The process, part 10 - Publication

From the very beginning of my self-publishing journey almost five years ago, my intention was to publish in paperback and ebook through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). At the time, these were the only two options available from KDP.

The decision to publish through KDP was based on its intuitive step-by-step process and Amazon marketplace. But as self-publishing continues to evolve and more options become available, I may consider IngramSpark or Lulu for future books. Five years on, KDP now offers hardcovers, although, as this is a ‘beta’ software, they lack some of the more attractive options, such as dust covers, which are available with IngramSpark.

As far as the trilogy is concerned, the KDP software hasn’t changed much in the almost two years since I published TCC, so the process for book two will follow the same pattern.

Once the cover and formatted interiors are finalised and approved, it’s time to create the paperback and ebook. I will run through some of the options and how and when the decisions on each are made.

Book title and series title

For much of the process for the first book in the series, I used a ‘working title’ for TCC (Raven Rising) and only settled on the final title about half way through the writing process. The trilogy title was picked early in the writing process.

The title for book two was chosen before the plotting stage.

Primary audience and marketplace

My primary audience for the trilogy was always intended to be New Adult or Adult. The trilogy deals with adult and world themes and contains a sprinkling of industrial language which precludes it from Young Adult and younger.

The book primarily for the UK market but can be purchased through any country where Amazon has a presence. I also chose to opt for a ‘wide’ distribution that enables the books to be purchased through other on-line retailers.

Keywords or phrases

To enable prospective readers to search for the book, KDP recommend that authors choose seven ‘keywords’ to optimise searches. some of my key phrases were

Historical science fantasy, Strong diverse female characters, Dark Victorian steampunk adventure and Secret societies. These can be decided just before publication and can be changed after publication if the keywords are ineffective.

ISBN

Every published book must have a purchased ISBN or, for Amazon exclusive content, a free KDP ISBN. ISBNs can be purchased singly or in batches.

Print options

Trim size - This is the size of the book and can be decided anytime after the first draft is completed. I chose 5.25 by 8.00 inches as this is the most common for science fiction and steampunk.

Ink and paper type - I picked black and white interior with white paper which suits the genre and makes reading easier.

Bleed settings - Although there are no maps or other full page illustrations, I chose Bleed which is only available if the interior is uploaded as a PDF file.

Cover finish - I chose glossy rather than matte.

The last three choices are made at the time of uploading to KDP.

Finally

Once these decisions are made the cover and interior of the book are uploaded. The KDP software previews the book, checks to ensure everything fits and provides a summary of printing costs in each of Amazon’s marketplaces through the world.

Then an author’s proof can be ordered to ensure the book is ready for publication.

This week’s author and musical artists are -

G W Dahlquist - Playwright and novelist. Author of the extraordinary, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters.

Xandria - German symphonic metal band

Next week - Work in progress and future projects