Episode 86 – The Writer's Toolbox—Self-Publishing With Style
Episode 86 – The Writer's Toolbox—Self-Publishing With Style
In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room for an episode of The Writer’s Toolbox—Self-Publishing With Style.
What can you find in this episode? Pete and Laura chat about self-publishing, and the five key reasons self-publishing is a good idea.
What Is Self-Publishing? — Begin The Podcast, Derbyshire Writing School
Introduction
Welcome to this episode of Begin, the podcast from Derbyshire Writing School. I'm Pete Billingham and my co-host is Laura Stroud. Not only are we the founders of Derbyshire Writing School, but we're dad and daughter too.
Do you want to be a writer and don't know where to begin? We want to help you solve the problems and overcome the obstacles preventing you from being the writer you dreamed of being. There is a place for you in our club.
Self-Publishing With Style
In this Writer's Toolbox episode, we're looking at the world of self-publishing — but not just self-publishing. Self-publishing with style.
If you've ever been in the situation where for the first time you get a book you've written through the post, the excitement is palpable. That brown envelope has your words inside and you rip open the package and there in your hands your book is born.
It's hard to explain what that feeling is — that sense of achievement. It's real. You can actually turn the pages, you can hold it, you can crease the corners. There is the story in your hand. You have taken an idea to a Word document to a fully formatted manuscript and through the magic of print on demand, you now have your words turned into a real, physical book.
What if you could imagine filling your bookshelf at home with your own words? That novel you've always dreamed of writing, the memoir you've longed to write, maybe a poetry collection you've stopped and started. Now all those ideas — you can hold them in your hands through the power of self-publishing.
As we often say here at Derbyshire Writing School, your story matters and we want to help you bring your story into the world.
What Is Self-Publishing?
Pete: Laura, tell us a little bit about what self-publishing actually is.
Laura: I feel like we could do a whole series on self-publishing — there's so much to cover and it's a really exciting topic with lots of myths and misunderstandings. But let's start at the beginning.
To me, self-publishing is the process of creating a book and then taking it to market without the use of a traditional publisher or publishing house. This means taking your book and turning it into a format that can be printed — such as a paperback or hardback — or read on an e-reader like a Kindle.
Writing the book is the first stage. Self-publishing is all about how you then share that book and those words with others. This process does take a lot of work, but it doesn't have to feel like hard work. It can be fun, and it can still be very professional too.
The Benefits of Self-Publishing
Pete: Why would someone consider self-publishing — even if they're already looking for an agent or trying to get traditionally published?
Laura: That's a great question, and there are lots of benefits to self-publishing. Many people might be surprised to know that self-publishing has been around for a long time — perhaps even longer than you might think. Many famous authors began their careers with self-publishing, and what's interesting is seeing how this trend is returning. Many bestselling, traditionally published authors are now opting for self-publishing or a hybrid model, depending on what works best for them.
Here are five key benefits:
1. More control over the whole process. With traditional publishing, the publisher takes on a lot of the decisions. You lose some control. With self-publishing, you get to decide on the cover, the layout, the blurb, your character names — everything is your decision. What if an agent wanted to change the title of your book, or your character's names, or how your book ended? With self-publishing, you have the final say.
2. Higher royalty rates. With self-publishing, you can earn anywhere from 30 to 70% royalties on your books. Compare that to traditional publishing, where you could be looking at just 5 to 8% for a paperback. A significant difference. You also get to decide your book price, which means you decide how much profit you make on each book.
3. The ability to make changes easily. Maybe you spot a typo, or in a couple of years you want to update your book cover. With self-publishing, a quick change to a document, a re-upload, and your book is updated and ready to go. With traditional publishing, changes can require meetings, calls, and sign-offs before anything moves forward.
4. A direct relationship with your audience. Self-publishing gives you more direct access to your readers. You can collect their contact details, get feedback, and communicate with them directly — especially if they buy your book through your own website. Building this relationship is one of the most rewarding parts of self-publishing.
