Selecting a Self-Publishing Company

I get a lot of questions on how I got my book self-published. It can be overwhelmed as you begin to look through what needs to happen with covers, interior, and all the other little details you never even knew went into a book. There are hundreds of self-publishing companies out there. If you go this route, it is up to you to choose what is best for your style and pocketbook. However, dealing with all these companies can be overwhelming, and it’s good to have a guide. I picked a word count and a trim size of the book so that I could compare between companies. I decided on 100,000 words and a trim size of 5 x 7 inches. You don’t have to stay to this, but it helps you evaluate the companies. Then I created an Excel spreadsheet with these questions to judge the companies easily and quickly. Once I gathered all the necessary information, it was simple to make a decision - one that I don’t regret. Yet.
1.  Ask for the total cost to get your book on the market. If the company does not state the total costs to get your book published and distributed, be careful. It’s a good idea to think through everything you want for your book. ISBN? Barcode? Do you want editing in your package? Want it on Amazon? Make sure there are no hidden fees and ask as much as necessary to get the information you need. This is your book and your money. You are hiring a company to work for you. Know what you want, know what they offer, and know how much they will charge. Oh, and if they don’t tell you what you need to know, move on.
2.  Ask how the retail price is set. Some companies require your retail be set within a certain range. For example, they may say that a 100,000 word book be set at the lowest at $20.00. I firmly believe that new authors need to sell low to encourage readers to take a risk on them. Make sure that you can set the price where you want. Make sure that the prices they give you are competitive. On the example above, you will find that many books of that word count sell for about $15.00. Also, ask them why you can’t set the price lower. Most times it’s because they want a fairly large cut.
3.  Ask what the wholesale price is. Often times you can’t change this. But check and see what it is because you have to set the retail price higher than the wholesale price.
4.  Ask what the printing, handling, and shipping costs are. You will be surprised at how this changes between companies. Ask about different quantities as well. The company I use charges less shipping if I order more. They will try to dodge this question because you haven’t set a specific trim size or page count, so I would suggest you choose one just for comparison. Feel free to tell them that. It makes them nervous about not getting your business, and they should treat you a bit better. Finally, remember that with the current print-on-demand technology, it takes them about one minute to print and bind a 500 page book. These prices should not be very high.
5.  Ask what percentage your royalties will be and how they are calculated. This is the money you are getting for each sale. Know this! Know how much if they sell off their webpage, how much off Amazon, and anywhere else. Some companies don’t call it royalties since they aren’t. This is VITAL information you must know and use to compare companies.
6. Ask yourself about their customer service. I walked away from one company because the woman I was in contact with never once got my name right, had an extremely thick accent, didn’t know a lot of the answers to these questions, said she would call me back with answers and never did, talked down to me, and then when I said I wasn’t using them, she hung up on me! (In the next blog, I’ll tell you who it was!) If they don’t treat you wonderfully now when they want to get your money, they won’t treat you well after you pay them either.
My final piece of advice is that if the information they give you is complicated or required a Ph.D to understand, then walk away. This doesn’t have to be complex, and if it is, then they may be trying to hide costs or expensive services. 
So that’s what I did. There are many avenues for you to choose from, but I hope this gives you a bit of a map to follow. Can you think of anything I missed? Anything you wish you had asked before you gave a company money? Anything you’ve heard is a great question to ask?