I discovered Terry Pratchett and his imaginative and magical Discworld through his collaboration with one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. How had I never heard of this amazing series before? I mean, come on, a flat world filled with magic that’s balanced on the back of four elephants who ride on the back of a giant turtle that’s “swimming” through the Universe! How can it get better than that? This winter, I became a weekly visitor to my library, checking out several Discworld books at a time. My flat world adventures had begun. Each book introduced me to new characters, new possibilities, new adventures, and new laugh-out-loud moments that left my cheeks hurting. 

​However my favorite Discworld book (so far anyway) is not part of the series, but a stand-alone novel set on the same world. Thief of Time could easily be in my top 10 favorite fantasy novels.  It’s one of those books, that when I finished the last page, I sat there with the biggest grin on my face, so appreciative of the world that I had escaped to for a few days. Although Terry Pratchett has since passed away, I’m grateful for the Discworld that he created for those of us still ready to discover more magical and joyous adventures. ​

For the last little bit I’ve been reading a lot of Jack Reacher. When I first watched the old Tom Cruise Reacher movie a few years ago I really liked it, so I decided to read the book. And then I read another, and another, and eventually ended up reading every book available in the library. 23 books.

​As soon as I read the first book, I realized that Tom Cruise wasn't really a good Reacher. He has the attitude, but not the physicality, so when the new series was release (on Amazon) and I saw Alan Ritchson, I thought hell yeah, and I knew I had to watch it. The series covers the first book, and they did a pretty good job. I’m excited to see how they handle the next book in the series. But the books are hands-down still the best version of Reacher, and are probably my favorite book series to date. ​

Fanart done by Kristann (@imma.bunni) for the fanfiction The Beast of Gusu by Netrixie on AO3

We'd love to hear what books you are all reading! Feel free to comment with your favorite, or any that you recommend (we know how hard it is to actually pick a single favorite book!) We're always looking for more amazing stories. ​

--Starwhale Books Team 

I recently started world-building for a new story idea (I know— bad when I'm supposed to be in the middle of revising my current project) but in trying to figure out the level of technology and feeling of my new world I got lost in google searches about the different punk genres. 

So I decided to make a master list. Mostly for me, but also because I needed a subject for my (very very late) monthly blog post. (Seriously, it’s becoming a bi-yearly blog post at the rate I’m going). 

So punk genres.

According to Wikipedia (a highly reputable source by all accounts) a punk genre can be described as “a world built on one particular technology that is extrapolated to a highly sophisticated level (this may even be a fantastical or anachronistic technology, akin to retro-futurism), a gritty transreal urban style, or a particular approach to social themes.”

There are so many (so so many) and some people roll their eyes at every new addition but I think the names and distinctions are interesting and fun (I mean, Magicpunk may just be regular fantasy, but it sounds so much cooler). I love the idea of scientific fantasy, and of blurry the lines between the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Who’s to stop you from mixing the culture of the Japanese samurai with an epic space opera among the stars? 

This is an incomplete list. I've organized it by time period (loosely, because some overlap or can go anywhere). I've also provided an example of a published work (for those that have them).

Let's punk it up. 

Magicpunk/Dungeonpunk: Fantasy punk genre where the “one particular technology” that the world is built on is magic. You have trains running on lines of sorcerer-fueled energy and ships powered by wind magic and computers running on sub-dimensional energy from the demon realm. Popular examples include The Sleeping Dragon by Jonny Nexus and The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams. 

Aetherpunk: Subgenre mix of Magicpunk/Dungeonpunk where the magic source of the technology is specifically the element of Aether. Often, if not always, also has Steampunk elements. The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher is the only example that comes to mind. 

Mythpunk: A punk genre that is inspired by or incorporates myths and legends. These aren’t usually a retelling of a popular myth, but rather one that includes elements of the myth, or twists and changes the story around to its own ends. Popular examples would be American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Deathless by Catherynne Valente.

Stonepunk: Set in the stone age, this genre is characterized by the use of non-technology as technology, creating pseudo-tech and modern inventions with natural, basic resources like stone, wood, water, fire, clay, and rope. Examples include The Flintstones and 10,000 BC. 

Sandalpunk: Sandalpunk is on thin ice as a punk genre. Rather than being inspired or defined by a technology, it instead focuses on the period of time of the ancient world before the Middle Ages, often set in Greece or Rome. There aren’t many examples of it. But the name is cool. 

Steampunk: Arguably the most popular punk genre (after Cyberpunk) featuring science fantasy stories set in Victorian era, with advanced technology powered by steam engines and clockwork mechanics. Doctor Who perhaps described it best, “The Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam.” There are many examples, both in literature and film, including His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman, Mortal Engines by Philip Reeves and The Parosol Protectorate by Gail Carriger. 

Clockpunk: Close-cousin subgenre of Steampunk, characterized by a lot of clocks and inspired by the pre-steam energy period of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Pasquale’s Angel by Paul J. McAuley is more Clockpunk than Steampunk. 

Silkpunk: Silkpunk is another subgenre of Steampunk, one generation removed. While steampunk is defined by its Victorian era brass and steam aesthetic, Silkpunk is inspired by East Asian culture during the period of the Silk Road. Examples include The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu and The Tea Master and The Detective by Aliette de Bodard. 

Cattlepunk: Yet another subgenre of Steampunk, Cattlepunk is the across-the-ocean-bastard-cousin set in the wild west of early America. Cowboys, bank robberies, and train heists meet robots, warmechs, magic, and super-weapons. The Wild Wild West and Firefly verse are classic movie examples. Book examples would be the Mistborn Era II series by Brandon Sanderson and The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. (And I didn’t realize until I just did all this research but based on examples this is like my favorite punk.) 

Dieselpunk: This genre is set in the aesthetic of the 1920s-1950s era and is characterized by the use of diesel-powered technology. Commonly incorporates alternate history elements, as well as themes surrounding the Great Depression and World War II. It’s been called the darker and dirtier version of Steampunk with an emphasis on air travel and combat, dirigibles, and air pirates. Examples include The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad, Dreadnough by Cherie Priest, and Pirate Utopia by Bruce Sterling. 

Atompunk: A retro-futuristic punk genre set during the Cold War and characterized by atomic nuclear technology, ray guns, robots, hover cars, and interdimensional travel. Atompunk often deals with the themes of nuclear power gone wrong and alternate versions of the Cold War. The most popular example of this would be the Fallout games by Bethesda. 

Capepunk: Capepunk is just superhero fiction set in the modern-era world where people have powers. Example would be any superhero story ever. I just think the name’s cool.

Gothicpunk: Gothicpunk is also usually set in the modern-era, but incorporates The Goth. Generally characterized by an underworld of supernatural creatures lying in wait and secretly controlling the workings of our world where humans are but cattle. This is basically dark Urban Fantasy, but it’s popular enough to get a distinction. Anne Rice’s Interview With a Vampire is an okay example. The movies Priest and Daybreakers are much better ones. 

Cyberpunk: Cyberpunk, the grandfather of all of the punk genres. Characterized by a dystopian and cynical future world in which technology has brought about cultural nihilism and a crap society. Often combined with Film Noir or detective fiction. (Fantastic Noir is a fantasy version of Cyberpunk). Heroes are most prone to be some form of hacker, rebel, or antihero fighting against a totalitarian police state or corporate empire oppressing the people. Examples are Neuromancer by William Gibson and the movie Blade Runner. 

Post-Cyberpunk: This is Cyberpunk's chipper, more optimistic sibling. It has the same vision of a scientifically advanced cyber-culture without the gritty, dark, and edgy world elements. It also shares the Cyberpunk themes of analyzing how technology interacts and impacts with society, just without such a grimdark view of humanity. Examples would be Agent G by C.T. Phipps and The Peace War by Vernor Vinge. 

Biopunk: Biopunk is Cyberpunks genetically engineered half-sibling. This punk centers around organic technology with a healthy smattering of bio-augmentation and biotechnology. Examples include In the Courts of the Crimson Kings by S.M. Stirling, West of Eden by Harry Harrison, and Wolfish Nature by Vladimir Vasilyev. 

Nanopunk: Also a subgenre of Cyberpunk characterized by the use of nanites and nanotechnology as the predominate form of technology. Examples are Tech Heaven by Linda Nagata and Micro by Michael Crichton. 

Solarpunk: Solarpunk is a genre characterized by it’s environmentally friendly technology with African and Asian aesthetics and an emphasis in culture, community, art, and a bright solar future where humanity has found a balance between technology and nature. Can also include many elements of Biopunk, but with a much more optomistic, for-the-future-of-species-and-environment outlook. Example works include Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor, Maurai by Poul Anderson, and Songs from the Stars by Norman Spinrad. 

Apunkalypse: This genre is defined by the collapse of civilization where society is replaced by lawless bands of roving scavenger gangs and cities crumble into decay after the rise of punks overthrows the rules of the past. Examples include Mad Max and Mortal Engines by Philip Reeves (which is also Steampunk, so it’s a good example of book incorporating more than one punk genre). 

Desertpunk: Who doesn't love a good desert planet? Often features roaming tribes, wandering heroes, desert bandits, and sand storms. Can be combined with Cattlepunk, for a Western desert, or Apunkalypse, for an-after-the-end-of-the-world setting. Examples include Dune by Frank Herbert and Railsea by China Mieville.

Oceanpunk: This punk is set on the high seas. Often features floating cities of wood and iron lashed together and mighty nations fighting for dominion of the watery world. May include civilizations and cultures below the waves in underwater cities. Sometimes called Pirate Punk, because nothing breeds pirate stories like ocean cities and sailing ships. Examples include The Scar by China Mieville, Tranquilium by Andrey Lazarchuk, and Dark Life by Kat Falls.
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Just for fun I created a couple punk genres of my own. They may be a bit out there, but certainly not any crazier than some of the established ones. 

