When it comes to self-publishing, as with anything else, you get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean you have to spend an arm and a leg to publish a quality book. It does mean you should have a budget for the important things like an editor and graphic artist for your book cover. While there are lots of things you can skimp on or do yourself, these two are not it.
I must advise you, for every indie author, there is a vanity publisher just waiting to pounce on a new author to exploit their dreams of wanting to be published. Some red flags you should look out for is being asked to sign a publishing contract that requires you to pay for everything up front while still sharing your book royalties.
There are also a multitude of publishing consultants who have written a book or two, but their skillset isn’t any more advanced than an aspiring author’s. While I highly recommend having a mentor (as should be the case for anyone undertaking a new business endeavor) make sure that you vet the person you are working with. Have a list of prepared questions that you require to be answered before you hire someone to help you with the self-publishing process. Remember, once you pay a consultant/mentor your money, they work for you and they should be able to answer all of your questions and make the publishing process smoother to your satisfaction. The product will have your name on it after all.
