How to publish your book?

Do you love to write and want to share your experience, passion or creations, and would love to do so through a book? The last word is barely written, and you already find yourself facing an ocean of questions: how do I lay it out? Do I need to find a publisher? What are the legal obligations? How do I distribute it afterwards? Don't panic, we'll explain everything!

Preparing your book: proofreading

That's it, the last page has been filled, and you've put the final period. But that's just the beginning! The first and not least important step is to proofread your manuscript yourself, and then, most importantly, have someone else proofread it. This is an essential point because after spending so much time immersed in your writing, you'll no longer have the necessary perspective to see what needs correcting, and there will be things to correct. This first involves a careful proofreading of the content itself, whether to check for coherence, truthfulness, or logic. A good idea is to have someone unfamiliar with the book's subject read your manuscript to see if the content is clear. This way, especially in magic when complex techniques need to be described, you'll be assured that everyone can understand them if even a novice succeeds!

Next, a proofreading by a peer or an expert in the field may save you from confusing or even incorrect statements. It's always better to ask for too many opinions than to publish something false!

Obviously, a final proofreading will focus on grammar, spelling, conjugation, and all the typographic rules that are much more complex than one often believes. All these proofreadings require real work, and spelling correction demands real knowledge necessary to avoid publishing a text riddled with typos. Do not hesitate to ask for professional help. You will certainly have to pay for this work, but it is an expense you will not regret!

Once the text is clean, a few mandatory lines still need to be added... this is where the legal notices come in.

Some legal obligations and notices

There are laws everywhere, for everything and... even for books. You must therefore ensure you comply with them. Here are a few:

The Price

The price of the book is fixed, and that's good news for the author! In concrete terms, a new book must be sold at the same price whether it's bought directly from the author or in a supermarket. This is why the price must imperatively be printed on the back cover.

The ISBN

The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is the book's unique identifier. Every book must have one, and you must also place it on the back cover. The ISBN is provided by AFNIL.

Legal Deposit

It is often said that François I truly established legal deposit. This involves submitting a copy of every publication made in our country to the National Library of France (BnF) so that anyone can consult it freely. This is an invaluable treasure for researchers who are always happy to find certain unknown copies in archives from certain periods! This legal deposit date must also appear on the book, and a duly completed form by the publisher must accompany the copy sent to the BnF.

The Printer

An important and far too often neglected element is the mention of the printer. The law is clear: the name, address, and country of the printer must clearly appear in the book. Yet, I invite you to consult several books from your library: while some publishers do not even bother to mention the name, others are cunning and put "printed in EU" to avoid giving the name of their manufacturer, or write the name of a "shell" company that has its headquarters in France but no printer there and subcontracts in other countries. Everyone will see their morality where they wish, and the goal is not to point fingers at the bad students, but simply know that this way of doing things is not only illegal, but also misleads the consumer who thinks they are "buying French" when this is not the case.

We invite you to check for yourself and form your own opinion on this 😉

And a few others!

The points mentioned below are not exhaustive (specific cases exist, especially for youth literature), and you should regularly check the government website to see if other mentions need to be added. You can find the complete list of mandatory elements by clicking on this link.

Bringing your book to life: layout

That's it, the text is ready, you've requested your ISBN, the legal notices are there, and you've proofread everything multiple times? Now it's time for the layout! This is one of the most important steps because it allows you to transform a text into a real, enjoyable book to read.

People outside the publishing world don't suspect for a minute the complexity of this work, which must not only be aesthetic, of course, but also requires broader knowledge of printing. The graphic designer must master inner margins, bleeds, flattened transparency, RGB and CMYK colors, etc.

Indeed, it's not just about placing images after a text; the book must be in the correct format and with the right characteristics for printing, and that's a whole lot of work!

Self-publish or use a publisher?

The publisher's role is precisely to ensure the coordination of all teams. No one can know everything, but one can surround oneself with professionals, and that's what we do at Cabinet d'Illusions. Each step is delegated to a professional in the field: proofreading, layout, photography, printing...

It's also the publisher who handles the legal procedures, bridging the gap between the author's wishes and the various stakeholders.

Self-publishing your book (known as "publishing at your own expense") without going through a publisher is obviously feasible, but you will have to take on the entirety of this workload and learn on your own. This can be an extremely rewarding experience, but you need to be aware of the difficulties beforehand, which this article helps you anticipate. Finally, if you self-publish, it will be up to you, and you alone, to finance the entire operation. Don't think that not hiring a professional graphic designer or proofreader will save you a few euros: these will be false economies when you realize too late that you've missed a huge mistake in a title (a place no one proofreads because it's "too obvious," impossible for an error to slip in there...) or realize that the book's layout is completely off when you find yourself with hundreds of copies under your arm.

Finally, the cost issue is obviously central: paying a proofreader, a graphic designer, a printer costs several thousand euros, which must be recouped by selling as many copies as possible (and without forgetting taxes and charges!). The publisher knows all these costs, and even pays a percentage to the author for each copy sold. The publisher's job is precisely to carry out this process from A to Z smoothly and to have an overall view of the project.

Printing your book

Printing is certainly the most expensive part, and here again, you need to surround yourself with professionals who know their job so you won't be disappointed. Again, many options and knowledge are required: what type of paper will you put in your book? High grammage or not? Coated, glossy, or matte paper? Digital or offset printing? Perfect binding or sewn binding? Hardcover, softcover, with or without gilding? What about headbands, bookmarks, or endpapers? How many copies? So many questions that you will have to answer before pressing the "print" button to finally receive... a print approval (BAT)! And yes, you didn't think that was the end, did you? 😉

Once the book is completely ready, a proof copy is made (this also incurs a cost) to check once and for all that the book is perfect. This is the time to see if the layout has any issues, to potentially spot a last typo just before you can launch the final print run.

That's it, the printer gets to work, the copies come out one by one and arrive at your place. But this is certainly not the time to wander, a new serious part begins: selling your book in which you have put so much passion!

How to sell my book?

It would be a shame to stop short, with your hundreds of books on your back! You are proud of your work and you want to sell it to everyone, which is perfectly normal. You will then have to attend every possible and imaginable fair and conference to present your book, go from store to store to offer them your product (stores that will obviously take a margin on this book), or why not set up your website and spread the news on social networks.

Of course, there is no miracle method, and it will require a lot of hard work on your part, but the joy of seeing your book distributed will reward you a hundredfold, and that is all we wish you! 🙂

To conclude

We have tried to outline the typical journey of a book, from its writing to its distribution. Obviously, the article cannot claim to be exhaustive because every book has its specificities, and it is precisely the job of an publisher to take into account the author's wishes to make them concrete. As you know, Le Cabinet d'Illusions handles this entire chain, from production to distribution; in other words, it's a turnkey service for the author who has nothing to pay, nothing to worry about, and who even gains money and notoriety! However, it should be noted that our editorial line is focused on creativity, originality, or novelty, so we cannot publish certain books that do not fall within this framework. This in no way means that the publication is bad, far from it! But there are several publishers, and it is important for everyone to find the one that most closely aligns with the values they wish to convey. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information, even if it's just to chat or ask for advice, we will be happy to help you!

Whatever the case, whether self-published or through a publisher, persevere in your project and embark on this wonderful adventure of writing a book!