The dream of becoming a published author is no longer reserved for a lucky few. Today, anyone with a story and the calling to share it can learn how to self-publish a book and get it onto virtual and physical shelves — and that includes you. In today’s publishing landscape, understanding how to self-publish a book is a game changer. With this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn exactly how to self-publish a book that you’re proud to call your own. If you’re ready to stop wishing and start achieving, this is your moment. Your story matters. Your voice deserves to be heard. Let’s get started.
How Hard is it to Self-Publish a book?
Many aspiring authors wonder how to self-publish a book and whether the process is difficult or overwhelming. The truth is, while there are multiple steps involved, the journey becomes manageable—and even exciting—once you understand the system.
Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
It helps to compare self-publishing with traditional publishing to see which is right for you when deciding how to self-publish a book. There are several benefits to taking the self-publishing route for your book,
What’s the Average Cost to Self-Publish a Book?
Another important part of learning how to self-publish a book is understanding the costs involved. While the total can vary greatly depending on your choices, here are the four major expense categories you’ll want to budget for:
Self-Publishing Prices for Editing
After you complete writing your first draft and have self-edited the entire manuscript, it is highly recommended that you hire a professional editor to make sure your book is the most polished and professional it can be. This is generally the most expensive part of the cost of self-publishing a book, yet without it, your book may suffer in the long run from a lack of sales or poor reviews if readers find errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, citations, and overall flow and organization of your book.
Editing costs vary depending on the experience of the editor you hire and what type of editing you need. Basic proofreading for spelling, grammar, and punctuation will be the most inexpensive self-publishing cost for an editor at around 2 to 4 cents per word. Developmental editing, where you need help with the big picture and organization of your plot or outline will be more expensive and can run up to 12 cents per word.
It is recommended that you choose a few editors that you are considering and see if they will do a sample edit (usually a few pages) to determine if you like their style and service. Discuss prices before hiring. Most editors charge either by word count or by the hour. That is why it is imperative to self-edit first so that your manuscript is in the best possible form before sending it for professional editing.
In Christian Book Academy, we have editors at a reasonable price who we recommend depending on your needs.
Self-Publishing Prices for the Design of Your Book
The next step of self-publishing a book involves the design of both the interior and exterior of your finished book. The interior will require specific formatting for uploading to the publication site you choose. If you are using Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), they have templates and software you can use and do it yourself if you feel confident. That would be the most inexpensive self-publishing cost for the interior design of your book.
If you are not tech savvy or prefer to have a more experienced person format and prepare your book for publication, you can hire someone relatively inexpensively. Places like Fiverr.com have numerous freelancers who offer both formatting and cover design services for anywhere from $10 to under $100 for formatting and up to $170 for cover design. Make sure you check references and discuss exactly what services you will need and what they offer before agreeing to use a provider there. Color books or books with photos or illustrations will be considerably more expensive than the prices listed here.
The price for self-publishing a book and hiring someone to do the interior and cover design will be less if you are only creating a digital or e-book format due to the simpler format of the digital cover. You can also learn to format yourself. This would save you money for the self-publishing cost, especially if you plan to produce multiple books in the future.
Self-Publishing Prices for Printing and Distribution
The next stage of self-publishing your book is to use a printing service, or print-on-demand service like Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark. There is generally no cost to upload your book. Also, there is no cost for publishing a book until you sell a copy. The service you use will take a small percentage of your book’s cover price for printing and distribution. Currently, Amazon royalties are between 35-70% for Kindle e-books and 50-60% for print books. Though these are not upfront self-publishing costs, they do come out of your overall earnings once you start selling books.
Additional Costs to Self-Publish a Book
While optional, having a website and budget for marketing are highly recommended elements for how to self-publish a book effectively. Websites can range from free to several hundred dollars per year, and marketing campaigns on platforms like Amazon Ads or Facebook Ads can be tailored to your budget.
So, just how much does it cost to self-publish a book? You can expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. But, the nice thing about self-publishing yourself is that you are in complete control of your book publishing prices. Before you know it, your publishing dream can soon become a reality!
