Deepali Sawant has 23+ years of experience in the publishing industry. She has worked with educational, STM, and legal publishers in the United States, Europe, and Australia in the role of an Associate Vice President and Delivery Head – Operations. Deepali has managed end-to-end publishing of trade and legal books for clients. She has also coordinated and executed key process improvement initiatives for publishing customers in Europe, which benefited the customer showing 70% increased efficiency and reduced time to market for their newsletters and reports.

Deepali sat down with us to answer questions about self-publishing and what you need to know if you plan to take the plunge into self-publishing.

How has the self-publishing industry evolved over the years?

Self-publishing started as early as 1843 when Charles Dickens self-published A Christmas Caroll. Until the nineteenth century, publishing was ruled by a handful of authors who got published by the top five publishing stalwarts. Self-publishing came in as a ray of hope for all new and aspiring authors to share their stories with the world. The era of vanity publishing followed, which is self-publishing by companies. These companies printed a large number of copies and delivered them to the author. 

Today, when you opt for self-publishing, you have commercial publishers who will offer end-to-end professional services for a professionally finished book in various formats. The author can buy services such as content development, editing, and custom covers from publishers like 16Leaves at a very reasonable cost. 

How is self-publishing with 16Leaves different from what other self-publishing companies offer? 

Self-publishing is generally a paid service with packages starting from Rs1000 to Rs100000 for a professionally published book, depending on the design and complexity of the content. Some publishers also have a self-publishing platform that gets the book done in minutes, for simple content. But design-oriented content cannot be processed accurately by the platform. 

At 16Leaves, we offer guided self-publishing free of cost. We review the manuscript and guide the author on whether the content needs editing or content development. The author has the satisfaction of talking to an expert and getting helpful tips. Our team of compositors and designers are conversant with simple as well as complex content and produce beautiful layouts for all types of content.

What is guided self-publishing? What can an author expect?

Self-published authors belong to various professions, and some are unaware of the publishing process although they have a keen interest to get published. 

At 16Leaves, our guided self-publishing approach ensures that the author can focus on marketing the book while we take care of the ISBN application, designing the cover and layout of the pages, cover and book production, and distribution. We produce a professionally finished book for the author and distribute it globally on platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Barnes & Noble, etc. We review the content and suggest what would work best for the book including editing, cover and text design, trim size, paper quality, and the pricing. Our guidance helps authors to take an informed decision about getting the content developed further or edited.

What are the common issues that you feel self-published authors face?

There are several issues that self-published authors face right from what topic to write about how to create engaging content, nailing the title, cover design, distribution, and marketing.

Many authors find publishing a book an expensive proposition. How does 16Leaves solve that problem?

Self-publishers generally charge an upfront fee for the services they render which may go up to as high as Rs. 100000 and hence many authors find it to be an expensive proposition.

At 16Leaves, we solve that initial hurdle for the author as our services for producing a professional book is absolutely free. Moreover, we even do academic, illustrated, and design-oriented books free of cost. Any suggested services such as copyediting are also offered at nominal prices and such services are only recommended to enhance the readability of the content.

What is the one service that an author shouldn’t skip? Why?

Copyediting is the one service that an author should never skip. Readers expect writers to be proficient in their language, and when they buy a book, they expect to read clean and correct terminology. Reading a book with language and grammar errors leaves a very distasteful and negative impression on the author with the reader. Hence, authors should definitely get their manuscripts copyedited to give their readers an enjoyable experience.

What advice would you give an author who would like to self-publish?

Authors should seek professional services for improving the language, editing, and cover. A professionally done cover attracts more readers. 

Self-published books also need to be marketed well by the author itself, and this exercise needs to start well before the book is out, to create a furore and anticipation about the book. Personal notes to contacts, friends, and family to promote the book will work wonders in giving the initial impetus to book sales.

Social media, book launches and promotional events are also excellent ways for the authors to directly connect with the readers. A self-published book can only be successful if the author vouches and vigorously attempts to promote it himself/herself.

Which is your favourite self-published book?

Chicken Soup for the Soul is my favourite self-published book. The series has an earthy flavour with stories based on real-life events. It’s a wonderful read and an all-time bestseller.