Successful Self–Publishing Diploma Course – Centreofexcellence

The Successful Self-Publishing Diploma Course begins by guiding you through the basics of self-publishing. You’ll quickly get answers to the big questions, such as why you should self- publish and the benefits of doing so and, conversely, reasons self-publishing may not be for you. There are legal obligations you need to fulfil and to self-publish requires money, the course will talk you through what to expect in both these areas.

With your book written and your working title in place. This course will show you the process of finessing the details, large and small, to get your text ready for publication. You’ll learn the dos and don’ts of titling your book and what to include in your cover text, how to self-edit or hire and work with an editor, how to prepare your text for the layout process, and what the established conventions that you should use in book anatomy, are.

Formatting should be invisible, unnoticed by the reader, but done poorly and inconsistently and the smallest of errors will pull your readers from the story, ruining the content of your work. You’ll learn how to use layout to enable your content to flow – with proper use of book sizing, page layout, fonts, spacing and alignment of text. Formatting for eBooks is also covered.

We are taught the metaphor ‘never judge a book by its cover’ but when it comes to books – we do. When confronted by a wall or screen of book covers and all you have to go off, as a customer, is a title and a cover, you will find yourself quickly judging covers and titles – giving just seconds to each. From this course, you will learn the do’s and don’ts of book cover design, from colour theory, graphics and images to fonts, copy placement, formatting and reproduction, to ensure yours is the cover that stands out and the book that gets bought. Even if you intend to commission a designer to do the work for you this essential knowledge will give you everything you need to understand what is needed and to get the cover you want.

With your files ready and book complete you need to understand the process of printing the finished work. The Successful Self-Publishing Diploma Course walks you through production, including the different printing methods available and how to convert your book into an eBook. It also stresses the importance of proofreading, how to proofread, and the common conventions used by proofreaders, should you choose to hire one.

Where many self-publishers fail is through not fully understanding distribution, because it doesn’t matter how good your book is, if no one can buy it you’re not going to make any money and it’ll be back to the 9-5. This course provides the knowledge you need to successfully get your book into bookshops, work with distributors and wholesalers, and price your book effectively for both printed and eBook versions.

You’ve published a book – don’t forget to tell people about it! Though before you publish, you need to have a marketing plan in place that will fit the content of your book. You’ll learn how to make sure your book is accurately represented in online bookstores and how to use tools such as social media, YouTube trailers, paid-for advertising, and mailing lists to promote and sell your book. You’ll also discover how to carry your marketing efforts on after publishing and through to your second book.

What will I learn on the course?

Certified Course
Accredited Course

Module 1 – Basics of Self-Publishing
7 parts
Introduction
Part 1: Why self-publish?
Part 2: Advantages of self-publishing
Part 3: Why it might be a bad idea to self-publish
Part 4: Legal considerations
Part 5: Budget
Module 1 Assessment

Module 2 – Completing the Text
7 parts
Part 1: Title
Part 2: Editing
Part 3: Spelling and grammar
Part 4: Beta readers
Part 5: Preparing the text for layout
Part 6: Parts of a book
Module 2 Assessment

Module 3 – Layout and Design: Interior
6 parts
Part 1: Size and Pagination
Part 2: Interior layout
Part 3: Fonts
Part 4: Leading
Part 5: Ebook formatting
Module 3 Assessment

Module 4 – Layout and Design: Cover
4 parts
Part 1: Layout and design: Cover
Part 2: Fonts
Part 3: Formatting
Module 4 Assessment

Module 5 – Production
3 parts
Part 1: Offset printing
Part 2: Using an imprintor self-publishing platform
Module 5 Assessment

Module 6 – Distribution
3 parts
Part 1: Getting your book into bookshops
Part 2: Distributors and wholesalers
Module 6 Assessment

Module 7 – Sales and Marketing
4 parts
Part 1: Category, book description and keywords
Part 2: Book trailers
Part 3: Reviews
Module 7 Assessment