Question 1

What's the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing?

Accepted Answer

Traditional publishing is where you approach publishers who may be interested in publishing your book. If they accept your book, they will offer you a publishing contract under which they are likely to take a percentage of your royalties on the sale of the book in return for their services.

Self-publishing is where you publish the book yourself on a platform such as Amazon KDP. In this case, you keep all the royalties your receive. Please note that you will not receive the total retail price of the book – the platform will take a proportion of this to cover the download cost for eBooks and the printing cost for paperback and hardcover books, as well as a percentage of the rest of the retail price in return for hosting your book for sale on their platform.

Question 2

How do I know when my book is ready for self-publishing?

Accepted Answer

Your book is likely to be ready for self-publishing after it has been edited by a professional editor and you have made amendments, thus creating a final draft, and the final draft has been proofread. Although you might be in a rush to publish your book, it’s important to work with an editor who will help you make your book the best book it can possibly be. For this reason, almost all of our clients use our editing and/or proofreading services before self-publishing.

Question 3

Do I need to sign a publishing contract with RA Book Editing?

Accepted Answer

No, not at all. We are not a traditional book publisher, so we do not ask clients to sign a publishing contract with us. We simply help authors to self-publish their own books and charge a fee for doing so. We do not take any of your royalties on the sale of your books (please see above).

Please contact us if you have any other questions or would like to receive a proposal and quote for self-publishing your book. We would be happy to help.

Question 4

Will I receive all the royalties on the sale of my book?

Accepted Answer

100%. After you set up your payment details in your Amazon KDP account, you will receive all the royalties on each sale of your book directly from Amazon. Find out how Amazon calculates your royalties on eBooks, paperbacks and hardcover books. RA Book Editing doesn’t take a single penny or cent of your royalties. All we charge is the fee for our self-publishing services – and we agree this in advance with you, so there are no hidden extras or surprise fees.

Question 5

Can I choose the retail price of my book on Amazon?

Accepted Answer

Of course! You are completely free to choose the price at which each format of your book (eBook, paperback and/or hardcover) is sold on Amazon in each Amazon marketplace worldwide. We will provide help and advice on the pricing of your book on worldwide markets, if you need it, but the final decision is yours.

Question 6

Do I need an ISBN?

Accepted Answer

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is required for paperback and hardcover books. eBooks can be published on Amazon KDP without an ISBN, but you may wish to have one, especially if you’re also publishing paperback and hardcover versions of your book. You can choose from the free ISBN that can be assigned to your book by Amazon KDP or you can purchase an ISBN for each version of your book. There are advantages and disadvantages to both these methods. RA Book Editing will provide you with a fact sheet on ISBNs, listing your options and the pros and cons of each option, helping you to make an informed choice. We are also available to answer your questions on ISBNs.

Question 7

Do I retain all rights to my work, including copyright?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! RA Book Editing simply self-publishes your book on Amazon KDP on your behalf. You always retain the copyright and all other rights to your work.

Question 8

My book contains, photos/illustrations/graphics, can you still help me self-publish it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, indeed. However, since the formatting of books containing photos, illustrations, graphs, charts, tables, and other graphics is more complicated and takes longer, an extra charge per graphic will apply. This will be clearly shown as an optional extra in your proposal, so that you know exactly how much the total self-publishing cost will be.

Question 9

Can RA Book Editing create a book cover for my book?

Accepted Answer

RA Book Editing can provide a list of book cover designers and book illustrators who our clients have worked with in the past. Each of these designers has an individual style, so one may appeal to you more than the others. You will need to contact the designers and agree on a price for the cover design directly with them. For eBooks, only a front cover design is required. If you are publishing paperback and/or hardcover version(s) of your books, you will need a combined front and back cover design. During the self-publishing process, RA Book Editing will liaise with the designer to ensure that the cover design(s) are the correct size and format.

Question 10

What is the difference between editing and proofreading?

Accepted Answer

Editing is when an editor reads through your book and makes suggestions and recommendations for improving it. These can cover many different areas, including the structure, language and characterisation. An editor will also point out anything that is unclear or inconsistent, aiming to make the book as engaging and readable as possible. When editing a non-fiction book, a historical novel or a memoir, the editor will check facts, dates and details, and mention anything that is incorrect or could be misinterpreted or misleading. Most books undergo two rounds of editing before proofreading.

