Self-Publishing FAQs
What is the difference between traditional publishing, vanity publishing, and self-publishing?
Traditional Publishers
Traditional Publishers invest their money and resources believing that books will sell. The publishing house pays for editing, design, publication, and distribution. These companies are trying to make money, therefore unknown authors present a great risk to them, so it is difficult to get published through these companies. Books are often published two years after acceptance, and royalty payments are small and don't begin until they recoup all of their investment.
Vanity Publishing
Vanity publishers (often now called hybrid publishers), differs from traditional in that the author assumes all the risk and pays the publisher. While vanity presses offer services like cover design and editing, there is a major catch. Once a manuscript is published, it becomes their property, right down to the ISBN number royalties go to them, which means they distribute what they want you to have. The author usually gives up all rights to their book once it appears in the publisher's catalog. After you pay them to get your book edited, designed, and published and they give you a small percentage of the royalties and charge an inflated rate for author copies of your book.
A word of caution. You don't know how far your book will go. Never give up the rights to your work. For instance, if you have written a great story and some producer wants to turn it into a movie, the vanity publisher owns your work, so they get the credits and the money.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing is aptly named because you do it yourself, but you keep ALL THE rights and royalties when your book sells. The author is responsible for purchasing the ISBN, registering the copyright, production management, and marketing. Companies, like Williams DocuPrep help writers who don't have the time, energy, or knowledge to edit, design, format, and publish a book by providing professional services including cover design, editing, and print-on-demand publishing. Yes, we charge a fee for our professional service, but you are the publisher, you are in control. The selling price, the content rights, all belong to you. Once your book is in print, all the profits/royalties are yours. There is no split with us.
What's an ISBN?
An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. It is a 13-digit code that uniquely identifies your book. Each edition (first, second, etc.) and format (hardcover, paperback, eBook, etc.) of your book requires a separate ISBN. Some self-publishing platforms require you to purchase an ISBN for your book while others offer ISBNs for free. A free ISBN can *only* be used on the platform that owns it. A free KDP ISBN can *only* be used on KDP. A free IngramSpark ISBN can *only* be used on IngramSpark. A Vanity publisher’s free ISBN make them the actual publisher, they owns the rights, and get the money. I have been working with authors and small publishing companies for nearly two decades, providing writing, editing, and book production work. I don't advise my clients to use free ISBNs because when you self-publish a book, if you don’t purchase your own ISBN under your own publishing company name, then you are not the publisher.
Each country has a single approved and designated agency that issues ISBNs for publishers and self-publishers located in that country. Bowker is the official ISBN agency for the US; Nielsen is the official ISBN agency for the UK and Ireland; Thorpe-Bowker is the official ISBN agency for Australia. Please make sure you are acquiring you ISBN from their country’s approved ISBN Agency. To find the approved ISBN agency for your country click here. To learn more click here.
What is print on demand publishing?
Print on demand publishing means that as one book is ordered (on Amazon, for example), one is printed. You benefit because you do not need to order a garage full of books. You can purchase 1, 10, 50, or 925 books to have inventory to sell at events and reorder as you need. That means you aren’t burdened with the upfront costs. Print on demand books are digitally printed and best for word-heavy books. Offset printing is best for books like picture or photo books. The quality of digital printing is very good and gets better every year. Most books on the market printed on demand.
Do I need a copyright?
No. According to the US Copyright Office, “Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.” But if you want to file a lawsuit against someone for copyright infringement, you’ll need to register your work. Some writers do, and some don’t bother with the process.
How much money can I make writing and self-publishing a book?
No one can guarantee that you will sell a certain number of books. Self-published authors can make between 40% – 60% royalties on a single book sale while traditionally published authors usually make between 10%-12% royalties. Finally, the time and effort you put into marketing your book will ultimately determine how much money you will make as an author. Nothing beats getting out there and getting to know and connecting with readers in your niche.
What are the most important things to know if you want to write and publish a book?
You want to know why you are writing a book and what you hope to achieve as a result of writing it. For instance, someone who wants to grow their business approaches a book differently than a writer who has a fantastic story to tell or wants to publish a memoir. You also want to know who your target audience is. What do you want them to gain from reading your book?
How can a book coach help me write my book?
If you have ever struggled with getting started, getting stuck, or knowing what to say or how to say it, a publishing coach can help. A book coach will help you uncover why you are writing a book, who you are writing it for, and help you organize the material to have the most impact. A good book coach will keep you motivated and focused on your goals for the book and set you on a path to successful publication and launch.
