You’ve written a book. You’ve gone through the long and sometimes aggravating process of editing, and you’ve given your book out to friends for a response. If you’re anything like me, and I assume you are because you’re here reading this, you want to be able to walk into a store and see your book on a shelf. If that’s your dream, well then keep reading and I’ll tell you how I went about it.

A book release takes a lot of planning, a lot more than I originally thought when I first decided to put The Most Important Thing out into the world. But I’ve learned through trial and error that an ounce of prevention (planning) is worth a pound of cure. You can always go back and fix your mistakes but getting it right, right out of the gate is preferable.

Step 1 – Returnable Books.

There are quite a few options today for self-publishers to create their books. One of the first questions you should ask when evaluating a company is, “Is this book returnable?” If it isn’t, then keep walking. Bookstores are more likely to take a chance on a new author if they know in advance that if it doesn’t sell, they can return it and get their money back.

Once you do decide on a distributor for your book, create your publishing company. The reasoning for this is simple, credibility.  The bookstore representative might not recognize the name of the publisher, but it’s better to have one than for it to say published by Smashwords. When the store rep asks about the publisher, you can tell them it’s a new start-up. There are many small publishing houses out there, and now yours is one of them!

Also, make sure your book has an ISBN without it the bookstores and libraries can’t find your book. Most companies throw in the ISBN for each book you publish, or you can buy your own separately in bulk. You will need a separate ISBN for your hard copy, paperback, eBook, and audiobook if you do one. You have been warned in advance. The one that Kindle gives you is only for Kindle; you will need another ISBN. File that tidbit under shit I learned the hard way.

Step 2 – Professional Reviews.

Before you hit publish, before you even send your book out for a cover, you need to send your work of art out for some professional reviews. I recommend Kirkus, Foreward, and Publisher’s Weekly*. Why? They are well known to book buyers and library systems for giving unbiased reviews even when you pay for them, and it will also give your book more credibility. Getting your review before you do you cover will enable you to be able to put a blurb on the back cover. It typically takes about two to three months to get them back so plan accordingly.

Step 3 – Professionally Designed Cover.

I know that putting a book out in the world is costly and for most of us, we’re scraping pennies together just to get this far. One place not to skimp, the cover. I recommend ebooklaunch. They worked with me on my cover for The Most Important Thing, and I’ve received a lot of awesome feedback about it. They are very easy to work with and respect the author’s vision even if you don’t have one. I went to them with just a summary of what the book was about, and they knocked it out of the park. No matter who you work with get the best cover you can afford, it could pay off down the line because we all know everyone judges a book by its cover.

Step 4 – Press Kit.

This is a must have and if you’re interested in getting a copy of mine so you can see what one should have in it, sign up and I’ll send you a copy. I did a lot of research on what should be included in a press kit for a book. Obviously, it worked because Barnes and Noble is working with me now and I’m very excited about it. It’s not going to be for The Most Important Thing (more on that later) but for my next book due out in January. I have my foot in the door, and that’s what a press kit is all about, getting your foot in the door and introducing yourself.

Step 5 – Send Out Queries.

I’ve gone back and forth on what is the best way to go about it. Should you send them out before you publish or after? The problem with doing it after you publish is that most stores like to do author signings and book launches, Barnes and Noble is no exception, and it’s the reason why we’re going with the next book and not my current one. When you’re starting with a book that has already been out for a while, the representatives can see if it’s selling and if it’s not, they may not want to work with you. I think it might be easier for them to take a chance on a book that interests them from a small publisher if it’s a launch. That’s my thought on the reasoning; I could be wrong. My suggestion is before you hit publish, pick a release date* two months out, to give the people time to read through your press kit and get back to you.

How do you find out who to query?

The best way is to google each bookstore’s corporate site. They usually have a page dedicated to the author and publishing houses for book sales. If they don’t, go through their PR department, they’re always very useful for finding out information about a company. If none of that works or you’re working with a small local bookstore, go in and introduce yourself and bring your press kit. The smaller stores are more likely to work with a smaller publishing house and always market yourself as a local author. I’ve found that a lot of bookstores and libraries like that aspect of working with locals, it gives them and extra selling point.

I hope you’ve found this information helpful, and I wish you luck on getting your book into stores.

*Side note on release dates – when you’re picking a date do some research and see what else is coming out on the date you pick BEFORE you commit to it. The last thing you’d want to do is compete with a Stephen King book coming out on the same day as yours if you’re a horror writer. Do your due diligence on that one; it could pay off later.

*Publisher’s Weekly requires the review before launch.