Bruce Lindsay has more than 30 years’ experience in writing, illustrating, marketing and successful self-publishing. His self-published books include Harmony of the Soul, Chamberlain Australian Innovator, Lancia – 70 Years of Trailblazing (one of the pages is pictured left) and Armstrong Siddeley – The Sphinx with the Heart of a Lion. Here he offers some easy insider tips on how to publish your own work.

Options for publishing

Depending on your intended market, and your budget, you might want to consider:

• Submitting your text in a series of articles to an appropriate journal
• Submission of text to the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia
• Publishing via a website, possibly with payable downloads
• Publishing via saleable CD-ROM or DVD
• A short-run publication of material photocopied and bound
• Publishing a book for commercial sale

Other ideas for business-minded mums:

• One fab expat mum reveals how she started a kids' interiors business while living overseas
• Marketing with no money

Reasons for self-publishing

• Control over the format and presentation of your research
• Control over decisions to reprint, or to offer your work in other media
• Control over pricing
• Ability to target niche markets from your own knowledge of the subject matter
• Financial benefits compared to standard publishing contracts.

The processes of publishing

Editing: Professional editing can be costly. If you self-edit, do it many, many times. If you have educated friends with a capacity for rudeness and being very blunt, use them.

Designing the book: Remember that, if you wish to sell your book commercially, it will be compared to others on the shelves. Do not skimp on paying a competent and innovative graphic artist, but ensure that you carefully brief him/her on your wishes.

Typesetting, generation & correction of proofs: Remembering that it is most cost-effective to produce text on your own computer (and submit to the printer a CD of the entire manuscript), typesetting is effectively a non-issue. Correction of typos most certainly is, and might best be done by reading the text backwards.

Preparation of the index: do not automatically assume that your book needs an index. But if it does, modern software suites usually contain automatic indexing and footnoting facilities.

Cover design: as per book design. But have in mind a clear understanding of what you seek to convey via the cover design, which will very largely condition the success of your book when sold by booksellers.

Printing: If your budget can stand it, opt for an established printer capable of quality work. Opt for high quality paper if you wish to use illustrations, and if in doubt of the printer’s capability, insist on seeing samples of your photos on the paper you specify.

Sales & marketing: Will vary according to the subject matter of your book. You as author should be familiar with the likely markets for your book, and you must pursue them.

Formalities

Copyright: Take advice from the Australian Copyright Council's Online Information Centre, which is accessible online at www.copyright.org.au. Generally, however, a 50-year rule applies to most text and published photographs, but caution is wisdom.

ISBN: If for no other reason, consider registering your publication with an ISBN number for marketing purposes. Visit www.thorpe.com.au/forms/files/ISBN%20APP2006.doc for detailed information and an application form.

Seeking quotes: When seeking printing quotes, ensure that you leave no room for misinterpretation of your requirements. Your request for a quote should include:

• page dimensions
• page format (eg landscape or portrait)
• number of pages anticipated
• whether in colour or mono, or a combination of both
• type of paper (ask if unsure) in terms of weight and quality (eg 86gsm laminated art)
• number of copies
• type of binding (paper, soft, pictorial laminated, hard with dust-wrapper, hard without dust-wrapper, leather) embossing or gold blocking to cover and/or spine etc
• type of dust-wrapper (if required) colour or mono, laminated or plain
• delivery address
• timeline

Advance marketing

Self-marketing: There are heaps of ways to get the message out about your forthcoming book. Here are a few:

• Consider establishing a website for your book long before your intended release date.  When the release is known, upload a purchase coupon onto your web-page, inviting advance orders.
• Submit advance articles to appropriate journals on various aspects of your forthcoming book.
• Contact organisations, clubs and societies alerting them to the book’s likely availability.
• Prepare flyers for distribution to those names you may have acquired via your website, germane organisations, public libraries, school and university libraries and anyone else you can think of.

Engagement of retailers: Try to target those booksellers who deal in the subject matter of your book. Engage early rather than late, so that they can spread the word via their regular customers, newsletters and book-lists.

Marketing after release

• Book release function: Good investment in profile and sales.
• Book retailers: Treat them like gold, but in the most businesslike manner. Ensure they get priority for postage of required numbers, including formal tax invoices which detail their discount and postage charges.
• The cheapest means of advertising is to supply review copies as widely as possible to editors of journals and newspapers. But don’t just drop copies on their desks – first ask if they are interested.
• Personally signed copies are always in demand
• Personal attendance at events in the field of the subject matter. While not suggesting that you become a slave to every such event, my own experience of attendance at major events has been positive and productive. Enjoy yourself, keep the receipts and offset costs against taxable income.
• When responding to direct orders (eg via your website), ensure that every book is carefully packed in ways which will ensure its arrival in pristine condition.

Outcomes

At the end of the process, you’ll be able to take pride in producing something with your stamp all over it. It’s no fun being an apologist for someone else’s failings. Financial returns can potentially be four times the maximum you might expect from a standard publisher’s contract. And you’ll have the opportunity to apply for awards as author and publisher.