[Updated August 25, 2024]

You have written a book. Now what?

Below is an outline of the steps to take to publish your book.

Short version…

#1 – Get it professionally edited and proofread.

#2 – Choose a format —print and digital.

#3 – Choose a size for the finished print version.

#4 – Gather any illustrations and images.

#5 – Get the cover created.

#6 – Obtain an ISBN for the print versions.

#7 – Get it professionally formatted and converted to EPUB (if doing an ebook).

#8 – Start the marketing process during the editing and formatting process.

#9 – Upload books to self-publishing sites.

#10 – Market. Market. Market. Sell. Sell. Sell.

Extended version, with some information and explanations!

#1 – Get it professionally edited and proofread.

We are adept in correcting spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors, offering suggestions to clarify text, and ensuring consistency in style and layout. Please get in touch with me (karennewton1@gmail.com) for a quote!

For substantive, developmental editing, consider Cindy Draughon. She focuses on developing and polishing the language, imagery, and pace to ensure the book is both exciting and appropriate for the reader’s sensibilities.

#2 – Choose a format —print and digital.

Most self-publishing authors want their books in paperback and ebook formats.

#3 – Choose a size for the finished print version (“trim size”).

Trim size is needed early on, especially if you include images or illustrations. You will want them appropriately sized to fit the page. Example: Children’s books often have illustrations that bleed off the edge of the page. If the book/page size is known, the illustrator can size the illustrations and provide you with high-resolution files. General book sizes (in inches) for different genres are:

    • Mass market paperback, 4.25 x 6.87
    • Young adult, 5 x 7, or middle school, 5 x 8
    • Trade paperback, 5 x 8 to 6 x 9 – 6 x 9 is a popular trim size!
    • Inspirational/Spiritual, 5 x 8
    • Mysteries/thrillers, 5.25 x 8
    • Self-help or memoir, 5.25 x 8
    • Business, 5.25 x 8, 5.5 x 8.25
    • Nonfiction, 5.5 x 8.5
    • Fiction, 6 x 9
    • Hardback, 6 x 9
    • Reference, 6 x 9, 7 x 10
    • Textbook, 6 x 9 and variations up to 8.5 x 11
    • Children’s picture book, 8.5 x 8.5 or 7 x 10

Even though these are “standard,” you can select the size from the printer’s options (for example, visit Amazon KDP and IngramSpark).

#4 – Gather any illustrations and images.

Work with an artist to design the illustrations or obtain stock illustrations or images (be sure to include appropriate credit). Don’t forget to include a picture of yourself for the author bio page!

Tip: Have your illustrations designed using RGB (red, green, blue) colors. RGB provides a richer, more vibrant color palette. Your book can be converted to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) with a click of a button after typesetting and layout are completed. What is the difference, you might ask? RGB colors are primarily for digital media. For the printed page, printing presses use a baseline of CMYK to build colors. Hence, documents and books with images and illustrations in color need to be converted to CMYK.

#5 – Get the cover created.

Have it designed based on the trim size you have chosen. Please note that the spine cannot be completed until there is an official, FINAL page count of your book after you have it formatted. Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and other places have cover template generators, so you can provide them with the complete cover file (front, back, and spine) based on their specifications.

#6 – Obtain an ISBN for the print versions.

Every print version of your book needs its own assigned ISBN. For instance, if you have a paperback version and a hardcover version, you will need two ISBNs. The ISBN is placed on the copyright page of your book and is also used in the barcode on the back cover.

You need an ISBN if you plan to market your book widely. It is your book’s personal identification number. It enables distributors, bookstores, libraries, and others to purchase your book and efficiently track the sales. [For more information, see our post ISBNs and Barcodes.]

There are different avenues to getting an ISBN. You can purchase them from BookLayoutPro.com at a slight discount when we format your book. You can also buy ISBNs directly from Bowker.com, the primary source in the United States. If you will be writing several books, you can purchase ISBNs in bulk.

Some publishers might provide you with an ISBN for free, but it will be for their use only. For example, if you use Amazon’s free ISBN, you can only use that ISBN for that book at Amazon. You will need a different ISBN for the same book elsewhere. It is better to have your own.

#7 – Get it professionally formatted and converted to EPUB (if doing an ebook). Of course, we’d love you to choose BookLayoutPro.com!

Once you have selected a typesetter (BookLayoutPro.com!), you will need to provide the following material:

    • Cover, if you have it, even if it is not yet completed. (We often use this to get ideas for typeface, font, and other small design elements for the book, depending on the genre.)
    • Title, subtitle (if any), and complete author’s name
    • Copyright information (include the ISBN if you have one, or we can provide one for a discount)
    • Dedication
    • Acknowledgments, if any
    • Author bio and photo (if you want to include one)
    • Text – the FINAL version of your body copy with all editing done. (Inevitably, you might have some minor corrections or text changes along the way, which I can incorporate.)
    • Illustrations, graphics, images, figures, tables, and other added material
    • Table of contents (TOC) and index (These depend on your book. If needed, I can generate both. TOCs are generally part of the book generation. There is an extra charge to create an index. Please note: TOCs and indexes are not needed for ebooks.)
    • Any specifications or instructions you have or layout ideas you have in mind
    • Printer selection (Amazon KDP? IngramSpark? Other places?)

For more information about the services we provide, check out my Menu of Services.

#8 – Start the marketing process during the writing and editing process!

    • Author website (or a book page on your business or personal website) – if you don’t have one, we can design a basic website for you!
    • Social media promotion (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.) – release date, early review blurbs, book cover, giveaways, preorder
    • Author pages at Amazon and other locales (Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Goodreads, etc.)
    • Reviews from colleagues, friends, and readers
    • Advanced reader copies and giveaways
    • Emails to your reader list – release/launch date, preorder, giveaways, book blurbs, etc.

#9 – Upload books to self-publishing sites.

The companies you select will have specifications for printing and, possibly, for helping to market your book. Some suggestions for retail and distribution include:

For paperback (or hardcover), we recommend—and it is still considered the “gold” standard—to use Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. When uploading your paperback to Amazon KDP, ensure that “Expanded Distribution” is NOT selected. Otherwise, it could cause issues with IngramSpark. IngramSpark will distribute your book to retailers like Barnes & Noble.

NOTE: ** Draft2Digital bought Smashwords in 2022. Smashwords was another popular aggregator. ALSO, Draft2Digital was initially an aggregator only for ebooks. They now distribute paperback books (using D2D Print), but if you already have your book at Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, you could be doubling up and causing havoc. We recommend using Draft2Digital for ebooks only and using Amazon KDP and IngramSpark for your print and ebook versions.

If you plan to list it on Amazon AND pursue other avenues for both PRINT and EBOOK, consider choosing both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. Amazon KDP because … Amazon … IngramSpark because they disbribute both print and ebook versions to many other retail locations.

If you do not want to self publish and would like to find a major publishing company to publish your book, do your research and follow their guidelines closely. There might be specialty publishers for your niche/genre. All publishing companies have specific ways they prefer to consider manuscripts, so send them what THEY want (otherwise, your manuscript will go nowhere…).

#10 – Market. Market. Market. Sell. Sell. Sell.