How much should self-publishing authors budget for editing, design and marketing? And how can they get the most out of their collaborations with freelance professionals? In this presentation for the 2017 Novelists Inc conference, Reedsy's Ricardo Fayet shared some exclusive Reedsy data and experiments unveiling the cost of editing and the value of a professional cover design. He's also sharing some of Reedsy's latest marketing resources.

1. Making the Most of
Your Publishing Team

2. I’m Ricardo Fayet,
Founder at reedsy.com
@ricardofayet
SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ

3. An international community of best-in-class
independent publishing professionals.

4. Give yourself choice over the professionals you hire
Powerful search that helps
you find the best professional
for each project.
Send a single brief to
request quotes from up to 5
professionals.
99% response rate
responses under 48h
transparent pricing
receive sample documents
discuss contract terms
SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ

5. ● This is accurate, raw data from over 4,000 quotes exchanged on Reedsy.
● I’ll be showing you average prices.
● Reedsy professionals are on the high-end of freelance professionals.
● Some data sets were too small to be meaningful.
Disclaimers
700
4,000+
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6. What does the process look like?
Embarking on your publishing journey

7. Your indie publishing journey

9. What kind of editing do you need?
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10. How much should I budget for editing?
Price per word
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11. How much should I budget for editing?
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12. Bundling the editing
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13. How much should I budget for editing?
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Don’t forget to show them the cool pricing calculator!!

15. $600

16. Our little A/B testing experiment
● 3 fiction authors
● A free cover redesign
● Targeted CPM ads on Facebook
● A/B test on the ad image
● Comparing CTR
SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ
Link to blog post

17. A/B Test #1: Once a Bridesmaid
● Women
● Aged 25-64
● Interests: Cecelia Ahern, Jude
Deveraux, Julie Garwood
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+48%

18. A/B Test #2: The Dust Will Answer
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+53%
● All genders
● Aged 25-60
● Interests: Walter Mosley,
James Ellroy, Raymond
Chandler, Michael Connelly

19. A/B Test #3: The Fire Within
● Women
● Aged 16-35
● Interests: Kami Garcia,
Suzanne Collins, Veronica
Roth, Cassandra Clare
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+28%

20. What to expect from a pro cover designer?
The usual process:
1. You provide a brief and inspiration
2. The designer produces 3-4 “concepts”
3. You chose one
4. You get 2-3 rounds of iterations
You should be clear on:
- The number of concepts
- The number of iterations
- Photo vs. illustration
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21. First round of concepts
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86%of Reedsy designers provide three to four initial
design concepts.

22. Second round of concepts
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69%of Reedsy designers provide two to three rounds
of iterations after a first concept is picked.

24. OCTOBER 2016 @REEDSYHQ
The Reedsy Book Editor changes
how we create books
Easily format your book
Create chapters and parts and
apply the type of paragraph or
character style you want.
Download EPUB and PDF files
Compatible with Amazon
Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, etc.
and print-on demand services
(Createspace, Lulu, Ingram)

25. One program to format distribution-ready
EPUB and PDF files
Compatible with Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, D2D, etc. and print-on
demand services (Createspace, Lulu, Ingram)
SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ

26. Two other online tools you can take a look at
Vellum
Mac-only, pricey, but
well-designed and easily
customizable for EPUB
and print.
Draft2Digital Templates
Free, automated
conversion from Word to
EPUB and print. Wide
selection of templates.
SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ

28. Clear branding
Simple CTA
Lead magnet
Links to all the
retailers
Mailchimp/Mailerlite
Segmented lists
Automated sequences
Link to it from your
website & books
Right categories
Right keywords
Strong blurb
Author page
Reviews
Define your
audience and
channels*
Pre-launch strategy
Post-launch strategy
*ARCs (Bookfunnel), crowdfunding, Facebook ads, promotions, giveaways, PR, blog tours, social, content/SEO

29. SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ
Finding reviewers when you launch your first book
https://blog.reedsy.com/book-review-blogs

30. SEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ
Planning your price promotions
https://blog.reedsy.com/book-promotion-services

31. Reedsy Learning is our latest creative development tool
28 free courses. 25,000 students enrolled. 5 minutes a day.
https://blog.reedsy.com/learningSEPTEMBER 2017 @REEDSYHQ

32. Thank you!