The digital presence and multifaceted roles that you have to make certain can be a tough nut to crack. Especially when you are stuck with the question – how to publish a book in Ireland? However, with this five-step guide, navigation shall become effortless.
Systematic Instructions for Irish Publishing Authors
Authors in 2024 have to go through a lot. Their first challenge is to shape their ideas into literary works and leave them for the world to judge. They are the influential voices of society therefore, they have to be very careful of their choice of words.
Other than this, authors are themselves protagonists in real life. They mind-map, conceptualize, plan, write, edit, design, format, and even market their scripts if they choose to self-publish. All the aspects of their book’s production and distribution are on their shoulders. Hence, you need this guide to make the effort stress-free.
Initiate the Process by Cooking Your Script
It is a common rule in the industry that the publisher will ask for at least the first three chapters of your book or, at times, just the summary. Therefore, you have to have something compelling enough in your hand to impress the publisher in one go. Begin by drafting your script.
Bring together ideas and engagingly articulate them. Then, when the draft is complete, have a professional go through it to refine the nooks and corners. There should not be any grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, or unnecessary narratives disrupting the coherent flow of the book. Hiring an Irish publisher will make it easier for you to shape a polished manuscript and increase the chances of catching the publisher’s interest.
Follow with Researching about the Publishers
Your next move is to find a publisher who is interested in a script like yours. So, let us begin the hunt. Each publisher has specific genres and styles that they prefer. Some focus only on poetry and literary fiction, while some printing presses might favour non-fiction, fiction, and children’s books. For reference, you can check the guidelines they provide or their previously published works.
Whatever you do, just remember that the requirements of an Irish publisher and the target audience must match your offering. Thorough research is mandatory for this. You will have to understand the image of a publisher in the industry to relate to it. Then, after finalising a bunch of publishers you like, you can register with the Irish Writers Centre, literary agents, or online databases.
Make Your Way through the Submission Package
The submission package includes a query letter, a synopsis, your manuscript, or the sample chapters. Let us talk about the letter first. It is your first opportunity to make a lasting impression on the publisher. Therefore, it has to be straight from the shoulder – direct, well-crafted and brief. Then comes the synopsis. It must be a rich and thought-provoking summary of your plot twists.
Later, when you are done outlining the first few chapters of your manuscript, you need to submit it to the publisher. However, you must get it copyrighted before that. Make sure that your submission package follows the guidelines precisely and manages to convince the publishers to approve it. Submitting this package in print is not necessary; you can reach out to the publishers in Ireland through their official websites.
Progress Further with a Writer Profile
You are nearing the final stages of your journey to publish a book in Ireland. Just a few more steps… creating a writer’s profile is one of them!
It is all about the author publically revealing their skills, personality, interests, writing achievements, publications, behind-the-scenes life, and work experience to the potential buyers. In the ever-changing world, now there are multiple platforms for this, like Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon Author Central, Twitter, and Bookbub.
Making an author profile helps you build credibility with your readers and establishes your authority in your niche. In addition, by creating a well-rounded writer’s profile, you demonstrate your commitment to your craft, which makes you more appealing to publishers in Ireland.
Hold Your Fire and Seal the Deal
After establishing your presence in the literary world through a professional website and active community presence (both physical and virtual), now it is time to seal the deal. This phase is divided into two parts – negotiating the contract and following up.
First, you pitch your script to the publishing agency through a mediator, and then you patiently wait for their response. They receive numerous submissions every day, and it can take more than a few months to hear back from them. Therefore, in the meantime, you do not sit idle. You keep working on your manuscript and send them polite follow-up emails.
Then, when they finally respond, the next step is to negotiate the contract. You have to review the terms of royalties, rights, and deadlines carefully before signing anything. Experts suggest that referring to a literary agent or lawyer for this matter is better.
The Plan B – Choosing to be a Self-Publisher!
It is your call if you want to pick a viable alternative. You can choose to be a self-publisher, but this path will be a bit different from the one where traditional publishing houses take care of everything from producing to printing. Here are a few things that will be added to the above-stated 5 steps of how to publish a book in Ireland.
- You will have to create accounts on platforms like Amazon Kindle Prime Publishing – KDP and Smashwords.
- These independent platforms allow you to have full control over the publishing process, including editing, cover design, and marketing.
- However, this does indicate that there will be various things to manage.
- You can use the Amazon templates for basic boo formatting.
- Scrivener is also a good alternative for word-processing tasks, but it is a little tricky to use.
- You can use Amazon for print-on-demand and Kindle books; however, remember that expanded distribution increases book costs.
- Amazon can also help you with cover design templates initially but you might want to outsource for professional results.
- You can invest in Adobe InDesign or learn Canva for structured layouts and multiple export formats.
- Colour printing and global distribution are expensive on Amazon, so you can shift to Ingram Spark for this purpose.
Q. How many books sold are considered successful?
Generally, if a well-established author from the writing industry sells five thousand book copies, he is called successful. However, speaking of first-time authors, selling a few thousand prints is also the epitome of victory.
Q. What do publishers do with unsold books?
In such a case, a publisher can do six things. Here they are.
- Donate to organisations for increased literacy.
- Offer unsold copies at bulk discounts.
- Sell the books to liquidation companies.
- Effectively destroy them, AKA book pulping.
- Archive some copies for noteworthy editions.
Q. How much do authors make per book in Ireland?
In Ireland, for printed books, an author can earn 5 to 20% of royalties and up to 25% on digital books. Moreover, for audio scripts, the range can be between 10 to 25% of profit payment. Hence, it all depends on the methods you choose and your negotiation skills.
Q. Is there a way to get a book published free of cost?
Publishing with zero investment is synonymous with Kindle Direct Publishing – KDP. It is an offspring of Amazon, which allows you to list your book on their site without charges. However, the royalties are subject to sharing on each sale.
The Final Words for Publishing Book in Ireland
We are convinced that after such a long article, you know everything you need to know about how to publish a book in Ireland. So, are you ready for the big challenge? Do not worry if you still feel a little hesitant. It is quite natural to have apprehensions before a drastic transformation in life.
However, this is now or never. You have to try the five simple steps of becoming an author. Just give it a shot, and believe us, you will be proud of your choice. Pick a pen or get hold of your laptop now and start writing.