Self-Publishing Resources
Self-publishing resources for authors and writers to create and self-publish their book
Information also on book cover design, marketing, online publishing guides and print-on-demand services
If your manuscript is finished, polished and formatted and you would like to publish an ebook and/or paperback/hardback, self-publishing is the preferred option for many independent authors. With many books published every day, it can be hard to find a literary agent or publisher to represent and promote your work.
Self-publishing can be daunting because there are many options and it can be difficult to know which is the best for your book. There are many self-publishing resources available providing information to help you with this process. These include how to self-publish an ebook, guidance for print-on-demand, the costs involved to self-publish, what percentage you receive from sales and how you get paid, the pros and cons of exclusivity when using certain publishing services, and how to market fiction and non-fiction in a crowded market.
To find out how to self-publish your book, check out the following Amazon how-to videos, top-rated Amazon books and website links below.
Self-publishing can be daunting because there are many options and it can be difficult to know which is the best for your book. There are many self-publishing resources available providing information to help you with this process. These include how to self-publish an ebook, guidance for print-on-demand, the costs involved to self-publish, what percentage you receive from sales and how you get paid, the pros and cons of exclusivity when using certain publishing services, and how to market fiction and non-fiction in a crowded market.
To find out how to self-publish your book, check out the following Amazon how-to videos, top-rated Amazon books and website links below.
Table of Contents
- How-To Videos on Self-Publishing via Amazon
- Create Ebooks, Paperback Books and Hardbacks
- Sell Ebooks and Print Versions
- Print-on-Demand Printing Companies
- Top-Rated Books on Self-Publishing for Independent Authors
- Book Cover Design
- Articles and Links on Marketing and Promotion
- Legalities when Writing and Publishing
- Further Resources
- Contact Book Editing Services
How-To Videos on Self-Publishing via Amazon
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Beginner's guide showing how to publish ebooks and paperback books using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
Find out more here. Step-by-step guide showing how to update book details after publication on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
Find out more here. |
Guide showing the book details required when self-publishing via Amazon KDP, such as description, keywords and categories.
Find out more here. Information on promoting and marketing your book to stand out from the many self-published books on Amazon.
Find out more here. |
Create Ebooks, Paperback Books and Hardbacks
Services to create your ebook:
Services to create ebooks and print versions:
- I provide book layout and formatting services to create ebooks to upload and sell on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and other self-publishing platforms. Check my Ebook Formatting Service for more information.
Services to create ebooks and print versions:
- Paul Drummond Creates ebooks for Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Google Play and more. This service also offers the option create print versions. Existing titles can be converted or new ones created from scratch.
- Bookemon A free online service to create ebooks or printed books with no minimum orders.
- IngramSpark Create ebooks and print books with built-in book distribution.
- Lulu.com Publishes different formats and also offers a free version. Lulu can also produce hardback books (Amazon doesn't offer this service).
- Chandler Book Design Book text layout and cover design services. This service can typeset your Microsoft Word document to create the ebook and/or print versions of your book.
Sell Ebooks and Print Versions
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Upload your manuscript in various formats including MOBI and HMTL files to sell as an ebook. You receive between 35% to 70% of sale price. (Createspace – which used to provide the print-on-demand service for Amazon has now combined with KDP for authors to sell paperback versions.) As well as selling through Amazon Kindle, you can distribute your book through other retailers such as Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, plus many more.
- Amazon KDP publishing guide Steps to publishing via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
- Amazon KDP Select Exclusivity to sell through Amazon Kindle only for a minimum of 3 months with access to promotional tools. The book will be available as part of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription service (ebooks only).
- Use Kindle Previewer (free) to see how your ebook will be viewed once it's published via Amazon (the PC and MAC download links are halfway down the page).
- Use Kindle Create (free) to turn your Word document or PDF into a formatted ebook to sell via Amazon Kindle. How to choose and add keywords and categories when publishing your book so potential readers can find it more easily.
- Smashwords World's largest independent ebook distributor for self-published authors which distributes to Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, and more (everywhere other than Amazon). Authors receive 60% to 85% of sale price.
- AuthorHouse Provides tailored publishing packages to suit a range of budgets and requirements.
- Barnes and Noble Offers various royalty rates to self-publish ebooks and print copies.
