Want to get your book done in time for Christmas? Then it needs to be printed and available in October… yes, you read that right. Christmas book sales start in mid-October!
Here are seven tips for how to self-publish your book in time for Christmas, because the publishing process can take between three and six months. And that’s after you’ve reached the final draft of your manuscript.
Here’s what you need to do, and why it can take three months or more before your book is ready to launch:
1. Start writing early, aiming for final draft by early spring
Whether your book is just an idea or 90% finished manuscript, give yourself plenty of time to plan the chapters, gather your ideas and write the draft. Writers are creative people, so it’s no surprise you can easily get distracted by new ideas popping up or bouts of self-doubt before finishing your first work. Focus is key!
When your draft is complete and you feel ready to share it, let a few people read it through; choose friends who are close to you and interested in giving you their honest feedback. Or maybe you’ve worked with a writing coach and they can point you to experienced beta readers.
2. Beta readers – include their feedback
The role of the beta readers is to let you know whether your ideas hang together well, and whether as readers they feel the work is complete. For fiction, you might want them to comment on the characters or storylines – although if you’ve left a cliff-hanger for a sequel or the next book in a series, this should be fairly obvious for them. For non-fiction, you could ask them to let you know what unanswered questions the book leaves them with. If you’re trusting the beta readers to play the role of a developmental editor, then it will benefit the book if you take their feedback seriously and make edits before submitting to a publisher.
3. Sign up with an assisted publishing company or self-publishing service (if you’re not going DIY)
Once you sign up with a company, they should give you a timeline to plan the steps you need to take; some will require time and input from you. Others will require additional funds, depending on the publisher’s level of service and what’s included. Plan for a book production schedule of 3–6 months for a text-only book of approximately 80,000 words. It can be faster for shorter books and it also depends on whether you’ve already used freelance editors to prepare your manuscript.
4. Copy-editing
Typically charged at a rate per thousand words, copy-editing isn’t usually included in self-publishing packages, but should be available as an add-on. You can also find your own professional editors via reputable organisations such as The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, who have a member services directory. Allow at least 2 weeks for the work to be completed and additional time for you to implement any recommended changes.
5. Proofreading
If you’re following the standards set by mainstream/traditional publishers, then there can be two stages when your book will need a proofreader. The first proofread takes place after the copy-edit, to ensure there are no technical errors in the spelling or clunky grammar. The second proofread, if it’s judged to be necessary, can be done once the pages are typeset – because preparing the print layouts take a lot of detailed work, when errors can creep in unnoticed. Allow at least 2 weeks for the work to be completed each time.
6. Prepare your ideas for the cover design
Finding images you like and describing the concepts you feel will work for the front cover is a creative process that needs a little time. Some publishers will have an in-house book cover designer and others will expect you to own this stage yourself or find a freelance graphic designer willing to do it. Invest a bit of extra budget and time here and work with experienced professionals, because front cover design and the book blurb on the back are both critical for achieving book sales.
7. Plan your book marketing and events
Once the book is handed over to the printer, your primary role is to plan the marketing strategy, and your book launch. If you’re hoping to achieve a steady rate of book sales, you’ll need to put together a considered and strategic marketing plan with local bookshop signings or library talks to get more readers interested in buying your book.
How can we help you…?
Author’s Pen is here to help authors, so if you’re considering publishing a book please get in touch!
A longer version of this article was first published by our sister company SilverWood Books (https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk).