Publishing Your Own Book

Plot, character, and setting are the three elements that make up every story. Of course, their importance within each story varies, but getting them right is often the difference between a great reading experience and a book that is put on the shelf and forgotten.

A country road set in the mountains representing an immersive setting in a self-published book

The setting is one element that many writers struggle to bring to life. Outside of science fiction and fantasy, the setting takes on a smaller role in most novels. There are times that the setting of a book isn’t mentioned at all. However, including an immersive setting is a great way to draw readers into the story. Here are four tips for making an exciting and immersive setting.

1. Treat Setting as a Character

Whether your story takes place in a faraway galaxy on an imagined planet, a small New England town, or the streets of New York City, the setting should feel alive.

Write a character sketch of your setting. What does it look like? What is its history and background? How is it related to the protagonist and antagonist of your story? How do your character’s actions affect the setting of the story? How does the setting change as your protagonist follows their arc?

Treating your setting like a character will help you bring it to life and create the kind of immersive reading experience that will leave your readers hungry for more.

2. Find Ways to Include Setting in Your Plot

If your story takes place in an authentic setting, what landmarks can be placed in the story? For example, can your lovers have a cute meet atop the Empire State Building? Can your hero hide in the Appalachian mountains to avoid apprehension while he tries to prove his innocence? Can your villain attempt to blow up Big Ben to make a political point?

If you are working with a fictional setting, build that setting to enhance the story’s plot. Think of the classic science fiction book Dune. The desert setting is vital to every aspect of the plot from the quirks of the people to the dangers the characters face. Create a setting with obstacles for your characters to overcome and rewards for a triumph that naturally flow from that setting.

3. Choose the Setting Carefully

Too many authors are so focused on the plot and characters of their story that they don’t care much about choosing the setting. As a result, they may fail to describe where the action is taking place or give readers only the vaguest notion of where the characters live and interact. The outlining phase of writing is a great time to consider where the characters will spend the story.

What setting is most conducive to the story? What setting would be unexpected?

If the writer uses a real setting, it is also wise for them to consider places they know or places they can easily research.

If the author is creating a setting, they should be sure to consider what makes it different. For example, how is the small town in their book different from every other small town in the world? Fictional settings have so much creative space. Take advantage of that to make the setting memorable for readers.

4. Include a Map

If you are writing a complex setting, consider adding a map to your book. Especially in a made-up location, maps make it easy for readers to understand where the story is taking place and follow the characters’ movements. Having a custom illustrated map can also help you, as an author, navigate the setting of your world and see fresh opportunities for using your setting in new and creative ways.

Have you written an amazing story with rich characters, an intense plot, and a dynamic setting?

If so, InstantPublisher wants to help you turn your manuscript into a self-published book. Instant publisher offers a wide range of custom printing services, so you can bring your book to life with as much or as little help as you need. Whether you want to create a collectible hardcover, a classic paperback, or an ebook InstantPublisher’s expert book publishing team can assist you. To learn more, visit our website or call us at 1 800 259 2592.

1. Niche Market

Books in niche markets are difficult to find traditional publishers for which makes self-publishing a great choice.

Some books appeal to lots of people but that doesn’t mean that books intended for a small select group of individuals shouldn’t be created. There may be a limited number of people in the world who want to read about collecting stamps from the Victorian era but that doesn’t mean those books shouldn’t be written. Such niche books are ideal for self-publishing. The author can print books and then take those books to conventions and other places where their target market congregates.

2. Content Control

When a person self-publishes they can control everything in their book. No one tells them what to include or what to cut.

In traditional book publishing, there is almost always an editor who requests the author edit their book to be more appealing for a wider market even if those edits will change the meaning of the author’s book.

3. Packaging Control

Similar to content control, package control allows the author to tailor the appearance of their book. They choose the cover, binding, and interior book design. They can also choose to include whatever photos or customs illustrations they feel are best for their book. In traditional publishing authors typically have little or no say over how their work is packaged. The packaging, including the cover, will likely be created by someone who has never read the book and has only a vague description to go off of. When an author self-publishes they control all of the elements of the finished book.

4. Money

Publishing companies are businesses. They have investors who expect profits and employees who can only be retained if offered competitive wages and benefits packages. This often means that authors, the creators of intellectual property, receive a small cut of the book earnings. That isn’t the case for self-publishing.

5. Retaining Rights

Self-publishers retain all the rights to their intellectual property. They can choose to use those rights and sell those rights as they see fit. Those rights include digital book publishing, merchandise, foreign translation, audiobooks, and more.

Book publishers may expect an author to sign away some or all of the rights to their intellectual property. Signing over those rights can be a huge detriment to the author. If an author signs over those rights to a publisher the author won’t have a say in how those rights are used. It is possible that the book publishing company might choose to use those rights in a way that is profitable but that the creator feels misrepresents the original work.

Whatever reason you choose to self-publish InstantPublisher has all the author services you need to turn your manuscript into a finished masterpiece.

Call 1 800 259 2592 to speak to a representative. You can also fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com for more information.