Spiderwize's Self Publishing Blog

The other day I wrote a little blog post about tips for those in the self publishing field, one of which was to ensure that your self published book had all the correct paraphernalia such as an ISBN number and so forth. It only just occurred to me that some people, particularly if they are only just beginning to consider going the self publishing route for their work, might not even fully understand what an ISBN number is, let alone how to go about getting one, so I thought “I know, I’ll write a blog about it”. Oh, the power!

Basically, an ISBN number is the International Standard Book Number, which is a unique identifier for every book embedded in the barcode on the back cover (regardless of whether it is hardback, paperback, eBook, or even audio book format). Books which came out before 2007 had ten digits, while today the ISBN number (yes, I know that basically reads the International Standard Book Number, but that’s how everyone else writes it, so don’t get pernickety with me) consists of 13 digits. If you want to sell your self published book through booksellers either online or in the real world, you will need an ISBN number.

ISBN numbers can be purchased online and take about ten days to go through. A single ISBN number costs about 118 UK pounds (ex VAT) and UK authors must purchase via the Nielsen ISBN Registration Agency.

A quick note of anyone thinking of using us:

Please note that if you are thinking of using our publishing service then you do not need to purchase an ISBN number as we provide you with one of our own that is included in our publishing package. We cannot use ISBN’s that are purchased beforehand by the author.

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.

Image of flag by: micora

You may or may not require an ISBN for your book. It depends on where and how you will be selling / distributing your book.

Before I explain when you may need an ISBN number you may first be wondering:

What exactly is an ISBN number?

Basically each ISBN number is a unique set of digits that is assigned to a book. The book that is assigned the ISBN number will have that unique number; no other book will have the same number. You may like to see it as a unique address that is only assigned to your book. Though please note all copies of your book will have the same ISBN number (you don’t need a different ISBN number for each copy you print).

What is the ISBN number used for?

The ISBN number is mainly used for commercial trade purposes. It helps to keep your book data assigned to your book in online databases, helps retailers to find your book when searching for it on distribution channels, helps the retailer or wholesaler to keep track of your book when they are stocking it and, of course, as you will be aware, when someone is purchasing your book in a store the ISBN easily helps the store identify the book when they scan the barcode (your ISBN number).

When do I need an ISBN number for my book?

It might be easier to explain this by telling you when you don’t need one: If you are intending only to distribute the book yourself and not have it for sale on retail websites or brick and mortar stores, then an ISBN number is not needed. Also, if you use a printing service like lulu.com and only intend to sell your book through the lulu site (and not any other retail site or shop), then you don’t require an ISBN number (you may need to check with the printing service that you are going to use if they require you to have an ISBN).

On the other hand if you are planning for your book to be available on book retail websites (including Amazon) and /or for sale to wholesalers / brick and mortar retail shops, then yes, your book will need an ISBN number.

P.S. If you were wondering what ISBN stands for: International Standard Book Number.

Photo by BillPe