It has never been easy to publish a book than it is today. Days have passed when an author used to find it expensive to have an agent or a traditional publisher to get his work printed. Digital revolution has presented writers with innumerable opportunities of telling their stories to the world. However, how to manoeuvre through this new terrain without breaking the bank?
The solution is in the knowledge of the free publishing opportunities nowadays. These platforms have ensured that any person with a complete manuscript is able to be a published author. What is even better is that a lot of these services are completely free. Looking to publish your book? Let’s chat!
What Are the Best Free Publishing Platforms Available?
There is a number of websites that provide free services in publishing books and which compete with the traditional processes. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the top-rated among the independent authors. This site enables authors to post their manuscripts and access millions of readers all over the world. It has a simple set up process and does not need any initial expenditure.
Another great alternative that an author can have is Draft2Digital that is geared towards wide distribution. The site sells books to various book stores such as Apple Books, Barnes and Noble and Kobo. Once an author uploads his/her work, he or she can access many markets at the same time. Formatting and conversion is automatically taken care of in the service.
Smashwords has been serving independent authors for more than 10 years. This veteran platform offers distribution to major retailers and libraries. Writers have complete control over the pricing and marketing. The platform is also capable of delivering detailed sales analytics that may be used to monitor performance. If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on Amazon KDP, this is a must read for you.
These platforms are the most free-all-inclusive solutions when it comes to finding out how to publish a book. The features of each of the platforms are distinct and correspond to author needs and preferences.
How Much Does It Really Cost to Self-Publish?
The beauty of the modern publishing of books is that it is cheap. Using the above mentioned platforms, authors have the freedom to publish their books in totality. Nonetheless, the optional services will also be able to improve the end product.
Professional editing work costs are usually a few hundred to a few thousand. The cost of cover design can be fifty to five hundred dollars depending on the complexity. Formatting services are typically in the range of twenty five to two hundred dollars. Are these costs necessary for success? They can always increase the quality of books but not always.
Most writers opt to master these skills themselves in efforts to keep the costs low. Online, free materials help learn how to edit, how to design covers, and how to format. YouTube video tutorials, and blog posts give step-by-step instruction on every part of book publishing.
Learning such skills takes time depending on an individual. There are those writers who learn simple formatting within even a few hours. Some weeks are spent and their design skills are perfected on their covers. Budget and time available to learn skills will determine whether to pay or to learn.
Can You Actually Make Money From Free Publishing?
The free publishing platforms are based on the revenue-sharing model as opposed to upfront fees. Through these platforms authors receive royalties with each book that is sold. The royalty rates depend on the platform used, but generally come in between thirty-five and seventy percent of the price of the book.
Amazon is providing 70 percent royalties on the books which are priced between 2.99 and 9.99 dollars. Books that are priced below this value are given a thirty-five percent royalty. Two other offerings have a comparable structure with minimal differences in percentages and pricing requirements.
Book publishing can be successful, not just because of the choice of platforms. Quality writing, attractive covers, and effective marketing play crucial roles. Others make thousands of dollars every month from their self published books. Others can hardly move a few copies.
The point is to realize that free publishing does not eliminate the barriers of money but does not eliminate the efforts needed to succeed. Authors have to continue writing good books and selling them to the potential audience.
What File Formats Do You Need for Digital Publishing?
Most platforms take standard file formats that can be created through ordinary programs by the authors. Most texts in books can be best done in Microsoft word documents. The PDF files are also universal in various platforms.
To facilitate more formatting, most authors operate on EPUB files. The format can be switched to other screens and devices. There are a few free software to convert Word documents to EPUB that do not require extra charges.
Kindle Direct Publishing prefers MOBI files for optimal display on Kindle devices. But the platform transforms other formats automatically as it uploads. MOBI files can be easily created with no special software by authors.
Highly pictorial books such as children books or recipe books might need some special attention. These books tend to be better as fixed-layout files that keep everything in place. The majority of the platforms offer instructions on how these specialized formats can be created.
Learning the process of publishing a book well involves learning to do so and meet these technical requirements. Luckily the majority of platforms provide comprehensive instructions and assistance to make the process easier on the authors.
How Long Does the Publishing Process Take?
Publication time varies greatly with preparation and the choice of platform. Most of the platforms enable authors with finalized edited manuscripts to go live within hours. The real upload and review tour lasts normally between twenty four and seventy two hours.
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing tends to accept books in twenty four hours. Draft2Digital can be ready to approve within forty eight hours. Further time is needed to distribute to partner retailers and this may take days or weeks.
Preparation prior to uploading can take the longest part of the process. Depending on the experience and amount of time available, editing, formatting and cover design may require weeks or months. How much time do you want to take to get your manuscript right until you can get it published?
Other writers hurry in preparation so as to rush to publish only to regret it later. There is a general tendency to improve the book by taking time to polish before publication which, in turn, results in the improvement of reviews and sales. Published books are permanent and therefore the care taken in preparation is worth it.
What About Marketing Your Free Published Book?
Publication is only a starting point of an author. Marketing is important in bridging the gap between books and the prospective readers. Numerous promotional tactics can work free of charge when it comes to the promotion of recently published books.
Social media are effective in promoting a book. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok allow writers to grow their followers without cost. Regular updates on the writing process and the topics of the book are useful to create followers.
Free promotion opportunities are common at book promotion websites. BookBub, Goodreads, and other web resources can assist authors in finding readers that are interested in particular genres. Mutual support and chances of promotion are also offered through the establishment of relationships in writing communities.
The email marketing is one of the most efficient promotion tools. Writers are able to create email lists of passionate readers and inform them about the new publications. Most email marketing providers have free levels of authors just beginning.
The book publishing industry has evolved in the past few years radically. The industry has been democratized by free publishing platforms and offered the opportunity to all writers to present their works. It needs a commitment, good writing and good promotion but never have the barriers to entry been as low as they are now. You want to write fiction, non-fiction, or poetry work? You know where to get the tool of making that dream come true. Free publishing sites are the places where you can get them.
