from expectations to budget

& everything in between

 Praise for Mill City Press
The staff at Mill City Press is simply the best! They are profession-
al, knowledgeable, understanding, very patient, and most of all
they will walk you through your publishing experience step-by-
step and make it a cherished memory.
DON WALSH, AUTHOR OF TEACH THE BEACH

The whole process was first class from start to finish, and every-
one always had a helpful and professional attitude. I really could
not be more happy with my choice to go with Mill City to get my
book to publication!
T. ALEX TENNENT, AUTHOR OF THE MESSIANIC FEAST:
MOVING BEYOND THE RITUAL

I received my book, Cortneys Christmas Cruise, today. It is simply

beautiful. It is better than I ever expected and all this time and
effort was totally worth it.
TERRY MAALEN, AUTHOR OF CORTNEYS CHRISTMAS CRUISE:
CAN SANTA FIND THE SHIP?
This was my first book, and I cannot say enough about Mill City
and what they did to help me and to make the process not only
easy, but fun as well.
CHRIS LOMBARD, AUTHOR OF LAND OF THE HORSES:
A TRUE STORY OF A LOST SOUL AND A LIFE FOUND

I love your process and team approach and culture, and whatever
you are doing, continue to do, because your company is superior
in its class and so are your people!
MELINDA ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF REBARKABLE LILLY:
FROM THE DOGHOUSE TO THE PENTHOUSE

It has been a pleasure working with everyone at Mill City Press,

and Ive learned a ton about the self-publishing process. Each per-
son I worked with was efficient, professional and responsive.
WENDY COBLENTZ, AUTHOR OF ITS YOUR FAULT:
MY JOURNEY THROUGH BACK PAIN, A TEENAGER AND SELF-DISCOVERY

When I hear the horror stories about authors working with pub-
lishing companies I only smile and tell them to go to Mill City!
K. SOPHIE STALLMAN, AUTHOR OF MY WAR, MY LIFE
 Contents

Self-Publishing Doesnt Mean You Have to Do It by Yourself 1

How to Use Our Publishing Planner 3

Where Am I? 5

What Are the Next Steps? 7

Your Expectations 7

Your Timeline 8

Your Budget 8

What Are the Big Publishing Decisions? 11

Editing 11

Cover Design 13

Interior Layout 14

Print Distribution 14

Ebook Distribution 17

Marketing 18
Hard Truths: What No One Will Tell You 21

Take Action 25

Acknowledgments 27

Notes 29
Self-Publishing Doesnt Mean You
Have to Do It by Yourself

Although its called self-publishing, you dont have to do it alone.

Consider the help of professionals who know the ropes.

The market is flooded with booksand not just self-published

books, either. To stand out in a crowded market, your book has
to be as good as (or better than) the ones you see on bookstore
shelves.

Hiring experts in editing, design, formatting, and printing is

going to help you produce a book that can be competitive in the
marketplace.

At Mill City Press, were trained to understand the industry. Our

developmental editors know what your text needs to do to
engage readers. Our copyeditors know how to clean up your
prose. Our design team knows how to create a cover thatll look
good at a thumbnail size, in an ebook, and in print, which is
harder than you might think. Our marketing staff knows what
distributors look for when trying to get books on the shelves of
brick-and-mortar stores.

Your best friend, the voracious reader, who loves your book and
just knows it will sell, may not be qualified to give you optimal

1
marketing advice. Your next-door neighbor who teaches English
may not be able to correct your prose while preserving your
voicethat special thing that makes your book yours. Your kid
might be great at illustrating, but may not excel at typography,
which can make or break a cover.

All of those situations can lead to an unprofessional-looking book.

All books, whether they are traditionally published or self-

published, have to go through the same basic steps in the
publishing process. The difference? There doesnt have to be one.
Traditional publishers employ professionals to produce books,
and so can you.

2
 How to Use Our
Publishing Planner

Weve created this planner to help you figure out where you are
in the publishing process and get you thinking about some of
the big decisions youll be making. While we hope youll want
to work with us, even if you dont, our planner will be a valuable
tool for you.

The best way to start is by answering some basic questions. Your

answers will help determine the types of publishing services that
might be right for you.

Have you completed at least a first draft of your manuscript?

What are your publishing expectations?

Whats your publishing timeline?

Have you determined your budget?

What types of editing can benefit your book?

Have you thought about how youd like your cover and interior
to look?

