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Best Self-Publishing Companies [Get Everything Done for You]

10/17/2023

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Best Self-Publishing Companies [Get Everything Done for You]


​Are you an author looking to self-publish a book? Instead of managing file formatting, cover design, and marketing yourself, you can partner with a professional firm, which will handle the entire process for you. In this article, I offer a list of the best self-publishing companies.
Best self-publishing companies

Best self-publishing service company


My top recommendation for self-publishing service companies is, of course, my own, Galdi Media. I started the company because I felt the alternatives were missing key things authors needed. We do all this and more:

  • Editing
  • Cover design
  • Illustration
  • E-book, paperback, and hardback file formatting
  • Book descriptions
  • Amazon category and keyword selection
  • Amazon A+ content
  • Amazon AMS book ads
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Why is Galdi Media the best self-publishing company for author services?


To self-publish a book, you need to upload various files (ex, cover PNG and e-book ePub) to retail sites, such as Amazon. These sites don't create the material for you. You're responsible for having all of it in place - and assuring it meets technical requirements - before you can even begin the publishing process. 

Galdi Media's expert team will handle all this for you, and more. I'll be your personal point of contact through the entire project. And, unlike with other author services companies, you keep 100% of your earnings once your book goes up for sale on Amazon, etc.
​
You have four major options for preparing your files and other material before the publishing process begins:
Self-publishing options for authors
Visit Galdi Media

Best self-publishing retailer companies


Galdi Media is not a book retailer, ie we don't sell books to readers. Rather, we're a service firm that helps you get what you need in order to properly self-publish your book to retail sites, like Amazon. Below, find my list of the best self-publishing companies in the retail area.

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)


  • Self-publish e-books, paperbacks, and hardbacks
  • Sell your books on Amazon, plus its large distribution network for physical books
  • E-books are directly downloaded onto readers' Kindle devices
  • Reach millions of readers by enrolling in the Kindle Unlimited program
  • Paperbacks and hardcovers are created and delivered via print-on-demand  
Amazon KDP
Visit Amazon KDP

Audible ACX


  • ACX, owned by Amazon, is its self-publishing platform for audiobooks
  • Receive narrator samples and choose a partner for your project
  • You can pay your narrator upon completion, or enter into a royalty-share agreement 
  • Sell your audiobook on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes
Audible ACX
Visit Audible ACX

Barnes & Noble Press


  • Self-publish e-books, paperbacks, and hardbacks
  • Sell your books on Barnes & Noble
  • E-books are directly downloaded onto readers' Nook devices
  • ​Paperbacks and hardcovers are created and delivered via print-on-demand 
Barnes & Noble Press
Visit B&N Press

Want to self-publish your book?

Let my team at Galdi Media create you an awesome cover, format your files, and more.
Visit Galdi Media

Apple Books for Authors


  • Self-publish e-books and audiobooks
  • Sell on Apple Books
  • E-books can be directly added via iTunes Connect
  • Audiobooks can be narrated through various partner services
  • Books are read and listened to on Apple devices 
Apple Books for Authors
Visit Apple Books

Kobo Writing Life


  • Self-publish e-books and audiobooks
  • E-books and audiobooks (already narrated) can be directly added
  • E-books are downloaded on the Kobo device
  • Audiobooks are listened to on the Kobo app
Kobo Writing Life
Visit Kobo

Google Play Books


  • Self-publish e-books
  • E-books can be directly added
  • E-books are downloaded via Google Play
  • Various e-reader devices can be used for reading
Google Play Books
Visit Google Play

Frequently asked questions about self-publishing companies

What's the cost to self-publish a book?


Galdi Media offers a self-publishing package for $999, which is considerably cheaper than alternatives. It includes cover creation, e-book file formatting, paperback file formatting, book-description creation, and category and keyword selection for Amazon KDP.

Before we begin preparing your book for self-publishing, I highly recommend you get it edited from a professional. If you've already done this, excellent. If not, we'd be happy to edit it for you with our manuscript editing service.

​Our editing service costs $149 for every 10,000 words.

Self-publishing involves an upfront investment. However, once your book is for sale, and people begin purchasing it, you'll collect royalties. These royalties will continue to come in, year after year.

