How to publish a book

How to Publish a Book in 2022: 10 Steps to Success

If you’re a writer, a dreamer, or anyone with something important to say, you’ve probably thought about writing and publishing a book. But while writing a book is a huge achievement in and of itself, getting it in front of readers is another matter — and figuring out how to publish a book can present a real challenge for first-timers!

Indeed, with more publishing options than ever before, today’s authors have a lot to take in. We’re here to cut through the fog and show you exactly how to publish a book in 2022. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find concrete tips, publishing resources, and all the professional guidance you’ll need to get your book out into the world.

Here’s the simple step-by-step process to publish a book:

1. Choose a publishing route

Again, modern authors have many publishing routes from which to choose. There’s no one “right” way to publish a book — so the steps in this guide should be seen as best practices, rather than mandatory actions.

That said, your path to publishing a book will inevitably affect your approach here. Before you proceed, you need to decide:

Is self-publishing or traditional publishing right for you?

Takes one minute!

This quiz should point you in the right direction, but at the end of the day, only you can determine which publishing path is right for you. If you haven’t looked into it yet, check out the posts linked above! But for those who just want quick takeaways on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, we’ve summarized them in the table below.

Pros and cons of three different publishing routes

Got a solid sense of the best publishing route for your book? Great! Now we’ll cover advice that every author should take into account, regardless of how they choose to publish.

2. Edit the draft

The greatest gift any author can give their manuscript is a thorough edit. Yes, this is true whether you’re self-publishing or submitting your book to agents: either way, people will be reading it, judging it, and making decisions that impact its success.

Never edited a book before? Fear not — we’ve written a step-by-step guide to how to edit a book to get you through it! That post contains detailed editing tips for every major story element like plot, characters, and conflict, as well as finer aspects like dialogue and descriptions. But here are a few pointers to get you started:

Do I really need to edit my book?

In short, yes. No one wants to read a book full of typos or plot holes, and no self-respecting author would publish an unedited draft anyway. Unless you’ve already signed a book deal, you’ll need to find someone to iron out your manuscript — and short of training to become an editor yourself, that means hiring a professional editor to do the job.

What kind of editing does your book need?

Takes one minute!

Need a deep-dive developmental edit? A careful copy edit? One final eagle-eyed proofread? Professional editors take care of every detail to ensure your book is practically perfect before it goes to press.

Our editors make publishing so much easier.

Over 2,000 of the best editors are on Reedsy. Sign up to meet them today!

3. Get feedback from editors and critique circles

Whether you hire an editor or not, thoughtful third-party feedback is invaluable. So throughout the editing process (most authors go through multiple rounds of revisions), share your manuscript with trusted collaborators to see what they think.

To help your participants provide more honest feedback, ask them to submit an anonymous form with their thoughts on specific elements — namely, plot, characters, pacing, and prose. You might include a rating system to make it easier for them. Also, to make sure their feedback is constructive, ask them to propose a solution to each problem, not just point it out.

A sample of what you could include in a feedback request form.

Where should I look for feedback?

If you feel comfortable asking friends and family for their notes, you should. However, this can be a delicate process, and it may be better not to involve anyone you know personally. Here are three more ways you can get reliable feedback on your book:

⭕️ Critique circles are fantastic places to get feedback. Not only do they allow you to get notes on your book, but they also help hone your own critical skills! Check out that post to learn more about critique circles.

🖊 Writing communities can also be useful. Many of these communities have built-in critique circles, but it’s worth checking their individual forums to see if anyone’s looking for a critique partner — or, if you’re lucky, offering free critiques.

🤓 Beta readers are a third way to get detailed, candid feedback from people who are invested in your book. For context, most authors use beta readers after they’ve done some self-editing, but before they pass their book off to an editor. You can read through that post to learn more.

4. Title your manuscript

Having come this far, you may have already chosen your book’s title. But if you haven’t quite settled on it — or if the editing process changed your manuscript so much, you feel like you need a new title to match — now’s the time to nail it down.

We have some amazing resources to help you out with this, including our book title generator (which offers over 10,000 possibilities!) and our post on how to choose great book titles. But whatever title you choose, you’ll be fine if you take the following to heart:

5. Format your book for publication

Now that you have your manuscript fully polished, you’re ready to format your book with chapter headings, aligned text, and page numbers. Again, this is crucial whether you’re self-publishing or sending your work to agents: either way, you want to make a good impression with a professionally formatted book.

For those sending their book to agents, all you need is to format your manuscript in a standardized, readable way. We actually have a manuscript formatting template just for the occasion! Simply plug in your text and send the file on its way.

If you’re publishing solo, this step gets a little trickier — you have to format your book so it’s 100% ready to upload to your chosen self-publishing platform. And many authors are understandably apprehensive about formatting; after all, design is a very different skill set from writing.

