A complete guide to navigating the self-publishing industry. *Note: The best-selling part is up to you.
Thinking about self-publishing a business book? You’re not alone, especially if you’re a skilled marketer.
But you probably don’t understand the process—or the costs.
At least not yet.
I worked in book manufacturing for almost 20 years—for R.R. Donnelley, the biggest book printer in the world, and then for Von Hoffmann Graphics, which was later bought by Vertis, and then by R.R. Donnelley, and yes, it really is a small world.
The following assumes you’ll serve as your own “book publishing general contractor” as opposed to using a service like Lulu that provides those services. (I have nothing against Lulu; they just showed up first when I searched “self publishing.”) You can evaluate the economics of using a self-publishing provider on your own.
Just keep in mind it’s not hard to manage the process of having books designed and printed on your own. You can do anything a “personal publishing consultant” can do for you. And while some of the details below might seem too granular, in my experience being conversant in the language is the only way to make sure things don't go awry.
A few notes before we get started: I use the term “traditional publishers” to refer to major publishers and not vanity presses, subsidized presses, self-publishing service providers, etc. When you see “traditional publisher,” think Random House, HarperCollins, etc.
Also keep in mind that if you’ve penned your memoirs, the following probably doesn’t apply since your potential sales are limited. (Don't feel bad; no one wants to read my life story either.)
Book Design
The design process includes text design and jacket/cover design. The end results are print-ready files.
Text design: Generally speaking, the only substantial design elements in the average book are on title page, chapter openers, headers and footers, and sometimes section breaks. Not to make it too simple, but after that the main choices are font, font size, and margins.
Pick up five or 10 books. Focus just on text design. You’ll notice they all look fairly similar.
That’s because the content of the average book is the star, not the design. Unless photos or graphics drive your book, your text design should complement your words and not overwhelm them.
Sounds obvious, easy to forget. No one will buy your book because the text design is incredible—but they may not buy it if the design is poor.
With that in mind, let’s look briefly at fonts, font sizes, margins, line spacing, etc.
Paper is one of the main drivers of book cost: More paper equals more cost. As a result you might be tempted to squeeze more words onto a page.
Don’t. Think of your reaction when you pick up certain books. The average scholarly history book tends to use smaller fonts, smaller line spacing… and can seem off-putting to the average reader. I love Ron Chernow, but if you’re not into history, a glance inside Alexander Hamilton will quickly scare you away.
On the other hand, using too much white space seems like the book was padded to make it appear longer than it really is. (See another author I love, the late Parker, Robert B.)
Think about what best serves your material and then focus on creating a professional design. Then worry about whether you should modify your design slightly to result in a few less or a few more pages. Keeping costs down is certainly important, but never make a decision that limits your ability to sell books.
Again, choose a few bestsellers and model your book after them. There’s no reason to reinvent the book design wheel. Think “professional” and you’ll be fine—and spend less on design.
Why spend money where it won’t generate a return?
