Self-Publishing

How to Self-Publish a Book: The Complete Guide to Publish Like a Pro

The book industry is thriving, and self-publishing is on the rise! If you want to learn more about how to self-publish a book, you’ve come to the right place.

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How to Copyright a Book

How to Copyright a Book

Most independent authors don’t consider copyrighting until they're in the process of self-publishing, and that’s okay since it doesn’t have to be done before you publish. It can be a little complicated though, and it's often the last thing writers want to think about during the excitement of self-publishing their work. Getting a firm grasp on what copyrighting means, and the steps you’ll have to take, is essential, and you can do it at any point in your journey.

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Translate Your Book to Reach More Readers

Translate Your Book to Reach More Readers

If you’ve already found success selling your self-published book and are looking for a wider market, you may want to think about translating your book so that as many readers as possible can enjoy it. Less than 20% of the world speaks English, so by translating your work into another language, you can potentially reach hundreds of thousands of new readers. 

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Publish with Confidence Your Way

Publish with Confidence Your Way

When it comes time to print and distribute your book, it may seem as if many options are open to you. On the surface, this is true. However, a little-known secret in the self-publishing industry is that most of the “publishers” that purport to print and distribute your book for you go through IngramSpark. 

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The Importance of Peer Input for Authors

The Importance of Peer Input for Authors

Almost all writers realize the value of feedback and editing from others. While a few may write only for themselves, most want others to see, and enjoy, their work and to know how their work is received. For authors preparing to publish their book, the process often involves others such as friends, family, beta readers, editors, and maybe a mentor. This group should also include other writers, especially those who have published before. Don’t miss out on the value of peer input.

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How (and Why) to Market Your Book with Another Author

How (and Why) to Market Your Book with Another Author

Most people think of writing, self-publishing, and selling their books as a solitary endeavor. Though it can be, it doesn’t have to be. Usually, you’ll find great success by working with others, especially in the realm of marketing and promotion. There are many benefits to working with other authors. Here, we’ll share some of those benefits and expand on how you can find collaborators and get them to work with you.

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Getting Your Book in Front of Book Clubs

Getting Your Book in Front of Book Clubs

Have you dreamed about your book being discussed by a book club, bringing a community of readers closer, and inspiring lively conversations? Authors don’t write just to have their book sitting on a dusty shelf, and book clubs are a great way to get your work out there. Keep reading to learn how to market your book to book clubs.

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Setting Writing Goals for the New Year

Setting Writing Goals for the New Year

The new year has begun, and it's only natural to look back at what we did over the previous 12 months. As we see the past year in review, we often think about what we want to accomplish in the coming year. This is especially necessary as a writer. Now is the perfect time to take stock of writing goals: which ones you met, which are still valuable, and what ones you should set for the coming year.

Here, we offer some goals to consider adding to your list for 2024 to make the year even more successful.

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Writing Group Activities

Writing Group Activities

If you've recently joined a new writing group or if you've started one of your own, you may be looking for some activities for your group meetings. Some groups may have stated rules and goals, depending on the type of group to which you belong. However, there are many fun and productive exercises you can incorporate into your meetings. 

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Why (and How) to Start Your Own Writing Group

Why (and How) to Start Your Own Writing Group

In previous posts, we’ve talked about the benefits of a writing group and how to find one, but sometimes finding a group you want to join is difficult. Maybe you’ve visited some but they didn’t fit your needs, or maybe there just aren’t any in your area. If that’s the case, you should consider starting your own group. We've got some tips to help get you started.

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The Benefits of Joining a Writing Group

The Benefits of Joining a Writing Group

Writing and self-publishing are not solitary endeavors as some might assume. Sitting alone in front of a computer can only get you so far. If you're struggling to get your words onto the page or to cross the finish line and self-publish your book, joining a writing group can help.

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11 Reasons Why You Should Buy Your Own Book

11 Reasons Why You Should Buy Your Own Book

One of the wonderful advantages of self-publishing and print-on-demand is that you don’t have to have a large stock of your book taking up space in your home. Nevertheless, indie authors should definitely have some copies on hand for a variety of uses. Neglecting to do so could cause you to miss out on many sales opportunities. Here are 11 reasons why you should buy your own book.

