Many people have something to share with the world. Perhaps you have information or experiences that others could benefit from. And perhaps you have even taken the extreme step of writing down that information in the best way you know how. If you read my previous series on writing your own book, then you have already learned the methods for creating the text. And hopefully you have taken action and produced your manuscript.

Traditional Publishing is what most people think of when they thing of publishing. You send your manuscript to Random House, or Scholastic Books, or Viking Press, or any one of a hundred different publishing companies, and a few weeks later your phone rings. On the other end is an excited editor who has decided that your book is so good that it must be published immediately. Then he offers you a massive advance, and you’re on your way! Well, it doesn’t often happen like that, but there’s always a chance. This road is long and hard and fraught with danger – yet there is a great payoff on the other side.

Self-publishing is basically taking the work the a traditional publisher might do (create covers, edit the book, fill out the legal paperwork, layout the chapters, deal with printers and bookstores, etc.) and doing it all yourself. If you like control and don’t mind juggling a million details, this could be the best option for you. Sometimes called vanity presses, print-on-demand houses take your money and manuscript and return a finished book to you. In most cases you can then order additional copies of your book which they will print on an “as needed” basis. Essentially, when a copy of the book is needed, they print one for you. This is a viable compromise between giving up all control (Traditional publishing) and being responsible for everything (Self Publishing).

EBook is clearly the easiest and least costly option. Simply start with a MS-Word file (or whatever word processor you are using, and create a PDF file from it. PDF stands for “Portable Document Format” and it is the standard way of storing published information. Once you manuscript has been converted to PDF, it will look and feel and read like an electronic book. And you can begin to charge money for it.

Outlined below are seven basic activities that may simplify the self-publishing journey. These tasks appear sequential but they may be done simultaneously. Decide what to write about. This is the first thing a writer ought to do. Getting the manuscript printed is important but making sure that the story is interesting to the readers is even more critical. Right from the start and before working on the book, the writer must seriously study the themes people want to read.

Discover your readers. A book’s market niche must be clearly spotted out. This allows the author to write effectively and tailor-fit the book’s overall package to the identified audience. Dedicate time for writing. When the topic and the readers are already clear, the writer must dedicate quality time in writing the book. If it is best for the author to compose during nighttime, then writing should be done at night and not in the morning.
Design effectively. As a house needs interior designing, a book needs one as well. It entails not only designing the physical look of the book but also the flow of the contents. This needs careful planning and meticulous execution. Designate a professional editor. A book author must not self-edit the manuscript but must consult professional editors to improve the copy and make it more appealing to the readers. A writer may think that the message is plain and written well but it could be unclear to the person reading it. Making the story as lucid as possible is an editor’s job.

Deal with a professional publisher. A writer does not have go through the trouble of thinking about technical details in book publishing. Professional publishers like Xlibris can do the whole process with efficiency and excellence. The company offers different publishing packages depending on the author’s needs. Distribute the book effectively. A book’s success doesn’t end when it gets published. It starts when it is promoted and distributed. Though marketing services are available from publishing companies like Xlibris, the book author is still the best person to market the self-published book.