Want to Learn What’s in Store for Publishing Your Novel?

Once you’ve put in the time and energy of getting an editor to proofread your manuscript and make the necessary changes, it’s time to put your novel out into the world. It was April 2020 when my editor finished proofreading my manuscript, and I was ready to figure out how to sell my self-published book. They recommended a company they’d previously worked with called BookBaby as an excellent place for publishing a book.

As many of you readers know, I decided to self-publish because I wasn’t willing to wait for someone to give me an opportunity: I experienced enough of that during my employment searches over the years. For once, I wanted to create my own opportunity. If you’re looking to publish your work independently, like me, let’s go over the process involved when self-publishing.

Digital Proof & Book Cover

While going through the publishing process, I submitted my manuscript for BookBaby to create a digital proof, a PDF that I could review after their editor went over my work.

The company also saved me the trouble of finding a designer for my book cover by creating it for me. All they needed to know was how I wanted my book cover to appear and any images I could provide as references.

Once I submitted all of that, I had to wait about twenty days for them to create my digital proof and book cover. While I had to review the digital proof and make adjustments, BookBaby exceeded my expectations with my book cover design. I was immediately impressed by how beautiful their cover design was and how it would set the tone for my novel.

One of the costs of self-publishing comes with hiring editors and designers, but if you can find the right service to support you, they may have these things on staff, which they roll into the total cost of their support.

Revisions & New Additions

Though I was so impressed by BookBaby’s work, my digital proof and cover underwent many revisions before being submitted for approval. Some were due to noticeable errors, such as typos, odd formatting, and text spacing.

While other notes were requests for new additions that I wanted to make to my proof, including an endorsement page, copyright page, and an author bio page. For my cover, I had them add the BISAC category and three endorsement excerpts beneath the summary on the back.

Although I received my digital proof and cover in May, it took until July for me to submit them for approval because of the revisions and additions I requested. But that’s the power of self-publishing; you don’t have a giant corporation dictating the image and voice of your story for you. I enjoy having that creative control from the start to finish of the product.

E-book      

After I approved my digital proof and cover, I received my e-book conversion files the next day. They made all the revisions and additions I requested, so I made one final proof and submitted them for approval.

Publishing your novel as an e-book is a brilliant idea in the digital age. It only increases your reach as an author and doesn’t cost you much extra since you’re not paying for all the printing and shipping costs associated with physical (though it is nice walking into a brick-and-mortar store to see your novel on a shelf!)

BookBaby has a shop for both physical and digital prints but now includes distribution to Amazon KDP, Apple Books, and others that handle e-books. When looking at your options, you’ll want to check how connected a self-publishing house is to major storefronts.

Proof Book 

After I approved my e-book files, all that was left for me to do was wait for BookBaby to print out a physical copy of my final proof. The anticipation was a lot, but I received my proof in the mail only a week later.

I can’t quite describe the feeling that, after almost ten years, I finally had the physical form of my novel, Getting By, in my hand. I was, rather am, now a published author.

As I went through the steps and figured out how to sell my self-published book, I found that the hardest part of the publishing process was being patient. I was getting so close to publishing Getting By that all the waiting really weighed on me.

However, I knew it was best to take my time with the process and trust BookBaby’s thoroughness. Because in the end, with the help of the team there and my editor, I have published the very best version of my book.

Though I had a great experience with BookBaby, there are plenty of other options for independent authors when publishing a book, so shop around for the best fit for your novel.