Traditional Publishers
Traditional Publishers invest their money and resources believing that books will sell. The publishing house pays for editing, design, publication, and distribution. These companies are trying to make money, therefore unknown authors present a great risk to them, so it is difficult to get published through these companies. Books are often published two years after acceptance, and royalty payments are small and don't begin until they recoup all of their investment.
Vanity Publishing
Vanity publishers (often now called hybrid publishers), differs from traditional in that the author assumes all the risk and pays the publisher. While vanity presses offer services like cover design and editing, there is a major catch. Once a manuscript is published, it becomes their property, right down to the ISBN number royalties go to them, which means they distribute what they want you to have. The author usually gives up all rights to their book once it appears in the publisher's catalog. After you pay them to get your book edited, designed, and published and they give you a small percentage of the royalties and charge an inflated rate for author copies of your book.
A word of caution. You don't know how far your book will go. Never give up the rights to your work. For instance, if you have written a great story and some producer wants to turn it into a movie, the vanity publisher owns your work, so they get the credits and the money.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing is aptly named because you do it yourself, but you keep ALL THE rights and royalties when your book sells. The author is responsible for purchasing the ISBN, registering the copyright, production management, and marketing. Companies, like Williams DocuPrep help writers who don't have the time, energy, or knowledge to edit, design, format, and publish a book by providing professional services including cover design, editing, and print-on-demand publishing. Yes, we charge a fee for our professional service, but you are the publisher, you are in control. The selling price, the content rights, all belong to you. Once your book is in print, all the profits/royalties are yours. There is no split with us.
What's an ISBN?
An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. It is a 13-digit code that uniquely identifies your book. Each edition (first, second, etc.) and format (hardcover, paperback, eBook, etc.) of your book requires a separate ISBN. Some self-publishing platforms require you to purchase an ISBN for your book while others offer ISBNs for free. A free ISBN can *only* be used on the platform that owns it. A free KDP ISBN can *only* be used on KDP. A free IngramSpark ISBN can *only* be used on IngramSpark. A Vanity publisher’s free ISBN make them the actual publisher, they owns the rights, and get the money. I have been working with authors and small publishing companies for nearly two decades, providing writing, editing, and book production work. I don't advise my clients to use free ISBNs because when you self-publish a book, if you don’t purchase your own ISBN under your own publishing company name, then you are not the publisher.
Each country has a single approved and designated agency that issues ISBNs for publishers and self-publishers located in that country. Bowker is the official ISBN agency for the US; Nielsen is the official ISBN agency for the UK and Ireland; Thorpe-Bowker is the official ISBN agency for Australia. Please make sure you are acquiring you ISBN from their country’s approved ISBN Agency. To find the approved ISBN agency for your country click here. To learn more click here.
What is print on demand publishing?
Print on demand publishing means that as one book is ordered (on Amazon, for example), one is printed. You benefit because you do not need to order a garage full of books. You can purchase 1, 10, 50, or 925 books to have inventory to sell at events and reorder as you need. That means you aren’t burdened with the upfront costs. Print on demand books are digitally printed and best for word-heavy books. Offset printing is best for books like picture or photo books. The quality of digital printing is very good and gets better every year. Most books on the market printed on demand.
Do I need a copyright?
No. According to the US Copyright Office, “Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.” But if you want to file a lawsuit against someone for copyright infringement, you’ll need to register your work. Some writers do, and some don’t bother with the process.
How much money can I make writing and self-publishing a book?
No one can guarantee that you will sell a certain number of books. Self-published authors can make between 40% – 60% royalties on a single book sale while traditionally published authors usually make between 10%-12% royalties. Finally, the time and effort you put into marketing your book will ultimately determine how much money you will make as an author. Nothing beats getting out there and getting to know and connecting with readers in your niche.
What are the most important things to know if you want to write and publish a book?
You want to know why you are writing a book and what you hope to achieve as a result of writing it. For instance, someone who wants to grow their business approaches a book differently than a writer who has a fantastic story to tell or wants to publish a memoir. You also want to know who your target audience is. What do you want them to gain from reading your book?
How can a book coach help me write my book?
If you have ever struggled with getting started, getting stuck, or knowing what to say or how to say it, a publishing coach can help. A book coach will help you uncover why you are writing a book, who you are writing it for, and help you organize the material to have the most impact. A good book coach will keep you motivated and focused on your goals for the book and set you on a path to successful publication and launch.
