DESPERATE TO SELF-PUBLISH BUT CAN'T AFFORD IT?

You've made the decision to self-publish. Maybe you can't convince an agent or publisher that you're the next Dan Brown or JK Rowling. Perhaps you've had a real-life experience that's so interesting, unusual, or unbelievable that you are desperate for the rest of the world to know about it. Or you may want to be in print purely for the consumption of your nearest and dearest, a record of your own life. How many of us would love to know more about our grandparents and great-grandparents? If only they had left us a written record . . .

You've looked at the internet, googled 'self-publishing' and returned 21,000,000 hits. You've probably looked no further than the first page or two of results, checked out the companies and/or a number of printers prepared to print your finished manuscript and offer additional services such as cover design.

Now you're getting excited. You can have your book in print for less than £500! Hold on. Ask yourself, what do I get for my money? Probably not a lot, and not a lot that matters.

Here's why. The traditional publishing process is lengthy and involves a number of specialists working together - editor, copy-editor, proofreader, designer, typesetter, sales and marketing. Arguably the most important of these are the copy-editor and proofreader. The copy-editor checks that your raw text, or copy, is correct in terms of spelling and grammar and flows well, so that readers can easily understand your ideas. A copy-editor also identifies any factual errors, alerts the publisher to any possible legal problems and ensures that the typesetter can do the best possible job. The proofreader checks that the copy-editor, graphic designer and typesetter have done a satisfactory job, and uses his good judgement in marking amendments, to minimise costs and delays. There will be several interactions between you, the writer, and these professionals before your book is in its final proof, ready for production.

These highly-skilled professionals do not come cheap. Currently, their hourly rate is in excess of £20, and a recent study suggested on average, 61 hours are spent in the editing process. Work it out. That's £1220 already. So it's highly unlikely that £500 will include these very important tasks. Suddenly, self-publishing starts to look outrageously costly. What do you do? You forget it. Too expensive. Shame.

There is another way. Two, in fact.

One, you can work in tandem with WriteIdeas. Together we will devise a plan for how you can self-publish at minimum cost. Buy only the particular service you require; be it typesetting, cover design, copy-editing or proofreading. We can advise you the best way to get the proofing done - maybe through your writing group. Our objective is to substantially reduce the cost in relation to other publishing companies.

Two, purchase a copy of our eBook. The Practical Guide to Self-Publishing focuses on utilising your skills and shows you how to produce your own book - step by step. If you have an interest in seeing your work produced in this way, do send us your comments using our Contact page.

Don't give up your dream . . . speak to WriteIdeas first!