Things to Consider When Self-publishing (part 2)

Products, providers, and pricing

Part 2

The next area in self-publishing that I feel is important covers the format that your books can take as well as the way that you can distribute them and how to choose who to use to distribute your work.

Products

The more different formats of your book that you have, the better, even initially. It really is up to you which formats you can run your book in — but it is important to remember that choosing to only use one or two formats can alienate certain customers. The wider variety of choices that you have — the better.

Some people will never buy digital downloads, or even order books online, so ensure that you have physical copies of the book that you can carry around with you like a weirdo to sell in the pub, or sell on stalls (I did it like a sad bastard — but it worked). It is easier in some cases to sell your work to people when you physically put it in their hands also. Even if you only order yourself 20–30 copies of your book, it really is a good way to get your work to new people. You can do this through local printers (but a run of printing books yourself is only really cost-efficient when you buy at least 100), or with KDP Amazon (formerly Createspace) you can order some order author copies for cost and shipping.

Other people will buy things online and these may be the customers that you are trying to get. The print-on-demand services offered by the…