Support for Indie Authors discussion

I am planning to self-publish a non-fiction book in a few months, and I have a few logistical questions. I plan to self publish on both KDP and Ingram spark (both e-book and paperback).

I want to use 100covers for a cover design, and I have an idea for the cover. Do I need to have an ISBN, summary of the book/blurbs for the back cover prior to commissioning the cover design, or can I add this on later?

I plan to pay someone on fiverr to format the book. One issue is that I have an index at the end of the book, but I did not put in page numbers yet because obviously they can change after editing and formatting. Would I send the book for formatting first and then just put in the page numbers after it is formatted? Will this mess up the formatting?

I was thinking about getting an editorial review. Do I do this immediately after publication or prior to publication?

Are there any other things I am overlooking?

You should have all of the material that will go on the cover before you commission the art, blurbs, and technical materials. Your cover artist can put them where they need to be. And if you can get a review before you publish, do it.

I have not tried formatting a book with footnotes or an index, although I have had a glossary and a list of reference books. The issue with the page numbers is that they will change in an e-format since it depends on what size font the reader is reading with, and whether they are reading on a kindle, tablet or phone.

I used Velum software for formatting which worked like a dream. I had bought another software that just couldn't get the pagination right after two weeks of trying. With Velum I had the whole book formatted in an afternoon. Of course, it only comes in a Mac version.

If you are paying someone to format it for you, they should know up front what you want. Just talk to them about it. If they do this professionally, they should know how it's done.

John wrote: "You should have all of the material that will go on the cover before you commission the art, blurbs, and technical materials. Your cover artist can put them where they need to be. And if you can ge..."
Do you have any advice on getting reviews ahead of publication in order to get them on the cover? Thanks

I would recommend you to have your ISBN. If you are using Ingram, choose your cover size. Get the template for the bar code with your ISBN and price. 100 covers will put it on your book for you. If you want to do a hardcover, they also know how to do the Ingram spark template. Remember, you need a different ISBN for each type of book your are doing, That means one for mobi, epub, and paperback. If you are doing hardcover and audio, you will need a different ISBN for each of them.

100covers will put the blurb on and have it all set to go when you need it. They will do a custom design for you. I will admit, I love them. They are the best.

As to formatting, the person doing the formatting should do the page number. Vellum is great if you have a MAC (which I don't, it was way to expensive) They should also put in any specifics you want. I'd have the cover done first so you can see what font they use and request that for your title page and chapter headings if you want them to match.

As for reviews, you can have them done at any time you have to last draft completed. They do appreciate the prettier books as many send the drafts. You can pay for reviews from Kirkus (Expensive). You can use Reedsy who have reviewers. If you have an email list, you can have them review it for you. Do an internet search for book reviewers.

Your formatter will take care of all internal links, such as the table of contents; while I didn't have an index, I imagine it will function the same as your TOC.

I've just launched a non-fiction book. It had many pics and I was not confident enough to go it alone, so I hired Triomarketers (Brenda was so very helpful) to create my EPUB and MOBI.
best wishes

For all of your book needs check out Upworks.com. You post a job that you have (book cover,formatting, editing, etc) people will bid on your job and then you select the one you feel best fits your needs. I have used a designer from Upworks for all of my covers and for some formatting

Hey B.A. (or others),

I am thinking of going with 100covers for the cover design, but it is very difficult to find reviews or information on this company. Their designs are nice, though many of their titles are not very successful (at least as far as I can tell). I suppose this may be more a function of the author/book than the cover in most cases.

What are your thoughts on this option compared to 99designs or hiring a freelancer on upwork or fiverr?

Look on Fiverr for Todd Terry. He is a great artist. Fair prices. He is from Europe, but trustworthy.
Hope that helps.

Brandon, I use them for my covers, They are so good and very willing to work with you until it is right. I've forgotten how to add pictures or I'd attach the cover to my next book they did. I love that they went above and beyond by setting up my cover in Ingram Spark's template for me with the barcode and my ISBN. Other than the one I used on UpWork, 100 Covers is the best. I sent him two pictures and he put them together for this fantastic cover which fits the book to a T. They also did one that is from what will end up being a series which matched the one I had done on UpWork. Their prices are affordable and as I said, they will go above and beyond for you. They also have what to ask, look-for and how to work with a designer.

For Jude,
You can go to Kirkus or Blue Ink, Clarion Reviews for reviews. They aren't cheap but are accepted by the media. If you want cheap, go to Reader First. Then there is Reedsy which has access to readers for you. Hope that helps. You need to allow 4-6 weeks for most of these. Also, if you have an email list, you can have them read the ARC book and give you reviews to use. Be sure to ask if you can use their name.

Thank you for the response B.A.

I had great difficulty getting ingram to accept a PDF for another book and I had to hire a freelancer on fiverr to fix it. I think $300 is reasonable, so if the quality and service are good, I will go with 100covers.

Brandon, you won't have a problem with IS as they will set it into the template you get for the bar codes...they did it for my book. Like I said, I'm using them and so far, I've not heard any complaints from any of the others who have gone to them. They will ask you to fill out an extensive questionnaire for the book and if you have any ideas, let them know and you can even give them what you are looking for through other book covers or graphics/photos. They have several designers working for them and they will match you with the one who is the best for our genre.