My last blog covered hybrid publishers, explained how they work, and how they differ from a vanity press. I also explained what you should look for in a legitimate hybrid publisher, and what to look out for in case you wanted to go the hybrid publishing route. In this blog, I’ll explain what publishing consulting is, and how publishing consultants help authors during the self-publishing process.
Why Use a Publishing Consultant When Self-Publishing?
Just as with a hybrid press, (or traditional publishers) publishing consultants help authors by taking care of the publishing process. They do everything required to get the author’s book published. The key difference is that the author gets to approve how things are done, whereas many traditional and hybrid publishers don’t allow for creative input from the authors, or they limit it. You’ll see why this can be important when I explain the process and what it entails below.
Publishing consulting is a great option for those who want to maintain control and be immersed in the process of publishing their book, but don’t have the energy or desire to put time into learning how to go it alone. A publishing consultant helps authors by making them aware of their options and suggesting best practices, but ultimately the author has the final say.
Hiring a publishing consultant also ensures everything will be done right and to professional standards. It eliminates the possibility of costly mistakes that can come with a trial-and-error learning approach.
How Publishing Consultants Help Authors with the Self-Publishing Process
First of all, let me just say that the term “self-publish” is a misnomer—you’re not supposed to do it by yourself. To do it well, you’ll need help. Many self-published authors do spend the time to go through the process of researching what is needed and figuring out how to publish on their own. But they still need help with editing, book design—both cover and interior—and marketing. Most self-published authors are getting help on varying levels. And that’s smart. The ability to write a book doesn’t necessarily mean you’re capable of editing the manuscript, formatting it correctly, and designing a compelling cover that fits squarely in the genre. And then there’s the marketing part. I’ve found that this is what most authors really feel lost on.
This is exactly why I offer publishing consulting. I help authors through the entire process while following publishing standards and creating a quality book! And I love what I do. It’s also why I try to write the most useful blogs (for you) and create informative book marketing and branding classes. I also help connect authors to trusted resources like editors and book design services (full disclosure, my company, Monkey C Media, is a full-service design house). My goal is to empower indie authors and help create and publish books that are up to traditional publishing standards. I want you to be proud of your book—but I also want the world to take you seriously.
What Do Publishing Consultants Do?
That’s where consulting comes in. Myself and other consultants help authors by guiding them through the process. What is that process, you ask? I’ll go over the things I do for the authors I work with so you can understand what it’s all about. You can also use it as a guide for going it alone. Because this process is just how indie publishing is done!
It’s All About the Three P’s!
Okay, it may not be known as the Three P’s, but for the purpose of breaking it down for you, that’s what we’ll call it. These consist of positioning, packaging, and publishing.
Positioning
One of the big things that publishing consultants help authors with is positioning. This is kind of the kernel that will become your book marketing strategy and gives authors an idea of where their book belongs in the world. Or where they want it to belong. In this phase, I help authors determine things like their audience, their comparable titles, and their ideal reader. These things are essential to creating your marketing strategy. Why? Because you need to know where to place your book and who your book is for so that it can find the right audience or vice versa.
Packaging
This is where packaging comes in! Positioning helps determine other factors like your book cover and interior design. You want a book that fits the conventions of the genre, right? When readers walk into a book store they are drawn to covers that look like books they have already read and enjoyed—your book needs to look like other books in the genre. And, just to be clear, those comparable titles need to be current, meaning, they were published within the last three to five years. Also, publishing consultants help authors choose everything from paper type and trim size, to binding, which is also driven by current standards.
Not all publishing consultants offer in-house services for design, but I used to be a book designer and my company, Monkey C Media, offers book design services and author websites. I’m serious when I say I want to help authors through the process and hold books to traditional standards. Other publishing consultants will have recommended resources for all this as well.
Publishing Consultants Help Authors with All the Important Details!
