PUBLISHING
The Two Ways
Once you have the text of your book as you want it, you have the options of submitting it to publishers or of self-publishing.
The Traditional Way: Publishing Companies
If you plan to submit your manuscript to traditional publishers, and you have your text ready, all that remains is for you to follow the submission guidelines of the publishers you choose, and take it from there. The book design, cover and any internal illustrations will be added by the publisher if the book is accepted. Many publishers will only consider books which have been submitted via an agent, and so you will probably need to find an agent who has sufficient faith in your book. (You also need to find a reputable agent who will really be able to place your work. Of course the agent will take a certain percentage of watever royalties you may earn, and the percentage is generally 15%.)
Self-Publishing
Many people are choosing to self-publish. Choosing this road cuts out the two hurdles of finding an agent and publisher who will handle your book. It also means that your book will be published, even if it is not very good. That is why there are tons of mediocre to poor books out there. But there are also excellent ones - and perhaps yours will be among them.
Self-publishing requires you to complete certain steps and we have the tools and experience to take you through those steps. Let's look at those steps.
Step One: the Manuscript
If you have a completed and polished manuscript (see the Writing & Editorial page) you have completed the first and hardest step.
Step Two: Print and Print on Demand
Next, you must choose a company to print your book. Unless you have a fortune to lose you will not go to a traditonal printing company, have thousands of copies printed and store them in your basement while you try to sell them. You will use a print-on-demand company. (We use Ingram Spark by preference and Amazon if that is the customer's preference.) Print-on-demand companies print copies only when orders are received, and they only print the number of copies required by the order. This means that you do not have to hold any inventory. Also, they mail the ordered copies directly to the customer who has ordered them. There are reputable companies which provide books of a high physical quality.
Step Three: Format the Manuscript
Next, the manuscript must be put into a form (formatted) so that the printing company can use it, and at the same time the interior layout must be made pleasing to the eye. We can do this for you, and you will be part of the process, able to tell us what you like and what you do not. Also, some information will need to be added to your text: your copyright statement and the ISBN number that is required by bookstores, whether bricks-and-mortar or online. It is the key identifier for your book.
We charge a minimum of $200 for creating the layout, but the final cost is determined by the complexity of the layout. We will be able to give you an estimate for this once we have discussed the book with you. (Note that an index adds considerably to the complexity.)
Step Four: the Cover
You will need a front and back cover. Again, we can create these for you and you can see some samples of our covers in the Graphic Design page. The back cover will contain a sales blurb which you will be able to use in your marketing efforts. We have two pricing options for the cover; one where you provide a photograph for us to use, and another where we produce custom artwork for you. The first option costs $100; the second, $600.
Step Five: Publication
When all that is done we will upload your book to the printing company. You might want it to be a print book only, or an e-book, or both. Remember; you will own everything: the files, the ISBN number, the copyright; and all income generated from the book will be yours. The cost of uploading is any charge made by the printing company, plus $100. Ingram Spark charges $49 for a combined print and ebook filing. Amazon charges nothing. (So why use Ingram Spark? See why, HERE)
Step Six: Publicity
When it comes to promoting the book, we can build a "landing page" for you: a web page that people may go to to read about your book and about you, and where they can place orders. We can go as far as to create a small website for you on one of the free website hosts such as Wix (tthough you will have to carry their advertising).
Finally, we can produce a short promotional video for you. The cost would be negotiated according to content and complexity.