Amazon is Getting Rid of Its Editing, Marketing, and Design Services, But Your Book Still Needs Them. Here’s Why.

Several years ago, I wrote a book that I planned to self-publish. My company, BookBaby, didn’t have its own in-house editing service yet, so I decided to use an outside firm.

The first step was to send them my manuscript. After mailing it over, I remember thinking, “Hey, I’m a journalist. I know my way around a comma. There shouldn’t be too much revision necessary.”

I was dead wrong.

Several weeks later, my manuscript was returned with each page carved in violent red ink. My book was hardly recognizable. Each sentence appeared to need revising.

I realized, to my dismay, that I had no idea how to properly use a comma.

This experience taught me one huge lesson: the importance of focused, professional editing. A book simply won’t be publishable without it.

The same is true of professional marketing and design services — services that ensure your book looks professional and is presented to the world in such a way. Independent authors lack the resources provided by big publishing houses; investing in these services helps level the playing field.

That’s why Amazon’s announcement that it would be discontinuing CreateSpace — its in-house division that provides independent authors access to professional editing, marketing, and design services — is so disheartening. CreateSpace made utilizing these services easy. For independent authors, it’s a big loss.

But even though Amazon is no longer in the game, these services are still necessary investments for independent authors to make. Amazon or no Amazon, skimping on them won’t just limit your book’s potential — it will render your book irrelevant.

Here’s why you need them.

Editing

Professional editing is the most important investment you can make in your book. A poorly edited book will turn off potential readers almost immediately. If your book is riddled with grammar mistakes, structural problems, or spelling errors, it won’t have a shot at competing with books that have been professionally edited.

Aside from unwise, however, self-publishing an unedited book can be detrimental.

We once worked with a preacher from Texas who served as the president of two bible colleges near Dallas. A few years ago, he rush-published a book that he wanted to include in his curriculum for the upcoming school year. He didn’t have it edited, and he printed about 500 copies.

Once he had the book in his hands, he sent some copies out to his family and friends. As they read it, he started getting texts saying, “Page six, there’s a typo.” “Page 14, there’s a typo.” In time, he wished he’d never pubIished the book at all. Luckily, there was a happy ending. He sent the book out for editing, and BookBaby reprinted all of his books.

But this is why there is no substitute for professional editing. At BookBaby, the first question we ask when someone brings a manuscript to us is: “Have you had it edited?” If an author tells us they don’t have much money budgeted for their book and can’t afford editing, we tell them to print less copies and save the rest of their money for professional editing. That’s how necessary it is.

If you want to get your book as publishable as possible without a professional editor, you could try using an online tool like Grammarly, which helps identify grammar issues that spell check can’t find on its own.

But regardless of what you do with your book in your own time, if you invest in one professional service, editing should be it. Your words are the most important part of your book. Treat them as such.

Marketing

In addition to editing, another investment independent authors should make is in marketing strategies and resources. The better equipped you are with tools and strategies to market your book, the more successful that book will be.

One mistake we see independent authors often make is assuming that their book will sell itself.

This isn’t the case. All authors need to put in some marketing work. You need to identify your niche, and you need to strategize around how to establish relationships with that audience. Without putting in that work — without investing in services or consultants to help you do that work — independent authors can’t expect for their book to sell.

It’s not enough to make this investment just once, either. Publishing your book is not a singular event — it’s the start of a long adventure. Before you publish your first book, you will need to create a Twitter account, an author website, and an email list.

Once you have those things, you won’t be using them just once. You’ll be building, polishing, and tweaking your use of them continuously. Using these tools is a skill that needs to be sharpened and honed.

This is why, at BookBaby, we focus on teaching independent authors how to self-market. There is not some blanket strategy or solution that works for everyone. We strive to meet the needs of each individual author in accordance with the demands of his or her individual market space.

Because one thing is for sure: Authors backed by traditional publishing houses are doing this stuff. You need to be, too.

Design

In 1964, when United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart described his threshold test for what defines obscenity in Jacobellis v. Ohio, he famously said: “I know it when I see it.”

The same threshold can be applied to book formatting: You can just tell when it’s been professionally done. And for independent authors attempting to compete with the big players in the publishing space, meeting that threshold is absolutely necessary.

Book design is an art form, and it encompasses more than just cover design.

At BookBaby, our designers turn what would normally just be text on a page into a more pleasing reading experience. We do this work purposefully, considering what type of colors, textures, typography, and placement is appropriate for each book based on the genre and story.

Books designed without this level of artistry or care are going to prove less attractive to readers. Because the ultimate truth is, yes, people do judge books by their covers. This is perhaps even more true for readers looking for books on Amazon. On Amazon, authors have milliseconds to attract the attention of potential readers. If you don’t have your act together on the front of your book, you’ll miss out on a lot of readers.

At the end of the day, your book is a reflection of you and all the time and effort you put into making it. It is your legacy, and you don’t want your legacy polluted by something you’re ultimately less than proud of. Treating the editing, marketing, and design aspects of the publication process as seriously as you did the writing is the best way to ensure that you are proud of the final product.

That Amazon no longer provides these services is a shame, yes, but it is not an excuse to skimp on them. Your book will sell poorly if you do — and you’ll be left with regrets.