Edopunk: This genre is defined by the aesthetic and culture of the Edo period of Japan. Probably could be a subgenre of Steampunk, with the Victorian influences of the West mixed with samurai, trickster yokai, and spirits housed in mountain shrines. Basically what I’m going for here is a Studio Ghibli movie.

Arcticpunk: A genre defined by its setting in the extreme North Pole and the indigenous cultures that inhabit the icy corners of the globe, relying on thermal heat and technology powered by the Aurora Borealis. (So I made this up for fun for this post, but now I may have to write a story with technology run by magic from the Northern Lights…that has potential). 

Starpunk/Galaxypunk: Punk genre set in space, where ships use starlight to travel between planets and solar systems. (This one is basically just Space Opera with magic, but whatever. Example would be Disney's Treasure Planet.)
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Can you guys think of any other punks to add? Either ones you've thought up, or any you've heard of that I don't have listed. I'd love to keep this list updated. I find it's useful to look through when creating a new world to get the overall feeling of what I'm going for with the story and world-building. 

What punk are you writing in for your current WIP?


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This last year may have been crazy, but all of the extra time gave us the opportunity to read a whole ton of new and amazing books (many of which have become our favorites of all time). It's a bit late, but we wanted to do a blog recommending the absolute best we read. 

​Here goes. 

Welcome to the third and final post of our series, summarizing our Self-Publishing Checklists. This one will cover all the steps to submit your manuscript to your POD service, and get your book officially published! If you missed it, here's the first in our series, which covers all of your publishing prep work and here's the second, covering building your files and choosing your Print-on-Demand service. 

We’ve put together this guide to help authors through the process of self-publishing. Our goal is to give you a framework to hopefully make the task of publishing your book seem just a little less daunting. Remember that this isn’t meant to be the only way to get a book published, and won’t include all of the information you will need (that would be difficult to list in one place). However, where it’s lacking, we’ve included links to outside websites and blog posts that we’ve found helpful.

At this point you should have all of your prep work done. You know where you want to publish (whether you want to focus on Amazon, IngramSpark, or both). You have your ISBN, LCCN, and manuscripts created. Now you just need to publish! For the purposes of this guide, we're going to assume that you are publishing with both Amazon and IngramSpark. If you are only doing one or the other, feel free to skip to that section. 

If you haven’t already, create an account with Kindle Direct Publishing.

• Fill out author/publisher information.
• Add your bank account (where you want to receive your royalty payments).
• Fill out your tax information (your social security number or your tax identification number for your business).

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Go to Bookshelf on the top menu. You should see a box that says Create a New Title. Click on either the +Kindle eBook or +Paperback. (Even if you want to do both, you have to do it one at a time.)
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Create a Paperback: 

• Fill out your paperback details and meta-data (and make sure it matches the
  information you filled out for both your ISBN and LCCN).
• Fill out your ISBN number. (Either click Use My Own ISBN or click Get a Free KDP ISBN (if you didn’t buy your own).
• Put down your publication date (this can be a projected date in the future). It is the date that your book will go live and be available to buy. (Again, it should match the publication date on your ISBN and LCCN).
• Choose your print options (paper, ink, trim size, bleed, cover)
  • Here’s an explanation of their printing costs, if you’re not sure what to choose.
• Decide on Expanded Distribution or not (though some print options aren’t eligible).
  • REMEMBER: if you choose Expanded Distribution with Amazon, you won’t be able to publish your book with IngramSpark, so be sure.
• Upload your manuscript (the file you created in the last step).
  • Here’s an overview on paperback submissions if you’re having trouble with the file.
• Upload your cover.
  • If you have your own barcode, be sure to check the box below the upload button.
  • If you need a barcode, then leave the box unchecked, and they will add one for you (do this if you requested a free KDP ISBN).
• Make sure you preview your file to check for mistakes by clicking Launch Previewer. (Note that it will take quite a few minutes to load).
• Choose your pricing, and check your royalty price for each book. If it all looks good, hit submit! The book will go live as soon as it is reviewed (unless you choose a later publication date.)

