Here’s what I learnt from my first self-publishing venture with Notes on Painting with Oils. These notes are not comprehensive, and purely based on my own experience, but hopefully they will be useful to anyone new to self-publishing.
Why self-publish?
I wanted to get my art notes into some kind of order, then realised there was enough content to create a book. I also liked the idea of sharing the tips and advice that I had garnered from various art courses and extended reading.
Print-on-demand services have made it economical and easy to publish one-off titles like mine. They’re also perfect for books with small audiences, like family and local histories or personal travelogues and photo-books.
Self-publishing is different from “vanity publishing” where you pay a publisher a substantial sum upfront to produce a title for you. When you self-publish you have complete control over the process. It can cost next to nothing (see below) if you do everything yourself. You can choose to make your title widely available through bookshops and online, or you can buy in bulk at a discount and distribute the books yourself.
Choosing a publisher/distributor
Amazon/KDP
This is where the fun starts: Initially I opted to use Amazon’s KDP division. They offer the widest global distribution and there are no upfront fees.
My first mistake was to have two different Amazon accounts (don’t ask!). My email address for KDP matched my amazon.com account but not my amazon.co.uk account. This meant I could only order proof copies from the US with the additional postage charges that entailed. It was impossible to speak directly to anyone at KDP and Amazon customer services sent me around the houses before admitting they were unable to sort this issue.
When I received my proofs I found the print quality was inconsistent. I believe that was because sections of my book may have been sent to different printers.
My second mistake was not researching KDP before I loaded my book onto their system. Their online reviews confirmed that their customer support and quality fell far short of what you would expect from an Amazon company. I also learnt that Amazon/KDP take a much bigger slice of your profits than other companies. And the reviews suggest that your account may be closed without any reason being given, making unpaid royalties difficult to access. There were too many red flags so I decided not to hit the publish button and to look for another publisher.
Bookvault
I briefly explored IngramSpark, Blurb and Lulu (all well-established in this field), but opted for a UK-based print-on-demand company, Bookvault. First I tested their customer support and was delighted to have a Zoom meeting with someone who was able to answer all my questions. Their reviews were also very positive.
Bookvault charge a small fee (£19.95) to upload a title depending on the package you require. But this was waived in my case as I had a discount code BVDALE thanks to a US YouTube blogger, Dale Roberts, who had compared the various self-publishing sites, including Bookvault.
You can get instant quotes on Bookvault’s website without having to sign up, though a glitch meant the promised email quote never came through. Once I’d signed up and logged in, it took me a little while to navigate Bookvault’s excellent dashboard, but then it was all plain sailing.
When you add a title you are asked, step-by-step, to select binding, lamination, size, text stock, cover stock and page count (colour and mono). Next you order your ISBN, if required (see below). This generates a quote per printed copy.
Scrolling down to Publishing Projects on the dashboard, you can amend your print specification, upload files, order proofs, input sales data and finally give your approval to publish. Along the way you can request templates to ensure that your formatting is correct.
Apart from some automated checks that your cover and text files match your print specification, no one at Bookvault checks your work. So if, as in my case, the wording on the book’s spine was too big to fit the space, you will have to make the adjustments yourself and upload a new file. I used the "book preview" option to check alignment, but it's advisable to order proofs before publishing. You can change paper stock, upload replacement files or order further proofs at any time.
Deciding your book size, format and paper
Best advice is to find a book you like and replicate the size and format as far as possible. A quick google search suggests that most independent authors and publishers use either 5.5ʺ × 8.5ʺ or 6ʺ × 9ʺ for their novels or nonfiction books.
Bookvault offer a wide range of sizes and bindings. I opted for 6” x 9” with perfect binding. As my book has lots of colour images, I chose a 115gsm coated paper.
80gsm uncoated is a popular choice for black and white books. Bookvault’s paper stock is all charged at the same price.
Note:
Text is easier to read on uncoated paper and it’s easier to write on uncoated paper.
Depending on paper thickness, the standard page count for perfect bound books is between 40-400 pages.
Other binding options include saddle-stitch (a low cost option for smaller publications); wire or spiral binding (pages lay flat so good for cookbooks and manuals, but there’s a risk of pages tearing); hardcover (the premium option for durability and quality).
Choose the “bleed” print option when prompted if you have full-page illustrations (including block background colour) where you don’t want a white border.
Content:
I wasted a lot of time here. Researching and writing was the easy part but I struggled with formatting and page numbering because I didn’t address these until after I’d written 30,000 words! I used a Pages document without giving proper thought to font or margins. A glitch in my software meant I ended up adding page numbers manually, which was a mistake as it’s hard to place them exactly.
When planning your content it can be helpful to sketch a thumbnail page layout so that you can visualise where content will fall on a double page spread or start on a right hand page.
My advice:
Decide format before you write anything. (You can download a text template from Bookvault).
With perfect binding make sure that your margins are set wide enough so that text does not disappear into the gutter (you will not be able to open the book flat if perfect-bound).
Set page numbers to be inserted automatically from the start.
Select font type and size and stick with it, as any change may alter pagination.
Plan content so that new sections start on righthand pages.
Don’t add page numbers to your contents page until everything is in place.
Avoid referring to page numbers in your text as these are easily missed if your pagination changes later.
Keep one master word document. Export to PDF to view two-page layout. Make any corrections in your word document, then create a further PDF, making sure to delete the first one to avoid a mix-up later. Supply to printer in PDF form.
