Congratulations, you have a completed novel! Now comes the long process of trying to get it published. With the publishing industry being incredibly competitive, this might not be as easy as you might have once thought. A great alternative might be to try self-publishing. Let’s take a look at whether or not this would be an option for you.

Where Can You Self-Publish?

If you decide to self-publish, you need to decide on the medium you wish to use. There are plenty of sites that offer online self-publishing to many authors. This could be a site where you upload it all in one go, or it could be somewhere that allows you to publish in installments. The latter is great as it could encourage an audience to grow as you publish the story.

You could also choose to have a limited paper run. The right book distribution services will allow you to print some paper copies alongside your eBook. These paper copies could be sold through an independent bookshop, or they could be given to your friends and family. It is an added bonus that could help your book seem all that more real as you can hold it in your hands.

What Do Self-Publishing Companies Offer?

Many self-publishing companies and book distribution services will offer some editing or formatting. One of the services you get from a mainstream publisher is an editor. They will help you prepare your manuscript for publication. An online self-publishing company might not have the same resources as such a publisher but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to offer you some sort of publishing service.

A self-publishing company might also be able to put you in touch with a professional illustrator who can design a beautiful and eye-catching cover for you, unless you want to tackle it for yourself. Having a professional cover will help to attract attention from potential customers and you may be able to earn some crucial early positive reviews.

How Much Will It Cost?

One of the biggest problems with self-publishing is that you have to front the cost entirely on your own. When you publish a book through a traditional publishing company, the costs will be taken care of for you. It might, however, take longer and your royalties might not be amazing at the beginning.

With self-publishing, you get a bigger slice of the royalties. However, with that comes a higher cost at the start. You are going to pay for the services of the editor and the generation of your ebook. While there are many packages out there that you could take advantage of, most come in at a few thousand dollars. This is very privy but it might be worth it if you have struggled to publish your book until now.

Self-publishing can be a great route for many authors. If you don’t want to enter the traditional publishing industry, you should definitely consider it. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, there might be new opportunities available for you here.

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