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How to Design & Publish Your Own Book

Publishing your own book used to be a major ordeal that required a serious investment of time and money. As of 2011, the vast resources of the Internet combined with technological advances have opened up the doors to the world of easy self-publishing. A wide variety of websites offer self-publishing services, ranging from inexpensive family gifts to professional quality printed books. You can easily design and publish your own book, even without any book design knowledge, then sell it online.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer paper
  • Text
  • Photos
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Instructions

    • 1

      Focus on content. Put all of the text you intend to include in one folder and edit each piece. Do the same with any photos you're including and make sure they are the correct size and resolution for printing. If any of your photos need retouching, finish them before you begin putting your book together. Be your own worst critic and choose only your best work for both text and photos.

    • 2

      Brainstorm a layout on paper. Use a piece of plain computer paper to filter your ideas for table of contents, an introduction and the way you want to order your content. Sketch out possible page layouts and make any relevant notes about style, font or page design. Brainstorming will help you create a more coherent structure for your book.

    • 3

      Choose a self-publisher. There are many websites that allow you to self-publish your own books and even sell them online for a profit. Be sure to check the sizes, formats and materials available with each publisher to see which offers what you want.

    • 4

      Create your layout in a design or photo editing application. Be sure to verify the exact page dimensions required for the self-publisher you have chosen. Also remember to save your document in a file format that is compatible with the self-publisher.

    • 5

      Download self-publishing software if you do not have advanced photo editing software skills. There are several websites, such as Blurb or Lulu, that offer free book layout and design software along with self-publishing services. Book design software provides ready made templates and customization options.

    • 6

      Print a PDF to edit and proofread. Use standard computer paper and put the pages in order. Look for typos, spelling errors, mistakes in alignment or anything that you may want to change before you have your book printed.

    • 7

      Upload your book to the self-publisher of your choice. Depending on the size of your book, number of photos and Internet connection speed, this could take anywhere from a couple of minutes to an hour.

    • 8

      Order copies of your book and set a retail price if you intend to sell it. Promote your book online via social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Book Publishing

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