Create an eBook:

• Fill out your ebook details and meta-data (and make sure it matches the
  information you filled out for both your paperback and your ISBN and LCCN).
• Upload your manuscript (the file you created in the last step).
  • Here’s an overview on ebook submissions if you’re having trouble with the file.
• Upload your cover.
• Make sure you preview your file to check for mistakes by clicking Launch Previewer. (Note that it will take quite a few minutes to load). Because it’s an ebook, you can send the file to your kindle device so you can see it exactly like a reader would.
• Fill out your ISBN number. If you don’t have one, then leave it blank (if you want to only publish on Amazon, an ebook isn’t required to have an ISBN).
• Decide whether you wan to enroll in Kindle Select.
  • This means you won’t be able to publish your ebook with IngramSpark until it is un-enrolled from Select. It takes three months before you can cancel it. Then you can choose to renew your enrollment, or remove it from Select and publish elsewhere as well.
  • You can always enroll it at a future date, as long as the ebook isn’t currently for sale or published anywhere else. Simply go to your Promotions page under Marketing.
• Choose your pricing, and check your royalty price for each book. If it all looks good, hit submit! The book will go live as soon as it is reviewed (unless you choose a later publication date.)

 

This is so both of the formats of your book appear under one listing on Amazon's database. It should do it automatically after a few days, and you will see them under one listing under Your Books at the bottom of your Bookshelf.

• If they don’t automatically link, then you can do it manually. Here’s a link to directions.

Before your book goes live, be sure to order an author copy of your paperback to make sure that it looks good. The digital previewer can’t show you everything. Here’s an overview of author copies.

• When you order your first test, Amazon automatically includes their ownbarcode on the back, in addition to the one you added, but it won’t be there in the final print. (And future author copies won’t have it).
• If you do find a mistake and need to make a change, there’s no fee or penalty for uploading another file, so no worries. Simply click Edit Book Details to make the changes.

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If you haven’t already, create an account with IngramSpark.

• Fill out author/publisher information.
• Add your bank account (where you want to receive your royalty payments).
• Fill out your tax information (your social security number or your tax identification number for your business).

​

If you want both an eBook and a Print book, the obvious choice is to choose both and save yourself some money. If you choose both, you will fill out the info for both simultaneously. If you want only one or the other, click on that one (the steps are largely the same so we’ll only have one checklist).

Paperback & eBook:

• Fill out your book details and meta-data (and make sure it matches the
  information you filled out for both your ISBN and LCCN).
• Fill out your ISBN number. (If you didn’t buy an ISBN, then click Receive a free ISBN, owned by IngramSpark).
  • If you are doing both ebook and paperback at the same time, you will have to request two ISBNs.
• Paperback: choose your print options (paper, ink, trim size, bleed, cover)
  • Here’s an explanation of their paper options.
• Put down your publication date (this can be a projected date in the future). It is the date that your book will go live and be available to buy. (Again, it should match the publication date on your ISBN and LCCN).
• Choose your pricing, and check your royalty price for each book (paperback and ebook).
  • You want set the discount price for bookstore orders (Ingram Spark will tell you the industry standard.)
  • Paperback: with IngramSpark (unlike with Amazon) you also have the option to allow returns or not. We would recommend yes. This means that if a bookstore chooses to order a shipment of your books to sell in their store, and they fail to sell half, they can safely return them with no loss of profit. This means they are more likely to order your book.
• Upload your manuscripts (the file you created in the last step).
  • MAKE SURE YOUR FILES ARE 100% ACCURATE. There will be a $25 re-uploading fee (yes, even before you hit submit) for each file if you notice a mistake or want to change anything.
• Upload your cover.
  • Make sure to choose the correct option if you need a barcode.
• Make sure you preview your file to check for mistakes by downloading the digital file. (Note that sometimes certain browsers don’t let the file download, so if you have a problem switch browsers then try again).
• If it all looks good, hit submit! The book will go live as soon as it is reviewed (unless you choose a later publication date.)
• Pay the uploading fee (price depends on what you are publishing)

Before your book goes live, be sure to order an author copyof your paperback to make sure that it looks good. The digital previewer can’t show you everything.

• Simply go to My Account and Orders on the side menu. Then order a book.
• Note that IngramSpark’s author copies are slightly more expensive than Amazon’s (and their shipping is much much slower). 
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At this point you can send one of your author copies to the Library of Congress (to make your LCCN official). Make sure not to send one that has a not-for-sale-barcode on it. 

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You're book is published, or set to be published on your chosen date! Congratulations! 
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We hope this guide has helped, if only in a small amount. ​You can find the full checklist on this page, if you'd like to view it all before we summarize it in these posts. Or you can get a free, downloadable PDF version of the full guide by signing up to our mailing list on the right menu. 

It’s a huge accomplishment to publish your book, but it doesn’t mean the job is over. There’s still the equally daunting task of marketing and promoting your book to get it in front of the people who will read and love it. Because of this, we hope to have a guide that covers marketing and book launch prep in the future (similar to this one), so stay tuned!

​Until then, happy writing!

​--Starwhale Books

Welcome to the second of our series of blog posts, summarizing our Self-Publishing Checklists. This one will cover building your manuscript files and choosing which Print-on-Demand services you want to publish with. If you missed it, here's the first in our series, which covers all of your publishing prep work. 