How to Self-Publish a Book: The Process
Step 1: Write Your Book Draft
Finding Your Unique Voice
When you are writing, we encourage you to write as if you are having a conversation, especially when writing nonfiction books. Write it as if your target reader was sitting across the table from you in a coffee shop and you are sharing this information with them. Most people prefer this style of writing, as it is easier to read and consume.
There will be certain types of nonfiction books that are more technical in nature. However, for most books it will be best to write as if you are having a conversation. Ask yourself what questions your readers would ask. If you ever get stuck while writing imagine you are your reader. What would be the next question they would ask? Have that conversation with them in your mind (or out loud if you’re in the privacy of your home), and write it out. Doing this will help you get the flow going
You can also ask the 5 W’s. These are questions that journalists ask when they are investigating a story. The 5 W’s are:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
Use these questions when you reach a standstill with your writing. They will help you fill in the gaps.
Consider Using Content You Already Have
If you have published blog posts, podcasts, videos, or have given presentations; you may already have content you can use for your book. Take a moment to look over the content you have already created to see if you can repurpose it and include it in your book. Podcasts and videos can be transcribed and presentation slides can be used as part of your outline
Setting a Writing Schedule
Finding time to write a book will require specific and intentional strategies in order to make progress on your writing goals. Books simply don’t write themselves. Consistent progress will certainly affect how long it takes to publish a book. Here are a few strategies that have helped us stay consistent with our writing…
- Time Blocking – When you are looking at the week or month ahead, one strategy is to block off chunks of time that are dedicated to writing only. For example, CJ likes to schedule several 2-3 hour blocks of time in his phone calendar. These blocks are in the afternoon which is when he prefers writing. Short of an emergency, these scheduled blocks of time are set in stone and considered serious commitments.
Each writer has to determine which blocks of time work best for them but just adding these commitments into your calendar goes a long way in achieving your writing goals. - Prioritization – It’s been said that we always find time for the things we want to do. Many of those who say, “I just can’t find the time to sit down and write,” will somehow have time to watch hours of TV or scroll through social media. Finding time to write a book has to become a priority if you and I are going to hit the publish button.
A good question to ask ourselves is, “How desperate am I to complete the book God has called me to write?” Is it worth getting out of bed a couple hours early once or twice a week? Is it more important than being mindlessly entertained by my smartphone? Nothing worth having in life comes without effort. Make your writing a priority before too much more time slips away. - Setting Clear Goals – There’s a difference between saying, “I want to do more writing this week” and “I will write for 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week.” The first phrase is vague and could easily get swallowed up by other things. The second phrase is a specific and realistic goal most people can easily achieve.
This same concept applies to New Year’s resolutions. “I plan on doing more writing in 2024.” “I hope to lose more weight this year.” There’s nothing wrong with these desires except that they will most likely fizzle by late January. In fact, only about 12% of New Year’s resolutions are actually achieved. There has to be a clear and achievable goal and then a daily commitment to see that goal through.
Here’s an example of a clear and specific goal and then a clear plan of attack…
Specific Goal: Let’s say you’re at the beginning of a new year. My goal is to finish writing my first draft by the end of June.
Specific Plan: I will block off 2 hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the purpose of writing. I will not break my writing appointment unless there’s an emergency, even if that means saying no to several good things.
Finding time to write a book will require setting clear goals and having a specific plan to get there.
Cultivating the Writing Habit
When thinking of the word “cultivate,” farming comes to mind. In fact, Webster’s defines this word in the following ways: “to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops; to foster the growth of; to improve by labor, care, or study.”
By cultivating a writing habit, we could look at it similar to a farmer cultivating his/her crops. We are preparing, fostering the growth of our writing, laboring, caring, and studying our craft. There is a careful process a farmer has to take in order to see a fruitful harvest. In the same way, there is a careful process a writer has to take in order to see their writing flourish into all that God intends.
Here are a few ways we could look at the process of making writing a habit…
- Daily or Weekly Commitment – As we look at how to find time to write, having a commitment is key. When it comes to a doctor’s appointment, we are usually pretty good at keeping that appointment, knowing that if we cancel, it could be months before they can get us back in for another one. I’m not saying we should look at our writing appointments like doctor’s appointments, but we should take them seriously.
