Four Names to Know in the World of Self-Publishing
So you want to self-publish your first book but not sure who to turn to? I was in the same spot a year ago. Thankfully, I had a live-in consultant to get me started, my husband Mike. He was approached by a publisher for his first book, The Guy’s Guide to Pocket Knives and he self-published his second book, Tending the Fire: Ignire Your Heart and Live Life as a Man. He was able to point me to three invaluable resources: Reedsy, Amazon’s KDP, and IngramSpark. My friend Sarah, who was previously involved in the independent publishing community, suggested looking into Christian Database and More/Bookstore Manager. These are four companies that you should know if you plan to self-publish.
From this springboard, I was able to begin my journey, with some bumps in the road, to self-publishing my first book. One thing to remember is none of these companies are responsible for marketing your book. That is dependent on you, dear author.
Reedsy
Many of the questions you will have as a first-time author are covered through Reedsy’s articles and videos. The topics range from marketing, publishing, and how to navigate the world of independent publishing. One of the most valuable tools is the ability to look up legitimate illustrators and editors to work on your book. No need to scour the internet or contact random people on Upwork. The format is super easy to follow and allows you to compare different book industry professionals. A fair warning, Reedsy has so many articles and videos you could get lost for days. Try to stick to the topics that you need to know about to accomplish your next to-do item.
Reedsy only makes money when you use their services to work with another book industry professional. For work contracted through the site, Reedsy takes a total of 20% of the transaction. That sounds like a lot, but there is an advantage to having a third party involved. It will protect you from ne'er-do-wells that do not intend to fulfill their obligations to you.
Kindle Direct Publishing KDP
Kindle KDP is Amazon’s self-publishing service. Grumble, grumble. As a small business owner, I detest doing business with Amazon, who seems intent on taking out all mom and pop stores. It is a necessary evil as they do dominate the book world right now and are the best bet to get your book in front of many customers, some who will not shop anywhere else. Make sure you take advantage of setting up an author’s page and the read their articles that explain the best practices for setting up your book page. If you want to dig further into this topic, you can find articles here from Reedsy.
You will set your retail price for your book. Kindle KDP makes its money by taking a percentage from your total retail book sales. You will receive your cut, called royalties, through payout.
IngramSpark
This is one of the places I will contradict myself. I am not sure I have ever recommended a business that has a poor rating on Google or the Better Business Bureau. IngramSpark has made themselves some enemies as evidenced by reviews on Google. If Mike had not used them for one of his books, I would be hesitant to use them based on the reviews. After reviewing complaints, I believe it comes down to their customer service taking so long to get back with authors. That being said, Kindle KDP does not play well with others, they basically want to be the only kid in the sandbox. In order to offer a wholesale option to an independent bookstore or to work with anyone other than Amazon, you will need to work with a company like IngramSpark. They will allow you to offer your book in both paperback and hardcover format.
My strategy to prevent getting trapped in a game of tag with an understaffed customer service team is to educate myself on the process as much as possible and use a professional layout designer to prepare my files before submission. I will ask for a small batch of book copies upfront before I put in a large order. That way if I have anything wrong on my end, I did not spend too much money to figure this out.
You can set your wholesale and retail prices on IngramSpark. Like Kindle KDP, Ingram takes a percentage of your book sale and will deposit your royalties into your account.
Christian Book and Database/Bookstore Manager
As the name implies, this company is helpful for those who are writing and publishing for the Christian marketplace. BSMGR serves a wide range of customers from small Christian bookstores to large ministries such as Billy Graham Library. They provide the software and database for these organizations to find Christian books. You want your book to be included in the Bookstore Manager software. I found my way to the most helpful representative named Maudie Webb. Through email, she helped me understand the value of the company. Christian Book and Database/Bookstore Manager is not a publishing company, so before you can submit your book, you must have your ISBN numbers assigned and have your book published.
It is free to list your book with Bookstore Manager.