When first researching the process of self-publishing, it can seem as if there are hundreds of different articles and books on the subject but no single map of the journey. This article outlines the most basic steps of self-publishing to at least make that part easier—you will still need to sort out banking, and social media and promotional platforms. While we’ve tried to include only reputable organisations and companies here, remember to do your own research and check the fine print—the providers listed are not guaranteed, but they’re a good place to start.

Step 1: Write the book

Always the first and most crucial step! If you’d like some professional advice on writing, with the chance to attend workshops and masterclasses, check out the writer support networks in your state or area:

• ASA (Australian Society of Authors)
• ACT Writers Centre
• Writers Victoria
• Writing NSW
• NT Writers Centre
• Writing WA
• Qld Writers Centre
• Tasmanian Writers Centre
• Writers SA

Step 2: Beta the book

Ask some trusted friends—hopefully keen readers, and hopefully also readers from within the demographic the book is aimed at—to read your work. Alternatively, you can find manuscript assessment services at most of the writers support networks listed above.

Step 3: Edit the book

Search the databases of these professional organisations to find freelance editors who work in your state or area. If you’re involved in a writing or self-publishing group, ask members for recommendations.

• Institute of Professional Editors
• Freelance Editor’s Network
• Editors Victoria
• Editors NSW
• Editors Qld
• Editors WA
• Society of Editors (Tasmania)
• Editors SA

Step 4: Copyedit the book

Most freelance editors worth their salt will also provide copyediting services. Check the professional editing organisations listed above.

Step 5: Get a cover

This is one of the most important parts of the self-publishing process—and your book’s primary sales pitch! Look for local freelance cover designers to find someone whose portfolio and qualifications seem like a good fit. Alternatively, try an overseas-based designer—there are a lot out there, so be clear about what you want. Remember you will need to use PayPal (or equivalent) to pay an overseas designer. It’s also possible to have covers designed by freelancers on sites like Reedsy, but it might involve some work to find someone who seems reputable.

Quality designers are booked months in advance, so plan early. Have a clear understanding of what you want—ebook cover? Paperback cover? Both? What fonts and design elements do you need? What’s your publishing schedule? It’s worth reading Lara Willard’s article on working with a book cover designer to get some tips.

Local:

• Australian Book Designers Association
• The Book Design House
• Book Cover Designer
• 27id

Overseas:

• By Hang Le
• ebook launch
• Damonza
• Extended Imagery
• Deranged Doctor Design
• Bookfly Design
• Author Packages
• The Book Cover Designer (also has a large library of inexpensive pre-made covers)

Step 6: Buy ISBNs

All ISBNs (in Australia and overseas) are sold by Thorpe-Bowker Identifier Services. It’s much cheaper if you buy a pack of 10.

Step 7: Typeset/layout the book

Typesetting is when you set up the pages of the book, populate it with your text, and make sure the fonts and titles all look good. Some editors do typeset and layout, so ask your editor. You can also do this yourself—if you have graphic design skills, you might be equipped to use InDesign to create pages. If you’re less skilled, then user-friendly interfaces like Blurb or Vellum or Book Design Templates might be the way to go, or you can search online for book layout services.

Remember, if you’re also producing paperbacks of your book, you’ll need to ensure that layout is correct for both ebook and paperback—paperbacks need extra attention for things like gutters and margins.

Step 8: Proof the book

Read through your pages again (for the hundredth time!) and after you’re done, ask or hire someone with fresh eyes to read through and catch the tiny errors that you’ll inevitably miss—proofing might be something you can swap with another self-publishing author.

Step 9: Convert your book to formats

Once you have the completed pages of your beautifully typeset and laid-out book, you can convert it to the appropriate formats for publication with a free tool like Calibre.

Step 10: Publish the book

Read through the instructions for creating an account for each platform, and the uploading process. Be aware that you will need to fill out banking, tax and identity details for each platform you use.

As an ebook:

• Draft 2 Digital—an aggregator that can upload your book to all major platforms (for a small cost), or go to each platform individually. It’s common practise to go through Amazon KDP direct, then use D2D for all other platforms.
• Amazon KDP
• Kobo Writing Life
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• Google Play
• Apple iBooks Author—you will need to use a Mac to begin an account and for upload

As a print-on-demand (POD) paperback:

• IngramSpark—most popular choice for local print copies
• KDP Print—the easiest choice for overseas print
• Createspace—now Amazon-owned; it’s likely this will eventually be folded into KDP Print
• Lulu—but be aware of postage costs

Step 11: Market and promote

Marketing tips and techniques are available all over the internet, but it’s a good idea to look at some of the information provided by the people listed below:

• Joanna Penn
• Mark Dawson
• David Gaughran
• Kindlepreneur

Keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the market by checking:

• AuthorEarnings
• Jane Friedman
• The Book Designer

If you’re struggling to keep up with it all, you might want to consult a local author service provider (but again, watch the fine print):

• Critical Mass
• Pick-a-woowoo
• IndieMosh
• Publicious

Finally, good luck with your self-publishing efforts, and all the best for your next publication!

Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family, and her latest book, White Night (Allen & Unwin), was published in March 2018. Find her at www.elliemarney.com or on Twitter or Instagram.

Got a book written and not sure how to pay for production? In self-publishing, the initial costs of editing, creating a cover, typesetting and formatting—and sometimes printing and distribution—are all borne by the author-publisher, who hopes to recoup their money once the book is released. But if you don’t have the money to invest upfront, you might like to explore crowdfunding as an option.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is a way to pre-sell a product to raise the funds necessary for the creator to manufacture and distribute it. These days, crowdfunding seems to be used for everything from philanthropic interests to artistic projects. It has been used effectively by authors like Paul Kingsnorth and Seth Godin to raise capital for a book’s production.

What’s the process?

A crowdfunding platform is used to advertise a potential book project. Individual backers contribute funds to the project, and once the target level of funding is reached, the book goes into production. Backers don’t get an equity stake—all project rights are retained by the self-publisher, who offers a staggered series of rewards to early supporters of the project in exchange for their backing.

The primary steps are:

1. Create a business plan for your crowdfunding campaign: You’ll need to figure out your expenses for book production, the timeline for the launch, who you plan to target with your campaign, your overall budget and marketing strategy, what rewards you’re prepared to offer your backers, and what hurdles you might need to overcome.
2. Choose your platform: The most popular ones for self-publishers are Publishizer, Indiegogo and Kickstarter, but you might also like to look at Australian platforms like Pozible, or collaborative publisher-funders like Unbound or Inkshares.
3. Create a crowdfunding campaign page: You will need a strong headline, a book blurb, a sales video and defined reward tiers. Check out other publishing crowdfunding campaigns to get an idea of what to develop.
4. Launch your campaign: Crowdfunding is about momentum. Getting strong support in the early days of the campaign’s launch are essential.
5. Follow-through on your campaign: Once your campaign is completed, you will need to deliver the rewards you promised your supporters, and produce and release your book.

Be realistic about your target goals—$10,000 for a fiction book is considered a high benchmark—and remember, you have to pay the platform up to 30% of your raised capital. Your book’s genre can also have an impact on your campaign success: nonfiction, fantasy and science fiction all seem to do best.

What are the benefits?

Apart from supplying much-needed funds, crowdfunding allows you to fine-tune your book’s pitch, create buzz around your book’s release, and find an eager audience before the book has even launched. It also gives your book instant credibility through visible proof of demand, and allows you to connect with readers in a type of direct collaboration.

What are the drawbacks?

It can be time-consuming—particularly in the pre- and post-campaign periods. Crowdfunding campaigns are won or lost in the planning, so you have to be highly organised. You need to have your head around marketing and promo to make it work well. And if your book’s genre isn’t tempting to backers, you might have trouble getting off the ground.

Case study: Alison Croggon and Fleshers

Alison Croggon is an award-winning hybrid fantasy author who crowdfunded the release of Fleshers, the first in her Newport City series penned with her partner, Daniel Keene.

Alison, can you walk us through the process you went through to crowdfund your book Fleshers?

We launched our campaign through Pozible, a huge platform that has the advantage of being Australian—you get paid in AU dollars, rather than having to pay international transfer fees. We mocked up some images (our son knows how to make and edit videos, so he took care of the video), put together a blurb of what we wanted to do, and figured out our rewards for pledges. Then I put together a list of emails—friends, acquaintances, people who might support us—to contact once the campaign was launched, and nagged everyone we knew to spread the word.

When people started pledging, I was surprised by how amazing it felt. It was such a buzz to know that people were interested in helping us! We were aiming for $3000 and raised $3730, and that was awesome.

Any advice for those looking at crowdfunding as a self-publishing support option?

The biggest thing is to use an Australian platform. And I heard some stories about people who spent more fulfilling pledges than they raised, so be precise and careful about what you’re offering. Remember, Paypal and credit card fees also come out of your pledges—budget those in as about 8% of your total budget.

Be organised and brave. And unembarrassed about nagging people.

Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family, and her latest book, White Night (Allen & Unwin), was published in March 2018. Find her at www.elliemarney.com or on Twitter or Instagram.