Resources for Mormon Writers

In the past, self-publishing was for authors who couldn't get a contract with a commercial publisher. But by 2009 more than twice as many titles were self-published than were traditionally published during a year.

In the LDS market options are very thin and limited. If your work didn't fall into the few categories available by the 2-3 largest Mormon publishers, you couldn't get signed. Quality, good books were overlooked or not published because they didn't fit the narrow specs.

Self-publishing is no longer a second choice or last resort for many writers. Unbalanced publishing contracts have convinced many authors to self-publish if for no other reason than the chance to earn more in royalties and keep creative control.

A book, especially a self-published book, must be well-written, edited, and marketed if it is to reach its audience. These details have not changed!

Below are resources and tips for authors looking to write, self-publish, and market their work.


1.  Have the book professionally edited. Most editing services range in price from 1.2 to 2 cents per word.
Recommended:  Firefly Editing
Tammy Price (freelance book editor for several LDS publishers)

2.  Have the book interior professionally formatted.  DIY (do-it-yourself) self-publishers ask the author to format the manuscript themselves and submit a formatted file. This is the easiest and most common error authors make, because they mistakenly think a document formatted in Word is sufficient for a professional publication. If you want your book to look professional, have a professional format the interior.


3.  Hire a professional to design the cover.  Your son's artwork may be impressive, but an amateur cover is a dead giveaway that your book was not professionally published. Readers DO judge a book by its cover, so hire a graphic designer!
Recommended: Hudson Marketing and Design

4.  Don't design your own cover.  No matter how tempted you are to do this, resist the urge. Trust the feedback and ideas of professionals. The only thing that reveals a self-published book faster than an inferior interior is an author-designed cover.

5.  Don't fall for the schemes of "self-publishing services" (also known as vanity imprints) who "help" publish your book and keep the rights to your book. Get an ISBN and control all rights to your own work.

6.  Understand that 100% of your profits is not the same as 100% of the retail price.  Self-published authors quickly learn how and why commercial publishers take so much of the revenue. There are production costs, retail margins, marketing costs, and distribution expenses. Do not expect to really "self-publish your book for free." There are several costs, particularly in marketing.

7. Talk to other self-published authors and don't rely only on the books that claim they can teach you how to sell a million copies. Most of those authors have only ever written one book, often entitled, "How to Sell a Million Copies." Unless you have written a book on how to sell a million books, chances are these books won't help you.  Other self-published authors can offer insights on which services helped the most and the reality of sales.

8. Research the price of comparable books before you set the price on your own book. Have you over-priced or under-priced your work? Don't be afraid to adjust the cost and compare it to sales to find the sweet spot. Most readers are not willing to pay the same price for an e-book as they will for a paperback. Adjust your price accordingly! (Most self-published novels sell best between $1.99-$4.99. First time authors will find it hard to sell for more than $0.99 at first.)

9. Don't limit yourself to Kindle! Don't forget to put your book on Nook and in the iTunes library!

Smashwords is a fast, free and easy to publish and distribute your e-book to the largest e-book retailers and mobile phone apps. Authors control the pricing, sampling and marketing of their books. Authors receive 85% of the net sales proceeds from their works for sales on Smashwords.com, and 60% of the list price for sales through the distribution network of retailers including the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo and the Diesel eBook Store.

CreateSpace is the self-publishing branch of Amazon, and provides free self-publishing services for paperbacks and Kindle e-books, including free DIY tools such as a Cover Creator for easy online design.

Lulu offers a free consultation with one of their services consultants to assess your needs. Some of their book options also include a free ISBN.

PubIt! by Barnes & Noble is an online, self-service tool for authors to upload eBooks and make them available for sale through the Barnes & Noble eBookstores. (Nook)

10. Marketing is not a one-time activity. Be prepared to continue to market and promote your book for 6-12 months after you publish it!

Recommended: "Increase eBook Sales with Social Media Marketing" just $1 on Smashwords.