Ask the Book Coach: Real Answers to Real Questions about Writing and Publishing Your Book

Ask the Book Coach: Real Answers to Real Questions about Writing and Publishing Your Book

What is the difference between indie-publishing and traditional publishing?

Indie publishing offers authors full control and higher royalties. Rather than waiting around for an agent or publisher to ‘like’ your work, you can take charge and become your own publisher. This, however, does require managing all aspects of the work: research, editing, design, marketing, distribution, and all the business parts of being a writer.

This blog post: Weighing the Investment In Your Book, describes it well and in more detail.

Understand that while traditional publishing handles these tasks, it often means they pick the title and the cover design. They may even choose which chapters to keep or delete. They decide when the book is released, and working with them can mean a year or two before your book sees the light of day.

Many authors think traditional publishing has a broader reach than indie publishing.

This is not necessarily true. Unless you’re one of their favorite authors, whose books actually get sent to bookstores and libraries, you may only be included in the databases from which physical bookstores order books, with no guarantee your book will be ordered. Same with libraries. A traditional publisher may submit your book to these databases, but the bookstore and library decide who to include on their shelves.

You still have to manage the business side of being an author independently, which includes marketing and sales. Not to mention, a traditionally published author receives perhaps 7% – 15% in royalties, after their advance (if they got one) is sold out. Indie-published authors are around 35% to 70%, depending on some key factors like whether the book is print, digital, or audio.

Then, how do I get my book into libraries and physical bookstores?

As an Indie-published author, understand that libraries and bookstores want books that are already selling. To get the ball rolling, you might ask to do a book reading/signing at the library. Make sure you have a good turnout – don’t expect the library to bring in the people, you do that work and get as many people as you know to attend! Afterwards, approach the head librarian and initiate a discussion about including your book in the library’s database. Starting a relationship with several librarians within driving distance of your home is a good idea. There is power in togetherness!

For Barnes & Noble, do the same. Plan an event (visit this link on how to be considered for an author event and follow their instructions). As with the library, making friends with the store manager of more than one B&N is a good thing.

For local, independent bookstores, follow the same plan. Talk to the owner or manager. Ask if you can do a book signing. Guarantee a certain number of attendees. Make it worth their while. And no, they won’t add your book to their bookshelves just because they’re an independent bookstore. Give them a good reason to stock your book.

Before approaching libraries or bookstores, consider creating a “sell sheet,” which is a one-pager that has all the information about your book that anyone would need: title, publisher, your book cover, ISBN, short description, why people like the book, how to order it, editorial reviews from Kirkus or OnlineBookClub, or from people who have submitted them to Amazon, and any awards you have won.

It all comes down to how well you, the author, are marketing and selling your book successfully.

Is there a formula for pricing my indie-published book?

There is no formula I can point you to. I suspect that each publisher or indie author has their own way of figuring out pricing. Pricing depends on market trends, the value of the book, and the page count, particularly when considering print copies. The page count determines how much paper is required to print the book, so the cost of selling the book must be greater than the cost of printing it. Page count is determined by the word count, so keep that in mind when writing your book.

You will also want to consider the value of your content. Don’t overprice it, but don’t underprice it, either. A detailed book on the intricacies of AI and how to master it for marketing campaigns might command a higher price than a short how-to write prompts for LinkedIn book might. Remember, however, the perceived value is in the eye of the reader. How important is your book to me? Yes, I’ll pay $25.95 for a business book that I know will provide value to me. I am not necessarily going to spend $25.95 on a little mystery novel, however. Understand your reader.

Take some time to study similar books in your genre and note how the top 100 price their books. We advise our clients to set a retail price that allows them to offer discounts for marketing campaigns and special pricing around holidays. Oh, eBooks and audiobooks are completely different than print. Research, research, research to determine pricing for these book options.

Can I upload my fancy Word document into Amazon, or do I need interior design?

Let me stop shuddering before I answer. I recommend you hire an interior designer.

Interior book design refers to the layout and formatting of the text, images, and other elements inside your book. This includes font choices, margins, spacing, chapter headings, and placement of images or graphics.

Why would you use just your Word document to represent such an important part of your life and work?

