In last week’s blog, I answered several FAQs concerning book writing.  This blog covers FAQs concerning book publication.

1. After my book is written, what comes next?  

Answer:  There are several steps needed before your book can be published.  The three main steps are:

• Editing and proofreading
• Book layout design
• Book cover design

After these are done, the publication process can begin.  You’ll need to have created your meta data (e.g., the price you want to charge for your eBook and print book, and your book description).  You should review the digital proof of your book and after you determine that it looks OK, you should order a print proof. Once you sign off on the print proof, you can approve your book for publication and it will be live within 5 business days.

2. How long will it take from the time my book is written until it is published?  

Answer:  The timeline depends on a number of factors.  Key among them is your ability to turn around drafts.  When you get an edited draft of your book, will you review it right away or will it take you some time to get to it?  How many rounds of review are you asking for from your editor, book layout and cover designer? Also, how long is your book?  Editing and proofreading take twice as much time for a 100 page book as for a 50 pager. On average, SkillBites is able to perform editing, book layout, cover design, formatting and publication of a 50 page book in 4 to 5 months, when the author is able to review drafts and provide feedback and responses quickly, within 3 days from getting a draft or inquiry.

3. Should I create an eBook, a print book or both?

Answer:  I recommend that you create both an eBook and a print book.  With an eBook, it is easy to send the eBook file to a prospect or colleague, and it’s free.  You can also use the eBook as an opt-in on your website, to help you build a list of prospects.  With the growth of e-readers, many people prefer reading on a tablet, where you can increase the font size, and you don’t have to carry around the books that you want to read.  However, the majority of readers still prefer print books. Unlike eBooks, people can take notes in print books. Also, when you hand a hot prospect your paperback book, it is much more powerful than sending them the eBook file.

4. How much should I expect to spend on publishing my book?  

Answer:  The cost depends on many variables. A short book will cost less than a long book.  If an illustrator is needed to create illustrations for the book, that will cost more than a book with stock images or no images.  A book printed in color will cost more than one in black and white. The cost also depends on what you decide to do yourself and what you choose to outsource to others. You can do it all yourself, but of course it will take quite a bit of your time, you’ll probably become frustrated when things don’t work the way you think they should, and you may not get the quality you desire.   The average SkillBites customer who has written a 50 page book and hires SkillBites to provide editing, book layout, basic cover design, formatting and publication on Amazon as an eBook and print book, spends roughly $2500.

5. How do I find a publisher?  

Answer:  Finding a traditional publisher is hard.  You need to write a lengthy proposal, and you can anticipate a lot of rejections.  Publishers are looking for authors with a blockbuster book, a large following and a strong marketing plan.  It’s rare that they accept a new author unless the author can show great promise of selling a lot of books. That being said, you can read the acknowledgement section in books in your industry, and you’ll often find an agent or publisher listed there that you can contact.  If you want to get your book published quickly, you can either self-publish or utilize a hybrid publisher such as SkillBites to manage the publication process for you.

6. What kind of royalties can I expect from my book?  

Answer:  From a traditional publisher, you can expect to receive somewhere between 5% and 20%.  From SkillBites, you would receive 75% of the net revenue with most of our packages. So if SkillBites has published your book on Amazon for $20, Amazon will take out its share, and you’ll receive 75% of the amount paid to SkillBites, which will yield to you about $7. Keep in mind that you can make much more from leveraging your book to get more customers buying your services and products than you can from the sales revenue from the book itself.

Do you have questions on book publishing that you want answered?  Email me at judy@skillbites.net and I’ll get back to you with my answer.