The reality is that if we choose to miss a writing appointment, we won’t get that specific block of time back. Thankfully, God’s grace allows us to schedule more appointments with the hope of making the most of each one.
We encourage you to sit down with your calendar and begin setting aside blocks of time for writing commitments. Some of those blocks might be 30 minutes, some might be 2 hours, and others could be 4 hours. It’s going to vary from person to person but the important thing is making the commitment and sticking to it as much as you’re able with God’s help. - Accountability – This is a crucial piece for so many in finding time to write a book. In our Christian Book Academy, we have implemented a resource called “Progress Pods” that so many of our members have found to be so helpful. These are accountability groups of 6-10 members that meet via Zoom a couple of times each month.
Each group has a trained leader that helps facilitate each session. Members come away from each session encouraged, edified, and excited after sharing their ups and downs with fellow like-minded Kingdom writers. We have heard several writers say that these Progress Pods have been worth the price of their membership with all the ways they have benefitted. The key to these groups is simply focusing on the next small step that will help facilitate progress and then being accountable to that one small step. - Mindset Shift – Our mindset is also a key ingredient in finding time to write a book. If you and I have been called to write books, it is an absolute privilege we have been given. We like to say, “It’s a privilege, not a pressure.” There’s a difference between saying, “I have to do some writing today” and “I get to do some writing today.”
If writing feels burdensome, we need to sit down with the Lord and ask Him what the root of this is. There’s no doubt that finishing a book will require some sweat equity, but our mindset should be that of gratitude and privilege for this opportunity to write words that impact others on a deep level.
Step 2: Editing Your Manuscript
Self-Editing Tips
We recommend you self-edit your work first. Here are four ways to do it.
1) Spell Check
First of all, you should use the spell check feature included in your word processing software. You can miss things if you forget to do a spell check. We have done this before when we sent a manuscript to an editor and realized we would have caught our mistakes if we had simply used spell check.
2) Read it Out Loud
This is a great way to catch mistakes. We often do this, even with blog posts or other short writing tasks. We want to make sure it sounds right and that it flows. When you read your manuscript out loud, you can catch many errors and sentences that sound awkward.
3) Have Your Computer Read it to You
Another option is to actually have your computer read it out loud to you. There is free software called Natural Reader that will read your manuscript back to you. Sometimes hearing someone else read it can also help you catch additional errors that you didn’t catch the first time.
4) Print it Out
Another option for self-editing is to read a printed copy. Many times you will see errors on printed paper that you won’t catch on a screen.
Consider Using Editing Software
The next step is to consider editing software. Here are a few options:
1) ProWritingAid – Improve readability and avoid embarrassing errors with their tool. They have a free and premium edition.
2) Hemingway Editor – There is a free online version and an app you can download. They do ask for a small fee if you want the desktop version, but you can use the basic software for free. This software will point out awkward sentences, hard-to-read sentences, how many adverbs you have, etc. It will even tell you the grade level you are writing for,and can be a helpful tool.
3) Autocrit – This is a tool used more often by fiction authors,but might be an option you want to consider. You can edit a small amount of text for free by signing up for their email list.
4) Grammarly – They claim to be the world’s most accurate grammar checker. This is a paid tool.
Use Proofreaders
The next step is to use proofreaders. This is not a professional edit. You will normally use friends, family, other authors, college students, professors/teachers, or even hire a professional to proofread your work..
Hiring a Professional Editor
Finally, you may want to consider hiring a professional editor. There are several types of editing:
Copyediting: Corrects the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and overall consistency of your book.
Developmental Content editing: This includes copy editing and helps you with the overall flow of your book. This is helpful for text that has been transcribed.
Most of the time we hire a copyeditor for our nonfiction books. This ensures that we don’t have any glaring mistakes in the books we publish. However, if you are struggling with writing or have a transcript that needs a lot of editing, a developmental content editor will be a better fit for you.
We recommend hiring an editor who has experience with the Chicago Manual of Style. You may also want to compare the rates of the editor you hire with the Editorial Freelancer Association rates.
