Part II
Last Friday I discussed the reasons - the why - a writer decides to publish independently. In this post I hope to answer the questions of who is your target audience and how that influences the format(s) - or the what & where- you choose to publish.
(If you missed last Friday's post and would like to read it, click here.)
While I presume most writers are aware of who their target audience is, I've met more than a few who are not. So, here is a brief overview:
1- Who is your target audience?
Young Adult: 12 - 18 years of age. (I prefer 14-18, but that's just me.) As we are all well aware of, YA readers come in all ages!
Middle Grade: 8 - 12 years of age. (I like to write for readers aged 10-12+ - "Upper Middle Grade.")
Picture Books: Within this category there are baby books, toddler books: 2-4 years of age, and picture books: 4-8 years of age.
If you're still not sure where your book fits in, click here for more info.
Once you're clear on what category your book fits into, then knowing the book market is a must...
2- What format best suits the book you've written?
Young Adult - thrives in the e-book, paperback, and hardback formats.
Middle Grade - books in this category are primarily printed as hardback books. (Readers in this bracket are too young to purchase books on their own devices, and so, consequently e-books have not yet taken off in this category.
Picture Books - primarily hardback and e-book. (Parents do purchase these books digitally for their own devices and then read them to their young children.)
3- Where do you find the appropriate publisher/printer?
Paperbacks and E-books: CreateSpace. While I've not used CreateSpace, I have a close friend who has. She chose to obtain a professional cover designer, who did a fantastic job on her YA novels!
Awakened, by Kriston Johnson
Cover Design by Mae I Design
Interior Book Design: Tattered Page Ink
Click here to purchase this novel.
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Hardbacks (portrait only), Paperbacks, & E-books: Ingram Sparks
I went through Ingram Sparks when I published my debut middle grade novel, The Tale of Willaby Creek, as a hardback and e-book.
The Tale of Willaby Creek
by Victoria Lindstrom
Cover Art by Michael Lindstrom
Cover Design: Mae I Design
Interior Book Design: Tattered Page Ink
My book formatter actually did multiple e-book versions for my novel. (I'll discuss that more next week.)
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Hardbacks (landscape & portrait), Paperbacks, E-books, etc:
Bang Printing I employed Deeds Publishing when I released The Scandinavian Santa. However, they used Bang Printing, who did a fantastic job with my illustrated short story. It was released as a hardback (landscape format) and e-book in 2014.
The Scandinavian Santa
by Victoria Lindstrom
Paintings by Michael Lindstrom
Cover Art by Michael Lindstrom
Cover Design by Mark Babcock
As you can see, the three publishers/printers I've featured begin with the basic printing services: CreateSpace, & end up with Bang Printing, which, thankfully, can print whatever you desire. That being said, each format, & thus each publisher/printer, is more expensive to use. (My next book, Journey to Snowdonia, will be printed by Bang Printing.)
Once you make your printing decisions, cover design & interior book design will have to be created. I'll discuss those options next week!
