The Lollipop Road

Posts Tagged ‘travel book’

When we last left off, you had just finished editing your guide and you were ready to get it in the hands of eager readers. Hold on…you’ll need to design a cover. You have two choices, contract this out or do it yourself. A third-party designer could cost several hundred dollars or more. However, if you choose to do it yourself, you’ll need some patience, skill and a photo or other cover art to work from.

We chose an existing photo that we felt reflected the essence of a cruise, then spiced it up with a cartoon cruise ship, which we had to pay a royalty to utilize. Using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, we brought the images together with the text and background to make a three-part cover, which we then imported into InDesign. I know, I just made it sound so easy…the reality was a bit different.

When designing a cover, be sure to be aware of bleed and spine width before finalizing your design and layout. Most reputable publishers will provide a detailed template with instructions.

You’ll also need to consider the size of your book, headers and footers (including chapter name, section name and page numbers) and index layout. Although we are addressing these items at the end, may I suggest making all of these decisions upfront, because it will save you time and reformatting. Again, look at competing publications and decided what would make the most sense to your reader.

By now, you should have chosen a publisher or printer for your book. The self-publishing business is very much controlled by Amazon’s Create Space, although several other options do exist, including Outskirts Press, Lulu, Author House and iUniverse, just to name a few. However, because we wanted full control over domestic distribution, international distribution capabilities and a wide range of e-book options, we chose to go with Lightning Source. They are a part of Ingram, which is one of the leading book distributors, so they provide quite a wide network, including Amazon.

Each publisher will put forth a lengthy set of requirements, including file format. Review all of this information carefully and ask questions before submitting your work…it will save you time and money. Believe it or not, many publishers still offer paper submissions, but it will cost you extra. The most common submission, however, is an Adobe PDF or a Postscript file. If you utilize InDesign, this is a rather simple process. The technical aspects will be covered at a later date, but let’s just say that you would be wise to choose a publisher and understand the requirements sooner rather than later.

If you wish to have full control over your publication in the future, I recommend applying for an ISBN number (or a block of numbers). The ISBN is the barcoded number that you will find on the back cover of all books. This is a requirement for any book that will be in distribution. Some publishers will provide an ISBN, but if you ever decided to leave that publisher and choose another publisher, you’ll be required to obtain a new ISBN (ie. the old publisher has the exclusive right to distribute the old edition with their ISBN). For that reason, I highly recommend springing for the cost of an ISBN. If you are going to publish your guide in print and e-book format, you will need two ISBN numbers (except when publishing with Create Space).

Now, you are ready to submit your files and wait for a proof! Once you have reviewed the proof copy, you are ready to release your book for purchase. You’ll also need to take care of a few lingering requirements. If you purchased your own ISBN, be sure to update it online to include all of the title information. You must also file an application, along with two copies of your book, with the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. In the event of an intellectual property dispute, this will be the record of your unique work. This must be completed within 60 days of publication, otherwise you could be subject to a fine.

Now, it is time to sit back, relax and wait for your first sale! Okay, maybe not – the hardest part is yet to come – marketing. You’ve locked in the widest possible distribution and created awesome content. However, if you have short-discounted the book (provided for a 47% or lower discount to wholesale purchasers), you probably won’t find your book in local bookstores. If you don’t accept returns, you definitely won’t find it in bookstores. So, who will carry your book? Amazon for sure, most likely Barnes & Noble online and any outlet that you personally contact for placement.

You will also need to decide if you want to offer the book for sale directly to consumers. We created a website with resources for our customers, so we do offer our book and have had early success, although long-term, we expect other outlets to produce more sales. In the end, much of your success will depend upon luck. Create a valuable resource that you believe in and proudly talk about it every chance you have. The rest will fall into place in time.

Congratulations! You’re now a published author.

Disclosure

Peter The Cruise Ship is a children’s book written by Captain Hans Mateboer, a real life cruise ship Captain!  We were first introduced to Peter while sailing on the Celebrity Mercury earlier this year.  Our four year old loves books and when he saw this in one of the onboard shops, he had to have it.

How could we possibly say no – and lucky for us, it was the last one. Read the rest of this entry »