Spiderwize's Self Publishing Blog

Self publishing fully by yourself (Do-It-Yourself) can be interpreted as the author taking charge of working out each process of their book production. From finding their printer, getting an ISBN number, formatting the inside, designing their book cover to book distribution. Some may call this fully Self Publishing.

Below we have listed some of the main items (an overview) you will need to be aware of when you are self publishing fully by yourself. This is not a comprehensive list but will give you some pointers.

Editing
If you decide that your work requires someone to edit your manuscript then the first course of action would be to ask friends or writing contacts of anyone they can recommend. Also, you can search for an editor on Google, but make sure you pay close attention to the editor’s credentials. Whoever you choose to edit / proofread your book, make sure they have the skills / experience / qualifications.

ISBN
First you will need to decide if you require an ISBN number. For more info read our Does my book require an ISBN number guide. Only publishers can purchase ISBN numbers from the ISBN agency. So for you to purchase the ISBN number you will need to set yourself up as a publisher. This means you need to think of an imprint name you want your book to be published under. You will need to purchase yourself an ISBN number from your local ISBN agency. Each country has its own agency. If you are located in the UK you will need to purchase a minimum block of 10 ISBN numbers from Nielsen. Their website: http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/

Printer
It is a good idea to find the printer you are going to use early in the self publishing process. This is because the printer you decide to go with may have their own formatting rules and specifications that your book will need to have. By finding this out now before you format your book interior and design your book cover will help to save delays and extra cost in the future.

Formatting
There are many aspects of your book to think about when your book is being formatted. You will need to make sure your formatting includes any setting that your printer requires. You could format your book yourself but we always recommend getting an experienced formatter to do this for you.

Cover design
As with formatting, we would recommend that you hire a designer to do this for you (preferably someone experienced in cover design). The designer will need to make sure that they include any settings that your printer requires which will include setting the correct bleeds at the edges of the cover. You will also need to make sure that your back cover includes a barcode of your ISBN number (if you book requires one).

Print ready files
You will need to check with your printers which formats they will accept the print-ready files in. In most cases this is in PDF format but some printers will also accept files in design program formats including Adobe Indesign. When saving to your printer’s preferred format (your cover designer and interior formatter should be able to help you with this – that is, if you outsourced) make sure the files are saved with any needed settings.

Book distribution
If you are looking for comprehensive distribution where someone else takes care of this for you, then you may wish to see which printers offer this service. There are a couple of POD (print-on-demand) printers that may offer authors that are self publishing a distribution service. Other alternatives are to find a third party book distributor who will stock your book and send out copies when there are orders – though this could be a disadvantage if your book is POD as you may have to supply the distributor with a number of printed copies.

Spiderwize Publishing

Thinking of Self Publishing? We have created a all in one self publishing package.

So you are an author in the UK and have a book, perhaps a novel, to publish. Self Publishing in the UK is not difficult as it used to be with today many companies offering self publishing services for authors. Though you still need to be wary of what services / companies you use. Please see some tips below regarding some of the main items to be aware of when self publishing in the UK:

Proofreading / editing
What can be a major downfall for a self published book in the UK is the spelling, grammar and other types of errors. For your book to be well received and have a chance of good sales / distribution, it is imperative that your book is well edited.

Copyrighting your book
Copyright is an automatic right and arises whenever an individual or company creates a work. Though, if you wish, you may register your copyright with a registration service. This is not a requirement but registering your copyright makes it easier to prove your claim if your work is plagiarized – this is entirely up to you. You may wish to take a look at the following UK service that provides a copyright registration service: www.copyrightservice.co.uk

Formatting your book’s text
There are many aspects of your book to think about when your book is being formatted. You will need to make sure your formatting includes any setting that your printer requires. You could format your book yourself but we always recommend getting an experienced formatter to do this for you – preferably a formatter in the UK.

Designing your cover
As with formatting, we would recommend that you hire a designer to do this for you (preferably someone experienced in cover design). Badly designed covers have been another downfall for self published books. The designer will need to make sure that the book conforms with any settings that your printer requires, which will include setting the correct bleeds at the edges of the cover.

Getting an ISBN number
When self publishing you will need to ask yourself if you require an ISBN number? See our blog post on Does my book require an ISBN number? If you do require an ISBN number you will need to purchase the ISBN numbers from the UK ISBN agency Nielsen – their website is http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk. You will need to register yourself as a UK publisher as only publishers can purchase ISBN numbers from Nielsen.

Finding a printer
There are many printers available in the UK and if you are going to use a Print-on-Demand printer then it is recommended that you use a UK POD printer. If instead you are going to use an off-set printer (printing only in bulk), then you may also wish to get some printing quotes from overseas printers, as their prices may be more competitive then some UK printers.

Wholesalers
If you want your book to be available to purchase throughout the UK, then you may wish to look into the possibility of making your book available to the two biggest UK book wholesalers. They are Gardners and Bertrams.

Lets us Self Publish your book

Instead of self publishing yourself you could use a Publishing Service Provider like Spiderwize. Here at Spiderwize we offer full Publishing Packages that include all the necessary services and items an author needs to get their book / novel professionally made and printed. See what Self Publishing Packages we have to offer.

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