How to Publish a Book: Everything You Need to Know
You’ve written a book, but need your next steps. Self-publishing your book is very cheap, easy, and quick. Here’s the steps you take to self-publish your novel or book.
Edit the book
You can hire a professional editor or DIY on the cheap, but it’s important that you publish the best version your book can possibly be. The editorial process can take anywhere from 1-6 months, depending on your editor’s timeline and your own turnaround.
Add in front and back matter
Front matter includes your title page, dedication, copyright page, and any foreward or preface. Front matter goes before Chapter 1. Back matter includes your author bio, any preview of your next book, and any acknowledgements or author’s note. It goes after the final page of your book.
File a copyright
It’s easy and cheap and will protect your work - this video will walk you through the process. Filing takes about 15 minutes and protection will be immediate, though the confirmation can take 6-9 months to receive.
Format the book
You will need to create both an ebook and paperback version. Again, you can do this yourself, or you can hire a professional. Formatting is a quick process, and won’t take more than a week, tops.
Design a cover
A strong cover is crucial to book sales, so don’t skimp on it. You can create your own, purchase a pre-made cover, or work with a designer to produce a custom cover. The cover design process can take anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on cover designer schedules and author change requests.
Determine your sales data
This includes your price, book description, keywords, and book categories.
Choose your ebook distribution channels
Which retailers do you want to list your book on? The answer is typically “all of them” or “only Amazon”. This is an important decision to make. Amazon gives you special incentives if you sell your ebook exclusively on their site - but going on all retailers can expose your book to a wider range of readers.
Publish your ebook on Kindle Direct Publishing
This is free, and fairly quick. Your ebook will normally be live and available for purchase within 24 hours. Begin at kdp.amazon.com.
Publish your ebook on other retailers
These retailers include Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and more. You can publish directly on each of those retailers, or use an ebook distribution platform like Draft2Digital to simplify the process. If you’ve decided to be exclusive to Amazon, skip this step.
Publish your paperback on Kindle Direct Publishing
This is free, and pretty quick! Your paperback will be live on Amazon within a couple of days. You can order a single copy and have it arrive in your mailbox within the week! How cool is that?
If you need more help, and want a step-by-step walkthrough of each of these steps, check out this online course. With lifetime access and continually updated materials, you can use it over and over again with each book you publish!
