Featherstone 
How to save money when outsourcing book production tasks
Often we ask other authors for advice about how to go about writing and publishing our books. But for this episode of The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, it was fun to tap into someone who works on the other side!
What do self-publishing authors get wrong when outsourcing publishing tasks? How can indie authors be more efficient, save money and get more value from our books? That’s why it made sense to interview Michael Hanrahan, who over more than 20 years, has helped many hundreds of authors bring their books into the world.
Michael grew up in book-loving home and completed a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at Deakin University in 1997. He then built a career in publishing, holding key roles with Wrightbooks and John Wiley & Sons Australia. Over the years, he has worked with bestselling authors and major clients including Oxford University Press, Random House, and HardieGrant, gaining expertise in editing, design, and print management. As the founder of Publish Central, he now uses professional publishing systems to help (mostly business) authors self-publish high-quality books.
I first met Michael through his role as the co-founder of the Australian Business Book Awards and his insights are helpful for indie authors no matter where you are in the world.
Key topics covered in the podcast:
- How to avoid over-engineering your book
- How to get clarity on your purpose and audience
- How to improve your work and save on editing costs
- Printing decisions, including the impact of colour on costs, dual strategies for planning for a colour ebook and mono print run, plus how to know how many to print
- How to save on interior images
- Quotes and contracts
- What do you really need when it comes to distribution
- How to not just save money, but get more value from your book
You can catch this episode (it’s about 45 minutes long) here: How to Save Money when Outsourcing Publishing Tasks: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast