Self-publishing – tips for beginners

22 March 2022

5 min

Your book is written and ready to be published, but how? Whilst many authors turn to publishers, there are also the option for self-publishing. This is where you publish your book in-house and independent of a publishing house via a self-publishing platform or directly through online retailers. However, if you want your book to be successful, there are a few things to bear in mind before publishing. We’ve summarised a few points you should consider before self-publishing your book.

What would you like?

E-book or printed book? Hardback or Softcover? Ideally, everything. It’s not a case of ‘either/or’ here, but rather ‘both/and’. After all, not all readers are the same. For example, 20 per cent buy only hardback books. 6 per cent now read only e-books. Everyone has their own preferences. That’s why you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one type of book. If your budget doesn’t allow for it, we’d advise you to go for a softcover for the time being.

Is it actually any good?

It’s best to ask a professional. An editor looks at your book with a different perspective to that of friends or family. During the editing process, your work is analysed stylistically; its linguistic style, readability and clarity are checked, and the content is assessed for logical coherence. This is important for the reader’s experience. At the very least, however, a proofread should be carried out: grammar, spelling and punctuation.

What should it look like?

Typesetting is the The interior layout of your book. This is very important, as every reader subconsciously perceives the typesetting: font, line spacing, paragraphs, illustrations, hyphenation and page numbering. Please ensure you pay close attention to this! After all, your readers will only enjoy reading your book – apart from the content itself – if everything is just right. Whichever programme you used to write and lay out your book: be sure to convert it to a PDF file for printing.

The book cover is the book’s outward appearance and the very first thing your reader sees. It should encourage people to take a closer look at your book. It should therefore be as professional and interesting as possible. In any case, it must be compelling! Technically, the cover should be clearly legible in both small and large sizes and in black and white, whilst reflecting the genre.. You can also design the back cover with reviews or introduce yourself. Don’t forget the spine – leave space for the barcode and, if applicable, the ISBN.

How much should it cost?

We know that this can often be a tricky part. You can take inspiration from other authors, but you should at least ensure that the costs of production and distribution are covered. The Average price of a new release In German-speaking countries, the current situation is just over €20.

What is absolutely essential, and what isn’t?

It is a legal requirement that the Legal notice and the obligation to offer and deliver goods. The legal notice must state who published the book, i.e. your name and place of residence, and the name and location of the printing company. It is also good practice to mention any editors or graphic designers. The obligation to submit and deliver copies means that you must submit a specified number of copies of your book to the National Library, the State Library and the University Library. What you don’t necessarily need is a business registration or an ISBN. Although a ISBN makes sense! The International Standard Book Number has thirteen digits and makes your book uniquely identifiable, cataloguable and, above all, orderable.

We hope you have lots of fun and enjoy your publishing project!