Proofreading is carried out after the final round of editing has taken place and the author has updated the manuscript. This produces a final draft, which needs to be checked during the proofreading stage. Usually, only minor errors, such as missed commas or full stops, will be picked up during the proofreading stage.

Question 11

How do I know if my book need editing or proofreading or both?

Accepted Answer

All traditionally published books are edited prior to publication. Therefore, all self-published books also need to be edited. As writers, we often don’t see the errors and inconsistencies we make, and it is therefore very helpful to work with an editor who will point those out in a respectful way. Since you are so close to your book, it’s sometimes hard to look at it objectively. That’s why it’s important to gain an objective, outside view of your book, so that you can make changes that will make it a more engaging and readable book when it is published.

Question 12

How much editing will my book need?

Accepted Answer

It is impossible to say. Some books need only one round of editing, while other books require two or more rounds of editing before a final draft is produced. RA Book Editing will give you an assessment of how many rounds of editing you will need based on your first chapter. We’ll then provide you with a sample edit of the first 500 to 1,000 words and a personalised proposal, which will state the type(s) of editing your book needs and the estimated cost.

Question 13

Do I have to accept all the changes the editor suggests?

Accepted Answer

No, as the author of the book, the decision to accept or reject each suggestion or amendment is entirely yours. Of course, it would be a good idea to accept amendments of spelling and grammar errors but, if you disagree with any suggestions for changes, you are free to reject them. If you’d like to discuss any of the suggested amendments, we’re happy to do that too. We want to collaborate with you to produce a book you’re proud to publish, so please don’t think you have to accept all the suggested amendments. At the end of the day, the book is your own work, and we want you to create a final draft that you are 100% happy with.

Question 14

What is it like to work with an editor?

Accepted Answer

Pauline Thompson, an independent author and one of our clients said, “I did wonder if I may find the editing process slightly tedious when I had to amend each chapter, but I am actually enjoying it. You are extremely thorough, which is making everything in the book flow much better. Also, I appreciate how responsive you are to emails. You've given me a lot of helpful advice and I feel that I am learning a lot from you.”

The sample edit will give you an idea of what it is like to work with us. This is provided free of charge and without obligation, so if you don’t think that working with RA Book Editing would be a good fit, you have nothing to lose.

Question 15

Do you edit books written by first-time authors or authors whose native language is not English?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We’re happy to work with you whether this is your first or 100th book or whatever your native language is (although we only edit and proofread books written in English). Previous clients have included first-time authors, authors with English as a second language, and authors who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. We firmly believe that everyone has a story to tell and our job is to help you tell yours and help you produce the best book possible.

Question 16

What is a copyright violation and how can I avoid it?

Accepted Answer

Copyright violation is when you copy words directly from another book, newspaper, magazine, website or any other source, put them into your book, and use them as if they were your own. Although copyright law allows for ‘reasonable use,’ this is open to interpretation, and it is best to err on the side of caution and ensure you don’t use anyone else’s words at all. This also applies to graphics, illustrations, trademarks and other intellectual property – you are not allowed to copy any of these and use them in your book without the written permission of the legal owner.

To avoid copyright violation, ensure that all work is your own. If you use sources, be sure to blend them with your own analysis and make sure that you don’t use the same words. In a non-fiction book, you may include footnotes and references to refer to the sources you used but you must still ensure that you haven’t copied from them directly. To verify that you haven’t committed copyright violation, you can run your work through an online plagiarism checker.

Question 17

Can I pay for book editing in instalments?

Accepted Answer

Yes, that is possible. Many of our clients find that paying in instalments is a convenient way of spreading the cost over several months. Full terms and conditions for paying in instalments are included in your proposal under the heading, ‘Payment by Instalments.’ If you choose to pay in instalments, we will divide the editing work into a number of equal sections. Payment of each instalment will be required before work can start on each section.

Question 18

If RA Book Editing edits and/or proofreads my book, do I have to use your self-publishing service?

Accepted Answer

No, of course not. You’re free to self-publish the final manuscript yourself or, if you prefer, we can help you self-publish your book on Amazon KDP. Many of our editing and proofreading clients go on to use our self-publishing service but the choice is 100% yours. We’re happy to provide a proposal and quote for self-publishing and answer any questions you may have. You can also read our frequently asked questions about self-publishing.
As an alternative to self-publishing, you may wish to approach publishing companies to see if they would be interested in publishing your book under a traditional publishing contract (see What’s the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing?). If you’ve written a fiction book, you may also wish to approach agents to see if they would like to represent your book.

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