That’s why we created the Reedsy Book Editor — a simple, intuitive, and best of all FREE tool to format your book for publication. Try the Reedsy Book Editor for free today.

Write and format your book for free using the Reedsy Book Editor.

More book formatting options

🙌 Free formatting software. Other than the Reedsy Book Editor, you can try Kindle Create and Apple Pages, both of which provide formatting templates for free. However, each software caters to its own store, so converting your files for other retailers may get messy.

💸 Paid formatting software. You can also spring for more elaborate formatting software like Scrivener ($45) or Vellum ($200). The nice thing about these programs is that you can try them for free and, if you like what you see, pay the license fee to format as many books as you want.

👩‍💻 Hire a professional typesetter. Another good option, especially for those planning to print on demand, is to hire a professional typesetter. This is the most expensive route, but it ensures immaculate interior design — which matters a great deal if you’re printing your book, since you don’t want the text to be unevenly spaced or sucked into the binding.

Now take a moment to stop and think!

So far, this guide has applied to all methods of how to publish a book, but this is where things diverge. From here, the steps to publishing a book will depend on your preferred path:

6. Design a book cover that converts readers

The next thing you’ll need to successfully publish your book is a strong cover. Your book cover provides readers with a vital first impression of your work, which means it must not only to attract your target audience’s attention, but also let them know that this book is for them.

To do this, your cover design should be:

As with formatting, all this might sound pretty intimidating to non-design-savvy authors. But unlike interior layout, which most authors can DIY with the right tools, your cover should really be designed by a professional. You shouldn’t take any risks with your number-one marketing tool, and a professional cover designer has the talent, experience, and industry knowledge to help your book succeed!

What will it cost you to get a professional book cover?

Find out here! Takes 30 seconds.

With your unique vision and their design skills, the two of you can work together to create a cover that not only converts readers, but also makes a lasting impression on them.

Liked the book covers you just saw?

All done by Reedsy professionals! Come meet your dream cover designer today.

7. Write a ‘publisher-ready’ book description

Your book description is another major factor in getting people to buy your book. Luckily, it’s easy to optimize your description for better sales. Our post on how to write a book description that sells is the most helpful resource for this, but the basics of writing a strong description are:

When in doubt, look at the descriptions of bestsellers in your genre and try to emulate them. Read five-to-ten of these descriptions and you’ll likely see a pattern start to emerge — from there, your description will practically write itself. Like this:

The gripping book description of Andy Weir’s The Martian. (Fun fact: this massively successful bestseller was originally self-published! Check out more self-publishing success stories here.)

What about keywords and categories?

While not contained in your book description, keywords and categories are two more important parts of your online book listing. For those who don’t know:

The best way to choose keywords and categories is to put yourself in your target reader’s shoes. What would they search in order to find your book? What similar books might they be reading, and into which categories do those books fit?

A nice thing to remember about your book description, keywords, and categories is that you can always tweak them later. That said, you should still try to optimize these elements before your book launch and hit the ground running. Speaking of which, the next step is.

8. Create a book launch plan

Your book isn’t going to sell itself, and the first few days are make-or-break. So one thing you need before you publish (and which you should start working on as early as possible!) is a killer launch plan.

This plan should raise awareness, tap into your existing audience, and kick up a fuss about your book. The book launch guide linked above explains everything in detail, but let’s quickly cover four actions you should definitely include in your launch plan:

👯 Form a street team. This will consist of friends and collaborators who promote your book on their own platforms. Remember, joined forces and social proof are much more powerful than a single, self-serving effort!

👩🏽‍💻 Build a website and mailing list. You’ll need an author website with a clear signup area for your mailing list to acquire readers. Get on WordPress or hire a web designer, and start learning all you can about mailing lists.

📖 Get book reviews. If your title has zero reviews when it launches, people will assume it’s not worth reading. Avoid this ill fate by reaching out to reviewers early and often — make sure you’re targeting reviewers and bloggers in your niche.

🎉 Throw a virtual launch party. Not just on social media, but on your author website (if you have one), and by guest-posting on other people’s blogs. Make it a big event; shout about your book from the rooftops, so as many people as possible will hear about it!

9. Publish your book on online retailers

Congrats! You’re finally ready to publish your own book.

You’ll be glad to know that the act of self-publishing a book is actually pretty easy. Amazon and other retailers take you through the upload process step-by-step, and as long as you have your materials prepared, you should have no trouble.

Here’s what you can expect to do, in order:

Should I publish outside Amazon?

Perhaps the biggest question when it comes to self-publishing is: should you only self-publish through Amazon, or “go wide” with other stores like Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo?

For first-timers, going Amazon-exclusive is often the best option, simply because it offers so much in return. KDP Select (a program that requires Amazon exclusivity) allows you to run those price promotions we mentioned, plus add your book to the Kindle Unlimited library, where even more readers can find it.

Wondering whether you should give all your ebook distribution rights to Amazon?

Answer these 5 questions to find out!