Good interior design enhances readability, professionalism, and the overall reading experience. People expect good interior design. Don’t disappoint them by uploading a Word document to Amazon.

Can I use photographs in my book?

Why not? If they’re your photographs, you have every right to have them in your book.

If they are not your photos, they are copyrighted by the photographers who took them, so you must contact the photographer and request permission to use them.

Some photos you might want to use could be in the public domain. For instance, NASA photos are in the public domain because our tax dollars pay for them. Certain brands and photos from years ago are in the public domain because their copyrights have expired. Dick and Jane, early Mickey Mouse photos, and even Alice in Wonderland, are now in the public domain. Visit the University of Texas Libraries for more information.  

p.s  For cover images or promotional use (advertising), you need permission from anyone recognizable in the photo.

Do I really need an audiobook?

Let me put it this way – people expect you to have an audiobook today. It’s the fastest-growing segment in publishing, and not having one could jeopardize sales for you.

As we see print prices going up and royalties going down (across the board), it’s conceivable that audiobooks will become even more popular. Don’t miss out by not having one.

Platforms like Amazon’s ACX enable indie authors to create audiobooks with minimal upfront costs, often through royalty-sharing agreements.

This post, which I wrote a year ago, still holds true about the power of audiobooks: The Magnificent Power of Books.

How long will it take to write my book?

As long as it takes.

Yes, there are groups that will produce a book for you in a month or three months. But those books lack the powerful storytelling that I believe a good book should have. They are mostly written by AI, taken from interviews with the author. Books written by AI may seem all right, but since AI cannot understand the feel of a puppy in your arms, or the feel of sand on your feet at the beach, or understand a lover’s quarrel, the content it produces is a lifeless imitation of what you, a real person, can write.

When deciding to write a book, set a deadline, but be kind to yourself and make it flexible. Often, life intervenes to push it back. And that’s okay.

Who will read my book?

Everyone. Actually, no, not everyone.

Audience is one of the most important things to understand as you write your book. It’s who as well as how. Who are the people who will be most interested in your work? And in what format do they prefer to consume it – print, digital, or audio?

Whatever your book is about, it needs to entertain, inspire, educate, inform, and/or teach. The audience for each of those things is varied, and how they like to consume books is also varied.  If you find the right group of readers and deliver the right content to them in the format they prefer, you have your audience.

Don’t try to please everyone. Create your small fan group, and they will do the rest. Visit our blog, where Tom’s recent “Fan Finder” post will help you use AI to do this. Yes, AI is good for something, just not the writing of your book.

What is an ISBN?

An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. It’s not a bar code. It’s the number above the barcode. It’s a series of numbers and identifies the title, author, type of book, physical properties, and location of the publisher. In the US, you can purchase ISBNs from Bowker.com.

While Amazon KDP provides free ISBNs for print books, we recommend owning your own ISBN to increase your publishing flexibility.

You need an ISBN to sell your book in libraries and bookstores. And no, Amazon’s free ISBN is not good enough. It only works for sales on their website.

What’s the difference between professional editing and proofreading?

Proofreaders are responsible for reviewing the final document before it is published. This is often the case before the print proof as well. Proofreaders, by definition, proof your book to uncover any typos, grammar errors, punctuation issues, inconsistencies in bulleted lists, dashes and hyphens, acronyms and abbreviations, flagging widows or orphans, and any number of other line items.

Proofreaders do not spend time on plot, the flow of the story, the power of your message, character development, fact-checking, or any of the myriad other items an editor looks for.

Professional editing is concerned with the whole book. All of the writing, including the nuances of voice, structure, style issues, fact checking, character development (even in nonfiction), plot development, clarity of message, and quality of writing.

Your editor ensures that your book is polished, error-free, and meets industry standards, which is crucial for indie authors as we compete with traditionally published authors and are often considered second-class to them.

I would like to note that I am a voracious reader. I read a variety of books, including indie books, business books, how-to books, and novels across every genre. Recently, the novels and some business books I’ve read, which were published by traditional publishers, are not as polished as they used to be.

This, to me, is proof that the traditional publishing world is losing its touch. It’s not as committed to ‘excellence’ as it once was – if it were, I wouldn’t be seeing so many errors.

