Kentmere Book Services
What are the advantages of self-publishing?
1. Publication Speed: Self-published books can be completed in a few months or less, whereas print books can take as long as two years to be published. Ebooks take much less time, with the whole process sometimes taking as little as a couple of weeks, depending on the length of the book.
2. Author Control: As the author you will retain complete control of the planning, editing and publishing process. Book format, cover design and other such important decisions are made by you, the author.
3. Retention of Rights: All rights to self-published books belong to the author, which means the author can do whatever they want with the book at any time, rather than having to work within the constraints set by a publishing house.
4. Revenue: You keep most of the revenue earned from the sale of your books, and this can be far more than an author earns through royalties from conventional publication. There is no charge to publish your ebook on Smashwords though they will take a cut of each sale; when you set the price of your ebook it is clearly shown what percentage Smashwords will take.
What is an ISBN and how do I get one?
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books published internationally. An ISBN is assigned to each title and each format must have a separate ISBN (i.e. hardback, paperback, ebook etc). A new ISBN is also required for a revised edition and cannot be reused. The ISBN is printed on the lower portion of the back cover of a book above the barcode and on the copyright page.
We can give advice on the best option regarding getting an ISBN for your book. These are included free if you publish with Smashwords or a print-on-demand service such as lulu.com We will be able to advise on purchasing an ISBN if you decide to use one of our recommended conventional printers.
For more information on ISBNs see the Nielsen UK ISBN Agency web site
Which is better, print or electronic self-publishing?
The main advantage of print is the simple fact that print books have a much wider audience than electronic books, regardless of the topic or genre. The vast majority of the book-buying public still prefers physical books.
It is also much easier to have print books reviewed, accepted by libraries, and (occasionally) carried in bookstores. While it's difficult for self-publishers to persuade bookstores to carry their print titles, it's almost impossible to persuade them to carry ebooks. Finally, you're more likely to find opportunities for "quantity sales" of a print book - for examples, sales at a book launch event.
However, the main advantage of ebooks is the low cost to produce them. Even if you choose to pay for professional cover design (a good idea if you are not confident in your own design skills), your cost per book will be extremely low. An ebook may exist as nothing more than a computer file that can be emailed to the customer, or downloaded from a website. You also won't have to worry about having boxes of unsold books cluttering up your home!
Kentmere Book Services are happy to work in both formats - you might like to consider two editions, an ebook and a conventional hard-copy version.
Which type of books are most successful for self-publishing?
Self-publishers can publish the entire range of books, including novels, biographies, history, poetry, cookbooks, how-to books, etc. There is no limit on what a self-publisher can publish and have some success. It's up to you to define what level of success you're looking for. For some it may be to just recover your expenses. For others it may be to give the books away to friends and family. For a few it may be to sell hundreds (even thousands!) of books and generate an income.
Do I need a literary agent to self-publish a book?
In a word, no. Many conventional publishers will suggest that you hire a literary agent before attempting to publish a book. These agents can be expensive and can’t guarantee that they will find you a publisher. They will simply submit your manuscript to multiple publishers in the hope that one will take notice, buy your manuscript and begin publishing your book. As the vast majority of manuscripts submitted to publishers are rejected it is not surprising that self-publishing has become such a popular option.