A self-publishing checklist could come in handy when you plan to self-publish your book. Here’s one you can use for every book!
Self-publishing checklist
You finished writing your book (congrats!), edited it, and had a professional editor (or not)—in short: your book is done. You decided you want to self-publish it, or you’re wondering what it takes to do so. This self-publishing checklist covers the basics, the most important things to think about if you plan to self-publish your book. Obviously, this is not all you can do, and there are different things required for different types of books, but, generally speaking, this is what every book needs. Let’s get into it!
I may get commissions for certain purchases made through links in this post or clicks on the advertisement. For more information, go to the Privacy Policy. For more information on earning through content, visit this page.
Production
1. Title
2. Blurb
3. Front- & Backmatter
4. Formatting
Title
The title of your book is essential, but it’s not as important as many people think. The title of your book isn’t going to be detrimental to the book’s success (in most cases), but it might lure people in. It needs to set the tone for the book. For example: titling a sweet romance novel “a game of thrones” probably isn’t a great idea. You get the idea.
Blurb
The blurb is very important because it’s usually the first snippet of the book a reader reads. It is what sets the tone for the rest of the book. It makes a reader decide to put it back down or want to read more. If you write a good blurb, your target reader should not be able to put it back down.
Front- and backmatter
Your book has front- and back matter, which is everything that isn’t the story. Think of title pages, the dedication, the copyright page, acknowledgments, your author bio, and more. You can do this however you want to, but I suggest you look inside some books you own and see how they did it.
Formatting
Then, you need to format the nThen, you need to format the novel. You can do this in Word, Vellum, or InDesign—even in Draft2Digital—whichever you prefer. Different editions have different formats, like paperback, hardcover, and eBook(s). There are great YouTube videos on formatting your book editions with all the tools mentioned above!
Design
5. Book cover(s)
6. Graphics
Book cover(s)
Your book cover is arguably one of the most important parts of this self-publishing checklist. Your story is the most important, but if the cover is garbage or, like the title, doesn’t fit the story, you’ll have a hard job marketing it. If you’re not a graphic designer yourself, I recommend looking for a professional book cover designer, artist, or illustrator.
Graphics
You’ll use a lot of graphics in the publishing process. Think of ads, social media marketing, promotional material, online banners, etc. I like to make them myself, but I recommend paying your cover designer to create some designs if you’re unsure. They usually can, and that way, it all matches.
Publishing
7. Date
8. Meta-data
9. ISBN
10. Copyright
11. Platforms
12. Pre-orders
Date
This is the release date for your book. In traditional publishing, there are only a couple of days a week they publish books, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that at the beginning (or ever).
Meta-data
Meta-data in publishing is the data that describes the book. Think of keywords, categories, and descriptions.
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number is a number put on every book. You can get free ISBNs from, for example, Amazon, or you can buy them (if you own a business/publishing company). If you want to make this your career, my advice would be to buy them yourself. You register the ISBNs and link the information to your books (which will, in turn, forever be linked to your own publishing company). You need one ISBN per book format (or entirely new and revised editions). For more information on ISBNs, you can read this post from Helen Sedwick.
Copyright
I am not a lawyer, but from my understanding, your copyright automatically applies to everything you made/created/wrote down. So, generally speaking, a copyright page in your book is enough protection. However, I would also recommend filing for copyright with your government (or the US government) to have your book filed and recorded. To learn more about copyright, I recommend reading Helen Sedwick’s post!
Platforms
If you want your book sold on Amazon, B&N, Waterstones, and more online stores, you need to choose a book distributor that prints on demand (the easiest way for new and smaller authors, so you don’t have to get a print run). I use Amazon directly for paperbacks and Ingram Spark for wide paperbacks and hardcovers.
Direct = sell and publish books directly on the designated platform.
Wide = publish books on platforms that sell them on several platforms.
In most cases, you can publish ebooks directly at eBook providers, but I’d recommend an aggregator because that takes a lot of time (especially when you need to make changes). I use Draft2Digital to publish my ebooks widely, but I publish on Amazon’s kindle directly.
*Amazon is where most of my book sales come from, so it makes sense to go direct with them (a more significant cut of royalties).
Pre-orders
When you’re just starting and don’t have a platform or readers waiting for your book, I wouldn’t recommend setting up pre-orders. They’re a lot of planning and require some time to set them up beforehand. But, if you have an audience waiting for your book, it could help sales on and after release. Because every sale made during pre-order counts as a sale on the release date, it pushes the book in sales ranks on the webshops it’s sold at.
Marketing
13. Paid marketing
14. Organic marketing
15. Release plan
16. Author profiles
Paid marketing
Think about whether you want to do paid ads, send ARCs/books to influencers, and what you would like to pay for that.
Organic marketing
Think about the organic marketing plan, including social media platforms and newsletter strategies.
Release plan
What’s the marketing plan for your book release? How and when do you reveal the book cover, title, and release date? When do you share what snippet, teaser, and information? How do you plan to share this? What people or platforms would you like to help you?
Author platform
Set up your Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub author profiles and link your books. This makes your books easier to find and your author brand more credible. It’s just professional and a fun way to connect with your readers and your readers with you.
Future steps
17. Future steps
18. Bonus tip
Future steps
It’s a good idea to create a plan on how to move forward after your book is released. Think about marketing ideas, rebranding, special editions, free content to pull readers in, and much more! A book can make you money for the rest of your life if you plan for it.
Bonus tip
If you’re serious about self-publishing your book and making a career out of it, I recommend joining the Alliance of Independent Authors! I’m a member, and the benefits outweigh the costs by far. Besides discounts for different publishing services (like Ingram Spark), it also provides an incredible amount of information on all things self-publishing. Visit their site for more details on everything they provide!
I hope this self-publishing checklist makes publishing your first book a little easier.
Lots of Love,
Britt
