I've been involved in publishing for over a decade now as an author, editor, and project manager; however, it wasn't until just a few years ago that I decided to move into self-publishing. Indeed, my first few projects involved consulting for others and, now, I am involved in my own, personal projects. It has taken a while for me to come back around to my own works, but in
process I learned how to minimize time and expenses in producing a book and getting it to market.This short article will not try to explain every aspect of book publishing in detail, but it will brush on a few of important topics. I have a few other book projects in making that will detail book self-publishing process; however, in mean time, this should give you a good basis of understanding.
--- The Idea ---
The most difficult part of creating your manuscript is deciding on topic. We all have ideas. It's part of our being. Ideas pop in and out of our heads all day long; however, we usually dismiss many of them as useless or too simple to be of use. You would be surprised at how many people want "simple" and easy-to-understand information! Readers want books that teach, inform, and entertain.
When you sit down and really think about all you've learned throughout your life, you'll be amazed at how much you really know! Your life experiences alone could fill a library! Even if you feel that you don't have any knowledge that would be of interest to anyone, you can start small. Research a market that interests you, find your competition, learn all that you can about a specific subject, and then write about it. Your ideas are important, as your knowledge and point-of-view are unique and of interest to others.
--- Planning Product ---
I always suggest keeping your book concise and informative. This provides a small footprint, yet it also allows your readers to purchase your book at a reasonable price. Keep it around 100 pages, which, once in book format, equals about 50, two-sided pages.
The core content of manuscript consists of a title page, copyright, table of contents, figure and table references, acknowledgements, forwards, content, appendices, index, and back page. This list is basic minimum requirements to support information necessary to present your book and its content. Of course, you can add other items such as a glossary and a preface, but such inclusions are at your discretion.
It is best to produce your book in standard 5.5" by 8.5" format in both print and PDF. I always suggest PDF to my publishing clients because it is one of few cross-platform (i.e., Mac, PC, PDA, and UNIX-based machines) document distribution products available today and it is most popular.
--- The Manuscript ---
Once you've focused on an idea, you'll have to create an outline or table of contents to define content. The best way I've found to do this is to break idea down into blocks of contiguous information --- similar to assembling a pyramid. Step through your idea and ensure that you are building from, for example, most general information to most specific information. Check outline several times, and have a friend review it, to ensure that gaps are filled in appropriately.
You can actually over-rewrite your work to point of frustration and burn-out. Ensure that you've planned and researched appropriately to provide a solid foundation. In this way you can develop a first draft and then perform substantive and grammar edits. Then, perform a technical edit and a second draft. Once second draft is complete, move into a final copy edit then, once you produce galleys or a sample version of finished book, perform a proof read. Don't rework any of core steps of document development, but ensure that each step is completed with quality in mind. This ensures a solid product in a short amount of time. If you would like to update or add to information in your first release, provide a follow-up revision.
--- ISBN and Copyright ---
Once you've started your manuscript, order your group of ISBNs. You can sign up for your ISBNs at http://www.isbn.org for about $240 for 10 ISBNs. However, additional fees can be imposed based on express orders. This is why I say, order ISBNs while you're writing manuscript so that you can afford to wait 10 days for standard, free, delivery.
You will have to convert your ISBN numbers to EAN barcodes to apply to back page of your book. The barcode must consist of ISBN you assigned to book as well as coded pricing of book. You can have a vendor generate barcodes for between $3 (http://www.toupin.com/serv_writing.asp) and $20 per barcode or you can download and use Barcode Maker (http://hem.passagen.se/sams/barcode.htm) to generate your own barcodes. For price, it will pay for itself in just a few ISBNs for your books.
Once you have assigned one of your ISBNs to a book, you can register it in Books In Print (http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/). This is how booksellers are able to access your information and sell your book through their outlets. Additionally, you'll want to register your manuscript-in-progress with Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication (http://cip.loc.gov/cip/ecipp14.html). This registers your book for access by libraries and government archives. You will be e-mailed "CIP data" to be printed on copyright page following heading "Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data".