We’ve put together this guide to help authors through the process of self-publishing. Our goal is to give you a framework to hopefully make the task of publishing your book seem just a little less daunting. Remember that this isn’t meant to be the only way to get a book published, and won’t include all of the information you will need (that would be difficult to list in one place). However, where it’s lacking, we’ve included links to outside websites and blog posts that we’ve found helpful.

1. Publish your paperback and ebook through KDP for distribution on Amazon only.

• Do not choose expanded distribution for Amazon, or you won’t be able to publish with IngramSpark at all.
  • Here’s more information about expanded distribution.

2. Decide whether to enroll your ebook in KDP Select 

• If you do use KDP Select, you won’t be able to publish it (the ebook) anywhere else until it is un-enrolled (don’t worry, enrollment is only for 3 months, and then you are free to publish it anywhere).
  • Here’s more information about Select.

3. Publish your paperback and ebook (and hardback, if you choose) on IngramSpark for expanded distribution.

• Unlike with Amazon, choosing expanded distribution with IngramSpark won’t limit you to their service. This is what will make your book available to nation-wide bookstores.
• If you enrolled your ebook in Kindle Select, you will have to wait to publish the ebook on IngramSpark, but you can still publish your paperback/hardback immediately. 

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In order to publish with both, you must have bought your own ISBN from Bowker. If you use either an Amazon or IngramSpark issued ISBN, then you are limited to that service. Here’s a few blog posts that go into more detail than we do here if you’re still having trouble deciding which to use:

• How to use both together.
• Detailed analysis of the two. 
• Another explanation of how to use both. 

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1. Amazon Paperback File

• Guide to formatting your manuscript.
• Paperback manuscript templates.
• Here’s a list of KDP tools and resources (like a printing cost calculator).
• Here’s a link to the Kindle Publishing guidelines.

2. Amazon eBook File

• Formatting guide for ebook.
• A list of more guides and resources to help you create an ebook file.
• And here’s a page with all of the information for the accepted file types and ways to upload your Kindle content to Amazon.

3. Amazon Cover Files

• eBook cover guide.
• Paperback cover guide.
• Cover creator.
• Cover templates.
  
  

1. IngramSpark Paperback/Hardback File

• File requirements and checklist for print books.
• File creation guide (both ebooks and paperbacks).
• Tips for interior book design.

2. IngramSpark eBook File

• File creation guide (both ebooks and paperbacks).
• File requirements and checklist for ebook.

3. IngramSpark Cover Files.

• Cover design basics.
• Cover template generator.
• PDF Checklist for uploading cover, ebook, and paperback/hardback files to IngramSpark (so you don’t miss anything). 

REMEMBER: It is especially important to get your file formatting correct if you are uploading to IngramSpark. If you have to re-upload a file to correct a mistake or make a change (even if you’re only changing one detail), they charge you a $25 fee per file per upload. So if you have to change a mistake on the cover and on your interior file, it will cost you an extra $50. 

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And that's it for this section of the checklist. You've chosen your publisher, and your files are created and ready to go. Next we'll cover the process of actually submitting your manuscript for publication at both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. 

​You can find the full checklist on this page, if you'd like to view it all before we summarize it in these posts. Or you can get a free, downloadable PDF version of the full guide by signing up to our mailing list on the right menu. You'll also have access to our upcoming marketing checklist (once we finish it, that is). Or, if you prefer, check back for the next post in this series!

​Until then, happy writing!

​--Starwhale Books

This will be the first of a series of blog posts, summarizing our Self-Publishing Checklists. This one will cover all of your pre-publishing prep work, starting with getting your ISBNs and finishing with your title page. ​We’ve put together this guide to help authors through the process of self-publishing. Our goal is to give you a framework to hopefully make the task of publishing your book seem just a little less daunting.

Remember that this isn’t meant to be the only way to get a book published, and won’t include all of the information you will need (that would be difficult to list in one place). However, where it’s lacking, we’ve included links to outside websites and blog posts that we’ve found helpful.
​

The first step is to get your book's ISBN. You can buy your ISBNs from Bowker (for authors based in the US) from myidentififiers.com.

• If you don’t know what an ISBN is. 
• If you want more in depth info.

1. You can use an Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) ISBN (which is free) but then you won’t be able to publish or print your book anywhere else.
2. Likewise, you can use an IngramSpark issued ISBN (also free) but will also not be able to publish or print anywhere else.

This essentially means that Amazon or IngramSpark will be the publisher of your book, rather than you, because they control the ISBN. We would recommend paying for your own ISBN, so that you have control of your book, and aren’t bound by a single service. 

If you choose a free ISBN option, you will simply ask for one from either Amazon or IngramSpark when you create an account and upload your manuscript.
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You’ll need to create an account with MyIdentifiers when you buy your ISBNs (assuming you bought from Bowker).

• When set up an account, you will be asked to choose an Organization Name. This is the name your books will be published under, and is the imprint your ISBN’s will be associated with. You can put your own name, or you can choose to create a publishing company to publish your book under. 
  
