The process of publishing a book is much more complicated than writing one. The publishing process for books can be intimidating for authors who are new to the field. However, anything is possible if you have the right knowledge.

If you’re a writer and want to become an author, before you contact publishers or agents with your written book, be sure that it’s in a suitable state. Writing and publishing books is a form of art and creativity.

Like any new job, there is an initial learning curve. And it takes some time, persistence, and perseverance to get your book published. So to help you overcome this obstacle, just follow these steps on how to publish a book, to figure out the best strategy to advertise your work.

Steps to Publish a Book Successfully

• Ways to Publish a Book

As you’re about to become an author, you have to make a huge decision, you need to decide if you want to go for self-publishing or traditional publishing. As for today’s writers, there are several options to choose from.

So, it is better to ask yourself these questions, when choosing what way to publish the book. Because how you choose to publish your book will undoubtedly influence your journey.

Do you want to find a publisher or an agent?

Do you want to submit book proposals, wait for a response, and then wait a long time before publishing?

Do you want to follow the example of successful independent writers, who self-publish their books, via self-publishing platforms?

• Book Edit

Editing is the most precious gift an author can give their work. Whether you self-publish or submit your work to agencies, be sure to put your best foot forward, by learning how to edit until you’re satisfied with every word.

As people will read it, evaluate it, and make judgments, that impact the book’s success. You should aim to make your work as good as possible, to get it past the first readers, agents, and editors.

Anything that ranges from imaginative written to factual non-fiction work, requires reviewing, to ensure an attractive publication. We highly advise you to get your work edited, before publication. Even the best writers require editors. You need someone to complete your job, check for faults, and guarantee the flow is seamless. Don’t skip this. It’s vital.

• Get Feedback

When you write your book, it’s important to get the most feedback, as early as you can. It’s crucial to receive the feedback you need, to improve your work.

Writer’s tips are available from any source, and the best ones are usually from people who are reading your book, for the first time. The idea of letting your book be read, by at least one or several readers, before sending it to an editor, or self-publishing, could reduce the cost and time involved when hiring an expert editor.

Not only will an extra set of eyes be able to help you spot mistakes in grammar and typos. A fresh view will also give you suggestions on how you can improve the quality of your story, and make the subject clear, such as in the following example.

• Create a Title

If you’re still not sure about the title for your final draft, then you’ll need to make this decision, in this step, before proceeding to the next stage. According to popular belief, you should not choose a title for your book, until you finish writing your first draft.

The title is the most significant factor in picking the ideal subject. In this step, you have to come up with a title, and be sure to keep it simple. Your book’s title should also be clear about what readers will obtain from reading it.

• Book Format

Now in this stage, you’ll modify your book’s file, to ensure things like font, typography, page breaks, and heading styles, as well as the tables of contents, are correctly formatted, and appear exactly how you would like to appear in the published version.

It’s best to hire a professional editor to assist you in this process. This is because they’ll assist you in creating a better version of your book, and also provide an impartial view of how you can make improvements.

• Book Cover

After you’ve written and formatted your book, the next step is to design your book’s cover. When it comes to the covers of books, even though we’d like them to “Not judge a book by its cover”, the reality is that everyone judges a book by its cover, whether they realize it, or not.

The reason for a great book cover design is because it is the first thing the readers will notice and decide if they’d like to take the time to read your book, or not. And having a top-quality book cover is among the most essential aspects that will help you get your book sold.

Formatting can be difficult for non-designers. Unlike the inner design, which many writers can do with the right tools, the cover design of your book must be done by a professional. A professional designer has the skill, experience, and knowledge, to ensure that your book achieves its goals.

• Book Description

Your book description is very important in selling your book. Luckily, improving your description’s sales is easy. If you are still insecure, then look for best-sellers in your category, and get inspiration from them. Then, observe the pattern in five, to ten, of these descriptions.

There are many ways to create a killer description, such as the opening sentence of your book, or a dramatic declaration in your title, which should help to gain the readers’ interest.

Also, you can work on keywords, which are phrases that people might use, to find your book. Put yourself in your target reader’s shoes, when choosing keywords and categories.

• Book Launch

Selling a book takes time and effort, and the first few days are crucial. So, before you publish, make sure you have a great launching strategy in place.

Making a book launching campaign, and building enthusiasm for your book should be simple. This approach should generate awareness, engage your audience, and promote your book.

For a successful launch, you may wish to enlist the support of key media influencers and enthusiastic followers. Sending advanced reader copies to community influencers and asking for reviews, interviews, and promotion.

• Book Publish

Once your book is prepared for print, your cover designs are finished, and you’ve launched your book, it is time to publish your book. This is the moment you have been waiting for. Don’t forget to promote your books to the fullest, to gain more audience attention.

Conclusion

Publishing a book is a massive challenge whether you self-publish, or not. The good news is that you now know about your options. So you’ve got everything you need, to succeed.