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Black Friday Deals for Writers

Black Friday Deals for Writers

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner! Are you ready to invest in something that will take your writing to the next level? Or are you looking for something special to gift the writer in your life? Check out these great writing tools, writing courses, and editing software.

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How Much Should My Book Cost? Tips for Pricing Your Book

How Much Should My Book Cost? Tips for Pricing Your Book

When you embark on the journey of getting a book published, there’s a lot to consider and one of the things that should be on your priority list is how much you’ll be pricing your book for, which is a crucial piece of your book metadata. The editors of traditional publishing houses must fill out a profit and loss spreadsheet (P&L) before they can even acquire a book, let alone publish a book. The P&L accounts for decisions they’ll need to make in order to turn a profit on the book they hope to add to their list. So one of the best places to start when determining the profit goals of your book publishing endeavors is to seriously consider how you'll be pricing your book.

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Why A Book Coach May Be A Good Fit For You

Why A Book Coach May Be A Good Fit For You

Some of the best books in the world already exist, pretty much fully formed, inside the author’s head. And there they stay, keeping you up at night while you think of more ways to explain your concept, rewriting it all inside your head. At some point, you realize that it’s been quite a long time and nothing has actually come out. You have so many ideas but you don’t know where to start with writing them all down. 

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A Quick Guide to 979-ISBNs

A Quick Guide to 979-ISBNs

There are millions of books in the world, with more being published and distributed every day. The only way to keep track of them is with unique identifiers, which we call International Standard Book Numbers, or ISBNs. Each format of a book should have its own ISBN—its unique identifier that belongs only to that title and format—so that customers and retailers can place an order for the exact book they want.  

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5 New Year's Resolutions Every Author Should Make in 2022

5 New Year's Resolutions Every Author Should Make in 2022

Ringing in the New Year feels quite different this year. There seems to be this underlying expectation that come 12:01am on January 1, 2022, the flick of a “magic wand” will wrap up one of the most challenging years in history and put us all back on track toward normalcy once again. 

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Publishing a Memoir: Do You Have a Story the World Needs to Hear?

Publishing a Memoir: Do You Have a Story the World Needs to Hear?

Our world needs memoirs.

It needs individuals who are willing to share the honest reality of who they are and the things they’ve experienced. When someone chooses to read a memoir, it means they’re searching for something. They’re searching for understanding, to gain perspective or insight, and they’re hoping to find something within your story that they can resonate with—perhaps something that gives them hope. 

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8 Tips for Self-Publishing a Book

8 Tips for Self-Publishing a Book

Technology has made it easy for authors curious about self-publishing a book. Self-publishing offers a cost-effective way to share your book with the masses and make some money from your writing. Whether you are hoping to self-publish a print book or an electronic version, here are eight tips on how to self-publish a book.

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What to Consider When Self-Publishing Poetry Books

What to Consider When Self-Publishing Poetry Books

You've worked hard to perfect your poems, and now you're ready to turn your collection into a finished book. Exciting, we know, but can you go it alone, or should you hire a book designer? There are several things to consider when turning your manuscript into a work of art—but don't worry. We’ll go over the eight most critical elements on the road to publishing your poems. 

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When Should I Publish My Book?

When Should I Publish My Book?

You’ve just spent what seems like a huge chunk of your life writing your book, and now, at last, it’s time to hit that publish button . . . but not so fast! Is it really time to publish your book? Just because a book is finished doesn’t mean the timing is right. Your publication date is important. There are certain months that would be perfect for your book and make your pitch to retailers and media outlets easier, and some months you should avoid altogether. Below are some tips to help make sure your book doesn’t launch with bad timing.

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ISBNs: International Standard Book Number Facts for Self-Publishers

ISBNs: International Standard Book Number Facts for Self-Publishers

Authors can self-publish a book in many ways, from print publishing to digital publishing. No matter the format you choose, providing an ISBN is an important component to publishing your book. Let's talk about all things ISBN! 

