You finally did it, you wrote your first book. It took months of caffeine-fueled late-night writing sessions and multiple revisions. Now your ideas have finally come to life. You’ve spent so much time and energy on the story. Of course, you’re not going to let it rust in your hard drive, right? So once you save the final file, the next step is to publish. So you reach out to a publisher, get the book to the market. 

Now think of this, your story’s on the bookshelves at stores. The cover has your name on it, shining as bright as ever. Your loved ones are congratulating you on the achievement. This moment is something you have been waiting for years, and it has finally arrived. But this daydream is cut short. The printing house you worked with starts sending invoices, and you suddenly have many unexpected fees to pay. 

Your work doesn’t make it out of your hard drive… the worst part is that you keep having to pay for things you didn’t even sign up for in the first place. Unfortunately, this is the story of many authors in Ireland. We know you must be thinking. 

“This sounds like a nightmare. How do I keep this from happening to me?”

You’ve come to the right place. This guide is going to walk you through the steps of publishing so you don’t end up paying for useless things. 

Self-publishing without scams 

Publishing with agencies is a tricky business. It might seem like you just reach out to one and say 

“Hey, I just wrote a book, can you issue it?”

And they reply 

“Oh, hi! That’s cool, consider the job done!” 

We wish it were that simple.

Here’s what actually happens. 

Promises that are never fulfilled 

Scam agencies claim to publish your text in no time. They tell you not to worry about anything and that you’ll just be charged a small fee. You’ll hear things like 

“We’re no vanity press, we’re a team! We are a partnership publisher!”

No good agency will ever make such statements. They deliver, rather than just talk about how dedicated they are. 

Big claims to flatter you 

We all love to hear good things about our work. But here’s the thing, unreliable agencies specifically target new authors. They will say stuff like 

“We just know your story is going to be the next bestseller of this year.” 

This is a big red flag you should watch out for. Professionals like Book Publishers Services Ireland don’t try to flatter you like this. They’re honest about the text’s quality. 

Hidden costs 

Scam services first try to attract new authors with cheap packages. They tell you prices that seem very reasonable. But things change as soon as you start working with them. 

They start coming up with things like

  • Editing upgrade 
  • New marketing strategy 
  • Cover redesign 

Before you even know it, your “reasonable” package has turned into an expensive one. The worst part is that you’re already working with them, so there’s no going back.

This is something professional companies never do. They’re always transparent about their pricing and have no hidden charges.

No way out 

Scam services have a number of ways to make you stick around, even if you don’t want to. Let’s say you’ve realized they’re not good and want to end the contract; they will make sure you can’t. 

Unreliable services hide clauses in the contract that the new authors miss. The result?

  • They keep your copyright.
  • Charge you a “termination” fee if you insist on ending the agreement. 
  • Keep you from publishing with someone else.

This is something you need to keep an eye out for. Read the contract carefully to see if any of the clauses can get you into such trouble later on. It’s better if you go for self-publishing because it ensures you have ownership of everything.

All hype and no honesty 

Something that most new authors fall for is fake promises. Whether it’s distribution or marketing, they make huge claims like

“Your book’s going to be distributed globally!” 

You’d be surprised to know they often just upload the text to Amazon. This can be done for free. 

Here are all the ways these unreliable companies scam writers. Now you might be thinking.

“Okay then, how do I ensure that I don’t end up in such situations?

You can issue your story yourself! Don’t worry if you’re new. Here’s how it’s done:

Edit your text

You have the final document of the story. There’s a huge chance that there’s room for improvement. Nobody’s perfect, and you may have made some mistakes you overlooked while writing. So it’s better to contact someone to edit it.

 Here are some professionals you can work with:

Professionals What they do 
Content editor  Read your document to recommend changes in structure and content.
Proofreader  Does a final review to spot remaining mistakes before the work is issued.
Copy editor  Improves the writing by fixing grammar and spelling.
Fact checker  Checks for factual errors in non-fiction books.

Once you know exactly what your text needs, consult the top book editing and proofreading services.

Get a cover 

This is going to be the face of your work. It should be impressive enough for people to pick the story up and buy it. For this, it’s better to get the help of a creative professional. When creating the design, consider the following factors.

  • Thumbnail: 

If you’re going for digital publishing, the cover should be created in a way that ensures visibility as a thumbnail in online stores. In case you’re sticking to physical copies, leave enough free space for an impressive appearance.

  • Title: 

Make it stand out. Readers are always attracted to catchy titles. It should give them a clear idea of what the text is about.

  • Spine and backside: 

It’s not just the front that does the talking for your work, it’s also the spine and back. They should be as good as the cover. 

In case you have a creative mind, here are some tools you can use to design the cover yourself

  • Fotor 
  • Canva 
  • Visme

Format it right

Before you go on to issue your text and market it, you need to decide on a format. Hard copies are more popular amongst authors, but you don’t have to limit yourself to this only. 

There are other formats available, like eBooks and audiobooks.. Think of your ideal readers and make the decision accordingly.

Pick a platform 

Once you decide on a format, pick a platform for publishing. For this, you’ll have to do some research to make the best choice. Amazon KDP is a popular choice amongst self-published writers. The website lets you write, edit, and market your work. 

  • Recent data claims that 31% of self-issued works are issued on Amazon as ebooks. 

Here are some other websites you can use 

  • Smashwords 
  • Apple Books 
  • Barnes and Noble Press

Get the word out 

No matter how good a story is, it won’t sell if people don’t know about it. So promotion is an important part of the process. Share snippets of your story online to create curiosity in readers. One great way to get people to take an interest is by teasing the story online, along with SEO optimized content for better visibility. 

  • 70% of self-issued writers expressed that ineffective marketing was the biggest factor that affected their book sales.
  • ISBN 

Your text should have an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). This is a 13-digit code that serves to identify your work’s edition, publisher, etc. This code helps in tracking books across different platforms. Several offer free ISBNs to self-published authors. If you’re confused about how to get one, contact a professional Amazon book publishing in Ireland.

People Also Ask 

  • How much does it cost to self-publish a book in Ireland?

There is no fixed price. The average cost for novels ranges from €750 to €1160, depending on the service. Other costs include 

  • Editing €600-€ 700
  • Cover design €300
  • Formatting €200
  • How can I self-publish my book with no money?

Absolutely! You can use free tools for cover design and formatting. Once you’re done editing, use platforms that are free of cost. Use social media and your author website to market the work. 

  • How to self-publish in Ireland?

It’s easy! All you have to do is write and edit your book. Come up with an attractive cover. Then issue it on Amazon KDP. The platform won’t even charge you any fee! 

Wrapping Up 

Publishing doesn’t have to be so confusing. It can be done without any confusing contracts and hidden charges. Your journey as an author can be much, much smoother and scam-free at the same time.

Self-publishing is the best option for you as a writer in Ireland if you don’t want to go through the process of working with any agencies. There’s always some chance that they’ll scam you. Just follow the mentioned steps and watch your book make the magic happen.