3
 What types of distribution options are right for you?

What types of marketing will help you achieve your goals?

4
 Where Am I?

Where are you in the vast expanse of the publishing landscape?

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the publishing information
out there? Wonder what you should do next?

First, answer this question: Have you finished your manuscript?

IF NOT, KEEP GOING!

YOU CAN DO IT!

HERES WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT:

Keep writing until you can answer Yes!
Visit our Author Learning Center at
millcitypress.net/author-learning-center
Connect with us on Facebook (facebook.com/MillCityPress)
and Twitter (@MillCityPress)
Follow our blog at millcitypress.net/blog for advice from
our in-house experts

5
 IF YOUVE FINISHED WRITING, CONGRATS!
TAKE A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE.

HERES WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT:

Visit the Author Learning Center at millcitypress.net/
author-learning-center
Connect with us on Facebook (facebook.com/
MillCityPress) and Twitter (@MillCityPress)
Follow our blog at millcitypress.net/blog for advice from
our in-house experts
Go through this packet to learn more about the
publishing process

6
 What Are the Next Steps?

Now that youve written The End, make sure you take a moment
to celebrate your accomplishment. Its one that few people ever
achieve. Then get ready to take the big leap forward and move
from writing to publishing.

If that seems daunting, thats because it can be. But were here
to help you through the process. After working with thousands of
authors since 2006, weve found that at this early stage there are
three major considerations that you should think about before
you start the publishing process.

YOUR EXPECTATIONS

What are your expectations for this project? Do you want a book
just for family and friends? Is your book part of a larger business
strategy? Do you expect to make a living off your book? Are you
looking to establish yourself as an author? Your expectations and
mindset influence everything you do and how you feel about
the process.

Begin setting your expectations by doing as much research on

publishing as you can. The more you understand the process
and what it takes to be successful, the better prepared youll
be down the line. In addition to this book, weve got an entire

7
library of resources to get you started at millcitypress.net/
author-learning-center.

YOUR TIMELINE

The most common question we get asked is When will my book

be done? Though wed love to give everyone a definitive date, its
difficult to do so. Although we know how long each of the processes
will take on our end (e.g., cover design or editing), we dont know
how much time you may need to review our work, or the extent of
the revisions you may want at any given stage of the process.

Should you choose to publish with us, throughout the process

youll be provided with professionally created files that require
your review, approval, or changes. Take each step at your own
pace. Dont race through them just to get them done. You likely
didnt take that approach while writing, so why take it now? Some
authors choose to complete these steps the day they receive
them, while others may wait a week. Likewise, some steps, like
reviewing the edits to your manuscript, may require more time.

We never rush any of our authors, but its important for you to
know that the majority of your publishing timeline is dependent
on your level of engagement in completing these steps. Once you
know how much time you can devote to publishing, youll have a
better understanding of how long the entire process will take.

To learn more about our publishing timelines, visit www.

millcitypress.net/author-learning-center/book-production/
publishing-timelines.

YOUR BUDGET

There is no right or wrong answer as to what you should spend to

publish your book. Set a realistic budget that takes into account

8
your lifestyle and current financial obligations. Then start work-
ing backwards to determine what publishing essentials you need.
Just like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you skimp on
hiring professionals, in the end youll wish you hadnt. Going back
to correct editing and design issues in an already published book
will end up costing you more than hiring pros at the outset.

Heres a list of expenses youll want to budget for:

Editing

Cover Design

Interior Layout

Printing and Distribution

Ebook Production and Distribution

Marketing

Once you know what your budget is, you can figure out what
options are right for you.

9
 What Are the Big
Publishing Decisions?

Once you have determined your budget, you have to decide how
best to allocate those funds for your publishing project. This is the
first of many important decisions you will make as you publish
your book.

The big publishing decisions fall under six categories: editing,

cover design, interior layout, print distribution, ebook production
and distribution, and marketing.

EDITING

Editing can be an intimidating process. After laboring over your

book for monthsmaybe even yearsits difficult to let your
manuscript go and admit it still needs work.

But you have to.

Thats right. Not shouldhave to. A professional edit may not

make your book, but a poorly edited book is dead on arrival.
Editing is so important to us that we recruited our editorial
director from Simon & Schuster. If you plan to compete with other
books, yours has to be the best it can be. To do that, you need a
professional editor to edit your manuscript.