• Here’s a post explaining the benefits and process of creating a publishing company.

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1. Click on the tab My Identifiers on your account page.

2. You should see a list of your ISBNs (however many you bought). Click Assign Title to assign one to a book. Then you’ll fill out the meta-data and information including but not limited to:

• Upload the cover
• Format (paperback, ebook, hardback)
• Author bios/contributor information
• Publisher (make sure this is the same as your Organization Name)
• Estimated release date
• Market and rights information
• Estimated price/book
• Meta-data (here's a post about picking meta-data)

REMEMBER: You can come back to edit your meta-data and book information later, but you cannot un-assign an ISBN.


3. Repeat for the different formats of your book. (You will need to assign a title and fill out all of the information for each format: ebook, paperback, hardback. So it is possible to have the same book use three ISBNs, and three slots in your list).

4. It may take a few days for the ISBN to be approved. Once it is, your book is automatically added to Bowker’s Books-in-Print database (which is what bookstores and distributers use to find the books they order.) And that's all there is to it!​
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1. Input your ISBN to a free barcode generator to turn it into a readable image. You can simply google a generator and find one you want to use (there are tons out there).

• Here’s a page explaining the process.
• Here’s an example generator.

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2. You then take this image and put it on the back cover of your book before uploading your cover to your Print-on-Demand service. Make sure you follow their guidelines for where to place the barcode. (generally in the bottom center of your cover). We’ll go over the guidelines later in more detail.

• REMEMBER: if your book will be in paperback and hardback format, you will have a different ISBN for each (and therefore a different barcode), so make sure you create 2 separate barcodes.

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1. If you get your ISBN from either Amazon or IngramSpark, they will place their barcode on your cover themselves (you simply need to click the option when uploading your manuscript).

2. You can also pay Bowker (the company you bought your ISBN from) to turn your number into a barcode, but they charge you money when you could just get it for free by doing it yourself.​

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1. Create an account with the PCN Program (Preassigned Control Number Program, which is used to assign LCCNs before a book is published).

2. Request an LCCN and fill out all of the required information (basically the same data you used to assign an ISBN to your book) and submit. 
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3. It may take up to 2 weeks for it to go through the system, but is often less. You’ll receive an email with your number. If you make any changes to your book’s publishing data (like a change of the release date, or adding another contributor) be sure to update your PCN profile accordingly.

Now you have everything you need to create your title page, which is a page in the very beginning with all the information about your book in one place (sometimes called a copyright page).

• Here’s a blog post with some examples of a title page and copyright disclaimers.

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And that's it for this section of the checklist. All of your prep-work is done. Next we'll cover building your manuscript files and choosing which Print-on-Demand services you want to publish with.

​You can find the full checklist on this page, if you'd like to view it all before we summarize it in these posts. Or you can get a free, downloadable PDF version of the full guide by signing up to our mailing list on the right menu. You'll also have access to our upcoming marketing checklist (once we finish it, that is). Or, if you prefer, check back for the next post in this series!

​Until then, happy writing!

​--Starwhale Books

In the beginning, writing a book feels like the hard part. But once you have the book written, after years of rewriting and revising and editing, after you finally feel like you're ready to get it printed and to be done and for other people to finally read it, that's when the hard part really starts. 

It used to be that there was only one way to get your book published. You format your manuscript and print it out, then send it by snail mail to a dozen different publishers, crossing your fingers, and hoping that at least one of them likes it enough to accept.

But a lot has changed since then. For one, I don't think anyone uses snail mail anymore. But there are also many other ways to get your book printed and published. This blog is a quick summary of our knowledge and research on the subject of the types of publishing houses.

Self publishing is arguably the easiest way to publish a book. Print on Demand publishers like Amazon's Create Space and Ingram Spark are simple for anyone to set up and use. Through these services, the author has control over the outcome of their book. Everything from the editing, cover, synopsis, reviews, maps, title, page numbers, and chapter headings is completely their responsibility, and they don't have to answer to anyone else. They hold all of the rights, and receive a large percent of the royalties (around 30-70% depending on the POD service used.) There is no "gatekeeper" agents or publishing companies who get to control whether your book is available to readers. You upload the file, hit submit, and it's published. 

However, there is a flip-side, and that is that the author has full control over the outcome of their book. Wait, you say, isn't this a good thing? Yes, it can be. But it also means that the author alone is responsible for the quality of their book. They have to be able to create the cover, format the text, layout the page numbers, edit for typos and quality, write the synopsis, manage marketing and promotions, and jump through all of the POD company hoops. (Or pay a freelancer, which can get extremely pricey.) So self-publishing is easy in that anyone can do it, but it is extremely difficult to do right, and takes a large amount of time, effort, and investment on the author's part. 

