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Welcome, Writers. This is the very last addition to my Five-Steps-to-a-Novel Program. So far, if you have been completeing the tasks as I lay them out, you should have an array of vivid characters, a plot that follows the Three-Act structure, a setting is unique and fits your genre, and at least one draft of your novel written.
Now it is time to look at methods of publishing, if you're interested in that at all. If not, it's completely okay to only share your work with friends and family, or lock it far far away where it will never meet the eyes of humans. However, after all the time you but into writing the manuscript, you should at least consider releasing it to the world. There are two main ways that this can be achived.
| Self | Traditional | |
| Cost | You are responsible for all costs | The Publishing Company is responsible for all costs |
| Payment | You recive all profits unless you go through a company | You are paid something upfront and then will recieve a small amount of the profits. |
| Timing | Could take as little as six months to publish | Takes at least a year to publish. |
| Services included | Editing, Cover Art, Cover Design, Marketing | All extra services will have to be paid for by you |
There aren't any real qualifications to Self Publish because you are essentailly the boss. If you really want to, you could print up the Google Docs version of your novel and try to sell it on street corners. However, it will make it a lot easier for you to go through a company to print out the manuscript and mold it into ebook form. Here are three of the best options.
AuthorLabThis site is a God-send for anyone who wants all the tools that tradtional publishing houses offer without the competition of them. For about ten dollars a month, AuthorLab gives you access to graphic design software, inspirational videos, promotional materials, and much, much more!
IngramSparkIngramSpark is most well known for all of the different formats in which it allows you to publish your novel. The feature that is the most impressive, however, is the fact that they automatically add your manuscript onto the Ingram Catalog, which means that bookstores like Barnes & Nobel have the ability to order your book to their store if it is requested by a customer. This site does ask a minimal set-up free.
Kindle Direct PublishingHere it is, the one you had to know was going to show up on this list. KDP is most likely the most well-known and well-respected self publishing resource out there to this day. It allows you to sell both printed and ebook versions of your novel on Amazon. Of course, they recive a small part of your profits, but they are a great choice for anyone not wanting to spend anything monstorous while publishing.
Unlike Self Publishing, there are qualifications to be traditionally published. You have to mail a Queery lettler and the first few chapters of your manuscript to an literary agent who, if they decide to take you on, will send it over to one of the Big Five publishing companies. You can find an agent on the AgentQuery website. They will allow you to search through their database of agents to find the ones that meet your criterea.
Literary Agents are not paid by you, but rather by the money your manuscript makes after they help it become popular. Usually, they take a five to ten percent cut out of your earnings for in-country sales, and a fifteen to twenty percent cut out of for out-of-country sales.
As for the Big Five publishing companies, they are Pengin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, and Simon and Schuster. These are all New York publishing houses and if you're published by them, you can bet on selling so many copies that you lose count.
Well, dear writers, this brings us to the end of my Five-Steps-to-a-Novel-Program. Remember, Anyone can write a novel, and with the tools you've learned during this course, I'll bet you can do it well.
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