Our Self-publishing Approach – Part 1 Introduction

Introduction

Our eBook self-publishing approach relates to the eBooks we self-publish about our independent travels. We have pursued this endeavour for the past six years. It neatly aligns with our passions for independent travel and all things technical about eBooks. A key goal is to adopt a do-it-yourself approach to travel, travel photography, and eBook self-publishing – in other words, we do it all.

The results (to date) of this effort are reflected in our seven self-published eBooks and one printed book about our independent travel. We are very pleased with these travel books, and we are confident they hold their own in the niche. While not full-blown travel guides, we believe they offer an informed and useful perspective on the research, planning, visiting and reflection on the destinations we’ve visited.

OS Wayfarer operates as a team. Katherine (my wife) is the better writer, historian, and editor making sure the product “stands scrutiny”; while I (Graham) largely drive the process, take the photographs, become immersed in the technical process (love it) and draft the eBooks.

While this series of posts is not a step-by-step guide, it does detail our process and provides references for you to explore the field and extend your knowledge. As mentioned earlier, one half-of-us is an enthusiast for the technical aspects of self-publishing and so we use SIGIL – The EPUB Editor (SIGIL) it offers control!) to prepare our final documents for publication. You can safely ignore this part of the series, if you aren’t technically minded, as alternatives to SIGIL exist and these are mentioned.

This series is the realisation of a long-term goal to document our approach to our eBook self-publishing. We trust you’ll find it helpful.

Our eBook Self-publishing approach

Three principles underpin our eBook self-publishing approach: a desire to do it ourselves, adopting a cost-effective approach, and maintaining the highest standard possible.

The stark reality is – if we didn’t do it ourselves our eBooks wouldn’t be published. Quite simply: the market isn’t there, too many big players are in the business, and the costs would be prohibitive. To do it ourselves we are trading on our professional qualifications and experience; subsequent professional development; and a passion to do it. Fortunately, we are self-funded retirees because there’s no money in it.

The need to be cost-effective is obvious. We choose carefully the services and equipment we need. For example, we choose to pay for: an independently hosted WordPress website (Bluehost); Microsoft office 365; Evernote Premium; Malwarebytes antivirus software; Adobe Photoshop Elements; and baseline DSLR camera, lenses, and a tripod. We do not pay for editors, cover designers, and beta readers etc. It would be great to afford these services, but we can’t. Having said this, we are considering the design of a professional cover for our next eBook. We used the very affordable design services of fiverr.com for our OS Wayfarer logo.

We strive to maintain the highest standard we can. For example, our “brains trust” reviews our eBooks prior to publication; and personal professional development over the years is improving our photographs and writing. Of course, as mentioned earlier, our product is founded on our professional qualifications and experience.