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Voices from the IngramSpark Community Share #WhyIPublish

Voices from the IngramSpark Community Share #WhyIPublish

At IngramSpark, our mission is to support you through your self-publishing journey. Nothing is more inspiring than writers like you sharing your stories—the reason behind your book, your "why." In May 2020, we asked the writing community to share their #WhyIPublish stories, and the response was overwhelming. In today's post, we're sharing some inspiring stories and a breakdown of the data from our #WhyIPublish survey.

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Tips for Publishing an Audiobook

Tips for Publishing an Audiobook

Alright, you did it. The hard part is over. You wrote your book and have it in your hands. You've spent months, possible even years, writing this book. But... have you thought about publishing the audiobook version of it? 

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How to Write Book Acknowledgments: Thanking Those Who Deserve It

How to Write Book Acknowledgments: Thanking Those Who Deserve It

If a book’s dedication is the opportunity to blow someone a kiss, a book’s acknowledgment feels more like the sort of welcoming hug one might give someone they care about after a long journey. There’s a distinction between the two. It comes down to breadth.  Let's break down how to write book acknowledgments. 

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Listen to IngramSpark's Self-Publishing Podcast: Go Publish Yourself

Listen to IngramSpark's Self-Publishing Podcast: Go Publish Yourself

It's been over two years since we launched IngramSpark's self-publishing podcast, Go Publish Yourself, and we've been blown away by the positive response from indie publishers! With nearly 200,000 listens in more than 70 countries, the people have spoken—and we look forward to sharing more episodes with you in Season 5. Keep reading as we revisit some of the podcast's most popular episodes and share exciting news about what's to come!

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Publishing a Hardcover Book with IngramSpark

Publishing a Hardcover Book with IngramSpark

Are you considering publishing your book in hardcover? Or converting your existing hardcover to IngramSpark’s new jacketed case laminate option?

Read on!

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Free Self-Publishing Courses

Free Self-Publishing Courses

You can write the absolute best book in the world, have top-of-the-line book distribution and quality, but another essential part to being a successful publisher is taking the time to invest in expanding your publishing knowledge and expertise, because, at the end of the day, your book’s success needs your input.

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Self-Publishing a Photo Book

Self-Publishing a Photo Book

I think all people go through important transitional moments in their lives, and if we’re lucky, during those moments we stumble across tools that help us to find and better understand ourselves. When my mom died just before my final year of art school, I walked head-first into one of those major life-altering periods and my sense of self seemed to have been lost somewhere along the way. But there’s an interesting, and slightly magical, thing that happens when we lose a piece of ourselves — it makes room for new discovery. For me that discovery was poetry, specifically in published, physical form.

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Things I Learned from Publishing My First Fantasy Book

Things I Learned from Publishing My First Fantasy Book

Ask 100 different people who have self-published how difficult it was, and you will probably get 100 different answers. After all, we are writers. Give us an open-ended question and the probability we give you a longer answer than you wanted is high. But the truth is, the self-publishing journey and the process you take to release day is different for every person. 

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Writing Fantasy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating and Publishing Your Story

Writing Fantasy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating and Publishing Your Story

The fantasy genre in literature, especially that of the Young Adult (YA) age group, is a constantly changing and maneuvering beast of new ideas, expanding themes, widening horizons, and tedious design—not only inside but outside of the book. 

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How to Use Kickstarter to Publish Your Book: A Crowdfunding Success Story

How to Use Kickstarter to Publish Your Book: A Crowdfunding Success Story

Thanks to crowdfunding with Kickstarter, I was able to edit and publish my book . It was a humbling experience, but also very inspirational to see that people believed in my project and were willing to support me. Today I'm going to share about the entire process — from creating the campaign all the way through to self-publishing my book.

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Why Do Authors Use Pen Names?

Why Do Authors Use Pen Names?

Though the days of women selecting masculine pen names for fear of being unable to publish are predominantly past, authors still frequently write under names that are not their own. Why is this?

