Getting Published, Part 4

Covers and Other Things

We'll pick up this week where we left off last week, talking about covers. If you've chosen to publish your book traditionally, your publisher will provide your book cover. If, however, you're going to publish your book Independently, you'll be responsible for providing an attractive cover.

E-Books

As I mentioned last week, if you're publishing an e-book, all you really need to make an acceptable cover is good photo editing software. Any program which allows you to work in layers and save your work as a jpeg file should be sufficient for producing e-book covers which will meet your publisher's requirements. You can find cover requirements in the publishers FAQs.

Paperback and Hardcover Books

If you're publishing a paperback or hardcover book, you have several options when it comes to making a cover or dust jacket.

1. Stock Covers

Some publishers available to Independent Authors offer cover templates which include a background photo authors can use, and areas on the cover where the writer can fill in the title, author's name, back cover blurb and other vital information.

2. Book Cover Software

If you want more options for making that perfect cover than what publishers have to offer through their templates, you may want to purchase software designed to let you make your book cover from scratch. With book cover software you can use your own photos and a host of fonts and special design techniques.

3. Hire a Cover Pro

If you'd rather stay out of the cover-making arena you can find a pro to create a cover for you through publishers. Most of them have a list of artists you can use.

In addition to uploading text and cover files to your publisher you will need to create a book page. Most publishers make this very easy. You'll need to create a book blurb which is limited to a certain number of characters, select a category for your book from among the publisher's options, and set a retail price for your book.

Once you've successfully completed all of the above steps, it's a good idea to review the copy of your book the publisher will be issuing to readers. Make sure it is error free. If you're publishing a paperback or hardcover book, you'll want to know that the cover looks as pretty in print as it does in its digital format.

Traditional or Independent Publishing?

Whether you choose to publish your book traditionally or independently you'll find there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

With traditional publishing your responsibilities include preparing a book which is acceptable to both you and your editor (This will include making rewrites the editor requests and approving the print-ready copy.), writing the cover blurb and a few other odds and ends. The publisher will provide the cover, list the book for sale through its distributors and set the retail and wholesale prices.

Independent Publishing requires the writer to do everything as described in this series to get the book to market.

With traditional publishing, the publisher has total control over the release date, the distribution channels, the price and virtually everything throughout the length of the publishing contract.

Independent Publishers release the book when they want, through whichever distribution channels they want and at whatever price they want.

Once your book is published

Whether you publish your book independently or traditionally you will have to do your own book marketing. And that's what we'll talk about next week.

See you then!

Fran

Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff