I find that although I’m not widely seen as a font of wisdom, when people do ask me for advice it’s usually about how to self-publish their book; because they know I self-published mine, and they think they might like to do something similar.
And I hope they will!
So for everyone who has ever wondered: this is what I know about self-publishing, and what I think I know about self-publishing, probably mixed in with some completely unsubstantiated opinions and outright biases. If you have a factual correction or a personal experience you wish to share, please leave it in the comments!
Self-Publishing Options
The very simplest self-publishing option is through Amazon KDP. It’s free or nearly free, and they supply the ISBN number (unless you want to be your own publisher).
That said, I recently decided to pursue a self-publishing project through Ingram Spark. That was a little more involved, because you have to supply your own ISBN, and their technical requirements for the graphic design files were more stringent as well; but dealing with them feels a lot more professional.
Ultimately, my own decision was informed by this very helpful comparison between Ingram Spark and KDP, which is a far more comprehensive analysis than I will get into here. I also benefited from the professional advice of T.A. Hernandez over on Twitter, thanks!
You Will Need
So, you want to self-publish? There are just a few things you will need.
Final Text
If you are planning to self-publish a book, the most important thing is a finished, completed, fully edited, final draft of your book.
So when you say, “Final…”
You don’t want to still be making changes after the book goes live, that creates all kinds of confusion (and may incur change fees). You want to be confident when you click the “Publish” button that you are sending the best version of your book out into the world.
What this entails depends a lot on the type of book you are writing. There is a huge push these days for low-quality, fast-production content that serves the algorithm (rather than the reader, or the author’s personal drive for creative expression). This post is not geared toward that type of work, although I’m told it’s very profitable and if that sort of thing appeals to you, I wish you well.
Getting Feedback
Whether you get an editor or not, writing always benefits from feedback.
Professional editors. On the far other end of the spectrum, some very serious writers get professional editors to first help with conceptual and structural issues, and only then fine-tune with line edits. This type of professional editing service may cost thousands of dollars, depending on a number of factors.
Beta readers. If you are a member of a writers group, consider asking a few colleagues to review a portion of your manuscript. If some of those are willing, and provide you with useful feedback, you can ask them to briefly review the whole thing. Beta readers (and sensitivity readers) can often provide a fresh perspective that you’ll never be able to see for yourself, because you are too close to the work. This is what your work looks like to other people — crucial information if you want people to buy your book!
However, a caveat: Useful feedback does not attack your self-esteem or your identity as a writer; so if you get feedback like that, discard it immediately and be careful not to ask that person for advice again.
Useful feedback should focus on providing constructive advice for improving character arcs, resolving plot holes, and streamlining the narrative to engage reader interest. It may not always be exactly what you want to hear, but properly useful feedback will help you grow and improve as a writer. Even if you ultimately decide you disagree or you want to take your writing in a different direction, useful feedback provides an important perspective and a framework that you can use to build your story.
Formatting the File of your Self-Published Text
e-book. It’s possible to only sell your book as an e-book; and the e-book market has exploded so much, that being an e-book-only author is almost certainly a possible path to success in today’s market. But I’m a member of the last generation to come of age before the Internet did: and to people like me, a book isn’t really published unless you can hold a physical printed copy in your hand.
All that said, you will probably want to make your book available in both physical and digital formats. Note: it’s possible to simply upload a .docx file to KDP, but Ingram Spark will require you to supply a valid .epub file. Either way, for greatest creative control, you’ll probably want to export your own ebook as an .epub file. The proprietary software program, “Scrivener” is a popular tool for this task (and others!) among self-published authors (the ebook option is under the “Compile” menu). If you are using Google Docs for storage or editing, you can easily export your document in ebook format from the File menu. Alternatively, Amazon has a software program called “Kindle Create” which you can download for free.
Physical printed book. The most standard size is 6×9. Many other options are available, but some distributors prefer the standard size.
The typical paperback binding (where the pages are glued to the cover) is called a “perfect bind.”
Unless you are publishing an illustrated children’s book, a book of photography, or a coloring book, then your text has no bleeds.
Under your document’s “Page” menu, set the page size, and include generous margins. Be sure to set “mirror margins,” for your printed document, and add a little extra margin in the “gutter” where the pages will be glued together. Set the Header of your document to display the page numbers and the title of your book and/or your name: the book printer does not add this information for you!
Requirements vary by publisher. Amazon KDP wants to make it easy for you: you could just upload a word processing document; and a .pdf file exported from Word using the default settings is likely to print without trouble.
If you use a high-end print-on-demand printing company like Ingram Spark, their file requirements may be more stringent. I had to go into my .pdf compiler and mess with the settings menu to tell it to use the pdf/x-1a:2001 standard when compiling text documents, because the system’s automated review process gave me an error message that otherwise my text might turn out grey instead of black. The wonders of modern technology, right?
Book Cover
Many self-published authors use a simple app like Canva to create their book cover designs, often featuring free stock photos from sites like Unsplash, Pexels, or Pixabay. If you have some graphic design experience you can always create your own book cover. On the other hand, the old admonition, “Never judge a book by its cover” is not, in fact, a predictor of human behavior. We do, all of us, judge books based on their presentation, all the time; so hiring a professional cover designer may be a good idea.
Be sure the spine for the book cover is the correct size, which will depend on the number of pages your text contains. Ingram Spark has a handy template generator interactive feature, which will calculate the book cover size for you, and set up a blank file with bleeds and margins clearly established.
Be sure you extend your cover art and design layout for 1/8″ beyond the edge of your cover’s final size. This extra 0.125″ is called “bleeds,” and it’s required by the printers (so a micro-fractional imprecision in the cutting tool won’t result in a white border at the edge of the cover). For best results, also leave a 1/8″ margin (without any important text or design elements) around the edge of the cover design layout.
Any raster art (photos) must be embedded at 350dpi. Your final file should be flattened (should not contain layers) and submitted as a .pdf file.
ISBN
Like “ATM machine,” saying “ISBN number” is redundant, because the “N” in ISBN stands for the word, “Number.” But don’t worry, most of us still do it anyway!
If you are publishing through Amazon KDP and you don’t have an ISBN, they will supply one for you. However, the identifying number they supply is only valid to sell your book through Amazon. If you’re not worried about distribution beyond Amazon, you’re in good company; they are the behemoth in the room!
On the other hand, if you want to distribute your book more widely, you will need to purchase an ISBN. In fact, you will require multiple ISBNs, because (outside Amazon) you will need a different ISBN for the ebook version of your book than the one you used for the print version; and if you are publishing in both paperback and hardcover, each of those will require a separate ISBN as well. You can obtain a block of ISBNs directly from Bowker: this is the most cost-effective option, especially if you intend to publish multiple titles. You can also purchase one ISBN at a time through Ingram Spark; but keep in mind that if you end up buying three numbers, it would end up costing you less to buy 10 of them directly from Bowker.
I even found this handy free online barcode generator tool that will use your ISBN to create a barcode as a vector .svg which you can just drop right into your design.
Conclusion
There are many paths to publication, and in the modern marketplace self-publishing is a more commercially viable option than ever before. There are simple routes and more complicated routes; there are costly routes and inexpensive routes: and each route has its own benefits and drawbacks. Whatever route you choose, I wish you the best of success when you self-publish your book!
