This author is here to help you understand the basics of self-publishing—the nuts and bolts, if you will.

by Keith Anthony Baird

What’s that old saying? Oh yeah: “Everyone’s got a book in them.” That’s probably true, but how do they even begin to get it out and present it to the world?

Some of us are lucky in that sense. You might wonder what I mean by that. Well, I’ll do my best to explain.

Before I ever picked up a pen to start my writing journey, I’d been involved in many aspects of publishing. But this piece isn’t about me. It’s about you, the new writer, and what you need to know before you take the plunge.

The nuts and bolts

Drafting. Your first draft of a manuscript won’t ever be your final draft, unless you’re a wizard. Get ready to revise what you put down any number of times before it becomes something close to what the final version will look like. This is where you need to analyze your work objectively. In other words, you need to stand apart from it and try to view it as a reader would. Consider how it will be perceived by a new pair of eyes looking at it for the very first time. For some, disassociating themselves from their work can be a challenge, but you must get used to doing this because it’s the only way your writing will improve.

Many, of course, use beta readers to cast an independent eye over their work and provide critique. That’s a good move, but I’d caution on solely using that method all the time. If you do, what are you really learning from the process? Overall, this is the part of a story’s evolution where you should be applying critical thinking. Ask yourself questions like: Does this stack up? Is this too much of a stretch for the reader? Are there just plain old mistakes in this and fundamental flaws in the narrative? Fix all of these things. Get past this stage and you’re ready for the next step.

Your first draft of a manuscript won’t ever be your final draft, unless you’re a wizard.

Editing. As I mentioned earlier, I’d been involved in publishing for a long time before ever writing fiction. In the main, I’d been an editor for a living. First as a national magazine owner here in the U.K., subsequently as a senior sub-editor on regional newspapers, and latterly as the publishing editor for a national, web-based private company. In other words, I’d always shaped other writers’ work for final publication.

Editing holds no interest for a lot of writers, and that’s fine. Many are happy to simply write their manuscripts and pass that part of the process over to someone with experience. So you can go two ways on this. Either do just that, or if you believe you’re an accomplished enough editor yourself, then get stuck in.

At this juncture, there’s a critical question at play: am I self-publishing this book, or am I seeking out either an agent or publisher? I strongly suggest you get a second pair of eyes on your manuscript before you take either route. When you produce work yourself, you’re too close to the piece to sometimes see the obvious. It can literally be a case of you can’t see the wood from the trees. This is because there’s a disconnect from what our eyes are seeing and what our brains are registering. This is especially true when we’re working purely on screen, as we get mentally tired. It’s possible to read sentences multiple times and still not perceive an actual mistake. I recommend you do any final proofreading on hard copy every time. I’d say it’s vital for a final read-through.

Formatting. This is an area where most writers have little to no experience whatsoever. It’s an aspect of publishing defined by industry conventions and a certain set of standards. That’s not to say it can’t be played with, because it can to a certain extent, but the fundamentals need to be adhered to. The key aspect to this is typesetting: literally how the piece is presented in final form. This is an art in itself and one where experience really does count. You have to learn this, whether by lessons or doing it over and over and figuring out how the process works yourself.

If all you can do is draw stick men, then you really will need to hire a cover artist.

Either way, if you’re going to do it yourself, you really need to know your stuff, otherwise it will look awful and will have a detrimental effect on your published work. In most cases, if you’re contracted with a publisher, they’ll either get this done by in-house staff or farm it out to a freelancer. You won’t have to worry about this part of the process. But, if you’re taking the DIY route to publishing, let’s say via Amazon, then you’ll have to do this—unless, of course, you decide to engage a freelancer to format the final presentation of your work.

Cover art. If all you can do is draw stick men, then you really will need to hire a cover artist. Seriously though, this is fundamental and so often where new writers fall flat in the presentation of their work for mass consumption. Often, newbies underestimate the power of a cover to sell their books. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is in the whole mechanical process of producing a title.

I was fortunate enough to have gained substantial experience as a graphic designer over the years, so I could apply my knowledge to making my own covers when I first started out. If you have absolutely no skills with either physical or digital media, then this is definitely an area where you’ll have no option but to engage a skilled designer. Quite aside from having the artistic flair to accomplish this, there are simply too many technical aspects involved in cover creation for a complete novice to understand. Things like dimensions, calculating spine width based on pagination, and working to publishing templates are simply too much of a stretch for the uninitiated.

To sum up, all of these key areas involve skill and associated costs. If you can handle a lot of this yourself, then of course you’ll save money. That’s very handy when it comes to self-publishing, where budgets are usually restrictive. Once you get into it, a lot of this may seem daunting at first, but don’t let that put you off. Decide what you can tackle yourself and what you need to put in the hands of others.

In doing that, get testimonials. Don’t just take someone’s word they’re an experienced editor, formatter, or designer. Have them provide solid evidence of their abilities before you hire them.

And the last thing I’d like to say is embrace the challenge of all this and enjoy the journey. If you do, you’ll grow as a result, and when it’s time to put out your second book you’ll be confident and armed with enough experience to make even better decisions going forward. I wish you the very best of luck. You’ve got this!

Keith Anthony Baird began writing dark fiction in 2016 as a self-published author. After five years of releasing titles via Amazon and Audible, he switched his focus to the traditional publishing route. His dark fantasy novella In the Grimdark Strands of the Spinneret was published via Brigids Gate Press (BGP) in 2022. Two further novellas are to be published in 2024 via BGP: SIN:THETICA (May) and a vampire saga in collaboration with fellow Brit author Beverley Lee, A Light of Little Radiance (November).

Keith is currently writing an alien invasion/post-apocalyptic novel called Wind Rust, which will be the first of a planned trilogy. He lives in Cumbria, United Kingdom, on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

Connect with Keith on Twitter/X and Instagram.