Professional Design Helped Me Through the Wild West of Indie Publishing

Professional Design Helped Me Through the Wild West of Indie Publishing How Professional Design Helped Me Through the Wild West of Indie Publishing Adam Bender's debut novel takes place in the Wild West. According to him, the landscape of self-publishing bears some similarities with that setting. In this article, he talks about how professionals  helped him design his book and successfully navigate this new territory. Mark sent me a draft of the interior and asked me to scan for problems. It looked great, but we went through a few rounds weeding out little imperfections. He responded quickly and in days we had a PDF ready for printing. He then helped me convert the print book into an eBook fit for a Kindle. This isn’t as simple as sticking the print version into an app and clicking â€Å"Change to eBook.† Some elements had to be simplified to work for digital reading. There were a few bugs, including some issues related to page breaks and spacing, but Mark quickly sorted them out. I was just glad it wasn’t me poring over the code!The pride you feel when your book looks 100% professional? PricelessThe Wanderer passed a big first test when I received the proof of the paperback. The first thing I thought when I saw Ben’s cover was, â€Å"Hey, this actually looks like a book I’d want to read!† And when I opened it up, it looked like a real book too! I could se e that the work of my diligent editors, Rachel Gluckstern and Jim Spivey, and Mark’s clean layout had been worth the investment.Soon afterward, I scored a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and five-star ratings from five separate critics who reviewed the novel early on Readers’ Favorite. I couldn’t have done that without my gang of Reedsy collaborators. "This new frontier of self-publishing can often feel a little like the Wild West."  @WatchAdam Not only did using Reedsy pay off for this novel, but the professional relationships I’ve built will continue to be valuable down the road. Even after finishing their jobs, my collaborators have been available for advice, and they’ve helped spread the word. Next time I venture out into the self-publishing frontier, it’s heartening to know I won’t be riding alone.The Wanderer and the New West is available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle!  Please share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Adam Bender in the comments below!