11
There is a tremendous difference between getting a friend, a co-
worker, an English major, or a magazine copywriter to edit your
book and hiring a professional who edits books for a living. The
right editor is going to make your book better. There are few
absolutes in book publishing, but this is one of them.

When it comes to editing, your decision shouldnt be whether to

get editing; it should be what kind of editing to get. Yes, theres
more than one kind of editingprofessionals typically offer three:
developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading.

Developmental edits cover big-picture items. With nonfiction,

those might be suggestions to improve clarity, structure, or the
soundness of your books argument. For fiction, a developmental
edit focuses on characterization, dialogue, and plot development.

When you think of copyediting, think grammar. A copyeditor

analyzes how youre saying what youre saying. During a copyedit,
your editor will correct your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
He or she will even point out inconsistencies and errors in
language use.

A proofread typically happens after all the editing is completed

and your book is in PDF form. By this point, you and your editors
have caught as many typos or mistakes as possible already. This is
not the time to make a lot of changesits an opportunity to catch
lingering mistakes before your book is finalized for printing.

If youre not sure what type of editing is best for your book,
consider getting a manuscript evaluation to help you through the
process. A manuscript evaluation will cover editorial concerns
and include a recommended editing level, but itll also include
feedback on how to present your book and yourself to the reading
public to effectively grab the attention of buyers.

12
To learn more about our editing options, go to www.millcitypress.
net/services#print-book-editing.

To see examples of our manuscript evaluations, check out www.

millcitypress.net/author-learning-center/book-production/
manuscript-evaluations.

COVER DESIGN

How important is cover design? Well, despite the old adage to

never judge a book by its cover, readers do. Think of yourself
when you go to a bookstore. What first draws your attention
to a book? An amazing cover could be the difference between
a reader picking up your book or passing it over. A cover really
does sell your book.

And if youre looking to get your book in a brick-and-mortar store,

an excellent cover is even more important. One of the major
reasons retailers pass on carrying certain books is unappealing
cover design. (Thats the actual language they use, by the way.
Were not making it up.)

When you get to the cover design process, heres what youll want
to think about:

Is your designer a good match for your book? Different

designers specialize in different genres, so youll want to
be matched with the designer best suited for your book.
Someone whos able to transform a stock photo into a unique
cover works a little differently than an artist who illustrates a
one-of-a-kind cover.

Does the cover you envision speak to your target audience?

Not everything in your book needs to be represented on your

13
 cover. Instead of thinking of the cover as a way to summarize
the book, focus on creating intrigue.

Will your cover compete with other books in your genre?

Research what other authors in your genre are doing. Your
goal is to stand out from the competition, but at the end of
the day readers need to know what theyre getting into.

Even though a lot rides on the quality of your cover, its one of the
most exciting parts of the publishing process. Working with your
designer to create your cover is the first moment your book truly
feels real. Theres little else like it. (Except holding your book in
your hands. Thats pretty cool too.)

We work hard to help our authors create beautiful covers. Check

out examples of our work at www.millcitypress.net/author-
learning-center/design/cover-design-examples.

INTERIOR LAYOUT

To many authors, the design of a books interior is an afterthought.

It shouldnt be. Part of what gives a book that polished look are style
elements like the margin size, font choice, and header placement.

This part of the process is so important to us that were the only

provider that we know of that creates a sample chapter before we
lay out the rest of your book. We do this to ensure that your vision
for your book is reflected in our work.

To take a look at some of the interiors weve formatted, visit www.

millcitypress.net/author-learning-center/design/interior-layout.

PRINT DISTRIBUTION

Print distribution is all about getting your physical book from

the printer to the reader. Print-on-demand (POD) distribution is

14
a popular choice for many self-published authors, while other
authors prefer the type of distribution often used by traditional
publishers, which we call expanded distribution.

The following questions will guide your decision-making process:

Do I want to have the opportunity to get my book into book-

stores? Do I want the opportunity enough to warrant the
additional expenses of expanded distribution?

Whats my budget? Can I afford to print a larger run of books

(500+ copies) before publication in order to reduce my cost
per unit, thus increasing my royalties on each sale?

How important is printing quality?

Do I want my book to have features such as a color interior, a

dust jacket, foil stamping, or embossing?

Print-on-demand (POD) distribution means books are printed

to order; theres no physical inventory of your book.

Pros:

Lower investment. No need to spend money to print books

ahead of time or store them in a warehouse.

Less risk. You dont have to worry about selling through an

inventory.