However, disregarding other platforms may not be a good idea if your target readers live in an area where Amazon has less sway over the online book market (like Germany or Canada).

It’s also not ideal if you want to make your book “permafree”, since Amazon only allows limited-time free promos, or if you don’t think your book will get many readers through Kindle Unlimited. (Some genres do better than others on KU — find out more in that blog post.)

The bottom line: Do your research to figure out what’s right for you. We’ve written another post on ebook distribution and the fine print of Amazon exclusivity, so if you’re weighing your options, that’s a great place to start.

10. Market the book to increase sales

Your book is polished, published, and hopefully pulling in readers already! But that doesn’t mean your work is done — far from it.

The final step of how to publish a book is marketing it to the fullest. You’ve already gotten the ball rolling with your launch plan, but here are a few more essentials to take into account:

🤝 Do more blog tours and connect with authors. Guest-posting to promote your book isn’t just for your launch plan! Even after you’ve launched, continue reaching out to relevant blogs, especially those written by other authors who might want to cross-promote.

🤑 Make the most of price promotions. Unless your book is permafree, the price can always be better for customers. If your downloads are dipping and you haven’t run a price promotion in awhile, try that next.

💁🏻 Employ third-party promotional services. Burnt out on self-marketing, or simply don’t have the mass influence you’d like? Book promotion services can help you out. Look for services that cater specifically to your book’s target audience.

💪 Always be prepared for opportunities. You never know when you’ll have the chance to promote your book in a life-changing way! If you were to run into Reese Witherspoon tomorrow, you should have a preview of your book ready to AirDrop onto her phone.

Final thoughts

Publishing a book is always an enormous undertaking, whether you choose self-publishing or not. The good news is that if you’ve read this far, you now know exactly what your options are, plus the pros and cons of each.

We can’t publish your book for you — however, we’re confident that you have everything you need in order to achieve this lifelong goal! Keep your eyes on the prize, enjoy the journey, and send us a postcard when you get there. We’re so excited to see where you end up.

Still craving more info on how to publish a book? Check out the following resources:

– Originally published on Jan 12, 2021

1 response

Rick Pacal says:

Great information here. I really appreciate these tips on self-publishing. I have completed 13 short stories and am currently writing my 14th, with a 15th on the horizon with an idea. When they’re all finished I hope to self publish. Thanks to your suggestions, I will go back to my first story and begin editing once again. Since my book will be a compilation of 15 short stories, I don’t have a title for the book as yet. Perhaps it will be the title of one of the stories. or something else. My grandson is a pretty good artist/cartoonist and I might call upon him to design the jacket cover. Once again, thanks for all your help, advice and suggestions.

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How to Self-Publish a Book in 2022: A Guide for Savvy Authors

Are you looking to self-publish and join the thousands of authors every year who enjoy complete creative control and a greater portion of royalties? If so, we’re here to show you how to do just that while giving yourself the best shot at achieving your goals. We’ll touch on all the essential parts of the process while also providing you with the resources to learn more.

Here’s how you can self-publish a book in seven steps:

1. Start the self-publishing process by writing a strong book

Whether you’re publishing a book with a traditional press or as an indie author, your success hinges on whether readers will love your book enough to recommend it to others.

While there’s no surefire method for writing beloved bestsellers, certain approaches can help you purposefully and intentionally write a book that can succeed in the market.

Planning for Success

While we’re trying to go through the whole self-publishing process, there simply isn’t enough space to give much practical advice on specific aspects of writing right here. So instead, we’re listing some of the resources on our blog that can help you in just about any writing predicament ahead.

Nonfiction:

Memoir:

Fiction:

Getting over the finishing line

Enough with the skill-building — let’s talk practical, sitting-yourself-down-to-actually-write stuff. That’s where building a habit of writing comes in. Luckily, we’ve got some handy resources to help you out.

Tell us about your book, and we’ll give you a writing playlist

It’ll only take a minute!

2. Hire an editor for feedback on your work

Editing is a pretty broad term. It can range from an author’s rewrites of their first draft to the final proofread before the book launch. This section offers our recommended approach to editing your book for self publishing.

Self-edit as much as you can

An editor’s time is money: your money. Before you hand your work off to a professional, make sure you do everything you can for it — or you’ll end up wasting money paying an editor to clean up basic mistakes.

For novelists, that means working through a few drafts to iron out the story and characters; for non-fiction, it means sharing the manuscript with a focus group and re-writing it based on feedback.

Here are a few resources to help you revise and self-edit your manuscript:

Let a professional help you over the finishing line

Once you’ve taken your manuscript as far as you can by yourself, it’s time to bring in a fresh pair of eyes. These days, finding your ideal editor is more straightforward than ever. On the Reedsy Marketplace, you can search for (and request quotes from) professionals with experience in your genre.