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Middle Grade Novel Structure 101: Stuck in the Middle (Grade) with You

Middle Grade Novel Structure 101: Stuck in the Middle (Grade) with You

When I was nine years old, my fourth-grade teacher read a story to our class about a boy and his two hunting dogs in the Ozark Mountains. Where the Red Fern Grows did more than make me teary-eyed; it filled my young mind with wonder, imagination, and inspiration. 

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Self-Publishing Trends: A Look Back and Ahead

Self-Publishing Trends: A Look Back and Ahead

I’m sitting here in my kitchen window on a January snowy day in New Mexico thinking about all the possibilities ahead in 2020. With this new year just dawning, it’s a perfect time to take inventory of what's happening in the world of self-publishing andbook distribution for small publishers. Here’s a review of self-publishing trends in 2019 and what I see happening in 2020.

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Top 10 Self-Publishing Blogs from the IngramSpark Blog

Top 10 Self-Publishing Blogs from the IngramSpark Blog

As we look back on 2019, we want to take a moment and celebrate some of the best and brightest ideas on the blog. The verdict is in—here are your top ten most viewed self-publishing blogs from IngramSpark in 2019! 

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How to Self-Publish a Bilingual Children’s Book That Stands Out

How to Self-Publish a Bilingual Children’s Book That Stands Out

Learning a new language is like learning to see the world in a new color: you suddenly notice shades of sounds in rolled r’s and guttural consonants, and potential friendships tucked behind an “hola” or “salut.” That’s why it’s so special when a child has the opportunity to learn another language, especially through a book you write! As language learners embark on this journey, bilingual books can be an incredibly helpful resource for them.

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Overcoming Your Doubts: Finding the Power to Share Your Story

Overcoming Your Doubts: Finding the Power to Share Your Story

There was a time when becoming an author was a far-fetched dream, and writing a paper was the closest anyone in my community had come to sharing a message. The journey to self-publishing a book has not been a straightforward one. It has been one of mental challenges, imposter syndrome, and lack of knowledge around the phenomenon that is indie publishing—but it's been so worth it.

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What is an Imprint?

What is an Imprint?

Your imprint name is different from your author name, which is the name you are writing a single book under. It’s also different from your publisher's name. Are you confused yet? Let's break down what an imprint is and how to set it up.

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How to Self-Publish a Coloring Book

How to Self-Publish a Coloring Book

Coloring books are a great way to relieve stress, have fun, and create a shared creative experience between the customer & artist. Behind the scenes of what goes into creating one is an art form itself, and we’re excited to share our experience. We hope to inspire future indie artists to bring their imagination to life and create that shared experience with others. Here’s our journey in creating Wandering: a coloring book of the unusual!

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Should I Self-Publish My Children’s Book?

Should I Self-Publish My Children’s Book?

To self-publish or not to self-publish? For many aspiring children’s book authors, that is the question. In fact, as a children’s book author myself, it’s one of the questions I receive most frequently. While there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to publishing, I believe that fully understanding your options can help you decide.

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6 Different Ways to Earn Author Income

6 Different Ways to Earn Author Income

Writing and publishing a book is a huge undertaking, and it's important for authors to understand how to make money while doing it! Some may think it's as simple as publishing a book, then sitting back and waiting for it to sell—but that's only scratching the surface. It takes hard work and creativity to make a living as an author, but there’s more than one way to do it. In this post, we talk about six different ways to earn author income.

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Diversity in Publishing: The Good, The Bad, and How You Can Help Make a Change

Diversity in Publishing: The Good, The Bad, and How You Can Help Make a Change

For the past few years, diversity in the publishing industry has been quite the hot topic and the inspiration for numerous initiatives and social media campaigns calling out for more representation in books. From #WeNeedDiverseBooks to the #OwnVoices movement, there is overwhelming agreement that we need greater representation and inclusion in the publishing industry.