Cons:

Inconsistent print quality. POD books can have toner variance

from book to book or even page to page.

Higher per-book print cost.

15
 Not as viable for childrens books due to lower-quality color
printing and expensive hardcovers.

Less likely to get your book into brick-and-mortar stores.

Expanded distribution is similar to the traditional model of book

distribution, where your book is printed ahead of time and stored
at a warehouse. A distributor then fulfills orders using your printed
inventory.

Pros:

You can use offset printing, which gives you better per-book
print costs when printing in large quantities, as well as higher-
quality print jobs. Or, you can start with a smaller print run
and increase as needed.

More viable for childrens books and other books with specialty
printing needs.

Your book is presented to decision makers at wholesalers

and retailers (e.g., the buyer at Barnes & Noble), so you have a
higher chance of being picked up by brick-and-mortar stores.

Cons:

Higher upfront expenses. You need to print at least a small

inventory of books ahead of time to be used for orders.

Additional fees once your book is in distribution: storage fees,

return fees, shipping fees.

Higher risk. You may not sell through the inventory you print.

A lot of confusion surrounds the printing and distribution stage.

Although they go hand-in-hand, printing and distribution are

16
separate costs. The costs to print your books cant be determined
until your final page count, paper quality, trim size, and cover
features have been decided, and well help you determine them all.

The pros and cons of each distribution method should help you
choose the route that best fits your budget and goals. Choosing
expanded distribution might lower your per-book cost, but in
order to get that competitive price, you need to print a lot of
books, which costs you money up frontand more money later
with warehouse storage fees. POD distribution might be cheaper
up front, but because the per-book cost is higher, your books
retail price will be higher too.

To learn more about our distribution options, go to www.

millcitypress.net/author-learning-center/distribution/type-of-
print-distribution.

EBOOK DISTRIBUTION

Given that 20 percent of readers exclusively read on a tablet or

ebook reader, ebook publishing and distribution is a must for
almost every type of book.

When ebooks first burst onto the publishing scene, we worked hard
to develop the most complete ebook publishing and distribution
services available. Our proprietary ebook conversion software is
designed to take both simple and complex print books and format
them for all of the most popular devices people use to read ebooks.
We dont just create one ebook file; instead, we make specific files
for all Kindle, Apple, and Nook devices. We also include a file for use
on all other major smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Once you have all of the right files, you need them to be
distributed. Our ebook distribution is done in-house, and our

17
titles are listed with nearly 120 retailers and wholesalers. To see
where we distribute our ebooks, go to www.millcitypress.net/
author-learning-center/ebook/ebook-distribution.

You can learn more about our ebook publishing services at www.
millcitypress.net/services#ebook-whats-included.

MARKETING

Marketing is all about getting your book in front of potential

readers and creating so much interest in your book that people
want to buy a copy. That means marketing is vital to your success;
if people dont know about your book, they cant want it, and if
they dont want it, you wont sell copies.

Because marketing is so vital to your success, you should begin

as early as possiblebefore your book is even published. How
can you market a book that hasnt been published? By marketing
yourself and making lasting connections.

But connecting with other people is only a small part of what

you have to do to market your book. Thats why you need a solid
marketing plan, along with an idea of how much of the marketing
you want to handle yourself. You dont have to handle it all on
your ownin fact, many efforts are best done by a professional
who can get your book in front of the right people. A publicist can
help you determine how to most effectively promote your book,
as well as which efforts you should do on your own and which you
should hire a professional to do for you.

We are constantly tweaking how, when, and where we market

books based on our knowledge of the industry and the specific
needs and goals of each book that we help market.

18
To learn about the types of marketing we offer, visit www.
millcitypress.net/services#marketing-consultation.

19
 Hard Truths:
What No One Will Tell You

SELF-PUBLISHING IS EASY!

SELF-PUBLISH IN JUST A FEW SIMPLE STEPS!

If youve spent any time researching self-publishing, chances are

youve come across your fair share of sites that have said some-
thing similar.

Plenty of sites will spit out a book after youve uploaded your
manuscript, but if your goal is to have a professional publication
that can compete with the market, you have to take your time
and put in some real effort. Were not saying that to scare you
off, but rather to set expectations on what modern publishing
looks like.

What follows are the hard truths most companies wont tell you.
But we will. Because preparing you for what publishing is really
like is one of the most important services we provide.

21
 WHAT YOULL HEAR: SELF-PUBLISHING IS EASY!

TRUTH: SELF-PUBLISHING IS TECHNICAL.

