If you are self-publishing a book, then you will have most probably decided upon launching with eBook, paperback and maybe even hardback (with Amazon’s KDP launching this format recently, more authors are choosing casewraps to go along with paperback edition).  However, with the rise in popularity of audio books, it is well worth considering an audio edition of your publication too.

The good news is that you don’t have to have a recording studio, or even be prepared to read your book in its entirety yourself, Amazon’s ACX service gives you everything you’ll need to hire and prepare a great sounding audio book, you can read a full article on how to create an audio book, which should help.
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But when it comes to the book cover for your audio, there are some differences that you need to be aware of and prepare for.

For those prolific writers and authors amongst us, creating a series of books will be a highly likely and almost natural process, taking a passion for the written word and hopefully a great idea to extend across several volumes.

What’s more, if you can create a series of books, KDP links them together within Amazon, and this is great because it really helps your readers to find more of your books, which in turn should help you in selling more and reach a larger audience.

So, how do you create a series in KDP?

Self-publishing a book can be a very rewarding process, but if you want to reach a large audience (and which author doesn’t want lots of readers to enjoy their book?) It can be a challenging task.

Once your book is complete and the interior edited, proofread and formatted, you will need to consider the book cover design. As the ‘face’ and advertising for your book, it is worth taking your time here and getting a professional design which represents the focal point of your work, also, one which will ensure that your book stands out upon the bookshelves (and in a good way).

Why the cover design for your book is so important.

First, you need to consider just how many books are self-published, on average (and according to recent figures from Bowker), 1.7million books are self-published in the US annually, this breaks down to an average of 4,657 books per day, so book buyers and readers will have plenty of choice, and you’ll have some competition.

If you’re self-publishing a book, then you may well be considering both KDP and IngramSpark as your print on demand service, both are great options and have huge distribution channels to offer an author, not only this, but they are quite straightforward to use and have promotional options to help you with advertising and ultimately selling your book.

But when it comes to the book cover, there are some differences that you should be aware of.

If you’re an indie author and looking to self-publish a book, it can seem a little confusing at first. Who prints the book, then how do you get the book into a store (online and on the high street) and how do you promote the book too?

These are all valid questions and ones which can stop authors even trying to publish their own work, but it shouldn’t stop you, the self-publishing industry is a great deal easier to use than it’s ever been, and there are lots of great services that an author can take advantage of for success.
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So, if you have just finished writing a manuscript and think you’re ready to publish, let’s look at what you should consider doing next (with links to lots of other helpful resources).

Working in the publishing world you get to meet with lots of wonderful, and very talented authors, creative individuals who have spent a great deal of their time developing an idea into a story, or sharing an experience, or writing specific details of their knowledge within a certain arena, all dedicated to bringing this to an audience of interested and engaged readers.

And for the readers, we love to lose ourselves in a great author’s work, being taken on a journey or to learn something we never knew before, there are lots of reasons why we read and there are lots of ways that we can support those self-publishing authors that we love.

So, this year, why not support your favorite self-publishing / indie author, here are TEN ways that any reader can help.

When you create book cover designs for self-publishing authors, you get to work with a lot of very creative people, which is always an enjoyable experience, taking the synopsis for their book and developing a cover design which is something that we love to be involved with.

Over time we have created countless book covers for all genres and for print on demand services such as KDP Publishing, IngramSpark, Lulu and many others (both big and small).

When creating a cover there are things that we look for, in the design, layout and requirements of both the project and the required format (whether that’s in print as a paperback or hardback, or as just an eBook cover design). You’ll also find that the print on demand service being used will also have different specifications for the book too.
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So, here are some of our favorite book covers with a little detail on what went into the design and where you can find the book too.

For authors, writing is not just a hobby, it’s a way of life, so if you are passionate about writing and want to make some extra money, or even cultivate a full-time career from your passion, here are 10 ways to make additional income from your craft.

1 – Writing a blog

Starting your own blog may sound like an obvious option for many writers, as it enables you to select a topic that you are passionate about and then give your opinions and thoughts on that subject, over time you should be able to grow your audience/visitors which will help you to make money.

There are several ways to create an income stream from your blog, but the first one will be from advertising, signing up for a Google Adsense account will allow you to place adverts within your content that will be of interest to each visitor to your site, when they click on the ad, you get paid.

You can also look at affiliate products and services advertised within your blog, again, when one is sold using the unique link from your site to the seller’s page, you will get a commission.

Do you want creative ideas for your book? You can start by looking at the latest trends in the publishing industry.

Publishing consultant Ruediger Wischenbart reported that global trends have popped up in the industry, such as the rise of interest in e-books and audiobooks. The publishing consultant also noted that readers are shifting from traditionally popular genres like romance and mysteries to children’s stories, young adult titles, and even nonfiction books. The consultant notes that this shift may be due to the changes in the digital marketing strategies of publishers and authors themselves.

So, if you want your book to attract the attention of publishers and readers, here are some trends that you need to watch out for:

If you’re publishing a book with a print on demand service, then you may well have decided to use Amazon KDP (formerly Createspace) for your new title, after all, being a part of Amazon, they have one of the biggest platforms in the world for online retail and offer a great free to use service for authors.

Using their platform for self-publishing is fairly straightforward and we have written lots of articles showing you how to upload books, tweak your KDP account and even promote your book on Amazon with their own advertising options for authors & sellers.

But an important part of your publishing journey with Amazon KDP will be your book cover design.
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The first thing to remember is that you will likely publish your book as both an eBook and in print, the eBook will be sold via Kindle and the cover has to be created to certain specifics to work with their book readers, whereas the book cover design for print will need to be created specifically for your paperback and/or hardback (taking in to account the spine width based on the page count) and a different set of specifics.