Give your book the professional treatment

The best editors, designers, and book marketers are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

Before getting too far down the editing rabbit hole, it’s important to understand the different types of editors, and what each of them does.

If you’d like to confirm which type of editing your book needs at its current stage, we recommend taking this quick quiz:

What kind of editing does your book need?

Takes one minute!

Okay, your manuscript has been edited, polished, and proofed. Now it’s time to make sure your book looks as good as it reads.

Note: You’ll notice we talk about planning how you’ll market your book later on — but the truth is that you should be working on identifying your target audience (and how to reach them) from early on in the process.

3. Design a cover that resonates with readers

Self-published authors rely heavily on book covers for sales, whether they’re used in ads or attract readers as a thumbnail on retailers like the Kindle store. But don’t forget about interior design: how words and images are formatted on the page.

Here are a couple of great resources to help you wrap your head around making a beautiful, readable book:

Which writing app is right for you?

Find out here! Takes 30 seconds

Once you’ve completed designing and formatting, you will have everything you need to start selling your book. That takes us to our next stage.

4. Finish formatting the manuscript

In days past, self-publishing a book involved getting a print run and paying up-front for thousands of copies. You pretty much always ended up with copies that you couldn’t sell. Thankfully, modern publishing has provided simple solutions to this problem.

Print on Demand

With POD (print on demand), authors can upload their book files to a printing service. This service churns out individual copies as, and when, they are purchased. The cost per unit is higher than with printing methods of traditional publishers, but the lack of risk still makes this the preferred option for self-publishing authors.

The two largest POD services in the world are Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark, both of which provide comparable products at similar costs. However, it’s worth investigating the options to see which one makes more sense for you and your book.

eBooks

Book sales on the Kindle store are a self-publishing author’s bread and butter. After all, KDP offers the highest percentage royalty, which greatly appeals to authors hoping to publish profitably.

Audiobooks

The audio format has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, and self-published authors who have invested in audiobooks have reaped the benefits. Audiobooks are typically released after print or ebooks — it’s pretty unusual for a book to be launched in audiobook format. They make for an excellent way to boost your backlist, especially if you’re now launching a new book.

5. Choose a self-publishing company

When it comes to deciding where (or through which company) you’ll sell your book, the simplest and most popular option for self-publishing authors is Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, which lets you upload your book and list it for free. Readers can then buy the ebook or have a print version created for them at the click of a mouse. There is no need to understand how the sausage is made: Amazon has simplified the process.

Mastering Amazon’s KDP

Anybody can get their book onto the Amazon store (and therefore the ubiquitous Amazon Kindle) for free. Yet few people know how to do it properly.

For instance, when uploading your title, there are certain things you can do to increase visibility with your readers. Then there’s the matter of getting the people who find your book to buy it. To succeed here, you need to turn yourself into a bit of an Amazon expert. Fortunately, we have everything you need to do so!

PRO TIP: Want to know if Amazon exclusivity is right for you and your self-published book? Take our 1-minute quiz below to find out.

Wondering whether you should give all your ebook distribution rights to Amazon?

Answer these 5 questions to find out!

Other self-publishing companies

If Amazon isn’t suitable for you, there’s a world of self-publishing beyond it, whether they help distribute ebooks or offer printing or marketing services. Head to our post on ebook distribution to compare all your options when it comes to sending your book to online retailers.

6. Self-publish the book on Amazon and other retailers

Apart from writing a great book, the steps above can be realized through an afternoon of research and planning. But when it comes to marketing in self-publishing, things start to get a little more involved.

The good news is that there are tried-and-tested methods for promoting your title, including automated mailing lists, price promotions, and online advertising. Here are some articles on marketing and ads for self-published authors.

Launch your book

A lot hinges on a book’s first few weeks on the market. To give yourself the best chance at thriving on Amazon and other platforms, your title must accumulate a healthy dose of book sales and reviews soon after its release. With that in mind, a lot of work needs to go into preparing your book launch. Here’s what you need to learn:

So far, we’ve covered writing your book, editing and designing it, planning your launch, and growing your marketing efforts. You now have enough knowledge to actually go and self publish your book.

7. Use marketing to grow sales after publication

Now you’ve got the finished product and all the necessary hype from reviewers, you’ve mustered all your courage and pulled the trigger: congratulations, you’ve published your book!

Now that your book is out in the world, finding its devoted readers, what’s next for you? Here are just a few resources to help you keep your momentum as an author:

You’ve reached the end of the publishing process — now begins longer-term marketing. As any author would tell you, a book is something you never stop promoting. It’ll sit nicely in your bio on social media or in print and continue to be discovered by a stream of future readers.

The journey to publishing a book can be treacherous. However, preparing yourself adequately and surrounding yourself with the right people can also be one of the most satisfying experiences.

In the next part of this guide, we’ll show you self-publishing’s benefits (and potential drawbacks). So be sure to read on!