Self-publishing is easily accessible, and allows all authors the ability to publish their own book with POD services. This can happen extremely fast (within a few days, if you have everything lined up). Authors also keep all of the rights to their work, receive high royalties (50%), and have complete control over every step of the creation of their book. 
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Author must either teach themselves the skills to professionally design and format their book (investing time and effort) or they must invest money to pay professionals to design and format their book. They must also pay out of pocket for editing (which is extremely necessary no matter how good of an editor you may be.) They are also responsible for all marketing and promotion, so it is entirely up to them whether their book actually makes money. 

Before self-publishing became popular, traditional publishing was the only way to get your book in front of an audience. This is the form of publishing we mentioned in the beginning. An author finishes their book, formats their manuscript, then submits it to a publishing house...or a couple dozen, just to increase their chances. Many of the large publishing houses won't even deal directly with authors, and only accept manuscripts from literary agents (who would charge a percent of the author's royalties, in addition to their fee.)

Traditional publishing houses are thought of as "gatekeepers." They are extremely picky with what manuscripts they publish. And, if they accept a book, they own many, if not all, of the rights. Which means they can then do whatever they want with it. They manage the editing, choose the cover, write the synopsis and blurb, create the marketing material, and the author has little to no input with any of it. Of course this means that the author doesn't have to worry about that side of it, and can focus on writing their next book. The book is effectively out of the author's hands. When the book stars selling, the author typically gets 5% of the sales, and the author may or may not receive an advance on royalties (depending on a lot of factors). 

Traditional publishing is statistically the best chance for an author to "make it big," though that's changing. But no one can deny the effect of knowledgeable marketing and promotional expertise of a successful publishing house. You also can receive a advance on your royalties (though it depends on the publisher). 

It is extremely difficult to get excepted by a traditional publishing. And if you do, the publishing company owns all rights (which effectively means they own the book). You have little to no input on the outcome (though for some this could be seen as a pro), and you will only be paid around 5% of your royalties (the smallest of all the types of publishing). 

Vanity publishing is similar to traditional publishing. An author enters into a contract with the publisher, and though the terms are different for each agreement, usually the author retains certain rights (more than traditional publishing). However, they are also required to pay for the upfront costs of publishing (editing, cover design, marketing, promotion, distribution, etc). This is because, unlike large, traditional publishers, a vanity publisher doesn't have the monetary backing to pay for these things themselves, so they require investment. In return, the author is generally paid much higher royalties than with a traditional publishing company (around 20%, though it varies greatly). 
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But a vanity publisher isn't very interested in whether or not the author's book actually sells. So the marketing and promotion is left to the author. A traditional or hybrid publisher would invest time, effort, and resources into promoting a book, because that is how they make money. But vanity publishers make most of their money from authors. Because of this, they have little to no quality filter on what they will accept. So long as the author is willing to pay their fee, they will publish any book, regardless of genre, length, audience, or quality of writing. 

You get a fairly high royalty (20%) compared to traditional publishing, and it is easy to get accepted by a vanity publisher. This would be a good choice if you just wanted to print your book for yourself or a small group of family friends, and don't want to deal with the stresses of self-publishing. 

Vanity publishers charge their authors a fee for their services. Because they make their money from their authors, they aren't invested in whether your book actually sells, so you'd probably be on your own for marketing and promotion. 

Hybrid publishing is a cross between traditional and self-publishing. The author gets the professionalism and knowledge of a traditional publishing company to help them through the pitfalls and stresses of publishing, but they also get to be involved and have a say in the process and outcome. The authors retain 100% of the rights to their books, and generally split the royalties 50/50 with the publisher. ​Because the publishing company is paid depending on how the book sells, they have just as much incentive as the author to market and promote the book to be as successful as possible.
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A hybrid publisher is often mistaken for a vanity publisher, and vice versa, because they share many qualities. However, they have a few key differences. A hybrid publisher doesn't ask for an upfront fee (though they will most likely charge for editing, design, and marketing services, because they don't have the monetary backing that a traditional publisher has.) Hybrid publishers are also extremely picky with the manuscripts that they accept (just like traditional publishers are). They generally publish a niche group of books in a few genres, and have about a 20-30% acceptance rate. They don't make money from their authors like a vanity publisher.

As the author, you retain the rights to your book, and are heavily involved in the publishing process. You also receive around half of the royalties (which is the highest outside of self-publishing). And because a hybrid publisher makes a profit on the sales of the book, they are just invested as you to help the book succeed. 

There are upfront costs to working with a hybrid publisher as you would typically need to pay for editing, design, and marketing services. The author is also expected to be involved in the process, and help with the marketing and promotion. Hybrid publishers also don't have the reach or resources of a traditional publishing, and so marketing is less effective (though probably more effective than trying to do it yourself.)

We at Starwhale Books think of ourselves as a hybrid--hybrid publisher. We're somewhere between self-publishing, traditional publishing, and regular hybrid publishers.

