Supported Self-Publishing 101
THE GOOD NEWS: Creative freedom has extended beyond the writer’s desk—you can now become a published author on your own terms with supported self-publishing.
THE BAD NEWS: Many writers have yet to explore this alternative and convenient publishing path because many questions about it have remained unanswered.
THE OTHER GOOD NEWS: This Partridge India guide will explain the things you need to know about supported self-publishing.
Traditional, DIY, and supported self-publishing—these are publishing options available to aspiring authors like you. What sets supported self-publishing apart from the others? And is it the best choice for you and your book? Read on to find out.
Before we get down to the specifics, let’s compare supported self-publishing with other publishing options available out there:
Traditional Publishing
Requires a literary agent
Gives access to editing and proofreading services
Gives access to marketing and publicity services
Requires a large cash-out for a big print run
Offers a custom-designed book cover and interior
Lets you keep all rights to your manuscript
Guarantees physical bookstore distribution
Supported Self-Publishing
Requires a literary agent
Gives access to editing and proofreading services
Gives access to marketing and publicity services
Requires a large cash-out for a big print run
Offers a custom-designed book cover and interior
Lets you keep all rights to your manuscript
Guarantees physical bookstore distribution
DIY Publishing
Requires a literary agent
Gives access to editing and proofreading services
Gives access to marketing and publicity services
Requires a large cash-out for a big print run
Offers a custom-designed book cover and interior
Lets you keep all rights to your manuscript
Guarantees physical bookstore distribution
Traditional Publishing
When you take the traditional route, you benefit from the expertise of publishing, editing, marketing, and bookselling professionals—all with little to no financial investment. But when it comes to your book’s content and design, you won’t get to make the decisions and have the final say. You have to give up the rights to your work as well.
DIY Publishing
With do-it-yourself or DIY publishing, you manage every aspect of the publishing process and retain the rights to your work. But it is up to you to edit, format, market, and distribute your book. You will have to do the legwork and may need to tap various professionals for these services—and that can be expensive.
Supported Self-Publishing
So what’s the great thing about supported self-publishing? It provides access to a wide range of publishing and bookselling services, and the support of industry professionals while having the ability to publish your book the way you want to and keep the rights to your work.
The Sum and Substance of Supported Self-Publishing
Supported self-publishing gives you an alternative route to getting your book published:
- You control the publishing process—from choosing your publishing package down to the smallest detail of your book’s design.
- You get standard publishing services such as ISBN assignment, cover and interior book design/layout, and online distribution.
- You can buy add-on services like hardback format availability, editing, marketing, and more—which may also come at no extra cost depending on your chosen publishing package.
But who is Partridge?
Partridge is a supported self-publishing company that can provide you with the services you need to publish your book. This imprint is powered by Author Solutions LLC and offers authors in the region direct access to a comprehensive range of expert publishing services.
Who is Author Solutions?
Author Solutions LLC is a world leader in supported self-publishing and has produced numerous titles in the book market. Through its imprints, it has helped more than 225,000 aspiring authors publish their books.
Because we are committed to providing you with the best self-publishing experience, we continuously seek to encourage our clients to make informed decisions. Here is a list of what we can and cannot do for our authors.
What We Can Do For You
Provide Support from a Team of Professionals
Our professional staff has been trained to cater to your book’s needs—from publishing, editing, and marketing consultation to content evaluation, and from cover and interior design to online distribution.
Give You Creative Control
When you take the supported self-publishing route, you control the content of your book.
Make Your Book Available for Sale Online
Partridge makes your book available for purchase through online book retailers. Through them, your book will have a better chance of piquing the interest of your target readers.
Offer Access to Publishing and Marketing Services
We provide authors like you with a more direct access to a comprehensive range of services that you can purchase to help you achieve your publishing and marketing goals. We also endeavour to grow our pool of services relevant to your location.
Produce High-Quality, Print-on-Demand Books
Books of good quality do not come cheap. We work only with the best printers in and out of the country. We also utilise print-on-demand technology, allowing you or your prospective readers to buy as few as one copy of your book at a time. There is no need for warehousing, and you are assured that for as long as you have a contract with Partridge, your book will never go out of print.
Offer a Nonexclusive Contract
Retain ownership of your ideas, story, or images with our nonexclusive contract.*
What We Cannot Do
Ensure Sales
We do not promise book sales for you. You will have to work on creating your own marketing and bookselling plan. We can, however, provide you with the necessary tools to match your designed campaigns and get your book to your target readers.
Ensure Distribution to Brick and Mortar/Physical Bookstores
Unless you have purchased our bookstore placement services, we do not promise distribution to bookstores. We can, however, make your book available for purchase online, and if bookstores decide to stock copies of your book, they can get in touch with our international distribution partners.
Remember: we offer products and services that can help your campaigns take shape and take off. But you need to do some actual legwork for your publishing venture to succeed.
Prepare for Publication
To speak with a Publishing Consultant, call us on 000 800 919 0634 (Call Free) or +91 000 80091 90634 (Outside India). You may also send an e-mail to publishing.india@partridgepublishing.com to find out which of our digital publishing packages best suits you and will give you the opportunity to share your story with the widest possible readership. We are here to help you every step of the way.
*We own the rights to your book’s final digital files. Should you wish to keep your own copy, we can send you a basic version that does not have a logo, ISBN, barcodes, etc. but this is subject to certain terms and conditions. Call us for more information about this.
Sources:
Should You Self-Publish Your First Book?, Huffington Post
How to Publish a Book: An Overview of Traditional & Self-Publishing, Writer’s Digest
5 Key Publishing Models, Writers Win
Self-Publishing by the Numbers, Business Web
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