So you’ve either decided to self-publish or you’re considering it. Either way, it’s likely you’re also considering the costs involved. If you aren’t careful, they can add up. But there are ways to be a savvy investor in your book while still giving it the best advantages of the traditional publishing market. Here’s how:
Go Hard on Beta Reading
If you have really good and involved beta readers, there’s a chance you can forego developmental editing. The best way to achieve this is by having three to five readers review your story, read through their suggestions, make edits, and do another round of beta reading. With this method, you can probably expect at least two rounds if not three or four of edits after you’re ready to share. It can lead to some extra time in story development, but it can also save you big.
Consider a Book Coach
Book coaching sessions are a paid service that can help you develop your novel for less than the cost of a developmental edit. Consider it a shortcut from the beta readership route. With this service, you can have an editor meet with you to talk about what you need help improving like a scene that’s falling flat or story structure and strategize ways to fix it. You won’t get the comprehensive insight of a developmental edit, but you will have access to a professional opinion and the ability to work on what you think will improve your novel.
Seek Out a Deal on Editorial Services
If you’re wanting the full editorial advantage of a traditional publishing experience for your book but still aren’t prepared for the price associated, many independent editors offer a deal for working with them for all of your book editing services. This isn’t true for all editors, but our team provides payment plans based upon your budget to help you get started editing your novel without taking on more than you can handle.
Choose on Demand Book Printing
One of the fun metrics nerds like me enjoy looking up about their favorite books is the size of the first run. How many books did the publisher think would sell relatively quickly? This is all well and good for a publishing house, but printing a first run for yourself can be expensive. So can storing and shipping them. And still that doesn’t account for the time it takes to pack and send them as orders come in. It’s possible your profit margins per book will be larger with a bulk book printing, but you won’t need to shell out the cash in advance or worry about whether you’ll break even when you choose on-demand book printing services.
Create a Digital Marketing Campaign
Paid media is out, earned marketing is in. With the internet at your fingertips, you have access to a worldwide audience for your books that can be drawn in through nearly-free practices based upon the skills you already have – writing! Social media, blogs, website building, and email campaigns can all be conducted from your pajamas when you have time and scheduled out for when you don’t.
Two Things You Shouldn’t Skimp On
We’ve covered a lot of ways you can save money while publishing your novel, but there are some things that can come back to bite you if you don’t do them right the first time:
Cover Design – They may say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but people do all the time. You want to be sure that your cover fits your genre and creates an emotional connection with readers that moves them to buy. But fair pricing for a good cover doesn’t have to be exorbitant! Fiverr has some great professionals that can get you there for as little as $250.
Copyediting – If there’s one level of your editing experience to get done professionally, it’s copyediting. Why? At this stage, you can expect 95 percent of your grammar and spelling to be corrected. It isn’t perfect, but it will still make you look much more professional. What’s more valuable, however, is the paragraph-by-paragraph story analysis . Does this sound like your character? Is this the clearest way to convey the information? Is there anything missing? Copyediting services will answer these questions and much more.
Comments