Note:
Bookvault require you to leave a page blank for them to insert copyright details, etc. This is usually page 2.
Choosing a font
The majority of books have a font size between 10pt and 14pt. I opted for 12pt Helvetica Neue, which is clear and highly readable. Most importantly, it is copyright-free for personal and commercial use according to Atticus and the Apple Community. Most fonts are free for personal use but not for wider distribution if sold for profit. Copyright owners can sue you for copyright infringement, so it’s important to check.
Designing the cover
KDP’s cover design templates were limited and uninspiring. Bookvault provide a cover layout template but no design help, so I turned to Canva, a graphic design company that offers free templates. Designing the front and back covers was straightforward but Canva doesn’t provide a template that includes a spine. There is a work-around though: Here’s their advice:
Open your book cover design.
Use the 'Elements' tool to add a narrow rectangle, this will serve as your spine.
Position the rectangle in the middle of your design, you can use the 'Position' tool to centre it perfectly.
Adjust the width of the rectangle according to the thickness of your book.
Customise the colour and add any text you want on the spine.
Adding text on the spine requires you to change the orientation of your text from horizontal to vertical. To do this in the Canva editor:
Click on the text box that you want to change.
Find the "Text" tab in the toolbar at the top.
Look for the "Effects" button and click on it.
In the dropdown menu, you'll see an option called "Tilt". Click on it.
Now, adjust the slider to rotate your text to the desired angle.
You can always undo or redo any changes by using the buttons in the top right corner.
Note:
Combine the front and back covers in one PDF file, consulting your cover layout template (eg, as supplied by Bookvault) for the overall measurement.
When you are happy with your design in Canva, go to “File”, then “Download”. Choose “PDF print” file type, and “CMYK” for colour profile. You will then have a cover file that you can upload direct to the publisher.
Leave room on the back cover for the ISBN/bar code if used.
Out-sourcing
I was happy to muddle though the process without outside help but there are lots of companies that will format and design your book for you or put you in touch with freelance designers and editors. One such company is Reedsy. Their website offers a quick guide to the professional services you may need for your manuscript. Sign up to request quotes at no cost. You will need to give a detailed written brief.
Proof-reading
Don’t skip on proof reading! Read first for sense, a second time for spelling and grammar, and a third time for consistency of style and layout. Finally, doublecheck all facts and quotes as well as cross-references and page numbers.
It’s always good to have a second pair of eyes, so ask a friend or family member to proof-read your book too.
ISBNs and bar codes
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is not a legal requirement, but is needed if you wish to sell through online retailers, distributors or bookshops, as they use it for ordering, listing and stock control purposes.
You can choose to use a free ISBN from your publisher or buy your own from the UK agency, Nielsen, at the cost of £93. You will need a different ISBN for each book format.
Note:
The free ISBN from KDP can only be used on KDP for distribution to Amazon and its distributors. This restriction makes it more difficult to move your book to another platform.
Bookvault do not offer free ISBNs. If you only want to sell on their online store, The Great British Book Shop, or your own website, you can have their system generate a dummy ISBN. For a wider distribution through retailers and bookshops you can obtain one of Bookvault’s ISBNs at £24.95. This identifies Bookvault Publishing as the publisher of your book. If you wish to use your own publishing imprint, then you need to supply your own ISBN.
When you publish through Bookvault, they will add a barcode to the bottom right of the back cover. You also have the option to download one and place it yourself anywhere on the back.
If you decide to publish without an ISBN and then change your mind, you can buy a roll of sticky ISBN barcode labels and attach them to your books. You will need to order an ISBN first.
You are still the copyright owner, regardless of publisher.
Ordering proofs
I highly recommend ordering proof copies before going to press. With Bookvault and KDP I paid the print cost per copy plus postage. Check paper and print quality, page cropping, and look for any imperfections. If you alter the cover design or paper stock order another proof copy to check that your changes have been implemented.
Pricing and discounts
When you get an online quote from Bookvault, you can find out how much you could earn by entering your desired selling price (RRP.)
Bookvault’s own The Great British Bookshop charges a 5% retailer fee, while Amazon charges 30%. (Both charge a 5% distribution fee.) Deduct these fees from your RRP together with your print cost per copy to get your profit. Amazon’s production costs are higher, too.
For example, a book retailing at £9.99 would give a profit of £4.56 with Bookvault compared with Amazon’s £1.83. Of course, Amazon has by far the greatest global reach, but if you are promoting your book on your own website it makes sense to direct people to the Great British Bookshop to buy a copy.
Timings
Bookvault say they can publish your title in as little as 3 working days! This allows time for the proof copy to be printed and shipped. Within 24 hours of pressing the publish button you can be on their Great British Bookshop site.
What to budget
Here’s what I spent on Notes on Painting with Oils through Bookvault, with the (still valid) BVDALE discount code, saving the £19.95 set-up fee.
ISBN £24.95
First proof copy £4.66 plus £4.56 first-class postage
Second proof copy £4.66 plus £4.56 first-class postage
Total £43.39
On top of this, in order to meet the UK legal requirement, I was required to provide books for The British Library (x 1) and Legal Deposit Libraries (x5), paying print cost plus postage.
Available to buy online from The Great British Bookshop, priced £9.99 for the Notes and £7.99 for the Journal
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