Do your readers take you seriously?

Are You their Favorite Author or Just their Favorite Indie Author?

By Tamara Cribley

With a few rare exceptions, authors who write with the intent to publish their books, either traditionally or through self-publishing, want to be taken seriously. When a reader says that your book is good, for an indie author, it’s a bit of a letdown. The book is either good, or it’s not. Classifying the praise minimizes it. It’s a bit like saying “this is a great salad, for homegrown produce.” Now, I don’t know about you, but the quality of homegrown produce, at least in my neck of the woods, is a whole lot better than anything you can find in the grocery store. The same can be true for indie authors. Self-published books can be just as good as, if not better than, traditionally published books. So why the classifier?

Self-publishing is a rapidly evolving landscape. Over the last several decades, it has become a very different industry than one an author from 1999 would recognize. Like so many creative industries, technology has made self-publishing accessible. It can be inexpensive and relatively easy, depending on your publishing platform and your intentions. Sometimes, it’s even free. Bring AI into the mix, and you might not even have to write the book. Like anything that’s cheap and easy, the dabblers jump on board.

There’s little risk, and if you believe the social media hype, there are fortunes to be made, and a few folks can leverage the tools and excel with minimal effort. Most authors, however, must still put in a great deal of work. Even traditionally published authors devote time and resources beyond just writing. How many query letters were sent to agents? Building an audience didn’t just happen. Being a serious author is a lot of work.

Self-publishing has a mixed reputation. Even with the tremendous success of authors like Colleen Hoover, Andy Weir, and Christopher Paolini, to name just a few, there are still those who frown upon and besmirch the practice. But I get it. We live in the extremes, and unfortunately, it’s far more common to call someone out for failing to meet expectations than it is to praise someone for exceeding them. And when self-published books are lousy, those who put traditional publishing on a pedestal will hold them high, and use them as an example to prove their point.

So how does one become a favorite author and not a favorite indie author? In my experience, it comes down to two things: professionalism and operating like a business. While many online user groups tout that self-publishing is cheap or free, consider that cheap and free rarely produce professional results. I can paint a car with a rattle can, but it won’t look professional, even though it might look nice. If I were to try to sell it, I wouldn’t expect to demand the same price as a professionally painted car. In publishing, there may be places to reduce your costs, or perhaps you can get creative and find ways to trade or barter for services. When it comes down to it, what are you willing to invest in a book that can sit proudly next to top-selling, traditionally published authors?

Let’s start with the assumption that your writing is up to par. You’ve written a compelling story and received praise and positive feedback from your beta readers. Get a professional editor. Not your sister who teaches high school English, or your neighbor who loves to read. Let them be your beta readers. Work with someone who has professional experience, preferably in your genre or subject. There are a whole host of different types of editing, and you may not need all of them. Different editors offer different services, and sometimes offer multiple services, so be clear about what you can expect from your editor. You may need to work with more than one to get your manuscript into shape for publishing. A few typos are par for the course. Having many of them is distracting at best, and might land your book in the DNF (did not finish) pile. Be sure to work with editors who can be honest about their feedback and will provide constructive criticism.

Cover Art

Work with a cover artist who is familiar with your subject or genre. They should have experience with self-publishing, and be able to work with you to create a marketable cover that will be appealing to readers at thumbnail sizes. A compelling cover (that reflects your book and speaks to your audience) is probably the most important part of your marketing. Be wary of working with a graphic designer who does not specialize in publishing. They may be able to recreate a cover exactly as you envision it, but they’re unlikely to be able to assess it for commercial viability. An artist who knows and understands the latest trends and industry specifications is invaluable.

Formatting and Design

Formatting is an often-overlooked piece of book production in self-publishing. When done well, we don’t really notice it. When done poorly, it can be just as distracting as typos. It can also make it challenging to follow the story. While the aesthetics of your book interior can create an ambiance and enhance your reader’s experience, professional formatters, book designers, and typesetters also take into account how the information will be consumed. They consider age, format, subject, and a variety of other factors to determine the ideal settings for your specific audience. Programs like Google Docs and Microsoft Word are word processors. They’re great for writing and editing, but a very poor choice for book layout and design. There are some free and affordable tools that do a decent job, but aren’t a substitute for professional software, real experience, and expertise. Also keep in mind that designing for print and digital are two very different processes, and not all designers are well-versed in both. Work with formatters who have the experience and knowledge for each, even if that means working with two different people.

Copyright Notice

Beyond the production of your book, there are some key components in your book to address, and they can all be found in your copyright notice.

First, you should have one. If you’re not sure what should appear in your notice, pull a book off your shelf, or even better, do a quick search for a template. You’ll get plenty of results. The best ones will explain each component so that you know whether you should include it in your book and how to customize it for your own use. The next piece is the ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Many self-publishing platforms provide these for free. There are a few reasons you might opt to purchase your own instead, but in the context of this conversation, the primary reason is that the owner of the ISBN is the publisher of record. For example, if yours is provided by KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), they will be the publisher of record. When professionalism is important, the details can make a big difference. Some authors will take this to the next step to create a separate legal business entity and establish an imprint under which to publish. While you’re still the one doing the publishing, the appearance to readers is that your book was published by a publisher, and not an individual. Traditionally published books also include a Cataloging in Publication (CIP) Data Block. This is a bibliographic record created by the Library of Congress. The data becomes part of a database that the Library of Congress then distributes to libraries and book vendors. This should also include a Control Number. This number is referred to as the LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number) or PCN (Preassigned Control Number). This number is used in the database to identify your book’s data. You can include each of these in your self-published book. It’s easy to register your book with the Library of Congress, and there are services where you can have your CIP Data Block produced for you.

When professionalism is a priority, viewing your publishing as a business can help you make decisions about what’s important, and what kind of investments you’ll need to make, even if those investments are your time. You’re on track to become someone’s Favorite Author.