Self Publishing -What New Authors Need To Know [FAQs]

If you are a brand new author, and are looking to skip the hassle of trying to get a traditional publisher to publish your book, give self publishing a try. In this post, we are going to answer some of the most commonly asked questions independent authors have about self publishing their books.

Who Is It Best To Self Publish With?

If you are a new author, you might be surprised to find out you have many options to self publish your book. Each of these services are easy to use, and beginner friendly. And each service gives you step by step instructions on what you need to know to get your book successfully published.

• Kindle Direct Publishing
• Barnes and Noble Press
• Kobo
• Apple Books
• Publish Drive
• Draft 2 Digital
• Reedsy
• Lulu
• IngramSpark
• Street Lib
• Smashwords

What Are The 4 Types of Self Publishing Companies?

There are generally four main types of self publishing services. Choosing which service you need will depend on how much help you are looking for in the self publishing space.

• Aggregators -An aggregator actually helps you with not only the publishing of your book, but they take an extra step and help get your book out to multiple online retail websites. This is a huge time saver for you, as you won’t have to do the research and legwork. The downside to using a service like this is cost. You will be paying more for this type of service, but many authors find it is worth it.
• Book Retailers – A book retailer is just what it sounds like. Any platform that will put your book on their online shelf, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Book, etc, is considered a book retailer.
• Coaching Companies – These are companies, or individuals, who will show you the ropes. They provide an education to you, for a cost, on how to take your book from written to sold through self publishing.
• Author Services – These are companies that offer services, such as book formatting, book marketing, cover design, editing and proofreading, etc.

Should First Time Authors Self Publish

Yes! Finally, authors can take success into their own hands, and not have to wait around for a traditional publisher to accept them. As an independent author, you are in the drivers seat. From writing, publishing, pricing, and marketing, you get to make all the decisions on what is right for you and your book.

What Is the Cheapest Way To Self Publish A Book?

Generally speaking, publishing a digital form of your book is the easiest and cheapest route to go when self publishing. However, when you upload your book to print on demand services, like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Platform, you can choose to see your book as an ebook, or a physical paperback book with zero cost to you. Amazon will only print out your book when someone buys and you pay a percentage of that printing cost to Amazon only when someone buys. The money comes straight from the sale of the book, so no hassle to you.

Do Self Published Books Sell?

Absolutely, self published books sell, and many authors are making a great income from them. Self publishing has become huge. In fact, it might even put traditional publishers out of business one day. According to Amazon’s Kindle sales review in 2019, there are now thousands of independent authors taking home royalties of over $50,000, while more than a thousand hit six-figure salaries from their book sales last year.

How Much Do Self Published Authors Make on Amazon?

There are many different platforms to publish on, but one of the biggest is, by far, Amazon. Many authors are taking home thousands of dollars each year from their self published books, with some even making a full time income from their royalties. It’s definitely a lucrative market, and if you haven’t written a book before, but love to write, or even outsource your writing, getting into the self publishing space can be a very smart financial move.

Can A Self Published Book Be Picked Up By A Publisher?

Yes! If your ultimate goal is to be picked up by a traditional publisher, self publishing is a great first step. Self publishing will get your book out there, gaining exposure, and give that traditional publisher a glance at how successful your book is before vetting you. Traditional publishers often use Amazon to look for new opportunities and new authors who are doing well as a tool to find new business. In this way, self publishing is a win-win for both traditional publishing and self publishing.

What Self Published Books Sell Best on Amazon?

There are many different book categories on Amazon that are selling well, however, literature & fiction is, by far, the most popular e-book category on Amazon. In 2019, the best-selling books in these categories got over 1000 sales a day. If you love to write fiction, Amazon is one of the best platforms to publish your book.

How Do I Promote My Self Published Book?

There are many different ways you can spread awareness about your book. Every author should have a blog or a website with a social media presence on popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Include links in your book back to your website and social media accounts. By posting frequently, and giving your readers updates and information about your books and the topics of your books, they will stay engaged and eagerly awaiting your next book. Also, getting reviews for your books will help tremendously, as social proof is what really sells these days.

Take note of what your fellow authors are doing with their online presences, so you can stay abreast on what is working in the current environment, and don’t forget about your book’s blurb. Keep your readers wanting more by crafting your book’s blurb in such a way that they will have to buy in order to satiate their curiosity.

Should Authors Use Tik Tok?

Surprisingly, there are a lot of authors who successfully use TikTok to drive traffic back to their author platforms. Contrary to popular belief, TikTok isn’t just for teenagers wanting to lip sync and dance to their favorite music. TikTok has become one of the biggest platforms on the internet, and at the time of this writing in 2022, it is very easy to get views and followers by making short, viral videos on TikTok.

TikTok allows you to place a link in your profile, and many people use this link to link to a page that contains links to their website and other social media accounts.

Is Self Publishing Worth It?

Self publishing, just like anything else in life, is worth it…….if you work it, especially the marketing aspect of it. A self published author wears many hats. They are writers, publishers, and marketers. While there are pros and cons to independently publishing, one of the biggest pros to self publishing is that you get a much higher royalty rate than if a traditional publisher handles your book sales. As an indie author, you get to keep anywhere from 50% to 70% of your book’s profits, where with a traditional publisher, you might only end up with 10% to 12% of the profits when all is said and done.

How Much Does An ISBN Cost?

The going rate as of 2022 on Bowker for a single ISBN costs $125. You can purchase ISBNs in bulk at $295 for 10, $575 for 100, and $1500 for 1000. These prices are for US based authors.

Let me know in the comments if you have self published a book, and what service you used. Would you recommend self publishing to new authors who want to skip the hassle of finding a traditional publisher who will sign their book on.