Welcome To Innovo's Learning Center
Step 3: Publishing Your Christian Book.
Okay--you've honed your writing skills and worked with your writing group and mentor to develop your talent. And while you were working late to write that fantastic Christian or wholesome book, you also managed to do your homework and get up to speed on Self Publishing companies and the options that seem right for you. So what's next? Well, now it's time to take at look at what it's going to take to actually publish your book!
This can be a fun and exciting time--but also one that can make you feel a little anxious. That's normal. But this section of Innovo's learning center for Christian & wholesome self publishers is designed to help you know what to expect and make the journey a little easier. And if you decide to publish your book, ebook or audio book with Innovo, we will be with you every step of the way to make sure your self publishing experience turns out great.
Take a look around and enjoy the information--and when you are ready, move on to the next step in the journey by looking at self publishing marketing, advertising and selling tips.
Your Research & Planning Are Done--Now It's Time to Publish Your Book, eBook or Audio Book
(Activities, Timelines and Other Considerations...)
Bringing Your Ideas to LIFE.
Call: 1-888-546-2111
iTunes ®
Fax: 1-901-221-4055
Click an Icon or Use the Quick Links Below to Learn & Explore... learn how to self publish Hardback & Paperback Books, eBooks (Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Adobe) & Audio Books!
Market & Sell Your Book: A plan for marketing, advertising and selling your book is essential for all self publishers. In fact, this may be the single biggest success factor for regaining your costs and making a profit. Many Christian self publishers don't understand or consider what it will take to sell their book... but savvy authors always plan ahead. This topic is the primary focus of the next step in Innovo's Learning Center journey toward self publishing--and can be reviewed here.
IT's Time to Publish Your Book, eBook & Audio Book--Let's Go...
Feedback Please: We'd enjoy your feedback on this site, including suggestions for making this area more useful for all self publishing authors. Want to contribute a guest article or information? Please send your comments and suggestions to info@innovopublishing.com
Select Your Publisher: Based on your research, you will have to narrow down your self publisher choices and ultimately select a self publishing company. It sounds easy, but this is an important decision and many people find it a bit intimidating. One thing is for sure, you can spend days and weeks trying to wade through the options. If you stick with the basics and understand the Big 5 Mix (as discussed here), your choice might be easier. Ultimately, it comes down to finding a company you trust--because there will likely be many issues that you will discover later--especially if this is your first self publishing effort. So talk to the company representatives, pray for discernment and ask yourself who you feel comfortable working with.
Select Your Publishing Package: Once you select your company, you will need to select the specific self publishing package and services that you need. Of course, you will have already looked at these offerings when selecting your publisher, but now you have to get specific and commit to a package and any add-ons (see below) or other services that you need. At Innovo, we offer a range of publishing programs for books, eBooks and audio books--and combinations of each. Custom package are welcome and discounts are offered for combinations. And Innovo is one of the only Christian self-publishing companies with the capabilities to release your book globally in hardback, paperback, eBook and audio book formats. This allows Innovo authors to compete with the traditional publishing houses in every distribution channel.
Decide If you want any optional services: Many self publishing companies offer add-ons for their publishing packages. Be aware that up-selling--or enticing customers to buy extras that they may or may not need--is a common practice in the self publishing industry (and many industries). So it is always a good idea to know your budget and what services you really need. Avoid spur of the moment decisions and buy only what you need and can afford. At Innovo, we offer turn-key packages for Christian & wholesome authors that do not require add-ons in order to get your book to market. And Innovo allows you to compare all of our offering side-by-side so you can see exactly what is in each one. We also offer ala carte services (i.e., individual services not tied to a package)--so you can select only the services you need and thus avoid buying something you don't need). Some of our publishing services like professional editing, translations, and marketing programs are unique and represent exceptional value.
Publishing Process: So what major milestones can one expect when you are going through a Christian self publishing process? Of course the process varies from Christian book publishing company to company--but there are a few steps that are usually involved. We'll go through them below. In the interim, you can review Innovo's 4 Step Process.
Provide your manuscript & author information: As you move through the initial interactions with your Publisher, you will come to a point where it is time to submit your manuscript and information about you and your book.
The publisher will need information about you so that they can bill you for services and so that they can pay royalties and set up your title correctly. In addition, they will need a copy of your manuscript so that it can undergo a process to ensure it can be electronically distributed and/or printed properly.
Past this, there are many differences between self-publishing companies and you should read the company's contract for the specifics. For example, many companies provide manuscript guidelines for preparing your manuscript before it is submitted and most self publishing companies require that the material submitted be in final form approved for publishing. Check this out before hand. Are there costs or delays to resubmit later?
