WATTS WORKS: The Top Five Questions about Self-Publishing

I get a lot of questions from writers who are interested in self-publishing their book. I've been self-publishing books since 2010 and I still remember that first year when I felt so lost and unsure of how to start and what path to follow. Here are the top five questions I get from aspiring authors:

Where can I find an illustrator for my book? Sometimes you can ask people that you know. I found an illustrator by asking art teachers at the school where I work. There are other possibilities though. Online you can use https://www.odesk.com/ or https://www.elance.com/ find an illustrator. Another possibility is checking with the art department of a high school or college to see if there is a student that would be willing to illustrate your book.
Who do you use to publish your books? At the present time I use Createspace which is through Amazon. I have used various other online publishers but the most economical and user friendly is definitely Amazon. It is fast, customer service is available 24/7 and the quality is equal to anything else I have tried. There is an affiliate link in the sidebar of this page.
What do I need to consider when choosing a publisher?

What is their customer service like? Can you contact them in the evenings and on weekends?
Do they charge extra to make additions and changes?
Do they provide additional services such as formating or illustration? What does it cost?
What will the final cost be to you to purchase books?
Will they obtain the ISBN number or copyright for you?
Can you obtain a proof prior to giving the final okay printing?

Are there other options for publishing books besides online publishers? If you are going to be selling your books yourself, perhaps as part of seminars or workshops that you do, you might want to consider getting your book printed by a local printer. If you chose this route, you will need to obtain the ISBN number yourself and have someone format the book for publishing.
Where do I get an ISBN number? If you use an online publisher like Createspace, they will purchase and provide the ISBN number for you. If you are going to actually print the book yourself using perhaps a local printer, you will need to pay for and obtain your own ISBN number. Here's the link You can buy one or several ISBN numbers at a time. It is more economical to buy several which is what I did. When you are ready to use them, you just go back into the site and add the title and other information about the work.

Well there you have it. The top five questions I get most often about self-publishing. Would you add anything to the list? What have you learned self-publishing?

Check out my website for the Wyatt the Wonder Dog Books:

http://wyatthewonderdog.com/

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