A majority of our author clients come to us after trying to work with another company, or attempting to navigate the complexities of self-publishing on their own. They’re often defeated, disappointed or upset that the book they’d hoped to feel proud of isn’t turning out that way. We feel their pain. The world of self-publishing has evolved over the many years of its existence, but it remains a confusing and frustrating process. Plus, there are a hundred different opinions on which way is the right way to do it.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and ready to cut through the confusion and create a beautiful, professional-looking book that won’t look self-published, it might be time to consider hiring an expert who will tailor the experience to exactly what you need. Here’s why.
Why More Authors are Taking the Self out of Self-Publishing
They will help you polish your manuscript.
It might seem obvious that every author wants to publish the absolute best version of their book, but we’ve learned that the eagerness to publish can sometimes get in the way of doing so. Self-published authors often want to rush the process, going straight to “press”, so to speak, and in doing so skip important steps like copyediting. But this is a big mistake. We’ve said many times and we’ll say it again — self-publishing is already an uphill battle to prove your book matters. Don’t cut any corners when it comes to making it the most professional book it can be. You’ll be glad you did.
They will professionally design the interior of your book.
If you’re an author who’s tried to do this yourself, we feel your pain. Interior formatting for a book is much more complicated than choosing a pretty font in Microsoft Word. If you want your book to look professional, it’s important to have a professional design the interior. Nobody wants to read a Word doc uploaded to Amazon. And that’s not a book you’re going to feel proud of down the road. Read more why it’s important to invest in professional book formatting here.
They will work with you to create the perfect cover design.
Cover design is one of the most important parts of the entire book. Despite that old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, we all do it. Potential readers will decide whether or not to give your book a second look based on the cover, so it’s important to take your time with this step. A professional cover designer will take your book’s content, genre and competitors into account, as well as your personal style, and present you with several concepts. You’ll then work with the designer to zero in on a concept or go back to the drawing board until it’s absolutely perfect. Read why authors shouldn’t design their own book covers here.
They will make sure you have all the correct materials.
Depending on which self-publishing platforms you plan to publish with, each will have specific requirements regarding file sizes, types, etc for the interior and cover files. Hiring an agency to help you means you can leave these nitty gritty details up to them.
They will set up your accounts for you on their preferred platforms.
Some agencies will offer to set up all of your accounts for you so you don’t even have to lift a finger. Your book will be all set up, your royalties will be ready to be deposited into your own bank account and all you’ll have to do is make sure everything looks good once it’s done. Talk about taking the headache out of the equation!
They will guide you on the best strategy for publishing.
Every agency will likely have a preferred self-publishing formula they like to use, hopefully one designed to give your book the most exposure to the most readers with the least amount of headache once the reins are back in your hands. For us, we use a combination of Amazon and IngramSpark, the two largest players, to give you easy control, and maximum potential readership.
They will upload and publish the materials for you.
Once your interior and cover files are finalized and all your other ducks are in a row, the agency can upload your documents for you, order a print proof to make sure the book looks just as good in print version as it does on the computer screen, and then, finally, publish your book. Trying to do this yourself can be a nightmare because there are a lot of confusing questions along the way.
They will set you up for success in Author Central.
Once your book is published, the agency should make sure everything looks good live. Often the book description on Amazon isn’t ideal, so it will need to be fixed in something called Author Central. This is also where you have the unique opportunity to add your book to more categories than you can on the initial set up (if you’re using Amazon, that is), and they can do that for you too, so increase the opportunity for exposure in search. Plus, if you ever publish again, this will be your unique author page!
And all along the way, you’ll have the final say on everything. The benefit of working with an agency like ours is our tailored approach. We work one on one with our clients, meeting as often as we need to make sure we deliver a product the author can be proud of, every single time.
