Self-publishing authors have made the decision to publish a book for themselves, on their own terms. After writing the book, the author will take on the production and publishing of the book: proofreading and designing  it, and setting it up with distributors such as Amazon KDP, as well as marketing the book.

Sounds daunting, yes?

The process of self-publishing can be complex for authors who have never tried it before, but there are many reasons why an author might want to go down the self-publishing route rather than try to get a traditional publisher for their book.

One of the biggest reasons you might choose to self-publish your book is that you retain all the rights to your book. With a traditional publisher, you might find that your original draft bears little resemblance to the original draft of your book. Traditional publishers have the final say over its content and the look of the book, able even to overrule the author’s wishes if they feel it necessary for the book’s success.

When you self-publish, we’ll, of course, guide you towards the best format and ensure that your book is the best it can be; but the final editorial and creative decisions rest with the author.

It’s your book and you retain ownership of it – how it looks, feels, and the message you’re trying to convey.

Another draw for self-publishing is the potential for earnings. Self-published books yield much greater returns than those published by a traditional publisher. Books self-published with Amazon, for example, stand to earn up to 70% royalties – which means that you get 70% of the retail price of the book, only paying up to 30% to Amazon for selling and producing your book.

With a traditional publisher, when you’ve paid off your advance, you’ll still only earn around 10% of royalties.

So, if a book costs £12.99 in a store, you stand to earn over £9 from each book sold, as opposed to a little over £1.30  per copy when your book has been published the old-fashioned way. In many respects, self-publishing makes sense.

Self-publishing a book can throw up all sorts of questions, including where to start? Another question might be, how can I market my book?

Wellness Books is here to answer all your questions and guide you through the process of self-publishing, from your first draft through to your print or e-book.

We can provide editorial support such as proofreading and editing, and we will help you format your book to produce a quality finished product that readers will value. We will also help you list your book on platforms such as Amazon, using the Amazon KDP platform, and IngramSpark, so both direct readers as well as booksellers can find it.

In addition, we want every author to succeed, so we follow through with advice on marketing, as well as offering paid marketing support tailored to your needs. Our basic service includes everything you need to get started, including social media marketing and cheat-sheets.

If you’re ready to get started, contact info@wellnessbooks.co.uk with a sample of your work or your queries.