Here are a few recommendations for editors:
1) Editor911.com – Allof their editors have PhD’s. They are professors of literature or writing at major universities, and have edited over 4,000 books since 1999. So they have a pretty good track record.
2) The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide: Every Indie Author’s Essential Directory – To Help You Prepare, Publish, and Promote Professional Looking Books. There is a section that includes editors. We recommend getting the Kindle version as you’ll get the updates as they come out.
3) Other recommendations – We also have a link to our Trainingauthors.com website, where we have a list of recommended editors. We don’t want you to feel overwhelmed at this stage. With a small eBook, you can often get away with using a quick self-edit and/or software. Or you can use a proofreader in your sphere of contacts. However, if you are writing a print “showcase book,” we recommend using a professional editor. A showcase book is a book you sell at the back of the room after a speaking engagement. And if you have the budget to hire a copyeditor, we recommend it for all nonfiction Kindle books.
Step 3: Create a Book Cover
Importance of a Compelling Cover
Never underestimate the power of a great book cover. Your book cover can have a big impact on marketing and advertising your book.
Designing Your Cover Yourself vs. Hiring a Designer
DIY Book Covers
The first option is to do it yourself. We don’t recommend this option to anyone, unless you have a background in design and you know how to use graphic design software. Investing even a small amount into your book cover will be well worth it.
Use a Book Cover Template
You can also start with a book cover template. Canva.com has templates you can use and there are over 100 eBook cover templates in the member’s area of Christian Book Academy.
DIY covers is another option. They provide Microsoft Word templates for book covers. With a template, you will still want to change it enough to make it unique and your own. You want your book cover to stand out, not look similar to other books on Amazon.
Hire a Designer
We highly recommend hiring a designer. Your book cover is your first impression to all readers, and can make a big difference in the sales success of your book. Therefore, a professional design is important.
1) Find a designer on Amazon – One way to find a book cover designer is to find book covers you like on Amazon, click the “read sample” feature, and look at the credits. See if there is a credit to the designer. Sometimes they will even include an e-mail address or website so you can contact the designer directly.
For example, I like Kim Garst’s cover for her book “Will the Real You Please Stand Up.” By using the “read sample” feature, I can find out that her cover designer was Rachel Lopez from http://www.r2cdesign.com. I could then contact Rachel for a quote to see if I want to use her for my book cover.
2) Fiverr – At Fiverr, you can search for eBook cover designers. Many of them will design a cover for you for as low as $5. However, Fiverr designers can be hit or miss, so you may want to hire several designers at the same time and then choose the cover you like the best. We have used Fiverr for some of our covers and have found we have to be very specific with what we want. The best thing to do is find several covers you like on Amazon and send the links to a designer to give them an example of what you want.
3) 99Designs – With 99Designs, you can post your book cover design project,and then a bunch of designers will give you cover concepts. This is especially helpful if you have no idea what you want to do for your book cover. This process ensures you end up with a professionally designed book cover,without a huge investment. And if you don’t get any covers you like, you can get your money back.
4) Joel Friedlander Book Cover Design Contests – Joel hosts a book cover design contest each month and says many authors find their cover designer by looking through some of the winning covers. You may want to look through some of the past covers and see if there is a designer that fits the style you want.
5) Other recommendations – There is a list on our TrainingAuthors.com site with other designers to consider.
Step 4: ISBN for Self-Published Books
What is an ISBN?
An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a unique 13-digit code that identifies a specific book or book-like product. It helps publishers, bookstores, libraries, and online retailers track and manage inventory, sales, and distribution. The ISBN is used for both physical and digital books, and each unique edition and format of a book requires its own ISBN
Where to Buy an ISBN
We have purchased our ISBNs from myidentifiers.com; that’s what we recommend. We do realize that some people get confused on this with ISBN and the barcodes.
They are separate.
All you need to purchase is the ISBN. You do not need to purchase barcodes. What happens is when you publish with a print-on-demand company, like Amazon KDP, you will have the bar code generated for you. So they’ll generate a barcode for you based on your ISBN.
