So the time comes when — perhaps with my support and professional guidance — you have completed your final manuscript.

Congratulations! What a journey! What a fulfillment! What a triumph!

what now?

Unless you have been giving yourself to writing this book purely for your own understanding and healing (it happens), you likely want to turn the completed manuscript into an actual book. Print book, ebook, audiobook or all three – these are all ways of sharing with readers/listeners the fulfillment of your heart’s dream.

what are your choices?

Self-Publishing vs. Traditional vs. Hybrid Publishing

Traditional Publishing is when you write a book proposal and submit your manuscript to a literary agent (or publisher who accepts non-agented submissions). This tends to be a longer process - both writing the book proposal with its required components (Hook, Market Analysis, Competitive Titles, Marketing Plan, Author Bio, Synopsis, Sample Chapters, etc.) and finding an interested agent or publisher. A fair amount of waiting may ensue — to find the agent or publisher who says yes, and then for the book to make the journey from acceptance to publication (usually a minimum of a year), so both perseverance and patience are needed on your end.

The benefits of this process include (depending on the publisher and staff): a monetary advance against royalties (i.e., you get a certain $$ at the outset, which — once the book is in print — is deducted from your share of the book’s profits, i.e., “royalties”); potentially wider distribution; an actual marketing department (though all authors are expected to participate in the book’s promotion); and, depending on the publisher, the prestige of being published by Harper Collins, Routledge, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Macmillan, and the like. For some authors, this is the gate of paradise; for others, more trouble and less payback for their efforts than it’s worth.

Hybrid Publishing is when you pay a company composed of book-publishing professionals to publish your book. They may offer everything from soup to nuts to do with the book-production phase (i.e., editing, proofreading, illustration, cover art, book design, typesetting, ISBN, printing, and marketing), or just the basics. Some authors appreciate having publishing professionals handle the 'baby' of their manuscript — cleaning it up, polishing it, and promoting it to the world. Some hybrid companies invite author preferences and decisions, while others less so. There is no advance (you pay them), but all or most of the net profits from sales tend to belong to the author.

And then there is:

Self-Publishing

(& my self-publishing guidance)

Self-publishing is when you take the matter into your own hands. You have total creative control: the book can be and look like whatever suits your heart and wallet. You either contract out all the book-production phase work or you do it yourself.

Whether it’s:

• coming up with cover art (or locating someone who will help with this),

• choosing typefaces and an interior-book design (or locating a typesetter whose work you like),

• setting up an author website (if you don’t already have a website to add your book to),

• or getting the book into print and/or ebook (and audiobook, if you’re so inclined),

you get to make all the creative choices yourself.

No one will try to convince you that neon-blue book covers are the rage this year, or that you really need to condense your 400-page lovingly edited manuscript down to 250 pages because “no one reads more than around 40,000 words anymore.” Your book, your baby, your pride and joy to show to the world.

How Do You Transform Your Completed Manuscript into a Book?

Well, there are several distinct phases to understand and complete before you upload your manuscript onto a Print On Demand (POD) online printer. All these phases are gone into in detail in my "Complete Guide to Self-Publishing on IngramSpark" below.

IngramSpark is my POD of choice. It is used by large and small publishers, and indie publishers like you with perhaps a single book or a handful of books. I have used it for all my own books, and my clients' books as well.

YOUR SELF-PUBLISHING OPTIONS:

COMPREHENSIVE VIDEO COURSE:

Master the entire IngramSpark self-publishing process with my complete 5-video series that takes you from manuscript to published-book-in-your-hands. This comprehensive course includes:

• Video #1: Complete pre-setup preparation (everything you need to have ready before uploading your typeset book files to IngramSpark)

• Video #2: Step-by-step ISBN purchasing tutorial

• Video #3: Complete IngramSpark title setup walkthrough

• Video #4: E-proof review and approval process

• Video #5: Book ordering and understanding your publisher compensation

Plus comprehensive written materials: Complete written guide, video transcripts, visual reference gallery, and practical templates.

Available as:

1. Complete video package with all materials — $297 — or

2. Written guide as standalone option — $47.

Course will be available soon - contact me to be notified when it's ready.

Discount for My Book Development Clients:

Once your manuscript is complete, you can access the complete video course at a significant discount, plus have my priority support for any questions after you've worked through the materials.

IngramSpark Account Setup Consultation:

You can set up your IngramSpark indie publishing account on your own, of course. But you may want help with this initial setup step. (This phase is not covered in the video series, since it involves uploading private financial information.) If so, you can set up a 1:1 session with me to guide you through this step.

Approximate Time Frame for Completing All Steps from Manuscript to Printed Book:

Once the manuscript is final and ready for production, the length of the self-publishing process tends to be around 6-8 weeks.