How to Publish an Ebook (in 9 Easy-to-Follow Steps)

Ten years ago, a writer aiming for publication probably looked forward to picking up a hard copy of their book for the first time. These days, however, the book trade has changed quite a bit — and publishing dreams have changed with it. Instead of fantasizing about glossy hardcovers, writers might well picture themselves setting their ebooks live and watching as the sales come rolling in.

Hold up! Not actually finished the writing yet? Check out our guide on how to write an ebook first.

Step 1: Edit the manuscript

Readers might be hungrier for ebooks than ever before, but their appetites aren’t indiscriminate. If you want to entice them into reading your work, you’ll have to serve up something mouthwatering — prose that’s good down to the last drop.

Okay, enough culinary metaphors. The point is, whether you’re self-publishing a fantasy novel or an actual cookbook, quality matters. Before you even think about publishing your ebook, you’ll want to make sure there’s not a comma out of place.

A word of warning here: self-publishing an ebook is fast — so fast it can be dangerous. An impatient writer can turn a draft into a bona fide ebook in under an hour and see it go up for sale the next day. This greased-lightning pace is exactly why so many indie authors prefer digital releases. But the convenience of ebook publishing has a downside: it’s all too easy to send your work out into the world before it’s ready.

Don’t jump the gun and publish as soon as you type out the last sentence, or even as soon as you finish a thorough round of edits. Instead, put your manuscript away for a while, so you can come back refreshed enough to spot mistakes you missed on the last pass. Then bring in another pair of eyes — ideally, a trained editor who will leave your manuscript spotless.

To learn more about hiring a professional to edit your text, read this post.

Step 2: Design a book cover for your eBook

Once you’ve fine-tuned the text of your ebook, it’s time to package it with an equally polished cover.

Remember, your cover is your ebook’s first and best marketing asset. It should look great in ads, draw likes on social media, and, above all, grab attention on crowded online marketplaces. Whether you attempt to DIY or hand a professional designer the reins (which we recommend), it’s important to use cover art to do your book justice. Phoning it in with a hastily produced, clip art-heavy image would be like shoving a priceless gem into a burlap sack.

Give your ebook the cover it deserves

The best designers are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

If you want a deep dive into the world of book cover design in general, we’ve got a post that covers it (pun absolutely intended). But here’s one crucial, ebook-specific consideration to keep in mind. Unlike a print cover in brick and mortar bookstores, your cover needs to look good — and make sense — at full scale and in miniature.

You might find some inspiration from the best book covers of 2020!

Ebook publishing platforms require you to upload large, high-resolution JPG images for your cover. If you outsource your cover art to a professional, your designer will send you an image of appropriate size and quality. But if you’re going it alone, consult this guide to make sure your homemade image has the right dimensions.

Now, your cover image may be big, but on retail platforms like the Amazon Kindle Store, potential buyers will first encounter it as a tiny thumbnail — often no more than 100 px wide. This fateful glimpse can turn a virtual window-shopper into a devoted new fan.

A cover that’s gorgeous at full scale but a meaningless blur in miniature won’t do you any favors in the sales department — so make sure you invest in art that shines at any size.

Step 3: Learn the pros and cons of Amazon KDP for authors

With your pixel-perfect cover and immaculate text, you’ve reached a fork in the road of your ebook publishing journey. The two divergent paths before you: Amazon exclusivity or “going wide.” Which will you choose?

For most authors, the phrase “ebook publishing” automatically conjures up Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s digital self-publishing platform. With 67% of the global ebook market share, Amazon is certainly worth publishing on — you should release through KDP no matter what else you do. But if you choose to go wide, you can also publish your ebook through platforms outside of Amazon.

Sticking with Amazon alone will give you certain marketing perks through their KDP Select. This program lets you promote your ebook through price promotions and Kindle Unlimited, a popular subscription service for ebook lovers.

On the other hand, diversifying through other platforms can help you reach readers who don’t frequent the e-commerce giant. This can be especially helpful if you plan to sell in countries like Germany or Canada, where Amazon commands a slimmer share of the ebook market than in the US and UK.

Not sure whether to be exclusive to Amazon? Take our 1-minute quiz below!

Wondering whether you should give all your ebook distribution rights to Amazon?

Answer these 5 questions to find out!

We also have a detailed post that’ll walk you through the debate between Amazon exclusivity and going wide. Check it out here!

Step 4: Choose your eBook publishing platforms

If you opt for Amazon exclusivity, you can skip to the next step — this one’s for the indie authors going wide! Now that you’re set on diversifying your ebook publishing, you can choose from any number of publishing platforms, including:

But having made one major ebook publishing decision, but you’ve got another right in your path. Will you publish directly through all your chosen platforms, or will you streamline the process with an aggregator (for a price)?

