How to self publish a book, from finished manuscript to first sale

How to self publish a book in nine steps

Self-publishing means you act as the publisher: you pay for or do the editing and design, own the files, choose where the book is sold and keep the royalties. These are the steps in the order most authors do them.

1. Finish and edit the manuscript

   Do a structural edit for story or argument, a line or copy edit for sentences, then a proofread of the laid-out pages. Many authors pay an editor for at least one of these rounds; beta readers help but do not replace a copy edit.

2. Choose your formats

   Decide on ebook, paperback, hardcover or all three. Each format is a separate product with its own files, price and ISBN.

3. Decide on an ISBN and imprint

   Buy your own ISBNs and publish under your own imprint name, or take a free ISBN from a service. A free ISBN comes with limits: it stays with that service and cannot follow the book to another printer.

4. Make the interior files

   Lay out the print interior as a PDF at your trim size, with front matter (title page, copyright page, contents) and back matter. Make the ebook as an EPUB with reflowable text.

5. Make the cover

   An ebook needs a front cover image. A print book needs a full wrap: back cover, spine and front, sized to the trim and page count. Use your printer's cover specifications for the spine width.

6. Get a Library of Congress number if you want one

   US authors can request a Preassigned Control Number before publication, at no charge, and print it on the copyright page.

7. Choose print on demand or a print run

   Print on demand prints each copy after it sells. A short print run puts boxes of books in your hands for events and signed copies.

8. Upload to retailers and distributors

   Set up the book on the services you chose, order a proof copy, fix what is wrong and approve the files.

9. Sell the book

   Retail listings make the book available. You still bring readers to it through your own store, events, a mailing list and reviews.

Ebook, paperback or hardcover: which formats to publish

Most self-published books start with an ebook and a paperback. The ebook costs nothing to print, and the paperback is what readers buy at events and what bookstores and libraries order. A hardcover adds cost per copy and suits gift books, picture books and books you expect libraries to buy.

Every format needs its own ISBN: the US ISBN agency says you need one ISBN for each edition and format of your book, so a revised edition needs one too.

ISBNs and your imprint name

Bowker is the official ISBN Agency for publishers physically located in the United States. One ISBN costs $125, and a block costs $295 for 10 ISBNs ($29.50 each), so the block is the cheaper choice once you need three or more. When you buy them, you are recognized as the publisher of all book titles associated with those ISBNs. The ISBN is printed on the copyright page and, if there is no bar code, on the back cover.

Distributors also offer ISBNs. IngramSpark gives US-based authors a free ISBN, or sells US-based authors one they own at $85 during book setup. B&N Press offers a free ISBN for print books that works only on B&N Press. A free ISBN keeps the cost down, but you cannot move it to another printer.

An imprint is the publisher name printed on the spine and copyright page. You can use your own name or a business name. An ISBN conveys no legal or copyright protection, so it does not replace the copyright notice or a registration. The ISBN guide covers buying and assigning them in detail.

Print on demand or a short print run

Print on demand prints and ships each copy after a reader orders it, so there is no stock to store and nothing to pay up front. IngramSpark's own pricing example puts the print cost of a mid-length black-and-white paperback at $4.17 per copy at its lowest quantity tier. What you earn on a print copy depends on that cost: B&N Press, for example, pays 55% of the List Price, minus the per book printing cost.

A short print run means ordering a box of copies, from the same service or a local or offset printer, for events, signed copies and your own store. IngramSpark gives volume discounts of up to 35% on its largest print orders, and B&N Press prices author copies slightly above printing costs. Order a proof copy before any run: color, margins and spine text often look different in print.

Many authors use both: print on demand keeps the book listed everywhere, and a small run covers what they sell in person.

Where to sell a self-published book: retail distribution

Each service puts your book in a different set of stores. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing covers Amazon, and its royalties, KDP Select exclusivity and free KDP ISBN are explained in the Amazon publishing guide. The others below reach the rest of the market.

Bookstores order through wholesale distribution and expect a discount and, often, returns. The bookstores guide explains what that costs and how to pitch a store.

How to sell your book directly: your own store and events

Retail listings make a book available, but readers still have to find it. Direct sales also give you the reader's email and the whole margin after printing.

Sell signed copies from your own website. Order a box of copies, sign them, and ship them yourself, or connect a print-on-demand service that prints and ships each order. Lulu says that when you sell through your own store you keep 100% of your revenue and pay Lulu only for printing and shipping.

Sell at events. Book fairs, markets, readings, school visits and talks let readers meet you and buy a signed copy on the spot. Bring a card reader, a price list and a sign-up sheet for your mailing list.

Collect reviews and build a list. Reviews on retailer pages and a mailing list of past buyers give each new book a starting audience.

The copyright page for a book, with an example

The copyright page sits on the back of the title page. Under 17 U.S.C. 401, a copyright notice on printed copies has three elements: the symbol ©, or the word "Copyright", or the abbreviation "Copr."; the year of first publication of the work; and the name of the owner of copyright in the work. It must appear in such manner and location as to give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright.

A notice is optional for works published on or after March 1, 1989, and using one does not require permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office. It is still worth printing: the Copyright Office says a notice may stop a defendant in an infringement case from relying on an innocent infringement defense.

• Copyright notice, in the Copyright Office's example form: © 2017 John Doe
• A rights line, for example: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations in reviews.
• Edition line, for example: First edition, with the month and year of publication.
• ISBN for each format, labelled paperback, hardcover or ebook.
• LCCN, if you have one, printed in the Library of Congress's form: Library of Congress Control Number: 2019012345
• Imprint name and, if you like, a website.
• Credits for the cover designer, illustrator and editor, and a fiction disclaimer if the book is a novel.

This is general information about US federal law, not legal advice. Rules differ in other countries, and contracts with printers or illustrators can add terms of their own.

Library of Congress and copyright registration steps

The Library of Congress runs the Preassigned Control Number program, which lets it assign control numbers in advance of publication. Only U.S. authors and book publishers are eligible to participate, and can create a PrePub Book Link account without waiting for approval. Apply before the book is printed, since the number goes on the copyright page. Once the book is out, you are obligated to send a complimentary copy, immediately upon publication; the Library decides whether to keep it upon receipt of the printed book.

Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is optional: Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. The Office adds that you will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. The electronic Single Application costs $45 for one work, not made for hire, by one author who is also the claimant, and the Standard Application costs $65.

Separately, US law requires two copies of each work published in the United States within three months of publication. The LCCN guide covers the PCN application step by step.

How to self publish a poetry book

Publishing a poem book follows the same steps, with two differences. Line breaks and indents carry meaning in poetry, so the ebook needs careful formatting: reflowable EPUB text can break long lines on small screens. Some poets publish print first, or a fixed-layout ebook, and check the ebook on a phone before release.

Poetry collections are often short, which keeps print cost low but can make a spine too thin for text. Check the printer's minimum page count for spine text. The Copyright Office lists Poems among the literary works it registers. Readings and open mics are natural places to sell a collection in person.

How to publish a picture book or children's book

Picture books are full-color and usually built around a fixed page count, with illustrations that run to the edge of the page (bleed). That means color printing, which usually costs more per copy than black and white, and an interior laid out as spreads with the printer's bleed and safe margins.

If you hire an illustrator, put the rights in writing: who owns the art, and whether you can use it on merchandise and in later editions. Name the illustrator on the copyright page. A hardcover suits schools and libraries; a paperback keeps the price lower for events. Ebook versions of picture books usually need a fixed layout, so check each retailer's preview before release.

Where Nation fits

Questions about self-publishing a book