Exceller Books.
  3. Formatting – Formatting sets the entire look of the inside of the book. A properly formatted manuscript is not just easier to read, it also gives your work credibility and seriousness that attracts readers. In formatting there are a few things to be done like proper use of indentations, block paragraphs, line spacings, creating a table of contents, adding a title page, dedication page and copyright page etc. This entire process is a frustrating and complicated one therefore hiring professionals is highly recommended if you have a few bucks to spare.
  4. Cover Design – We often sayDon’t judge a book by its cover” but when we are in a bookstore looking for a good read, the cover is the first thing that attracts us. Choosing a book cover that goes well with the plot and attracts readers is a difficult but mandatory part of your publishing endeavour. There are tools like Canva, 99 Designs, Upworks etc where you can create covers for your book. You just need to keep these few things in mind before creating a book cover-
  • The cover needs to be suitable to the plot.
  • It must attract your target audience.
  • The design should be catchy but simple.
  • The title and subtitle needs to be distinct so that it can be read easily.

5. Pricing and MarketingSetting a rational and justified price for your book is what sales depend on. You have to keep in mind who your intended audience are and how much they will be willing to pay for your book.

The process of creating a bestseller does not end here. The sales and exposure of your book depend on marketing and author branding. You can not just sit idly and expect your book to be a bestseller. You have to be completely involved with your book and advertise it well. Publish your book on platforms like Amazon kindle, Kobo, Google Play etc. Create pages on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads etc so that more people engage with your book and recommend it to others.

But you need to remember that E-readers like Kindle offer you a platform only. They will not help you in all these above mentioned stages of publishing a book. And that is why professionals like Exceller Books are there who will guide you in editing, formatting, cover designing, pricing and marketing.

2 thoughts on “5 Smart Steps to Self Publish Your Book in 2023

  1. Chibuikem Chiderah

    Thanks for your advise I’m highly impressed, like editing, formatting, cover design with printing will cost like how much?. Though i already have a picture for the cover, an Asylum building, at the back, a tunnel with light flashing from the sky. Secondly I do apologise for not responding earlier on your message on WhatsApp..

    Reply

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