Publishing

I have nearly finished the publication process of The Collective Us. All that is left of this is loading the epub version onto Kindle Direct. The whole process seems to have taken ages, from me first sending the script away to be edited back in January, to now. But that is the nature of the business, I have discovered. The journey is a slow one and slower still if one seeks a publisher or an agent. There is always the wait for the manuscript to be read, resending it, then the wait if the publisher decides to accept one’s work. That was why I chose the self-publishing route. But what I have discovered, this can be a slow journey too.

I have learnt a lot this time around. For my last book, I chose a company offering packages, that virtually did everything for me. I thought this particular company would be good as they specialised in my type of work. What I learned was that it was actually an unending money pit. A few more dollars for this, for that, for this again and so it went on. I must admit, I did contemplate a similar company this time around that seemed to be offering everything I would need at an even cheaper rate. My gut told me no, try to do it yourself this time. Which I did.

A friend down the road created my website. I was told this was a way to sell and market my book. It is where I write these blogs and I am pleased that I went ahead and asked her to do this for me. She chose a site that would be easy for me to use to which I am thankful.

I learnt how to purchase my ISBN number from the library. One company could do this for me for a hundred and something dollars. What I discovered, was the process was a simple form-filling one, with the numbers arriving in my email inbox within 24 hours. Not difficult at all and certainly not warranting the kind of money quoted.

I discovered there is a difference between an e-pub and a kindle version. I thought they would be the same, but each requires a separate ISBN number. I also found that Kindle Direct Publishing needs its own log-in. I was wondering why I could not find the place I had been to before, when I entered my log-in details into Amazon.

Having done everything once, I am sure any future publishing will be so much easier. I have a man who will help me load my book onto Kindle and help with marketing. This time, I am seeking the help but hopefully, I won’t need it next time around.

What I do know though, is I will definitely use the printing company again. Your Books has been amazing and once again I am so thankful for their expertise, from creating the cover, correcting the mistakes I missed with each round of checking, to providing me with the different versions I need to complete my publishing.

Thank you.