As a self-publishing author, it’s important to include the proper pages in the front matter of your book. The front matter book consists of the title page, the copyright page, the table of contents, a disclaimer notice (if needed), the foreword, an acknowledgments page, a preface, and dedication page. Each of these pages serve a special purpose and some are legally necessary. If you are acting as the publisher (of your self-published book), you should …

First of all, not all books have or require an index. Typically, medical, scientific, academic, and educational books contain a detailed index to help the reader find information on a particular topic. An index is also important if the reader wants to focus on one area of study at a time. Biographies often contain an index to help inform the reader where and how the information was gathered.
If you are self-publishing, you may already be …

When you self-publish, you often have to do some, if not all, of the work of finding or creating illustrations, charts, and tables for your book. Even if you hire someone to do this for you, here are some guidelines for achieving professional results:
As a self-published author, you may have access to the designer of your illustrations. If so, get the best image quality possible. This usually means getting as “close” to the source of …

Cover design is a creative endeavor and thus a very subjective area. One person might love a cover design while another will think it’s way off the mark. If everyone has a different opinion about a possible cover design, how do you choose a design that gives your self-published masterpiece a true chance at success?
First, the design has the reflect the book’s contents. You might be surprised how many self-publishing authors are not aware of …

It’s very important that you, as a self-publishing author, educate yourself about the details of having your book printed including choosing the proper size. Some printers will print and trim your book to almost any size but most stick to three or four common sizes. These are 5” by 8,” 5.5” by 8.5,’” 9” by 6” and the “standard page” size of 8.5” by 11.” The largest size is usually reserved for books with a …

Many self-publishing, first-time authors fail to recognize the importance of this step. If your book is intended for family and friends or as an autobiography to share with others, quality editing is not as critical. But if you want to compete with the best titles out there, finding a good editor is a must.
As a writer, you’ve spent hours and hours putting together your manuscript and you know it intimately. But you only have one …