A presentation on self-publishing by author Jodi McIsaac, given at the 2014 When Words Collide conference in Calgary, AB. www.jodimcisaac.com

1. Successful Self-Publishing
Jodi McIsaac
When Words Collide 2014
JodiMcIsaac.com

2. • Indie authors now account for 31% of
total daily ebook sales on Amazon
regardless of genre
• Indie authors are now earning nearly
40% of all ebook royalties on the Kindle
store
• Indie authors earn more in ebook
royalties than Big 5 authors, combined
• 30% of book publishing revenue in the
US comes from self publishing

3. BUT …
Most self-published books sell fewer than
200 copies.

4. SHOULD YOU SELF-PUBLISH?
Pros:
• 70% royalties for digital
• Complete editorial and creative control
• Speed to market
Cons:
• Little or no bookstore presence
• No advance
• Up-front costs
• No support

5. SHOULD YOU SELF-PUBLISH?
1.Do you enjoy learning?
2.Are you proactive?
3.Can you multi-task?
4.Are you entrepreneurial?
5.Are you willing to develop a business and
marketing plan?
6.Can you organize and work with a team?
7.Are you willing to work hard?

6. THE BUSINESS OF PUBLISHING
“Writing is an art. Publishing is a business.”

7. ROLES IN THE PUBLISHING PROCESS
• Author
• Editor
• Copy editor
• Proof reader
• Cover designer
• Layout artist
• Formatter
• Scheduler
• Marketing
• Public relations
• Webmaster
• Distribution
• Bookkeeping

8. THE BIG THREE:
1. EDITS
• Developmental/substantive editor
• Copy editor
• Proof reader
2. COVER DESIGN
3. FORMATTING

9. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Developmental editor: $2,000 - $10,000
Copy editor: $1,000 - $5,000
Proofreader: $500 - $1,000
Cover designer: $150 - $3,500
Layout: $100 - $500
ISBN: free for Canadians; $125 for
Americans

10. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Netgalley upload: $399
Audiobook narrator: $1,200 (or royalty
share)
Marketing/PR: $100 - $5,000 or ??
Website hosting/domain: $100

11. WHERE TO SELL YOUR BOOK
• Amazon (KDP and Createspace)
• Barnes & Noble (Nook Press)
• Kobo (Writing Life)
• iBookstore
• Smashwords (distributes to everyone
except Amazon)
• Draft2Digital, BookBaby, etc.

12. POD publishers and distributors
(USE WITH CAUTION!)
Lightening Source
Lulu
Author Solutions
Xlibris
Trafford
iUniverse

13. WHAT PRICE SHOULD I SET?
$2.99 - $9.99 = 70% royalty
Under $2.99 or above $9.99 = 35% royalty

14. #1 Marketing Tip: The best way to sell your
back list is to have a front list.

15. Resources:
http://janefriedman.com/2013/04/21/how-
to-publish-an-ebook/
Questions?
jodi@jodimcisaac.com
Facebook.com/jodimcisaac
Twitter.com/jodimcisaac