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Benefits of Self-Publishing in Today's Market

Benefits of Self-Publishing in Today's Market

Self-aware authors know they're taking on a challenge when they choose to self-publish a book, a rewarding and exciting challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. With advancements in technology and opportunity, and a lessening of the bias against self-publishing, every author now has a chance to succeed in the publishing space doing it on their own.

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Self-Publishing Services: The Best Tools to Publish a Book on a Budget

Self-Publishing Services: The Best Tools to Publish a Book on a Budget

Self-publishing is booming, and with this transition comes a plethora of organisations worldwide offering author services to writers. But what if your budget doesn't extend to a professional editor, typesetter, cover designer, and so forth? Does this mean your book will not meet industry standards, be of poor quality, or sadly never be published? Absolutely not.

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Authors Guild Author Salary Survey: What Do the Results Mean for Self-Published Authors?

Authors Guild Author Salary Survey: What Do the Results Mean for Self-Published Authors?

Earlier this month, The Authors Guild shared the results from their 2018 Authors' Income Survey, leading to buzz around dwindling author salaries. With over 5,000 writers participating in the survey, including some IngramSpark authors, we saw the largest U.S. survey of published authors to date. The findings have created conversations in the book publishing industry. The good news? Self-published author incomes are on the rise! Here are some of our key takeaways from the survey, and some tips to help you maximize your self-publishing author salary today.

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Self-Publishing Trends 2018-2019

Self-Publishing Trends 2018-2019

The beginning of any year presents a unique opportunity to combine reflection with forward-thinking, and 2019 is no exception. Whether you're beginning a new novel, writing a book marketing plan for an existing book, or working on any aspect of your self-publishing journey, now is the time to examine the self-publishing landscape at the conclusion of 2018 and prepare accordingly for 2019. So, what’s ahead for the self-publishing world in 2019? Here are my insights into trending book publishing topics for the New Year:

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Publishing Terms Every Self-Publisher Should Know

Publishing Terms Every Self-Publisher Should Know

If you intend to make a business out of self-publishing a book, be sure you understand the key elements of the book publishing process. Once you have an understanding of these basic publishing terms, you’ll be more prepared to succeed in this business we call the book business.

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Facts About Book Metadata and Why It's Critical to Your Publishing Success

Facts About Book Metadata and Why It's Critical to Your Publishing Success

A crucial element of your book marketing and sales strategy needs to be making your book easy to categorize and discover. You achieve this with good book metadata. Successful self-publishers know how to incorporate as much quality metadata as possible into their publishing strategy, and while you don't have to include all of the following elements, consider incorporating those that are applicable to your book and your potential audience. Following are the metadata components that impact book sales most.

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How to Set Up a Title with IngramSpark

How to Set Up a Title with IngramSpark

Your IngramSpark account setup is complete – now what? The first step in moving forward is uploading a book into your account, so here’s how you would go about doing that!

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Why I Left Traditional Publishing in Favor of Self-Publishing

Why I Left Traditional Publishing in Favor of Self-Publishing

Back in 2005, I wrote my first book manuscript for a business startup guide, and I attended a writer’s conference where I had the opportunity to pitch agents. Many requested proposals, and in the months that followed, my mailbox filled with rejection letters. Eventually, one of the agents took the time to call me and he said, “I like what you’re doing, but nobody knows who you are. You need to build an author platform. You need to be out speaking to thousands of people each year.”

Take IngramSpark's FREE Online Self-Publishing Course on How to Self-Publish

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Self-Publishing for Children: A Creative Outlet for All Ages

Self-Publishing for Children: A Creative Outlet for All Ages

I remember the first time I "published" a book. My grandparents owned a bookstore, and I would spend most of my adolescence in the back office helping to price books, doing my homework, or goofing off. While bored one day, I came up with an idea to make money the same way my grandparents didselling books.

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Tips for Starting a Publishing Business

Tips for Starting a Publishing Business

One thing many indie authors must come to terms with is that they’re not just publishing a book; they’re starting an author business. It is one thing to say you want to publish a book and become a published author but another to actually do it. And with advancements in technology and resources, many people can publish a book, but it takes a bit extra to start your own book publishing business, even more for it to be a successful one.