At Innovo, we provide a free no obligation manuscript review and provide feedback on its readiness to be self published. We also provide a free publishing guide and free manuscript submission guidelines and a free manuscript submission checklist to help Innovo's authors with a hassle-free submission process. Through our web-site we provide an upload service to make it easy to submit your materials. We also provide a free software that allows Innovo's authors to quickly transmit extremely large files (like Children's books with many large pictures) to us and avoid expense and limitations of physical shipments.
Sign the Author Agreement & submit your payment. As we discussed previously, every Christian book publishing or self publishing company you consider should have an Author Agreement (i.e., a contract). The agreement is a safeguard for you and the book publisher. It spells out specifically how the author and publisher will work together during the creation of your book and after the book is published--and it identifies what each party is responsible for. So before you begin work with the publisher, you will be asked to submit a signed Author Agreement. This may be the single most important action you take... once you sign the contract you and the publisher are bound by its terms. So do your homework first (see more about self publishing contracts...). At Innovo we provide a complete copy of our author agreement on the web-site. Every potential Innovo author can see the exact terms--and we are very proud of our agreement. It is very user friendly and pro-author oriented.
In addition to providing the signed Author Agreement, the Christian book publishing company will require payment. Almost all Christian self-publishing companies require payment in full before the publishing work begins because much of the work is services oriented and is not returnable (e.g., the time spent on developing a cover cannot be returned or resold; similarly the time spent on interior layout/design or on editing cannot be returned and reused--these are sunk costs). Innovo is one of the few self-publishing companies who provide and publish a comprehensive refund policy--and Innovo includes the terms right there in the author agreement. Note that there are restrictions on what is refundable and time limits do apply. Innovo provides custom written quotes and accepts all major credit and debit cards on-line through PayPal services. Regardless of whether you do business with Innovo or another company--every author should be familiar with the payment terms and refund policy prior to making payment.
Collaborate with the Publisher on revisions: Once you have signed the author agreement and submitted payment, the publisher will begin to collaborate with you to complete the cover design and the interior book layout (called the bookblock). There are tremendous differences between Christian book publishing companies in this space. Make sure you understand this process before you sign on.
Designing the Cover: A book is judged by its cover--so make sure you have the cover package you need. Who has the final word on the cover? What images can be used? Do you have to supply your own images or do they? Who owns the copyright? Can you reuse the cover design? What about original art work? Can you submit in hardcopy or only digitally? All these questions should have been answered by this point so that there are no surprises. Innovo offers turn-key cover design with it's packages--including professional stock photography and incorporating the author's original photos or art work. We make the cover design special and hassle-free for our authors. We also have artists who can create original, custom work, including images for Children's books.
Designing the Bookblock (Interior Layout): Similarly with the bookblock--there are huge differences in the services provided by Christian self-publishing companies. This can range from not even looking at the manuscript to providing full editing and design layout. You should spend time understanding this beforehand. At Innovo, we can provide a professionally designed layout with our packages. Your book will look great and print superbly every time. And the author gets to review progress at every revision.
Editing Your Work: Innovo offers exceptional value on editing services... and editing is one of the best investments any Christian self-publisher can make. Self publishing your Christian or wholesome book before the content is ready is one of the most common mistakes of first time Christian self publishers. Keep in mind that even world-famous authors get help editing their work. Read a few acknowledgement pages and you will find authors on every level thanking their editors and researchers for making their manuscripts better. Innovo is delighted to offer professional editing services for Christian or wholesome self publishers, but whether you select our editing services or another--securing professional editing is one of the best investments Christian self publishers can make, and it is a great way to set your work apart from the rest.
Journey With Innovo Through The World Of Christian Book Publishing, Christian Self Publishing & Christian Book Marketing!
Copyright © 2008-2010 Innovo Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Innovo Publishing, LLC is a Christian-based, full-service Christian book publishing company, serving the Christian & wholesome markets. Innovo creates, distributes & markets hardback & paperback books, eBooks (Kindle and Adobe), MP3 & CD audiobooks (audio books) and iPhone & iPad iBooks for Christian self publishers and provides automated order fulfillment through a network of about 30,000 wholesalers and retailers. All Innovo books are professionally edited with custom-designed covers and interiors. Innovo can publish a Christian book in as little as 45 days, and accepts fiction & non-fiction books, business books, & wholesome books for all publishing genres. Among Christian book publishers, Innovo provides unique benefits, including 100% royalties to our authors, who retain all rights to their work.
Innovo Publishing provides a variety of Christian book marketing options for authors including 30-45 second video Previews, 1-1.5 min. video Features, and 2-3 min. video Premieres with distribution to multiple social media and video viewing sites.
Welcome to Innovo's Christian Book Publishing Learning Center