Category: self publishing news

You have questions about book self-publishing—as you should!—and Outskirts Press has answers.

Of course, we do! So let us gaze into our crystal ball and see a few you may be thinking about right now. Once we get going, we bet you’ll quickly think of some more questions, and we’ll be here to answer those too.

What is self-publishing?

Self-publishing is just like any other book publishing—but with the author holding complete control of every step of the process. It has been around as long as people have been sharing their writing, but today’s technology, plus the difficult road to signing with a publishing house, has made self-publishing an accessible, high-quality, and important option for many writers.

New and established authors alike choose self-publishing. Some succeed so much that publishing houses later sign them for subsequent books. And some never want to stop self-publishing. After all, publishing with a house typically pays 5–10% of the net profit from book sales, while self-publishing pays 50–100%. But, of course, that reward is on top of the previously mentioned benefit of an author maintaining complete creative and business control of their book.

What can I do to ensure a professionally published book?

You can truly self-publish your book by yourself—independent self-publishing—or hire a book self-publishing company to help you.

The steps to creating a quality published book are the same either way, but when you work independently, you must know, understand, and be able to act on each detail yourself. You might have the information, the skills, and the self-management to pull this off—and, this is key, to pull it off well—or you might miss something important, incorrectly address a requirement, or come up short on the professionalism needed to successfully complete a task—all of which could negatively affect your sales. For example, even if you are a professional book cover designer, are you a professional editor? If you are a professional editor, can you really see past the words you’ve come to know so well as you wrote the book to spot the errors? Are you confident about how many ISBNs you need?

Many authors choose to work with a book self-publishing company. This gives them a team of specialized experts and puts the burden of time and task management on someone with the space and the skill to handle it. The author is then allowed to focus on what they love and do best, all while maintaining complete control over the decisions made.

If you consider teaming up with a book self-publishing company, remember that nothing in business is free. Book publishing is indeed a business, no matter how much we all feel fulfilled by writing and reading or how much our hearts swell at the smell of that freshly cracked-open new book. Take note of the differences between “free” self-publishers, who may charge little initially and make enticing promises, and full-service self-publishers. “Freemium” self-publishing companies often end up costing the author much more than expected, especially considering they often return little guidance and low quality. Respectable full-service companies offer high-quality, professional publishing services in exchange for a fair price—just as any trusted professional in your life does.

How do I start the process?

If you want to work with a full-service self-publishing company, do your research to choose one and reach out to them! If you choose Outskirts Press, you’ll have a partner with more than 20 years of leadership and innovation experience in the self-publishing industry. And as soon as you call, we can get started taking care of the heavy lifting of publishing, all while you maintain complete control over your content, goals, and steps toward those goals. However you like to reach out, we’re here for you. If you’d like to learn a little more about self-publishing first, Outskirts Press’s founder, Brent Sampson, has written an informative, accessible reference book, Self-Publishing Questions Asked & Answered. It is available in multiple formats on Amazon or in the Outskirts Press FREE Publishing Kit. The kit contains many great starter ideas, like key book marketing elements, guidance on crafting the perfect book title, and tips on pricing your book just right.