We do recommend purchasing your own ISBNs, it does give you so much more flexibility and more control. That is what we do now.
We actually purchased a batch of 100 ISBNs, just because we have over 70 books. But 10 is really what we typically recommend for most authors. It is a really good place to start. It’s a lot cheaper than just buying one at a time. If you know you’re going to be writing more than one book, that’s usually the best thing to do.
Occasionally, myidentifiers.com will have sales. When we purchased our bulk package of ISBNs they were having a sale. We got ours for a discount. Look for sales and discounts.
Step 5: Formatting Your Book for Publishing
Choosing the Right Format
Tools for Formatting Your Kindle Book
This step also includes formatting your book for Kindle. We recommend writing your book in a template. We have a Kindle template that we use for all our books and it is available within Christian Book Academy.
If we type our books in chunks of time, we type the book directly into our Kindle template. However, if we speak our book and have it transcribed, we copy and paste it directly into the template, as plain text to strip out any formatting. Kindle will be able to read hidden formatting, so make sure you are using templates the way they were intended.
We also recommend using the templates from Book DesignTemplates. They have both eBook and print templates that you can use. Or you can hire someone.
Another resource you can use is Kinstant Formatter. This tool works best when you have a book that is mostly text.
Outsource
You can hire someone for as inexpensively as $49.
Check out the resources that we have for you here.
The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide: Every Indie Author’s Essential Directory-To Help You Prepare, Publish, and Promote Professional Looking Books. There is a section that includes people you can hire for eBook conversion. We recommend getting the Kindle version as you’ll get the updates as they come out.
Choose What Works Best for You
Remember to choose what works best for you and create a repeatable system. That has been part of the secret of our own success through the years. Instead of trying every tool, choose one that works for you and keep using it over and over.
We also have posts about self-publishing print books
For even more tools that can help you format your book in print or Kindle, join our Christian Book Academy family.
Step 6: Choosing a Self-Publishing Platform
Popular Self-Publishing Platforms
Here are a few platforms we recommend when learning how to self-publish a book:
- Amazon KDP
- Barnes & Noble Nook
- iBookStore
Using eBook Distributors
Instead of publishing your book directly to all of the individual platforms, you can choose to go through an eBook distributor such as Draft2Digital. Many of these options are available with no upfront fees, but they do keep a portion of the book royalties. On the up side, you only have to format your book once, and they will reformat it for the other devices for you. It’s a great time saver, but does cut into your royalties some.
You can get a lesson on using Draft2Digital in our Self-Publish module inside Christian Book Academy.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Platform
When selecting a self-publishing platform for your book, consider factors like your self-publishing goals, the format(s) your book will be in, the platform’s reach, and royalty structures.
Additionally, evaluate the platform’s user-friendliness, customization options, and support for different devices and file formats.
When evaluating platforms as part of your plan for how to self-publish a book, consider:
1. Self-Publishing Goals and Target Audience:
- Define your goals: Are you aiming for wide distribution, niche readership, or specific revenue targets?
- Know your audience: Where do they prefer to buy books? What formats do they use?
- Genre and format: Some platforms cater to specific genres or formats (e.g., Kindle Direct Publishing for ebooks, IngramSpark for print).
2. Reach and Distribution:
- Distribution channels: Consider the platform’s reach (e.g., Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, etc.) and whether it offers direct sales or distribution to retailers.
- Device compatibility: Ensure the platform supports the devices your target audience uses.
- International markets: If you’re targeting a global audience, check for translation support and regional availability
3. Cost and Royalties:
- Some platforms charge upfront fees, while others offer free basic services with options to upgrade.
- Compare the royalties offered by different platforms and consider whether you want to pursue exclusive or non-exclusive deals.
- Factor in potential costs for editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing services.
Learning how to self-publish a book isn’t just about writing—it’s also about making smart business decisions. Picking the right platform is one of them.
Step 7: Uploading Your Book
Congratulations on making it this far! Uploading your files is the final step for how to self-publish a book.
Preparing Your Files for Upload
Publishing Your Book on Amazon
Now it is time to publish your book on Kindle. You can set up your account at http://kdp.amazon.com.
