Hiring all the help you want and need

As you read Self-Publishing For Dummies, you discover the responsibilities of

a self-published author. To maximize your success in creating, publishing,

distributing, and selling your book, seriously consider hiring experienced

professionals in the book publishing industry.

Although the publisher or printing company you use to self-publish your

book offers a variety of services to you (see Part III for details on printing

services), consider hiring the following types of freelance professionals to

help you with various aspects of the self-publishing process:

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 Ghostwriter: This person helps you actually write your manuscript (see

Chapter 4).

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 Photographer, illustrator, artist, or graphic designer: The job of this

person is to help you create and incorporate graphics and other visual

elements within your book (see Chapter 4).

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 Editor: Your editor proofreads your manuscript and final page layouts

(see Chapter 5). Depending on your deal with the editor you hire, he or

she may only edit your book’s raw manuscript. You may also need to

hire a separate proofreader to review the final page layouts of your

book. Handle this negotiation when you hire an editor. See Chapter 13

for more info on proofreaders.

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 Graphic designer: This professional assists with your book’s internal

page layout and design, as well as the front and back cover design (see

Chapters 8 and 9).

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 Sales representative: A sales rep helps you obtain distribution of your

book through retail stores, catalogs, and distributors (see Chapter 15).

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 Public relations, advertising, and marketing consultant: This person

creates, launches, and manages all aspects of publicity, advertising, and

marketing (see Chapters 18 and 19).

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 Web site designer: Make a presence on the Internet and hire a person to

develop your Web site, so you can have a professional mass-marketed

presence for your book