5. No gatekeepers. Every day, many amazing books are rejected by agents or publishing houses — not because they aren't good, but because of wrong timing, market conditions, or personal taste. Your story still deserves to be told. With self-publishing, you can give yourself permission to publish. You don't have to wait for somebody else to give you that permission.
What Does Self-Publishing With Style Mean?
Pete: We said this episode was about self-publishing with style. What do you mean by that?
Laura: This is really important, because self-publishing has had a bit of a bad reputation on occasion in the past — and it doesn't have to be that way.
When we talk about self-publishing with style, we mean creating a product you are proud of — a professional, error-free, quality product that solves a problem, offers entertainment, or has a purpose. It means not just publishing through Amazon. It means avoiding the common mistakes first-time self-publishers stumble on. It means understanding the publishing process in detail so you can take full ownership of every step — from your Word document to a finished paperback book.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Pete: What are some of the mistakes people make when self-publishing for the first time?
Laura: There are several common ones worth knowing about:
Rushing the process. It can be so exciting to hold that book in your hands, and tempting to rush when you know how achievable self-publishing can be. But taking extra time to double-check everything will really pay off in the long run.
Doing too much yourself. Just because it's called self-publishing doesn't mean you have to do everything alone. You can still seek professional help to ensure your book is a quality, stylish product. Know where to best spend your money — and be prepared to invest some.
Not investing in your book cover. We do judge a book by its cover. Not spending money on your book cover can be a giveaway that a book was self-published, or worse, it can stop people considering your words altogether. Take time, do research, and consider asking for professional help with your cover.
Not getting editorial support. Being a great writer doesn't automatically mean you'll be great at editing or proofreading — and that's true for all of us. Getting external editorial support is simply part of the book writing and publishing process. Self-publishing with style means checking the details before you press publish.
Not considering your audience. Thousands of books are added to Amazon every day. To make your book stand out, you need to know who you're writing for. Not knowing your audience means running the risk of your book getting lost among everything else that's published every year.
Thinking pressing publish is the end. Pressing publish is exciting — celebrate! But there is still lots of work to do to market, share, and sell your book. Your words won't just be stumbled upon. You need to push your book out so people can find it, read it, enjoy it, and review it.
How Derbyshire Writing School Can Help
Our Self-Publishing With Style course is designed to help you get that book in your hands — a quality product you can be proud of.
The course provides expert advice, guidance, and a step-by-step process to help you successfully self-publish your book. We'll take you through the common mistakes, the secrets, and the top tips you need to know. We'll show you how to get your self-published book onto Waterstones.com, how to create a hardback, and how to keep costs low.
We believe in your book. You don't need a gatekeeper. You don't need somebody else's permission to have that book printed and given a place on your bookshelf.
You can find out more by clicking the link in the show notes, or by emailing us at info@derbyshirewritingschool.com.
We also have a range of writing workbooks designed to help you with specific parts of your writing journey. Each workbook is filled with activities to help you action the strategies and tools we share — all at your own time and pace. Head to our website to find out more.
Pete: Self-publishing is the toolbox that all the other tools go in.
Thanks for listening to Begin, the podcast from Derbyshire Writing School. It's bye from Pete and bye from Laura.
Are you ready to take control of your writing career and share your work with the world?
Our Self-publishing with Style course provides you with expert advice and guidance allowing you to successfully self-publish your work. You’ll leave with confidence and a solid plan to take your writing forward and finally hold that finished book in your hands.
This is an online course delivered live via Zoom.
Our course will talk you through the most common mistakes, secrets, and the top tips you need to know to self-publish a book to be proud of. We’ll show you how you can get your self-published book on Waterstones.com, or even create a hardback version, whilst keeping the costs low.
We believe in your book. And we can help you turn your dream into a reality.
Please let us know about your self-publishing questions, problems or ideas. We want to hear from you! info@derbyshirewritingschool.com
Thanks for listening!