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Do Self-Published Authors Need Literary Agents?

Do Self-Published Authors Need Literary Agents?

A literary agent can be an author's best friend. They know how to get you the best book contract and ensure that there’s nothing in the language that will hurt you. They also can help get your book in front of the right editors. All of that is nice if you are planning on traditionally publishing your book, but what if you want to publish the book yourself? Should you hire an agent? It’s not a requirement, but it’s certainly an option.

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Benefits of Print on Demand for Indie Publishers

Benefits of Print on Demand for Indie Publishers

It has to be said that print on demand (POD) has changed the way the publishing industry does business. But before we talk about the wonders of POD, let’s define what it is. In a nutshell, it's the process by which a book is printed when an order for that book is received. With POD there’s no inventory being stored or anticipated demand being measured—get a book order, print a book, one at a time.

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5 Reasons Writing Romance and Self-Publishing Are the Perfect Match

5 Reasons Writing Romance and Self-Publishing Are the Perfect Match

I’m in a torrid love affair with romance novels. The headstrong heroines, the misunderstood heroes, and the happily ever afters are everything I could possibly want in a good book. I devour them. And I’m not ashamed to read the paperback (cover out!) on the train during my commute. Another reason I love romance novels so fiercely is that they go hand-in-hand with self-publishing. I spend my days helping self-published authors share their books with the world, and most of those authors write romance. This is no coincidence, and here are five reasons why:

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IngramSpark and Amazon KDP

IngramSpark and Amazon KDP

The author and publishing world has been abuzz with the recent news from Amazon that its CreateSpace print-on-demand business has now been folded into its Kindle Direct Publishing program that launched officially a few years ago. Whether or not this action will be a positive move for authors will inevitably be seen in time. But today, IngramSpark client support is blowing up more than usual with questions from authors asking us what it all means. The question we used to get most often was, "What's the difference between IngramSpark vs. CreateSpace?" Now it seems the question will be, "What's the difference between IngramSpark vs. KDP?" So, I will attempt to help clarify with as much information as I have.

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10 Things Every Writer Should Know About Copyright

10 Things Every Writer Should Know About Copyright

Your writing has value. You don’t know whether it’s worth $10 or $10,000,000, but your work deserves protection just like your car or home. While the legal aspects of writing can be intimidating, a basic understanding of what you own (and don’t own) is key to protecting your rights. So here are the basics.

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How to Set Author Goals

How to Set Author Goals

Goals are the foundation of a solid book publishing plan. They provide a target at which to aim and the standard against which you can gauge your progress. Author goals divide your vision statement into manageable steps and provide a path to its realization. And written goals provide a means for looking back to see how far you've come.

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How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book?

How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book?

How much does it cost to self-publish a book? This is one question every indie publisher asks and one for which the answer varies. First of all, there are two types of costs associated with self-publishing a book: intangible (your time and effort) and tangible (that's the money part). For now let's focus on the tangible: how much money it takes to publish your book independently.

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How Self-Publishing Helped Me Find A Literary Agent

How Self-Publishing Helped Me Find A Literary Agent

For any writer, the ultimate dream is to write a bestselling book. But before that can happen, you must find a publisher who likes your book enough to buy and publish it. And before you can do that, you normally have to find a literary agent. One of the most common pieces of advice I give to aspiring writers/authors is that publishing a book isn’t even the bullseye you’re trying to hit, it’s finding a literary agent. After all, there’s no point in daydreaming about hitting a home run if you can’t even get into the ballpark.

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5 Common Misconceptions about Print On Demand (POD)

5 Common Misconceptions about Print On Demand (POD)

Over the past 15 years, the book industry has changed significantly with the introduction of digital printing and print on demand (POD)With change or advancements in any industry comes doubt, confusion, and misinformation. While the book industry has embraced digital printing, there are still common misconceptions about POD.

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How to Self-Publish Young Adult (YA) Fiction

How to Self-Publish Young Adult (YA) Fiction

Authors of adult fiction genres are targeting self-sustaining adults. Adults have credit cards and can buy ebooks or physical copies online at their discretion. But what if you write YA for teenagers?

