Just be careful who you work with. Always read the fine print. Some services charge you upfront and then also dip into your royalties and may even claim rights to your book.
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Competition is tough in the publishing industry. Millions of books are published each year, and it’s a constant struggle to stand out in the marketplace and convince buyers to choose YOUR book. Offering a quality product is the first step toward publishing success.
The driving factors of books “looking self-published” are poor editing, subpar cover design, and distracting interior design. Books with these issues don’t reflect well on the author. Cutting corners won’t save you time or money if you find yourself having to hire another service provider to complete work that should have been done right the first time.
That’s where reputable author services companies come in. Yet with so much information and so many companies to choose from online, how do you know what services you really need or where to turn?
Following is a list of the most common services every author should consider.
Editing
Depending on the kind of editing offered, an editor may rearrange or reword sections to improve clarity, logical flow, and plot development; fix errors in grammar and spelling; or remove inconsistencies. You can (and should) edit your own work, but it’s easy to overlook issues in your manuscript. Editing is essential if you want your book to be as error-free and polished as possible.
Cover Design
First impressions matter. It’s important your book stands out for the right reasons. Readers take just a few seconds to decide whether or not to learn more about a book. Within that time, your cover must grab their attention, make them stop, and convince them to choose your book over the hundreds of others in your genre. A professional, eye-catching cover is a must-have for any serious author.
Interior Design & Layout
Readers may not notice when a book is typeset properly, but they will certainly notice when a book is typeset poorly. Book design is more than just selecting fonts, adding graphic elements, or setting margins. There are dozens of rules trained, experienced typesetters follow to ensure your customers can enjoy a seamless, strain-free reading experience. A professional interior design gives your book instant credibility with buyers.
Proofreading
Proofreaders review your book to weed out any errors and inconsistencies the copyeditor missed and to fix any issues overlooked during typesetting. Proofreading should be performed before and after typesetting for best results, but at the very least, you should put your book through a round of proofreading after typesetting is complete.
eBook Formatting
Having an eBook allows authors to reach a wider audience. When done correctly, eBook formatting is a complex, time-consuming process. Your formatter should go beyond simple file conversion and take the time to hand-code your eBook files from scratch to ensure your eBook will display well across multiple devices.
Audiobook Production
Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment in publishing. You can take advantage of this demand by offering your own audiobook, but as with all aspects of book design, it's essential to do it right. To compete with other audiobooks, your book should be read by a trained narrator and recorded professionally. Be sure your audiobook meets the quality requirements of providers such as ACX.
Website Design
An author website provides you with an online presence, lends a sense of legitimacy to your work, and enforces branding. Moreover, a website gives you another platform from which to sell and distribute your book. Some authors have the technical knowledge to create their own websites, but keeping a website secure from hackers is another complication entirely. If you don't have this specialized knowledge, you'll benefit from hiring an experienced website designer.
Marketing
Once your book has been professionally edited and designed, it's time to show it off to the world. Marketing is essential if you want readers to discover your book. There are many ways you can go about marketing your book, but many authors struggle with this step, partly because of the time commitment. Hiring an expert marketer can go a long way in ensuring the right customers find your book.
You'll find many services online offering to complete all these steps and more. Just be careful who you work with. Always read the fine print. Some services charge you upfront and then also dip into your royalties and may even claim rights to your book. There are author services companies, which assist with production, and then there are self-publishing companies, which produce and actually “publish” your book for you.
In true self-publishing, the author is the publisher. You don't need a middleman to publish your book. We recommend hiring services to produce your book, but when it comes time to publish, you can work directly with printers. If you wish to print-on-demand, you should go directly to IngramSpark and KDP, which are used by the majority of publishing companies anyway.
Acting as your own publisher and dealing directly with printers will allow you to maximize your earnings and retain complete control of your books.
Michele DeFilippo has 50 years of experience in the book publishing industry. Her author services company, 1106 Design, offers a full range of editorial, design, and marketing services with the quality of traditional publishing—all with integrity, advice, handholding, and turnkey project management.
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