By Emma Regan, Jordan Maxwell Ridgway and Ella O’Neill
Selfpublishing.com began as just a website before it was recently one of many companies acquired by Self-Publishing School (SPS). It’s now undergone a transformation and has become the parent company of a variety of these enterprises, including SPS. Founded in 2015 by Chandler Bolt, investor, advisor and author of six bestsellers, they work across the globe in ninety one countries. He started the company after dropping out of school himself, having begun a degree in business administration studies, and cementing his online profile with an acknowledgement by Forbes 30 under 30.
The acquisition has enabled SPS to reach more people and provide a more extensive, and comprehensive service. This service includes book design and editing, all the way to the end of the process, marketing and promoting the book.
It works by setting up a remote consultation call where the author establishes their profile and a bit about their book – such as their goals and ambitions; they create a personalised publishing plan and then discuss how they can help the writer and recommend the best next steps to take. These can include services like one-on-one coaching, an online education program, an author community and book production package.
However, whilst they do offer some free tools and resources, their services range from $4000 to $16,000. Even if it does save the author time and provides support, is it a sensible financial decision?
One of the biggest advantages of using Selfpublishing.com to help people take the next step into becoming a published author is the range of free resources which are on hand before investing money into the company. Writers can take the Self-Publishing Companies Assessment to see which self-publishing company fits best for their idea. They can also peruse the different self-publishing companies in the “Compare Services” table, breaking down the pros and cons of each company provided. The Free Resources page also offers various writing, publishing and marketing generators for authors, as well as a non-fiction outline template. It also offers a free copy of the eBook, Published, by Chandler Bolt – an inside into how to publish a bestselling book.
The other services provided by Selfpublishing.com include one-on-one coaching, which is designed to provide writers with a personalised approach for their writing, marketing and publishing skills towards their book; the ability to connect with other authors of the same genre and give and receive support to fellow writers who are in the same position; and professionals throughout the book building experience, who can offer guidance on things such as book covers, to the keywords writers use in order to market their book. Selfpublishing.com also encourages bundling the plans on offer to save money on resources, and offers a podcast, which provides even more writing advice, and is available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast services.
Selfpublishing.com essentially carries all the resources and materials a traditional publishing house has but offers more creative control to the author in what they would like to see in their book. The website promises no two books will be the same, encouraging writers to pursue their dreams and turn them into the real thing.
The obvious downside of signing up to a service that will help you with your self-publishing is that you often need to pay for these services, which can be steep. The “Compare Services” section mentioned above, includes details of what service that company helps to provide, how they’re rated, price ranges and reviews. This exemplifies that some courses offer support for a couple of hundred dollars to as much as $35,000. Another hurdle might be ensuring that you can find a service in your country, for example selfpublishing.com offers its courses solely in US dollars.
It’s worth thoroughly investigating any service that’s offering to help you with publishing to ensure it’s really the right service for you and to ensure its legitimacy. Unfortunately, greater variety in a market can lead to greater opportunities for scams. Selfpublishing.com lists some of its top rated companies.
In some ways, you could view signing up to a self-publishing service as a hybrid between getting a deal with a traditional publisher and self-publishing all on your own. You get to keep creative control but get some assistance where needed. It can perhaps help give you a boost, whether that is copyediting, proofreading, cover design or strategic marketing support.
There’s no longer only one way to publish a book. As self-publishing becomes an ever growing and lucrative option for writers, there comes along services that could potentially support writers who have hit a wall with their self-publishing journeys.