You pay a single upfront cost to open yourself up to an ongoing flow of earnings. If your book is even somewhat successful, the royalties you generate can pay back this upfront cost fairly quickly. All additional income, for years to come, will be profit.   

How should you self-publish your book?


You should have professionals edit your manuscript, design your cover, and format your e-book and paperback files. To reach more readers, sell your e-book exclusively through Amazon, enrolled in KDP Select. Sell your paperback version on Amazon, and other retailers. 

Though Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play are all great platforms, self-published authors tend to sell almost all e-book copies through Amazon. If you were to exclusively sell on Amazon, you likely wouldn't miss out on a big percentage of earnings.

However, if you do choose to exclusively sell your e-book on Amazon, you become eligible to join its KDP Select program, which allows millions of Kindle Unlimited subscribers to read it for no cost above the monthly fee they pay to participate.

As Kindle Unlimited users read your book, you'll earn additional royalties from Amazon. Plus, every download of your book through the program boosts your chances of reaching an Amazon bestseller list. 

How should you promote a self-published book?


Galdi Media can run Amazon book ads for your book, and handle additional marketing services. 

I recommend you build up your 
email list ahead of your book's release. You can do this with Facebook ads.

Self-published authors are responsible for their own book marketing. Once you add your book to Amazon, to sell a lot of copies, you'll need to promote it.

What are the risks of self-publishing?


If you try to save money by doing too many self-publishing steps yourself, or hiring inexperienced service providers, you can wind up with a book that has an unappealing cover, typos, poorly spaced pages, and a marketing strategy that doesn't work. These issues are easily avoidable, however.

Galdi Media lets you avoid them. Our expert editors, designers, formatters, and marketers will assure your book is in a position to sell a lot of copies.

Can you use freelancers to self-publish a book?


Yes, however, this option comes with risks. Finding reliable freelancers can be hard. Even if you do, you'll need to act as a project manager, coordinating between them, which eats up time and can lead to mistakes. Partnering with an author-services company is a better option.

How do you choose a self-publishing service company?


​Be sure to choose a company with a track record of success. Though retail sites, like Amazon, will collect a percentage of your book sales, you want to avoid giving up an additional percentage to your author-services company. Partner with a company that does not claim any of your royalties.

Galdi Media will charge you a fair price to get you everything you need to self-publish your book. Once it's for sale, we don't keep any of your earnings. 

What are the pros and cons of traditional publishing and self-publishing?


With traditional publishing, a publishing company (which is different than a self-publishing company) will acquire the rights to your manuscript. The company will pay for editing, cover design, formatting, etc, and share the royalties with you based on an agreed-upon split.

In this publishing arrangement, the author does not have to pay any money. Though this is obviously appealing, your share of royalties can be considerably less than what it would be self-publishing.

Even with a lower royalty share, however, you may be able to make more money over time traditionally publishing versus self-publishing because of the marketing reach of traditional firms.

Traditional publishers, however, are quite selective about the manuscripts they accept. And the vetting process can take quite long. For instance, it might go on for up to a year, only for your project to end up rejected by all the firms you submitted it to.

The length of this process, and the high rejection rates, have made self-publishing grow in popularity in recent years. If you want to bypass a difficult vetting system, get a book out quickly, and keep the vast majority of its earnings, self-publishing would be a fit for you.

How long does it take to self-publish a book?


Once you have a finished, edited manuscript, you should be able to self-publish it in about 4 weeks. You need to account for cover design and file formatting. The fewer revisions you go through with your designer and formatter, the quicker your book can be published.
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  • Home
  • About
    • Mailing List
    • Bio
    • Contact
    • Awards
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  • Books
    • Novels >
      • The Cassandra Trap
      • Black Quiet
      • Razor Moon
      • Frozen Dream
      • Sky's Shadow
      • Edge of Chaos
      • Lion on Fire
      • An American Cage
      • Elixir
      • Three Thriller Boxset
    • Short Stories >
      • Vandal
      • Shapes of Dark
      • The Split
      • Intrusion
      • Hazel Is Missing
      • A Road to Nowhere
      • Chasing Dawn
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