For us, as indie-published authors, we must adhere to strict writing and publishing standards to continue to be taken seriously. To that end, I say: do not publish your book if it has not been professionally edited and proofread. Please.

p.s. For more advice and information on editing and proofreading, go to Enago.com. You’ll find a wealth of information there!

What is a print proof?

Not many authors are aware that they are entitled to a print proof of their book, whether from Amazon or elsewhere. You will pay a small fee to cover printing and shipping to get this printed edition of your “uncorrected galley,” but it’s worth it. And at Amazon, you can order print proofs for yourself and your editors. At Master Book Builders, we order print proofs for our authors, ourselves, and one or two other people the author wishes to have a copy.

The print proof allows us to see the book as it really is, and to review it for any lost typos or other errors we missed when we looked at it as a PDF.

I like the way Formax printing solutions describes the print proof:

What are Printing Proofs?

A proof is a preliminary version of a printed piece. It provides a close representation of how the piece will appear when printed. Proofs are created to ensure that the client and printer completely agree on the desired outcome before going to press.

A proof is vitally important because it helps prevent unforeseen problems with text, images, colors, spacing and other design elements. Finding and correcting layout issues before going to press not only saves valuable time, it also helps avoid the aggravation and expense associated with a reprint.

Soft Proofs vs Hard Proofs

A soft proof is an electronic file, such as a PDF, that is created for display on a computer monitor. The file simulates the appearance of the finished printed piece. Soft proofs are popular because they can be emailed to the client for approval, which greatly speeds up the proofing process. Soft proofs are very economical to create and are commonly used for print projects that are simple, like business cards, flyers, or postcards.

Unlike a soft proof, a hard proof is a physical sample. A hard proof is generally used for print projects that are more involved. For example, a hard proof might be provided for a brochure or book to ensure the pages, margins, and general construction appear as intended. A hard proof is also commonly provided for projects that have unique folds, close registration, varying ink shades, die cut sections, embossed areas, or anything else that may need special review prior to production.

For our uses, a print proof allows us to see how the cover appears as a printed object, how the inside of the book looks, how the pages lay out, and it gives us a chance to do a final proofread of our own. We often find one or two typos or misplaced commas, regardless of how many people proofread the document before we ordered the print proof.

What is a graphic novel?

It’s a comic book.

Okay, if I leave that there, I’ll get myself in trouble. A graphic novel is a work of fiction, and often fan fiction, that utilizes both art and words to tell the story. It’s much more than a comic book. (Wondering what fan fiction is? Wikipedia says: Fan fiction is typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized but based on an existing work of fiction.)

Graphic novels are popular with young adults today. Some people say it’s dulling the brains of our youth, taking them away from reading ‘real’ books, but the truth is, kids love them, and since they aren’t reading the heavy content of a Tolkien or Stephen King or even an E. B. White these days, why not give them something they will read?

Kids of all ages want the visual experience and the feeling of a graphic novel.

According to Parents Magazine, in an article in 2022 by Nidhi Chanani, “Let Your Child Read Graphic Novels,” she writes,

 “There’s an incorrect assumption that graphic novels don’t challenge readers and lack the necessary components to build literacy. Graphic novels introduce more complex words at a younger age than traditional novels because the illustrations aid in kids’ comprehending the words. The complexity within graphic novels asks the reader to decode both the words and images, and readers utilize inference and synthesis to engage more of their brain. Multiple studies have shown that pairing words and pictures increases comprehension from 50 to 120% over text alone.”

And yes, in case you’re wondering, we adults can find graphic novels to suit us, too. No, not adult novels. (rolling my eyes!) That’s a category we don’t get into here. I’m talking about graphic novels that are designed for adults who like words and pictures together. I don’t find anything wrong with that. Do you?

The American Library Association lists the “2024 Best Graphic Novels for Adults Reading List”.  Apparently, they do it every year.

I have many more FAQs to share, but we’ll wait for another time to continue. If you have a specific question you’d like answered immediately, please leave it in the comments.

And connect with me on LinkedIn. I do love meeting people there and following them.