For authors who balk at the thought of publishing their ebooks over and over again, an aggregator can be a solution. These services allow you to upload your ebook and associated info just once and submit it to several retail platforms on your behalf. The major aggregators dominating ebook publishing are:

In addition to saving you time, an aggregator can also help you cheat the technical restrictions imposed by certain self-publishing platforms. For example, you can only publish an iBook directly on an Apple device. Aggregators, however, allow Android-toting PC users to join the fray.

Of course, no aggregator offers its services for free. Some charge a flat fee for each title you publish through their system, while others take a cut of the list price for every copy you sell. Pricing varies, and so does coverage — not every aggregator distributes to every ebook publisher. You may want to combine several aggregators’ reach to get on all the platforms you have on your list. Or perhaps you can use an aggregator that reaches most of your target retailers and publish directly on the rest.

Feeling overwhelmed? Take a look at this post on the best self-publishing companies for reviews of the major aggregators (and a few less prominent ones too). You can also check out this infographic, which lays out our recommended setup and reveals how aggregators can give your ebook as much reach as possible.

Step 5: Write the metadata for readers

Once you know where you’ll be publishing your ebook, it’s time to go to your chosen platforms (and/or aggregators) and create your accounts. Some retailers like Barnes & Noble Press will let you upload your manuscript as soon as your account activates. Others, like KDP, will present you with several fields to fill out first. But either way, it’s best to have all your book information prepared beforehand.

Your title, your book description, the categories that delineate your genre and niche: all of this counts as metadata, the information that makes your ebook discoverable on retail platforms. All publishing platforms and aggregators will ask you to fill in these three fields, and some may ask for additional forms of metadata, such as keywords that describe your ebook or an age range for your target audience.

Getting your metadata right means more traffic to your product page — and more sales for your book. To make the process a little smoother, we’ve gathered some resources to help you craft your book description and pick your categories. Check them out below:

Step 6: Format your eBook for publication

We’re getting close to the finish line! Your job now is getting your ebook into its final form, so you can finally hit that “publish” button.

You made your manuscript “word-perfect” way back in step 1. Now it’s time to take that flawless text and convert it into an EPUB, the file format used by ebook publishers.

For ebooks in most genres, you can format for free directly in the Reedsy Book Editor. However, if you need more features, you can opt for paid software like Vellum. For truly finicky, image-intensive titles, you may even want to hire a designer — someone who can lay out your ebook and give it to you in the right file format.

Get your book into the right file format with the Reedsy Book Editor.

Want to learn more about the Reedsy Book Editor and other ebook formatting options? Check out this guide.

Step 7: Upload your eBook files

Now you’re ready to take your beautifully formatted ebook and upload it, along with your cover image, on whichever aggregator or platform(s) you’ve chosen! Your files may take a couple of minutes to show up — make sure not to navigate away from the page while you wait. And don’t worry: you’ll be able to preview your ebook to make sure everything looks pixel-perfect.

At this stage, your ebook publishing platform will likely offer you the option to enable Digital Rights Management (DRM). This feature locks your ebook to the device on which it was purchased. While it theoretically exists to prevent piracy, DRM is easily sidestepped in practice. It also stops readers who purchased your ebook legitimately from reading it on multiple devices — two reasons we recommend against it.

If you decide to enable DRM, make sure that’s a choice you’re prepared to stick with. Unlike your book description or even your cover image, your DRM setting can’t be changed later.

Step 8: Set a price with royalties in mind

Pricing is one of the book details you can always change. This flexibility allows you to offer discounts (and even free giveaways) to entice more readers into clicking “Buy.” Price promotions are especially powerful during a book’s launch — try to take advantage of them if you can! If you’d like to learn more about price promotions (or the science of ebook pricing in general), you can check out the free course below:

Free course: How to Run a Price Promotion

Acquire more readers, sell more books, and make more money with this online course. Get started today.

Step 9: Publish your eBook

From the final proof to the debut price, you’ve shepherded your ebook through quite the journey. There’s only one step left: finally hitting that “publish” button. Congratulations — your ebook is live and ready to turn curious readers into diehard fans!

Thinking about publishing an ebook? We hope this guide was helpful. Of course, setting your ebook live is only one part of the self-publishing process. Now you have to make sure it sells! To help your ebook get the hype — and the buyers — it deserves, check out our guide to book marketing.

How to Publish a Book in 2022: A Step-by-Step Guide

Historically, if you wanted to know how to publish a book, you needed an agent to get a traditional publisher to look at your manuscript.

In fact, many publishing companies won’t even open a manuscript if it doesn’t come through an agent…

Which makes learning how to publish a book way more difficult.

Not to mention the fact that going through all that work to just land an agent isn’t necessary if you want to publish a book.

What’s worse is even if they do open it, it’s still unlikely that your book will be published and sold in bookstores!

*Cue the groans and grumbles of irritation*

So is there a better method?

Yes! It’s called self-publishing, and as a 6-time bestselling author who’s broken down my system in our Become a Bestseller program, I’m here to go over how to publish a book.

