How to Publish a Book

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By adam-12
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Publish a Book

Have you just written the great American novel? Perhaps you'd like to publish your memoirs or write a travel guide? Whatever the case, its now easier than ever to publish a book yourself.

With the advent of ebooks and print on demand technology, people can take publishing into their own hands. Sure, being picked up by a major publishing house is exciting and potentially lucrative, but its no longer necessary in order to get your book out there. Also, if you really want a publisher's name on your book you can just start your own publishing company!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

manuscript
internet access
graphics editing program (optional)

Step 1

Write an ebook. This is a great way to get your book out there with minimal cost. You can create your own ebook by converting your manuscript into a pdf file. There are also many ebook software packages online that assist you in creating your ebook by offering templates and other helpful features. Once you've got your ebook, create a website to put it on and do some marketing to get the word out.
Step 2

Use a Print on Demand (POD) publisher. As the name implies, print on demand publishing is a form of publishing where books are published as needed. You just submit your manuscript and a design for the book cover and the publisher will print a copy of your book when someone orders one. You'll want to have a professional looking cover for your book, so either design it yourself using graphics editing software or hire someone to design it for you.

Using a POD publisher is a great way to gain access to places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders while keeping your costs low. Because books are printed only when people order them, there are no inventory costs or hassles to worry about. Another advantage is there are no out-of-pocket costs to you other than an initial setup fee.
Step 3

Create your own publishing company. Although this is not necessary in order to publish your own book, there are several reasons why someone might want to do this. For example, someone might be publishing a series of books or starting their own publishing business. Starting a publishing company provides brand recognition and can be helpful in dealing with certain legal concerns.

If you're considering this option, you should probably form a sole proprietorship, LLC or corporation. There are many websites that help you incorporate quickly and easily for a fee. The great thing about this option is that you can still use a POD publisher to publish your books.
Step 4

It never hurts to obtain a copyright for your book. While you technically own the copyright to something the moment you create it, officially obtaining a copyright ensures that your intellectual property is protected.