Book Publishing
Here is a letter that I recently sent out to a freind interested in publishing a book.
1. Get your manuscript together in either Word or Open Office.
2. Decide the size of book you want to produce.
Fiction: 4.25" x 6.87", 5" x 8", 5.25" x 8", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9"
Novella: 5" x 8"
Children's: 7.5" x 7.5", 7" x 10", 10" x 8"
Textbooks: 6" x 9", 7" x 10", 8.5" x 11"
Non-fiction: 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 7" x 10"
Memoir: 5.25" x 8", 5.5" x 8.5"
Photography: Whatever you see fit!
If you change the size of the page in your word processor settings, you can see how many pages your book will be.
3. A book template will be helpful. You can download a template for your book size here. http://www.lulu.com/create/books#templates
I can't remember if there are instructions with these templates, but you basically copy your manuscript into the template.
4. Get an ISBN or 3.
The International Standard Book Number(ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
As a Canadian, you can get your ISBNs for free at
https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
At this point, you become a publisher. My publishing name is MJMPublishing.
You can get an ISBN through whichever Print On Demand service you chose. When you do that, you give them control over who has the rights to your work in the future. If someone wants to make your book into a movie, they deal with the holder of the ISBN. If you hold the ISBN, then you have the control, including where the book gets published.
Get an ISBN for a print version of your book, an ebook version and an audio version.
5. Find a Print On Demand (POD) outlet.
As far as I am concerned there are 3 options.
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/
My choice as everything is free. KDP will help you with book formatting, and cover page design.
https://www.smashwords.com/
Deals only with ebooks. Upload your manuscript, and they will convert it. It also has a wider distribution area than KDP.
http://www.lulu.com/create/books
I think you have to pay when you upload your manuscript, and any revisions. KDP and Smashwords do not.
6. Publish your book. I am currently looking for a cheaper option than the American based KDP to get print book. I think the best option at the moment, would be to publish on Smashwords for ebook, and KDP for print.
This is my advice for publishing a book. I am always interested in helping.
Yours,
Michael Mathison
https://mjmpublishing.blogspot.com/
1. Get your manuscript together in either Word or Open Office.
2. Decide the size of book you want to produce.
Fiction: 4.25" x 6.87", 5" x 8", 5.25" x 8", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9"
Novella: 5" x 8"
Children's: 7.5" x 7.5", 7" x 10", 10" x 8"
Textbooks: 6" x 9", 7" x 10", 8.5" x 11"
Non-fiction: 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 7" x 10"
Memoir: 5.25" x 8", 5.5" x 8.5"
Photography: Whatever you see fit!
If you change the size of the page in your word processor settings, you can see how many pages your book will be.
3. A book template will be helpful. You can download a template for your book size here. http://www.lulu.com/create/books#templates
I can't remember if there are instructions with these templates, but you basically copy your manuscript into the template.
4. Get an ISBN or 3.
The International Standard Book Number(ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
As a Canadian, you can get your ISBNs for free at
https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
At this point, you become a publisher. My publishing name is MJMPublishing.
You can get an ISBN through whichever Print On Demand service you chose. When you do that, you give them control over who has the rights to your work in the future. If someone wants to make your book into a movie, they deal with the holder of the ISBN. If you hold the ISBN, then you have the control, including where the book gets published.
Get an ISBN for a print version of your book, an ebook version and an audio version.
5. Find a Print On Demand (POD) outlet.
As far as I am concerned there are 3 options.
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/
My choice as everything is free. KDP will help you with book formatting, and cover page design.
https://www.smashwords.com/
Deals only with ebooks. Upload your manuscript, and they will convert it. It also has a wider distribution area than KDP.
http://www.lulu.com/create/books
I think you have to pay when you upload your manuscript, and any revisions. KDP and Smashwords do not.
6. Publish your book. I am currently looking for a cheaper option than the American based KDP to get print book. I think the best option at the moment, would be to publish on Smashwords for ebook, and KDP for print.
This is my advice for publishing a book. I am always interested in helping.
Yours,
Michael Mathison
https://mjmpublishing.blogspot.com/
Great information Michael. Extra advice is always valuable. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome
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