In my last blog post, we looked at some of the first stages you would go through to self-publish a nonfiction book. In this week’s blog post, we will be continuing this, looking at the later stages that your book needs to get published. In many ways, self-publishing a nonfiction book is similar to self-publishing a fiction one, but there are a few differences to be aware of before you start. You may also need to make some adaptations to suit your book and ensure your plan reflects its needs.
Before we start looking at the later stages, we will quickly review the earlier ones we looked at in my last blog post to make sure you are at the right point. The first thing to do is come up with a solid strategy for your book. You will need to ask who your target audience is, why they need your book and why they would choose your book over others. Think about how you will reach your audience, as well as what your goals are – how many copies do you need to sell? Are you hoping to boost your visibility rather than make sales?
Once you have some ideas, it’s time to start thinking about marketing your book. Don’t wait until you have finished writing it, as this would be too late to gain any traction before publication. There are several ways you can start marketing, from email mailing lists to starting a blog. The next stage is actually writing your book. You will need an outline and several drafts before you get it to a stage where you are happy with it and it is ready to be edited.
Editing
The next stage in self-publishing is editing. This is actually several different stages, as your book will need multiple rounds of editing. The best place to start is with a developmental edit, which will look at the whole picture. With a nonfiction book, this means checking that the structure makes sense, the paragraphs flow and it is pitched correctly for your audience. A developmental edit is essential to get your book ready for readers.
After a developmental edit, you will need more editing on a different level. The first one to consider is line editing, which is sometimes called stylistic editing. As the name suggests, this looks at the style of your writing and whether it will engage the reader. Your editor will be checking your writing on a sentence level for problems, as well as what works well. For example, they might suggest that you rewrite some sentences to be clearer or remove repetition of words to help keep your readers interested in what you have written.
The next stage of editing that you would typically use is copyediting. Like line editing, this is done on a sentence level but is more focused on the technical side of things, rather than stylistic choices. Copyediting will look at consistency, for example, chapter numbering and the spelling of any names used. It also checks for other spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, so it is useful to hire an editor with some experience in your niche, to ensure that they are familiar with any technical words you have used.
Finally, you will need to have your book proofread. This is the last stage in the editing process and any major changes should have already been made at this point. A proofreader will also check spelling, grammar and punctuation, but will focus on the overall look of the book as well. They will be looking at the layout of what should be a final draft. This can either be a text document (if you will only be having an ebook) or page proofs (if you will be having a physical version). From this, they will be able to ensure consistency of chapter headings, page numbers, paragraphs and more.
Publishing
Once your book is finished, you will need to actually have it published. What you need to do will depend on how you are publishing it, but, as a starting point, it will definitely need some cover art done. Your book will also need formatting, either as an ebook, a physical version or both. If you are having a physical version, you will also need to organise printing.
Finally, your book will need to be distributed. With an ebook, this can be as simple as uploading it to the selling platform or platforms that you have chosen. With a physical book, this is a little more complicated. You may need to get them stocked in shops, sell them from your website or set up a print-on-demand service.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this was a useful introduction to self-publishing a nonfiction book and helps you to understand what you need. In my next blog post, we will be looking at using assisted publishing for your nonfiction book, so come back in two weeks for that!
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