- Kobo Writing Life A one-stop, do-it-yourself publishing portal.
- iBooks Author A free download for Mac users and great for books with images such as children’s books.
Print-on-Demand Printing Companies
- Book Printing UK Makes printing simple and stress free. With Book Printing UK you are guaranteed great quality printed books, with an exceptional personal service at an excellent price.
- Print2Demand Works with both publishers and self publishers across the UK to create high-quality printed books.
- Cloc Book Print On demand book printing in the UK. Low quantities and a fast turnaround.
- Print To Demand Print your own book with Print to Demand. The book printing self publishing professionals offer softback and hardback book production facilities. From 25 to 20,000 copies.
- Imprint Digital Offers short-run journal and book printing for paperbacks, hardback and publicity copies. Get an instant quote with their simple and easy to use calculator.
- Writer's World A long-established UK print-on-demand book publisher providing a premier self-publishing service who are featured in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.
- Biddles Book Printing Services Digital printing via Biddles’ award-winning Publishers Choice service gives you all the benefits of the print-on-demand model but at prices you can afford and the quality you want. Printing with Biddles starts at just 20 copies.
Top-Rated Books on Self-Publishing for Independent Authors
Book Cover Design
If you'd like to hire a professional book cover designer, check out my article 15 Top Book Cover Designers who design for a variety of genres at prices to suit all budgets.
Do it Yourself Book Cover Design: How do you make a book cover yourself?
If you’d like to design the cover of your book, novel or ebook yourself, check out these following resources.
- Kindle Direct Publishing Cover Creator If you are self-publishing on Amazon via Kindle Direct Publishing, there is an option to use the Amazon ebook cover creator. This is a free tool to design a cover for your ebook or paperback and gives you the specifications to produce your own print-ready custom-designed book cover.
- Edit Create book covers online for free. Choose from the hundreds of cover designs that can be edited in one click.
- Adobe Spark Design a book cover for free in minutes. Adobe Spark makes it easy to create a book cover. No design experience is needed.
- GraphicSprings Another free book cover creator where you can design stunning covers in just a few minutes. You don't need any prior design experience, simply browse the book and ebook cover templates and make adjustments as needed. You can also design your own cover from scratch.
- Canva A user-friendly site to create professional-looking designs. There is a cost with some of the design elements, but many of Canva’s features and book cover templates are free.
Articles and Links on Marketing and Promotion
Free book giveaway sites for readers who provide feedback and ratings to help increase visibility and rankings: Create video to sell and promote your book:
Create mock-ups of your book/s to improve your sales and marketing:
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Legalities when Writing and Publishing
- The Do’s and Don’ts of How to Avoid a Defamation Lawsuit as an Author (US article but aspects apply to UK also) via Lulu
- A Writer's Guide to Fair Use and Permissions via janefriedman.com
- Guidance on Copyright and Permissions via Society of Authors
- How to Use Real People in Your Writing Without Ending Up in Court via helensedwick.com
- Can I quote someone in my book? (What authors need to know about fair use and permissions) via vervante.com
- How to Legally Use Quotations in Your Book via The Book Designer
- How and When to Get Permission to Use Quotes in Your Writing via Writer's Relief
- How Much Can I Quote from Another Source without Permission? via stevelaube.com
- 3 Important Privacy Issues When Writing a Memoir via Writer's Digest
- Writing Memoirs: What You Need to Know to Avoid being Sued via self-publishingschool.com
- Can I Mention Brand Name Products in My Fiction? via Rights of Writers
- How to Get Permission to Use Song Lyrics in Your Books via lawschoolheretic.com
- Using Song Lyrics in Fiction via sidebarsaturdays.com
Further Resources
- Kindle Direct Publishing Community Active forum with questions and answers from new and accomplished authors and publishers regarding self-publishing with KDP.
- Independent Book Publishers Association Educational articles, information, resources and the latest news about the independent book publishing industry.
- Amazon Author Central A free service for authors to reach more readers and promote their books.
- How to get book reviews on Amazon Amazon's Self-Publishing School guide. Check out the Resources menu on this page for more help on writing and publishing.
- Alli (Alliance of Independent Authors) A global, non-profit association for self-publishing authors.
- Copyright Hero Anti-piracy tool to detect copyright infringment of your material.
All information correct and links active as of July 2020.
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