Once you have completed the previous sixsteps, it will literally only take you five minutes to get everything uploaded. And normally your book will be published on Amazon within hours. The official email they send you says that your book will be published on Amazon in 12-48 hours. But, sometimes we get anxious and search for our book title on Amazon.com before we get the email. Sometimes our book was published within only a few hours after hitting the publish button.
It is easier to watch us do it than to try to explain the process to you. Therefore, we have a video tutorial that takes you step by step through the process that you can get in Christian Book Academy.
The best part? Amazon does all the work for you. They take the orders, process credit cards, handle support and returns, and handle hosting and delivery. And with Kindlebooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99, you will get 70% royalties. This is one of the easiest ways to sell a product online and still make money doing it. You don’t need a website, you don’t need support staff, and you don’t even need a payment processor. You simply need a book and a KDP publishing account.
Final Review Before Publishing
Before you officially click “publish,” take a moment to review your book details—title, subtitle, categories, and keywords. Knowing how to self-publish a book includes understanding how people will discover it. It is a vital skill in your self-publishing to identify the keywords, or search terms, that customers search for when looking for books such as yours. Currently, Amazon lets you choose 7 keywords or keyword phrases. A great resource to find your keywords is Publisher Rocket, which is a paid software download that helps you find relevant keywords to get your book seen.
The wonderful thing about self-publishing is that you are in control and can change the details such as price anytime you want!
Conclusion
Next Steps After Publishing
Getting Honest Reviews
Now that you’ve learned how to self-publish a book, after you self-publish your book,is to ask for reviews. Normally, we ask for a minimum of 10 reviews. A book with no reviews looks like a ghost town. Reviews offer social proof that there are people reading the book.
We recommend asking your followers if anyone is willing to read your latest book in exchange for a free copy. What works really well for us is to create a separate email list for reviewers to sign up. That way, we can email them when we have new books out.
Some authors create a private Facebook Group for their reviewers. Personally, we don’t think this works as well, because some people turn their notifications off on Facebook. However, they will almost always check their email.
We then create a copy/paste template to send to our reviewers. We like using canned responses in Gmail to make the process easier. You can see a tutorial we have written on how to use them in Christian Book Academy. When someone replies and says they are willing to review your book, simply paste in your template, with the link to your book where they will review it when they are finished. You’ll also either link to the book files online or upload the attachments.
When we give out review copies, we usually give a PDF and/or a mobi file. You can download the mobi file within KDP.amazon.com when you publish your book. Here is a tutorial that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to download and send those mobi files to your reviewers: How to Send a Kindle MOBI Review Copy Directly to a Kindle Device
You can get the exact process we use in our book, How to Get Honest Reviews. We also have a toolkit that includes all of those source files that make it super easy to copy and paste; use our exact system for getting your reviews in Christian Book Academy.
Some other considerations after publishing your book:
- Translate your book and publish it in a different language.
- Self-publish your next book with a Co-Author.
Take a Step of Faith and Finally Finish Your Book
Most writers stay stuck and never finish their first draft. Inside Christian Book Academy, we help you partner with God to write your book so you can become a published author. Finally ditch your self-doubt and take a step of faith so you can finish your book.
Support & Guidance for Aspiring Authors
Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.
Goethe
We have covered so much information in this post, but you are now prepared to write and self-publish your book. You now have a system you can use to get you more exposure, bring in more business for you, and increase your credibility.
We believe in the power of being surrounded by like-minded writers in a community while you write, publish, and market your book…
…even if that community is online.
We have been coaching and mentoring writers online for over 15 years and have seen the power it has over and over again.
Our online community, Christian Book Academy, is where we help you write, self-publish and market your books. Members get coaching, accountability, and step-by-step guidance on every part of how to self-publish a book, market it, and grow your audience. Even if you are stuck, you can renew your commitment to publish your book and finally get it published.
Christian Book Academy is an online membership where we help Christian writers of all genres, like you, write words that outlive you, self-publish books that fulfill your calling, and reach more readers with your message.
We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers!
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