SELF-PUBLISHING THROUGH A PUBLISHER - HOW IT WORKS

 Self-publishing doesn't necessarily mean you have to go ahead and do the entire impossibly long and painstakingly detailed process yourself. You can pay someone to handle it all for you. And this is essentially what it means to pay a publisher to self-publish for you.

You won't need to source your own editors, designers, typesetters, illustrators - a publisher already has these in-house staff. You don't need to invest in technology to generate barcodes or format eBooks - a publisher will already be working with these programs. And more than anything, you won't need to give up countless hours to suffer through the many months it takes to publish a book - a publisher familiar with the process can get it done half the time.

KREST Publishers is a publishing house based in Durban, South Africa, that does both traditional and self-publishing. Because, to us, there should be NO DIFFERENCE in how your book is published. Both deserve the same level of quality. Both books will come out looking equally superior because the same team works on both.

So you've made the - pretty wise - decision to to hire KREST Publishers to self-publish your book. Here's how it happens...

SIGNING A PUBLISHING CONTRACT

It is imperative that any publisher you contract to do your book has a signed agreement in place. You don't want to be the main character in one of those horror stories whereby a publisher has run off with your money, and no books to show for it. 

As publishers ourselves we'll tell you  - DON'T TRUST ANYONE. Have it all in writing. Make sure your publisher can be held accountable for unfulfilled promises.

Just because you are being self-published, it doesn't mean you have less of a right to things like stipulated publishing agreements. In fact, these tings become more important, as you are handing over money as well as your creative hard work.

Here's what your contract should cover (and ours definitely does):

• The author keeps ALL rights to the story, including things like film rights and merchandising licenses.
• The publisher needs to provide you with all files used to create your book - including any digital/hand drawings, the cover that goes to the printer, downloadable fonts etc.
• How many copies of the book you get?
• How much you are paying - you do not owe them a cent more than this stipulated amount
• Under which conditions you are allowed to walk away i.e. a termination clause
• What the time frame is like to get your book (most publishers can't put an exact timeline as it takes many months to publish a book. It would rather say something like 'not longer than 8 months' etc.)

THE PUBLISHING PROCESS

Generally, the publisher should be handling everything in the chain. 

There are very few instances in which the author would be allowed to provide their own edits or illustrations (in our case, anyway.) One of the reasons being quality control: after all, it is our logo on the book. We need to make sure everything has been done to our standards. This should not be misconstrued as a dampener on your control, but should be seen as testament to the fact that we hold all our work to the same standards - whether it be traditionally or self-published.

The other reason would be for ease of process. It makes it that much easier to handle your book efficiently if everyone working on it is doing so under our direct instruction. We are able to stick to deadlines, swiftly make changes, and get the book out quicker.

Here are the processes your publisher should be covering:

•  Editing
• Illustrating
• Typesetting/Layout
• Cover design
• ISBN application
• Printing of a galley copy
• Proofreading
• Printing of a specified quantity
• Formatting of eBooks (if you have paid extra for this, as it's quite costly)

POST PUBLICATION

It's only in post-publication that the processes will differ from that of traditional books. Because traditionally-published books are funded by the publisher, they are forced to continue with sales and marketing in the way the publisher commands. 

In self-publishing, however, the author has funded the publication of books, therefore is the only person who has a say in what happens next. The books are handed over to the author for this decision - the publisher will have ZERO rights over your book after you have paid them and they have completed the job to your satisfaction.  

The author may choose to market and sell the books by themselves. In which case, the following duties will be their own responsibility:

• Legal deposits
• Marketing of their book
• Sales of their book through any platform they wish e.g. bookstores, their own website, at book fairs and readings etc.
• Delivery of their books to their customers e.g. setting up a courier account or using Postnet or the Post Office
• Storage of their books e.g. in a warehouse, or at home if there is space.

The author may also choose to ask the publisher to assist with post-publication sales. In our case, we do all our sales through our online bookstore. Here is how we assist:

• Sending your legal deposits for you
• Storing your book for you (no additional cost)
• Listing your book for sale on our website - so it's the similar concept as having your book listed on Takealot (no additional cost) 
• Minor marketing of your book (no additional cost)
• Delivery of your book to customers via our courier, both locally and internationally (no additional cost)
• For every book sold we take a 20% commission from the amount it was sold for. We do not take commission on any unsold books.
• Any books that don't get sold after 3 months are returned back to you
• Payout for all the books we've sold within the 3 months will get paid at the end of the 3rd month

RECAP SUMMARY OF SELF-PUBLISHING THROUGH A PUBLISHER

These are most important points to take note of:

1. Sign a contract that leaves all your book rights to you
2. The publisher should be handling EVERYTHING for you. You should be able to sit back and wait for your batch of books to arrive. (Involving yourself in the process is optional.)
3. You may choose to market and sell the books by yourself
4. You may choose to allow your publisher to assist in selling your books. We can sell your books both locally and internationally through our online bookstore.

PUBLISH THROUGH US

We are a publisher based in Durban, South Africa. We self-publish authors from around the country and can even self-publish authors from other countries around the world.

Please get in touch with info@krestpublishers.co.za to obtain a quotation or more info on how we can help you. We are approachable and reliable.

 Our personal best

KREST Publishers