Can you master these 9 for self-publishing a memoir? If so, you are on your way to succeeding.

1) Do you want to reach a larger audience than family and friends?

If so, you will need to write a book that will appeal to that larger audience. Your book must contain history and psychology and references to social concerns to appeal to a larger readership which knows neither you nor your family and friends

Simply said, the reader drawn from a larger audience does not care about you. This reader cares about how you embodied a certain category of people, and how you were representative of a certain grouping of the population.

Explore how you were universal in your particular responses to life.

2) Thinking in terms of a “real book” is necessary.

Books that are destined to reach a handful of relatives and friends need no more than a simple cover with the name of the memoir and your name will be adequate. But, for a more widely distributed book, a professional design is absolutely required. (I’ll say more on this later.)

To have a real book, you need to produce your memoir as a quality paperback. That’s a paperback such as you see in a bookstore.

I would even encourage a self-published writer to think quality paperback for a small run destined for family and friends. Quality paperback prices are very affordable via print-on-demand printers. Gone are the days when manuscripts for family and friends were placed in three-ring binders. There’s really no need for that sort of primitive product anymore.

Inquire widely about printing options and costs. Today, your local printer is probably unable to meet the prices of large, regional, or national book printing firms. You will be surprised at both how inexpensive publication can be and how diverse the estimates you receive are as well as what is included in the estimates. So, buyer beware.

Think print-on-demand—one book at a time—rather than a print run—printings of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 books. It is true that a large print run will produce more profit for you—if you sell all your books. Unless you are deeply committed to marketing your memoir, scale your ambitions back to print-on-demand—or p-o-d. Printing and selling one book at a time

Most people now choose the big names in p-o-d printers: Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, Draft to Digital, and Lulu are among the best known.

Notice that I called these companies printers and not publishers. As a self-published writer, you are the publisher and these companies are the printers and distributors.

3) Read books on self-publishing, visit self-publishing blogs, and surf YouTube channels to familiarize yourself with the work that goes into preparing and printing a book.

Whether you act as your own publishing contractor or hire a professional company such as The Memoir Network, knowledge when self-publishing a memoir is power! Ignorance is absolutely not bliss.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• if you enjoy researching and managing process, becoming your own contractor in the printing / publishing process will work for you. The learning curve can be steep but engaging in self-publishing a memoir is a legitimate pass-time—or possibly a business venture
• if you think you will not enjoy the wheeler-dealer aspect of becoming a self-publisher, then engaging a book production company is probably your best bet. This company will serve as your design and production desk. I hope you will look into my company The Memoir Network whose contact info is in the description of this video. When you work with a book production company, you remain the publisher.

Inquire widely about printing options and costs. Today, your local printer is probably unable to meet the prices of large, regional, or national book printing firms. You will be surprised at both how inexpensive publication can be and how diverse the estimates you receive are as well as what is included in the estimates. Most people now choose the big names: Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, Draft to Digital, and Lulu are among the best known.

4) Make a preliminary budget to invest in this project of self-publishing your memoir.

This will help you determine the possible (i.e., viable) scope of your publication and your book’s distribution.

While adhering to a budget has its clear value, know that this project of publishing your memoir is probably a once-in-a-lifetime time effort. Be sure to get the book you want.

Self-publishing will probably cost more than you wish it would but it will produce for you a book you can be proud of. Don’t stint.

Here’s an analogy: you have redesigned your kitchen but are saving money on buying new appliances. The old appliances don’t fit into the color scheme nor do they work all that well.

5) Set a timeline. As with underestimating their publication budgets, people tend to underestimate how long it will take to do book production. To be safe: double your time estimate.

Once you have an end date, create intermediate dates by which you will accomplish specific, intermediate tasks.

Establish a preliminary timeline for self-publishing your memoir. Is there an anniversary, family reunion, convention, or holiday in the next months that could be your obvious publication date? (Of course, you may need to readjust your schedule as you go along.)

6) Design a book jacket.

It remains true that people judge a book by its cover. You will want a professional looking book to give your work its best chance in the marketplace. Go to a bookstore or library, and peruse magazines and websites (Amazon, Ingram, Barnes and Noble, Draft2Digital). Study the book designs that both have been good sellers and that appeal to you. Imitate them.

Do you have the know-how to use design software—not only for the cover but also for the interior of the book? (By the way, most people overestimate their ability to design!)

Here again, engaging a book production company may be your best option. (Your niece who is “real good” at art, probably can’t do the job of designing a great book cover and book interior for you. I’ve seen many such books designed by amateurs. Most fail the grade.)

7) Use a scanner to reproduce your photos for publication. Get requirements from your printer for the best dpi for their press.  Do you know how to work in Photoshop with your photos so that you eliminate the gray and degraded look or repair tears? Never place a photocopy of a photo in your book—unless you want a grainy, washed-out look.

8) Have your manuscript edited and proofread so that it is truly as good as it can be. Many new authors are so eager to finish their projects that they short-sightedly omit working with an editor—a final chance to be sure that the text conveys all the meaning you intend.

Good editors will not alter your voice. Rather, they will ensure that you communicate clearly in that voice and will find discrepancies you can’t see anymore.

A proofreader will guarantee your favorite spelling and grammar mistakes don’t make their way into the printed book.

Read the book again once you believe it is totally ready for the printer. This is your last chance to make the book the best it can be. Look for layout and design issues. Check your photos to make sure they are well captioned and placed in the right spots. This is the time to be a demanding critic!

Get requirements from your printer for the best dpi—dots per inch—for their press.

Do you know how to work with your photos in Photoshop or Correll to eliminate the gray and degraded look or repair tears? Never place a photocopy of a photo in your book—unless you want a grainy, washed-out look.

9) Read the book again once you believe it is totally ready for the printer. This is your last chance to make the book the best it can be. Look for layout and design issues. Check your photos to make sure they are well captioned and placed in the right spots. This is the time to be a demanding critic!

Bonus Tip

Design a marketing plan. Will you send out press releases, do a blog tour, collaborate with other sites, buy advertising space, or do social marketing? These and other options can give your book a greater life than word of mouth can. To have good sales, you will need to do extensive outreach.

In conclusion

If your responses to these 9 tips for self-publishing a memoir indicate you are in the running for a successful self-publication, you will be on your way to holding your finished book in hand!

Inquire about professional production help. You can turn over as much or as little as you feel comfortable undertaking. We offer a 30-minute complimentary get-to-know-you coaching consultation.

To view this post as a YouTube video, click here.

Here’s a bonus link to a video that will help you to evaluate your manuscript’s readiness for publication. It’s called Become a Better Storyteller. You’ll find it full of tips you can implement to make your memoir more interesting to its readers.

Remember: “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch; yard by yard it’s hard.”

Good luck self-publishing your memoir!