18/08/2023
7 KEY STEPS TO PUBLISHING YOUR DREAM BOOK
By Swilot Designs & Publishing
1.CONCEIVE AN IDEA: The first and most important step in Publishing is conceiving an idea you feel others should benefit from. One of the biggest advantages of writing a book is that several generations after you have gone could benefit from your writing. It is a way of immortalizing yourself. Do you have an idea that could benefit someone? Then, you are good to publish a book.
2. READ. You cannot be a writer if you are not first a reader. Every writer is a reader. In fact, much of your ideas would be conceived as you read books and articles written by others. Whatever idea or topic you conceive, someone must have written something close or similar before. You have to read wide to have a good command of the topic you are writing. You may need to read about other fields that are connected to the field you are writing on.
2. WRITE. You need to pick up your notebook and write. At the initial stage, write everything that comes to your mind. Never mind if you are writing beyond the topic, the planned number of pages or committing grammatical blunders. You don't really need to be grammatically sound to be a writer. Every idea that comes to your mind should be penned down. At this point too, you must be flexible. You may have to cancel a lot or reconstruct certain ideas. Sometimes, you could cancel chapters, never mind. You should be patient as well. Except you are an experienced writer, it could take you as long as a year or two. Although some experienced writers could complete their books in a few days. Avoid plagiarism; It is criminal to copy another man’s work. Be patient and get the best you can
4. EDIT MANUSCRIPT. At this point, you need first, an editor and then, a proofreader. Everybody needs an editor, no matter who you are. The editor should be someone who is vast in the topic you are writing. For example, someone who is vast and teaches relationship and marriage could help you edit a book on courtship. A professor of Mathematics would be very suitable to edit your Arithmetic book. This is where some people give up because many of the editors are very busy and might take several months or years before you get your manuscript back. If you have a problem in this area, simply go through a publisher. Once you pay for editing and proofreading, the publishers would help you with their professional editors
5. CONTACT A PUBLISHER: Sometimes, publishers take up the whole job right from writing down to marketing (all you do is submit your ideas to them), other times, they only guide and help you in certain areas especially when your budget is low. For example, they help you with editors once you submit your manuscript and get ISBN (International Standard Book Number) which bears your name as the publisher rather than the publisher taking up the title as is customary. Whichever you choose, an ideal book should have an ISBN and copyright to certify that it is your intellectual property.
6. PRINT: If you are merely being guided by an experienced publisher with you being portrayed as the publisher, you have to print your books (except you are publishing online alone). At this point, the book is designed by professional graphics artists and the choice of materials to be used is made known to you. It is always cheaper to print larger quantities; a minimum of 1,000 to 5,000 copies. Remember that your books should continued to be sold even after you are dead; it should outlive you. However, some authors print much less quantity especially if it is not a conventional book meant for public consumption.
7. MARKET YOUR BOOK. The publication is not complete if the book has not gotten to the public. When people get to lay hands on the book and read it, that is when the aim of publication is achieved. Publishers usually take this up with an agreed profit sharing ratio with the author. But in cases where the publisher only guides the author, some authors opt for book launch, particularly when they have the pedigree to invite people with financial prowess. Millions of money are sometimes realised from book launch, something much more than the amount spent on publishing. Beyond that, the author must have a target market like youths, students, wives, businessmen and women and community, etc.
Do you want to publish your dream book? Go ahead because no one knows tomorrow. The next generations deserve to learn something from you. At Swilot Designs & Publishing, we help you achieve all the above from stage one to seven in just 8 weeks (2 months). Contact us on +2348051214252 (call, SMS & WhatsApp) or [email protected]