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Publishing Options: Traditional, Hybrid, and Self-Publishing

Publishing Options: Traditional, Hybrid, and Self-Publishing

You've heard the terms: traditional, hybrid, independent, entrepreneurial, co-publishing, self-publishing. But what do they all mean? And is one better than another?

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A Book Production Schedule for Indie Authors

A Book Production Schedule for Indie Authors

Having a book production schedule filled with the right tasks in the right order, will not only result in a professionally produced product and enough time to plan your release, but will also reduce your stress, and ensure you’re not throwing your book into the sky and hoping for the best. Breaking the process into parts makes it easier to focus on one thing at a time and get each step right without getting overwhelmed.

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What’s in a Name? Choosing A Book Title

What’s in a Name? Choosing A Book Title

A book’s title is extremely important. According to Thomas Nelson publishers, research shows that consumers look at a book’s title first and foremost when the author’s name is taken out of the mix (well-known authors are sometimes the deciding factor in purchasing a book). However, coming up with a compelling book title can be arduous, time-consuming work. Here are four guidelines to help you craft a compelling, memorable title for your book.

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What You Need to Know About Translating Your Book

What You Need to Know About Translating Your Book

Expanding to a new language market is a huge and exciting step for indie authors. By translating your book into a new language, you give it the potential to expand its reach to hundreds of thousands of new readers. You should be aware, however, that translation is only one step in the process of bringing your book to a new audience.

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Professionalism in Self-Publishing

Professionalism in Self-Publishing

When a consumer purchases a book, they don't purchase it because a specific publisher published it. They purchase it because it fulfills a need and is well-designed and edited. This means there are no “get-out-of-jail-free” cards for self-publishers. On the contrary, each and every day, self-published books must compete for shelf space and consumer recognition alongside traditionally published books. Because of this, the level of professionalism brought to self-publishing must mirror, or in many cases exceed, the level of professionalism brought to traditional publishing.

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Is Your Book Audiobook Worthy?

Is Your Book Audiobook Worthy?

Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in publishing right now, and suddenly every content creator wants a piece of the action. So, how does an independent author or publisher decide if a title is audio-worthy? The short answer is that there is no magic formula, but there are some proven methods that can help improve your chances of bringing an audiobook to market and turning a profit.  

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Reducing Bias Against Self-Published Authors

Reducing Bias Against Self-Published Authors

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) has been championing independent publishers big and small, self and otherwise, since 1983. That’s over 30 years of advocating for indie voices in the traditional publishing industry. Over this time, we’ve seen a thing or two. 

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The Benefits of Publisher Associations

The Benefits of Publisher Associations

As a self-publisher, the success of your book falls solely on your shoulders. Self-publishing allows you to have complete control, but as Spiderman learned, “With great power comes great responsibility.” You must decide on everything from the book’s interior and exterior design, the forms of marketing to use, and how to distribute. How can one person possibly know everything there is to know about publishing? The answer is simple, they can’t. No one is an expert on all things. So, how can you do everything by yourself knowing you won’t have all the answers? You look for publishing resources to learn as much as you can about the ever-changing world of the publishing industry and you turn to your peers, fellow self-publishers, who face the same roadblocks.

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Why Literary Agents and Publishers Reject Books

Why Literary Agents and Publishers Reject Books

Before setting up I­_AM Self-Publishing, I spent years working at a trade publisher and a literary agency, so I have seen just how many hoops authors need to jump through to get a publishing deal. In fact, one of the reasons I moved into self-publishing is because it became very difficult to get a publishing contract for a debut author, no matter how good they were. Here are reasons why literary agents and publishers reject books.

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Ebooks vs Print Books

Ebooks vs Print Books

The ebooks vs print books debate is a very popular one within the publishing industry. There are loyalists on both sides. There are people who believe that print books are dead (which they've said for years now . . . definitely not dead; very far from dead). And with a normalization in ebook sales, some are saying it's time to ditch the digital format (also false). We believe in both formats and here's why.