Here’s how to publish a book step-by-step:

Acknowledgement Page, Copyright Page, & More!

25-page Non-Fiction Book Outline Template

Finish your book FASTER by downloading this FREE template that’s pre-formatted, easy to use, and you can fill-in-the-blank!

In fact, there is another way for your book to not only be published, but to even become a bestseller! This method has led to the success of many authors and is changing the book and traditional publishing industry.

What is Self-Publishing?

Self-publishing is the act of independently publishing your book on a platform like Amazon without the need of a traditional publishing house.

Personally speaking, I’ve self-published 6 bestselling non-fiction books on Amazon, sold tens of thousands of copies, and continue to collect thousands per month in royalty checks.

The success of my books has been directly responsible for the strong performance of my business, which has grown to over 7 figures in less than 2 years. To hear another self-published author’s success story, check out the podcast with Pat Flynn below.

Self-publishing a book is done with these steps:

It’s really that easy.

Five years ago, in order to achieve this level of publishing success, you would have needed to be extremely lucky to even land an agent who would attempt to find you a deal at one of the “Big 5” publishing houses.

This is no longer the case.

How can I publish my first book?

Not only do you no longer need one of the “Big 5” companies to publish your book, now self-published authors are actively turning down offers from publishing companies!

So If you are trying to publish your book and are having no luck landing a publisher, self-publishing could be the best option for you.

Better yet, making the decision to learn how to navigate the self-publishing world the right way can save you countless wasted hours.

Whether you want to do it yourself or work with one of the many self-publishing companies out there, we can help.

[Pssst! Want to see some of our students’ published books? Check out the SPS library here!]

What’s the Difference Between Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing?

It’s easy to look at these two publishing routes and get confused. Why would someone self-publish a book when there are companies dedicated to doing it for you? There are actually many reasons.

What is the difference between self-publishing vs traditional publishing?

Self-publishing is a completely independent route with no barriers to entry whereas traditional publishing involves the acts of querying, landing an agent, and getting approved by a publishing house.

Check out the video above for more details on choosing self-publishing or traditional publishing.

How Much Does it Cost to Publish a Book?

Pricing to publish a book varies greatly depending on its length, production costs, and the retail price you set. This article from The Write Life outlines four case studies of publishing costs from self-published authors.

How much does it normally cost to publish a book?

That being said, it’s important to be prepared when it comes to how much you’ll actually pay to self-publish a book.

There are a number of factors that contribute to how much it costs to self-publish a book:

How to Publish a Book in 2022

So many writers get overwhelmed with the abundance of information about the self-publishing process, what it’ll cost, how to do it right, how to come up with a good book idea, and more.

I’ve created a step-by-step comprehensive self-publishing guide that will walk you through the beginning steps of how to write your book all the way to how to self-publish it on Amazon’s Kindle (KDP) Network.

Let’s get started so you can get started!

#1 – Decide Why You Want to Learn How to Publish a Book

What you need to decide first when self-publishing a book, is WHY you want to write a book.

I encourage going through this brainstorming process as it’s the only way to ensure that you’re 100% committed to writing a book (and you’re doing it for the right reasons).

This is a huge step that’s largely responsible for our Become a Bestseller students who write and publish so quickly.

Here are some questions for you to decide why you want to publish a book:

Action Plan:

Come up with at least 10 valid reasons why you want to write a book. Use the questions above as a starting guide to brainstorm.

#2 – Write Your Book

If you’ve ever tried to start writing a book, you might have had moments where you’ve stared at a blank page for hours with nothing to show for it. Feeling frustrated, you resort to procrastinating and get nothing done!

This is normal, writing a book is hard work.

In fact, coming up with a book idea in general can be very tricky. But in order to start writing your book, you must develop a writing process.

Here’s are some effective ways to write a book worth self-publishing:

To learn more tips on how to write faster, here’s a tutorial video of the simple process I use to write over 1500 words per hour:

Acknowledgement Page, Copyright Page, & More!

25-page Non-Fiction Book Outline Template

Finish your book FASTER by downloading this FREE template that’s pre-formatted, easy to use, and you can fill-in-the-blank!

#3 – Get Feedback on Your Book Before Publishing

When writing your book, it’s important to get as much feedback as early in the process as possible.

It’s essential to get this feedback in order to improve your writing.

Everything from creative writing to factual, non-fiction works needs feedback in order to produce a polished publication.

As writers, it’s all too easy to retreat into your cave for a long period of time, spend countless hours writing what you think is the perfect first draft, only to find that a) your draft doesn’t make sense to anyone else or b) no one else is as interested in the topic as you originally thought.

Writing tips can come from anywhere and the best usually come from those reading your book for the first time.

Not only can a fresh set of eyes on your book help you catch typos and grammatical errors, but a new perspective can give you ideas for tightening up your story and making the theme more clear, like in the example below.