Self-publishing requires technology. Theres no way around it.

You need a computer to type your manuscript, word processing
software to edit, a way to view your finished interior, and Internet
access to check your sales numbers.

Mill City Press has developed a powerful online system, which we

call PubSmart technology, to make your publishing process as
smooth as possible.

To learn more about how our PubSmart technology can work for you,
visit www.millcitypress.net/author-learning-center/prerequisite/
pubsmart-technology.

WHAT YOULL HEAR: SELF-PUBLISH IN JUST

A FEW SIMPLE STEPS!

TRUTH: PUBLISHING IS A LONG PROCESS WITH

MANY STEPS AND DECISIONS.

If you want to publish a book the right wayby hiring professional

editors and designersits going to take longer than you think. Its
not days or weeks, its months. Each round of editing, for example,
not only requires factoring in your editors time to edit, but also
the time itll take you to revise based on the suggested edits. Edit-
ing isnt a step you want to skip, either; just imagine the horror of
having a reader point out an error on your first page.

After editing, youre barely halfway through the process. Design

comes next, with decisions about your cover and what you want
your interior to look like. What are your book specs? What do you
want your chapter headings to look like? Do you want drop caps?

22
Where should the page numbers go?

Then comes printing. Are you on decision overload yet? And

remember that each of these decisions comes with a timeline. Oh,
and did we mention that marketing is something you should be
doing throughout this entire process?

Yeah. We totally get it. Its a lot. But weve worked with enough
authors to know each step and decision you have to make along
the way. Not only do we have a robust project management plat-
form to help you with the publishing process, but we also have
experts ready and willing to guide you through whichever stage
youre in.

WHAT YOULL HEAR: CHILDRENS BOOKS ARE

EASY TO PUBLISH!

TRUTH: CHILDRENS BOOKS ARE ONE OF THE

MOST DIFFICULT TYPES TO PUBLISH.

Just because childrens books are short and simple doesnt

mean the publishing process is, too. The first thing you have to
know about publishing a childrens book is that the success of your
book depends entirely on the quality of the illustrations. If youre
not an illustrator, you have to hire one. Theyre not cheap, and can
add time to the process. But have you seen custom illustrations?
Theyre worth every penny.

Between illustrations and color printingwhich is more expensive

than black and whitethe budget for a childrens book can hit five
figures.

We know it sounds like a lot. Thats why we have an entire section

of our Author Learning Center at www.millcitypress.net/author-
learning-center/childrens-books devoted to childrens books.

23
WHAT YOULL HEAR: YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
MARKETING UNTIL AFTER YOUR BOOK IS PUBLISHED.

TRUTH: YOU HAVE TO START MARKETING NOW.

Yes, really. Even if having a book in your hands is months away,

book marketing is really author marketing. Its all about getting
your book (or you, if your book isnt published yet) in front of
potential readers and creating the desire for your book. Its about
reaching an audience.

If no one knows about your book, whos going to buy it?

So while you can attempt to build an audience after your book is

published, the best time to start is now. Before youve published.
Begin building an audience, connect with people, and create a fan
base. If you want to pitch to large media outlets, such as newspapers,
magazines, and radio or TV shows, you (or your publicist) will have
to contact them months before your books released.

24
 Take Action

We could write a lot more about the publishing process, but we

didnt want to write a book. Well leave that to you.

That doesnt mean we dont have more information for you,

though. You can continue your publishing journey by connecting
with us.

Get your questions answered from one of our publishing consul-

tants through millcitypress.net/contact.

Visit our Author Learning Center at millcitypress.net/author-

learning-center and the Mill City Press blog at millcitypress.
net/blog to continue your educationwe go in-depth about
everything weve covered here.

Follow us on Twitter @MillCityPress and like us on Facebook at

facebook.com/MillCityPress.

25
 Acknowledgments

Plan to Publish wouldnt be complete without an acknowledg-

ments section, and Mill City Press wouldnt be what it is without
the efforts of many people.

Our Mill City Press team. Seriously. Everyone who works here is
an integral part of who we are and what we offer. You wont find a
more dedicated team of publishing professionals who work hard
every day to help our authors produce their best books.

Our authors. How can we forget the authors? Weve worked with
some amazing writers over the years and have helped publish
some awesome books. Our interactions with these writers have
shaped how were able to assist new authors.

27
Notes

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