Like a hybrid publisher, we work with our authors in the creation of their book and its promotion and marketing. Our authors retain all of the rights, and receive a high percentage of the royalties (around 60%). ​

However, we are more similar to a traditional publisher than most hybrid publishers, because we are (or will be) a non-profit. Because we plan to receive funding from our generous future sponsors, we won't require the author to invest in editing, design, cover creation, marketing, or to pay us an upfront fee. Essentially we use the funding as a scholarship, to help authors with the financial aspect of publishing. Or at least that is our future goal. Visit our about page to learn more. 

We'd love to hear what books you are all reading! Feel free to comment with your favorite, or any that you recommend (we know how hard it is to actually pick a single favorite book!) We're always looking for more amazing stories. 

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Bookshop is a organization that is working to give bookstores an avenue to sell online. A percentage of all their profits goes to support local bookstores around the country. Bookstore, booksellers, publishers, and authors can also make an account and recommend books and have reading lists (a bit like Goodreads). We just found out about them, and are eager to spread the word!

​You can visit the Starwhale Books page on Bookshop.org to see what books we're reading and view other book recommendations from our team. You can also purchase our published books from Bookshop (like Bellow of the Beast), once it's released! (Which will be on 4-18-20, if you were curious).

​In the mean time, happy reading! 
​Starwhale Books Team
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Bellow of the Beast is a children's book illustrated by Kristann Kammerman and written by Kristann and Megann Kammerman. It's about a young boy who journeys deep into a cave, where he meets a beast with a fierce hello. 

For our first ever blog post, we're going to do a little question and answer with the authors of the book, to learn a bit about their story, process, and future goals.

K: The original idea came from a dream that I had about a pink beast that lived in a cave that everyone was afraid of but no one could remember why. Every time someone got curious and went in the cave, they heard the beast’s tremendous roar and it scared them so badly that they lost their memory. (I remember it made my heart pound so hard in the dream and was genuinely scary). Then one day, a little boy wanders into the cave and meets this giant pink beast and they become best friends. That was the dream I told my sister (Megann) about and then she ended up writing it down in a flash fiction story - giving it more of a narrative and adding in the part about the roar being a “hello”, which I absolutely adored.

M: Kristann told me about this super realistic-feeling dream she had while we were sitting at the cafe after class one day. I happened to be in a flash fiction writing class, and the next day I wrote the story for my portfolio. I really just did it because I knew it would make Kristann laugh, and didn't expect it to go anywhere. The next year we were taking a class together, and one of the options for the final project was to draw a children's book. Kristann had the idea to revise the original (and very bad) scene I had written and turn it into a story that she could illustrate, which then became Bellow of the Beast.
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K: Having someone to share the load with, and not having to be 100% responsible for the outcome.

M: I've worked on a lot of projects - flash fiction stories, personal essays, short stories, and a novel or two. But I've never finished anything or gotten anything to the point where I can actually publish it. Bellow of the Beast is the first thing I've done that I can hold up and say it is, in fact, done. It's a nice feeling. ​So I would say finishing was the best part. 
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K: Having to share the load with someone - not being 100% in charge of the outcome 
(I’m a walking contradiction… sorry Megann ‘XD)

M: (It's okay. I'm used to your contradictions. I think they're endearing =P). I think mine would be the frustration of having the book done, but being forced to wait so long after our first failed attempt to publish. 
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M: The next big project I'm working on is Soot of the Stars, a space fantasy novel about a star-traveler stranded on a planet with limited technology (I'm in the middle of my second draft). I also have a few other book and short story ideas that are in various stages of development. I'm always working on something or another. 
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M: Children's books are simpler in a way (certainly less world building and plot work!) But I don't think Bellow of the Beast is a good book to judge since it just seemed to fall together so perfectly that the actual creation of it wasn't difficult at all. I would say I don't have a preference - I just work on projects or ideas as I have them, whatever seems the most interesting at the time. 
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K: Yes, definitely a reader! My favorite children’s books are Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, The Velveteen Rabbit by Mergery Williams and Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. And a small few of my other favorite books (in no particular order) are Fire by Kristin Cashore, the Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs, Air Awakens by Elise Kova, and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

M: Way too many to list here! Some of my favorites would have to be: Curse of Chalion by Louis McMaster Bujold, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Fire by Kristin Cashore, everything Brandon Sanderson writes, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher...and seriously I could keep going forever but I think that's a good overview of my random tastes. 

It there's anything else you want to know, fell free to ask any question in the comments and the authors will answer them!

Bellow of the Beast is set to be released this spring. We'll announce on this blog, as well as on our Instagram (@starwhalepublishing) when the final date is set, so be sure to follow us!

In the meantime, be sure to check out the official website, bellowofthebeast.com, or follow @bellowofthebeast on Instagram to see sneak peaks, character sheets, and concept art of the book.
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--Starwhale Books
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