How To Self-Publish a Book in 8 Steps (2024)

Traditional book publishing can be challenging. You send out drafts, wait for responses that may never come, and try to stay positive in the face of potential rejection. Even if you secure a publisher, you’ll spend months negotiating creative direction and profit sharing. 

But there’s another way. You can write, edit, publish, and sell your book⁠ without going through traditional publishing gatekeepers.

We spoke with Julie Broad, author of Self-Publish & Succeed and founder of self-publishing service Book Launchers, about the benefits of self-publishing and how to get started.

Why self-publish your book?

When you self-publish your book, you can:

Keep your intellectual property rights

“With traditional publishing, the author sells their intellectual property rights to the publisher,” Julie says. Some authors are comfortable with this arrangement, but it can be problematic for others—especially nonfiction authors. 

“If you’re a business owner who spent 20 years developing a methodology, you don’t want a publisher to own that methodology,” Julie says. The same applies to authors with personal stories. “They don’t want to be told how their story has to be presented.” For these writers, keeping their intellectual property rights is a key benefit of self-publishing. 

Make more money per book sold

In traditional publishing, sales go to the publishing company, which then pays royalties to the author. These royalty fees can be small. “You’re lucky if you get a dollar per print book sold,” Julie says.

With self-publishing, you’ll pay distributor fees, but without a publishing company taking a large cut, you’ll make more money on each book—about $5 to $6 per print book sold, according to Julie.

Control your business and creative decisions

As a self-published author, you decide what to do with your book. “You can give it away for free if you want to, you can sell it in bulk at a discount, you could trade books for magazine coverage or space on a stage,” Julie says. “When you’re with a publisher, they have to make their money per book sold.” This means they might restrict these options.

You can even sell your self-published book to a publisher later. “Some authors will self-publish their book and then they’ll get a traditional deal and it will make sense for them to take it,” Julie says. “You’re never tied to self-publishing.”

How to self-publish your book in 8 steps

1. Know your reader
2. Work with the right editors
3. Create an eye-catching cover
4. Pick your publishing platform
5. Format your book
6. Get an ISBN
7. Create a Shopify store
8. Market your book

Your self-publishing journey will look different from other authors, but these core steps will guide you through the process:

1. Know your reader

“You should be thinking about how you’re going to market your book before you’re done writing it,” Julie says. That doesn’t mean creating a complete marketing strategy—it’s about understanding your reader.

“Get as specific as you can,” Juie says. “Don’t write for everybody—really identify a reader and speak to them with the words they use.” Having a clear reader in mind makes writing and publishing easier. “A lot of people write their book and then try to figure out how to market it. But it can be really hard to make a book marketable after it’s already done.” 

2. Work with the right editors

Your book will compete with traditionally published books in the same stores and marketplaces. To make your book just as polished, work with these types of editors, in this order:

• Content editor: Reviews your manuscript and suggests structural changes, like cutting or adding passages.

• Fact checker: For nonfiction books, verifies your claims and research.

• Copy editor: Polishes your manuscript with grammar and spelling suggestions.

• Proofreader: Provides a final review to catch any remaining errors before publication.

“A lot of people end up getting the wrong edit at the wrong time because they don’t realize there are different kinds of editors,” Julie says.

As a self-published author, you choose your own editors. Find freelance editors through:

You can also work with a service like Julie’s company, Book Launchers, to get matched with editors.

3. Create an eye-catching cover

Your cover is your book’s main visual selling point across online retailers, marketplaces, and your online store. When designing your cover or working with a designer, think like a marketer:

• Design for thumbnails: Your cover will appear smaller in most online stores.

• Make your title easy to read: Help readers remember your book. 

• Consider the spine and back cover: Important for print book sales.

Find cover designers through the same freelance platforms you used for editing. If you have design experience, try free tools like:

4. Pick your publishing platform

With your polished manuscript and cover ready, it’s time to publish. You might use several platforms depending on how you plan to sell your book.

Julie uses multiple platforms for different purposes:

• Bookvault for physical books in her Shopify store

Most of these platforms offer print-on-demand services, where books are printed and shipped at the point of sale. This approach helps keep costs low, eliminates expensive inventory storage, and saves you time by outsourcing manufacturing and distribution. Other print-on-demand options include Lulu Direct, which integrates with Shopify, and Blurb, which includes design tools for photo books.

5. Format your book

Before publishing, you’ll need to prepare your book with professional formatting. Research platform requirements early, as they may differ between publishers.

Most self-publishing companies need two files: your manuscript file for interior pages and your cover file for the outside of your book (front cover, spine, and back cover). 

When formatting your manuscript, include these key elements:

• Trim and margins: Set your page height and width (trim) according to platform options, then determine margin sizes. 

• Half-title page: Place this on the first right-facing page with just your book’s title—no page numbers.

• Title page: Include your name and subtitle on this page. You can add your logo, but it’s optional for self-publishers. 

• Copyright page: Place this on the first left-facing page after the title page with your copyright information. If you’re not sure what to include, use this handy template.

• Dedication page: Keep this short—one or two sentences on the next right-facing page, without page numbers or headers.

• Table of contents: List your chapters and sections with their corresponding page numbers. 

• Chapter title pages: Start each chapter with a title page. Include page numbers but skip headers. 

• Body pages: On regular pages, add headers with your name on left pages and book title on right pages. 

• Bibliography and references: Include these for non-fiction books to credit your sources. 

• Author bio: Add your photo and a brief biography. 

• Index: For non-fiction books, list topics alphabetically with their page numbers at the end.

6. Get an ISBN

Your book needs an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)—a 13-digit code that identifies your book’s edition, publisher, and physical properties. 

ISBNs help track your book across platforms, libraries, and marketplaces. They also prove your ownership of the content, making them vital for self-publishers. 

Many self-publishing platforms provide free ISBNs. If yours doesn’t, you can get a universal ISBN through myidentifiers.com. 

7. Create a Shopify store

Set up your own online store to sell your book, even if you use other distribution channels like Amazon or local bookstores.

“One of the reasons why we encourage our clients to sell direct is because Amazon and bookstores don’t tell you who’s buying your book,” Julie says. “When you sell directly, you’re not only making more money per book sold, you’re also getting your customers’ contact information. That’s a huge advantage over just selling through Amazon and never actually knowing who bought your book.”

Julie sells her book through her Shopify store. “We’ve tested a lot of different platforms and we love how Shopify really sets an author up for success,” Julie says. “Once it’s set up, it’s easy for an author to manage. Shopify handles a lot of the storefront pieces that an author doesn’t necessarily want to be bogged down with,” like bundling and upselling. 

8. Market your book

“It doesn’t matter how good your book is, you have to market that book,” Julie says. Your marketing strategy should align with your target audience. Try these approaches: 

• Share excerpts on social media platforms: Post samples of your writing to engage readers, then link to your book’s purchase page. 

• Build reader reviews: Connect with your first readers and ask for honest reviews. Use apps like Opinew and Trustify that work with both Shopify and Amazon to manage reviews.

• Partner with social media influencers: Work with influencers whose audiences match your target readers to expand your book’s reach. 

• Connect with literary media: Reach out to online publications and podcasts in your genre for interviews or reviews. Follow relevant outlets in your niche to build relationships.