Now this is the tedious part of the process. This is often where publishing consultants help authors the most. Because it can be confusing! How do you establish your publishing company? What is an imprint? Do you need a business license? What about ISBNs? Do you need more than one? Where do you get them? What is an LCCN and copyright and how do those happen? Then there’s the actual printing and distribution to consider. Should you use a print-on-demand (POD) service? What about eBooks?
Along with all those tedious steps and figuring out when and how they need to be done, indie authors also need to understand pricing, file types, and mysterious-sounding things like BISAC codes and where to get them. And if that’s not enough, it’s important to develop your metadata so that your book will get found in a sea of other books like it. This might sound like a lot, but I promise it’s really just a matter of going down the list, one thing at a time—like eating an elephant, one bite at a time (not that I would ever eat an elephant). You just need to know what you probably don’t know.
That’s why publishing consultants are so important. We hold your hand and guide you through the process—one bite at a time.
Publishing Consultants Help Authors with Their Expertise: What To Expect from the Process
With my publishing consulting clients, I require a minimum of six months to prepare for publishing. I prefer twelve months, depending on our publishing plan and goals.
To publish well, it’s important that you never rush. Rushing leads to costly mistakes and it’s stressful. Publishing your book should be joyful. And again, you want to be proud of your book and also be taken seriously. Book awards and positive editorial reviews from places like Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly will help get your book into libraries and bookstores. And they are going to be brutal. If your cover doesn’t work, or your book has typos, they won’t give you a great review no matter how good your story is. Everything piece needs to be done well.
I often hear clients tell me that they need their book out in three months. They feel rushed to get it out for Christmas, or their birthday, or Black History Month because it will be good for marketing, but I’m here to tell you that publishing a book is much like birthing a baby—good things take time. So prepare well in advance of your planned publication date!
So, how do I work?
I start with an initial consultation to get a feel for my client and their books. If we end up working together, I then read their book. This is essential to understanding it and how I determine positioning. From the initial consultation, I also get a sense for how much help and in what areas the client will need it. I ask about them and their goals. Not every author wants to become a bestseller or make it a career. Publishing consultants helps authors by creating a workable plan, tailored to their goals!
Making Sure All Ducks Are in a Row
From the initial consultation and after we determine positioning, we move on to that tedious stuff I mentioned. This means completing all the little tasks that need to be ticked off before the book goes to print.
Publishing Consultants Help Authors with Things Like:
- Purchasing and registering ISBNs
- Registering your book with the Library of Congress and obtaining a Library of Congress Control Number
- Copyrighting the manuscript upon publication
- BISAC codes
- Amazon print and eBook categories
- Developing metadata and keywords
- Pricing structure
- Printing the book: offset versus POD
- Distribution and fulfillment options
- Setting up pre-sales
- Strategizing and creating a marketing plan
- Developing a book launch plan
- Author Branding
- And more, there is always more to do when it comes to publishing
Publishing consultants help authors determine their publication dates as well, and answer questions along the way.
I like to schedule regular meetings to address these questions and concerns as well as to update the author on the progress. These meetings are also used for further consultation.
In my case, because I also happen to own a design company, many publishing consulting clients also choose to have Monkey C Media design their book covers and interiors. So these meetings are also where we discuss decisions and get approvals for continuing work.
Monkey C Media also just added marketing packages for authors to our services list. Our goal is to be a one-stop shop offering all the services indie authors need, including publishing consulting, author websites, book design, editing, marketing, branding, and more. We saw the need and strove to meet it! It’s the reason I started offering publishing consulting services to begin with.
How Much Publishing Consultants Help Authors Depends on the Need
Ultimately, as always, it’s up to the author to decide what they need help with and how much they want to invest in. And that’s what publishing consultants are there for! I know, as an author myself, that your book is your baby. I am also a book lover and I want every author’s book to be the best it can be.
Remember, self-published is a misnomer. Every author will need help getting their book out into the world. And the people who help facilitate that are available when you need them, at whatever your level of need happens to be.
P.S. If there is anything in this article that you would like me to expand on, just reach out. I love getting emails from readers and answering your publishing/marketing/branding questions. Thanks for reading and good luck on your publishing journey!