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BISAC Subject Codes

BISAC Subject Codes

BISAC subject codes are essentially genre codes. These codes guide shelving, categorization, merchandising, and marketing efforts. BISAC codes help signal to potential buyers, retailers, distributors, and search engines what your book is about – the primary genre(s), topic(s), and theme(s) that matter in regard to your book. Without these codes, readers and those within the industry cannot identify what your book is about or if they'd like to stock or read it. 

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Understanding the Book Publishing Process

Understanding the Book Publishing Process

Authors unfamiliar with the book publishing industry can sometimes stumble on the path to publication by not understanding the definitions and roles of people in editing, production, distribution, and sales. By having clarity on the function and purpose of service companies and freelancers, authors can be smarter about hiring the right help.

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Why We Love Books and Authors

Why We Love Books and Authors

On this day, internationally recognized as a day dedicated to expressing our love for one another, we on the IngramSpark team would like to write a little love note to our first love: books. And you can't have books without authors, so this one's for you too, authors! We love books so much that we decided to make careers out of helping authors create them and share them with the world through our book distribution services. We believe in the power and value of books (above all) and the magic that authors create every time they publish one, but on a more personal level, this is why we love books and authors:

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Self-Publishing to Land a Book Deal

Self-Publishing to Land a Book Deal

I’ve been speaking at writing conferences since 2002, and over the last 15 years, the one topic of conversation that has changed the most dramatically is self-publishing. Not only has the substance of the conversation changed, but everyone’s attitudes have completely transformed. The trouble is that while this change has been largely welcome (at least from my point of view!), it hasn’t always been for the best.

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The Top 10 Mistakes Authors Make and How It Costs Them

The Top 10 Mistakes Authors Make and How It Costs Them

As an author advocate, part of me dislikes creating a top ten list with a negative slant, and yet, it’s so easy to get things wrong in book publishing that it’s easy to come up with a list like the one below, which is hardly comprehensive. If you recognize your book in any of these errors, don’t fret. Part of becoming an author, and especially a self-published author, has to do with learning the ropes and doing it better each time around to avoid common mistakes authors make.

Take IngramSpark's FREE Online Self-Publishing Course on How to Self-Publish

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5 Things You Need Before You Print a Book

5 Things You Need Before You Print a Book

Self-publishing is a really exciting process. After spending years putting blood, sweat, and tears into your book, it can be tempting to rush to the finishing line, but that only leads to mistakes. Some authors don’t realize just how many careful processes are involved once the final draft is complete but before it makes sense to print a book.

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Having Your Story Heard: How to Make Your Book an Audiobook

Having Your Story Heard: How to Make Your Book an Audiobook

by Holly Bryant-Simpson (@hollishter), public relations director for ListenUp Audiobooks (@Listen2Books)
Not a week goes by without another article that asks the question – does listening to an audiobook count as reading? Whether you answer yes or no, you can’t deny that audiobooks are a major player in the publishing industry.

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Build the Right Ebook Pricing Strategy

Build the Right Ebook Pricing Strategy

What are effective ebook pricing strategies in today’s book business? Based on trends we observe at Ingram Content Group from both publishers and readers, we think about three general segments for ebooks: entertainment value, education value, and marketing value.

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How to Protect a Book from Book Piracy

How to Protect a Book from Book Piracy

You’ve spent months on your book; you’ve paid for editors, designers, marketers—this book is your baby! And then someone kidnaps it. Without warning, you stumble upon your book being offered free—or worse, someone is actually profiting from it and not passing that profit on to you—and you feel violated. Piracy happens. But if you care about your work, then there are ways to limit and eliminate it by understanding piracy protection for books.

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10 Successful Independent Publishing Behaviors and Traits

10 Successful Independent Publishing Behaviors and Traits

Independent publishing has been around for hundreds of years. Whether it’s a small indie press that sees value in an author’s work or an author using a contemporary platform to self-publish, it takes a truly entrepreneurial spirit to achieve successful independent publishing.

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