How to Self-Publish a Quality Book

The process of self-publishing your book is not like it used to be. The power of the internet and mass communication has changed everything. Something else that has changed is the fact that most people think they can now use the power of their own home computer to become a professional editor, artist, graphic designer or book formatter. This is a huge mistake that is often made by people who decide to self-publish their work.

Here’s the bottom line: if you are publishing a book by yourself, you are the author, not the editor or designer. The physical appearance of your book means almost as much as the quality of the content inside.

Here are some tips to increase the overall quality of your self-published book:

Tip #1: Seek Out Professionals to Help You

Instead of buying a copy of Photoshop and attempting to create a book cover by yourself, it would be in your best interest to hire a professional graphic designer. As you walk through your local bookstore you can almost instantly recognize any self-published books. They have low quality covers and graphics that look like they were made in Microsoft Paint. Do yourself a favor and avoid this pitfall. Professional cover artists do not use Photoshop (a photo-editing program, not a design program) to design book covers. They use high quality design and layout programs to ensure the cover will print clearly and meet a book printer’s specifications. Your professional graphic designer will be worth every penny you invest.

Tip #2: Have Your Book Professionally Edited

One huge mistake that new self-published authors make all the time is that they allow their friends, spouses or business partners to take care of the entire editing process. If you are publishing your own book, the content will directly reflect you. Don’t simply throw out a few copies of your book to your friends and asked them to “read it over” for you. Seek out a professional editing and formatting service that uses the Chicago Manual of Style, the style guide for books, to get the job done right the first time. Believe me, it will be well worth the investment when people spread the word about your book and aren’t turned off by poor grammar and typos right away.

Tip #3: Don’t Cut Corners with Printing

When you self-publish a book, one of the main challenges is to keep your costs low. In doing so, you don’t want to pull the rug out from under yourself. Don’t cut corners in your materials. Make sure that you are using a printer that offers high quality paper and covers. You never want your book to look like it belongs in a rack with free classified ad publications.

Keep these tips in mind and your book will be as high in quality as the most popular authors out there!

Hint: Get more insider tips and the best time- and money-saving strategies inside The Book Ninja Academy!