Thursday 18 August 2011

I've written the book. Now what?

Aside from catering to my three cats' daily wishes for a thorough petting, I've also completed further research in my self-publishing journey. I published my last novel, Death in the Forsythia, with iUniverse, but royalty options are now better through different options, which I am now investigating.

I will probably upload my recently completed novel, Grounds for Death, at Amazon.com, which will take care of reaching what is likely the biggest readership in English-speaking North America. To do that, though, I've learned that self-publishing without the assistance of a self-publishing house like iUniverse means I take on the responsibility for everything myself.

As a result, I've learned that self-publishing a la Amanda Hocking consists of 4 parts (aside from actually writing the manuscript): editing, cover art, cover design and e-book formating/uploading for various platforms. I've set myself a budget of $3000, of which I've almost spent half on editing (yes, I signed with a local editor that I met with last week. Yay!).

Now I'm learning that probably the most expensive of the four parts is the artwork, at least the artwork I'd like to have. So far, quotes are coming in at $1800 to $3500. Even the lowest of these will blow my budget out of the water without my even having sourced cover design and ebook formating, which I understand can be had for a total of $500.

If you're looking for cover art for your book or novel, I recommend checking out directoryofillustration.com, theispot.com, creativehotlist.com, istockphoto.com or jacketflap.com.

I might have to rethink my cover art ideas, though, if I ever hope to fit it into my budget. If anyone has other suggestions for artwork, or can recommend someone for cover design or e-book formating/uploading, please share it here. Thanks!

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