Giving your book to one (or more) “beta readers” before giving it to an editor and self-publishing can also cut down on the time and cost of paying a professional editor.

You can also use a piece of writing software like Grammarly or the Hemingway Editor so you can learn as you write!

Action Plan:

Reach out to a few friends who could provide good (preferably unbiased) feedback, and ask them if they’ll be willing to read a chapter or two (or the whole book!) as you finish writing

#4 – Choose a Book Title

Contrary to popular belief, you should never decide on a book title until after you are done writing your first draft.

This is because choosing a book title first often results in you “writing yourself into a corner” because you’re trying so hard to align your story to the title of the book instead of writing what needs to be written.

Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.

The key to choosing a perfect title is: the simpler the title, the better.

As you’re brainstorming ideas, always remember to keep it simple.

Your title should also be clear on what your readers will receive by reading your book. This is because experts state that a clear promise or a guarantee of results will further intrigue your readers.

It’s certainly what’s made our Become a Bestseller students so successful during their launches.

Here are some questions to consider when creating your memorable book title:

Action Plan:

Once you’ve narrowed down your book titles, send out an email to your friends and family or put a poll up to your audience asking what title they’d prefer. You could also ask a community of other authors what they think.

#5 – Hire a Great Book Editor

Hiring a great book editor can mean the difference between becoming a bestselling author, or self-publishing a mediocre book. Therefore, it’s important to take as much time as necessary during this stage of the process.

To find an editor for your book, begin with your personal network.

Do you personally know any qualified editors?

Start there. If you don’t, then do you know someone who knows an editor? If you don’t have any luck finding an editor within your personal network, don’t worry!

Depending on your budget, you can either hire a professional book editor or hire a more budget-friendly editor from Upwork. But be careful and always check references and portfolios of work.

As a Self-Publishing School student, we will also provide you with a Rolodex of approved and vetted book editors who all do a great job, as you can see in the example below.

No matter how you find your editor, make sure you’re a good fit before committing to the full book by paying them a small sum ($25 or so) to edit a few pages or a chapter of your book.

Make sure the editor is interested in the subject matter, that they can get your whole book edited in 3.5 weeks or less including back-and-forth revisions, and that their edits are both accurate and make sense to you.

Whatever you do, don’t give up during the editorial process! If one editor isn’t working out for you or meeting your needs, find another.

Action Plan:

Find a friend or professional editor who can make sure your book is error-free, and start working with them sooner rather than later!

#6 – Design a Book Cover that Converts

When it comes to self-publishing, a high-quality book cover is one of the most important elements that will get your book to convert into sales!

The reason is that your book cover design is what readers see first and will immediately determine whether they want to read your book or not.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” simply doesn’t apply to actual book covers, as much as we wish it did.

The hard truth is that everyone judges a book by its cover whether they realize it or not.

So you must make sure that it is created professionally and that it will stand apart from the rest of the books in your genre or category. With our new done-for-you cover design services, we can actually handle your book’s design in-house. You can click here to book a call with our team and find out more about these done-for-you services.

What makes a good book cover?

You can find amazing book cover designers on freelancing sites such as:

Prices will vary depending on what type of service you want, but the end result will be well worth the spend.

Action Plan:

Find a book designer with any of these sites and your book will stand apart from the rest of its competition!

#7 – Create Your Kindle Direct Self-Publishing Account

Amazon has a self-publishing service called Kindle Direct Publishing where you can create and manage your Kindle eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobooks.

It’s the best way to learn how to publish a book and start selling quickly, and I’ve used it for all my self-published books.

I highly recommend it for all new self-publishers!

Amazon also acquired the well-known book printing company CreateSpace and they’re now merged as one. This means you can now offer print books to your audience, including paperbacks and hardcovers.

Here’s how to set up your KDP account on Amazon:

Action Plan:

Follow these steps to create your KDP account! With this platform, you can figure out how to publish your book within minutes and soon have it appear worldwide!

Book Patch, Ingram Spark, and Lulu also offer printing services for more custom-style books.

#8 – Format Your Self-Published Book

We can also handle the formatting of your book in-house. If that’s something that interests you, book a call to find out more. If you’re on a budget, there are plenty of resources online that can tell you how to format your book yourself for free.

You can start by looking at Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing forums where there are plenty of discussions on book formatting.

You can also use KDP’s free resources to help format your book. Formatting can be a frustrating experience for the uninitiated though, so if you have a few bucks to spare, you might consider paying someone to help you.

Also, keep in mind that formatting will look different for fiction versus nonfiction books.

Typically, nonfiction books don’t have an indent between paragraphs but instead, they have spaces whereas fiction books are indented with each new paragraph.

Below are formatting examples from Jenna Moreci’s The Savior’s Champion and my book, Published.

Just be sure you hire someone who knows how to format your specific book genre.

Action Plan:

Make sure your book is formatted properly by using the free online resource above or hiring someone who can handle the formatting process for you.

#9 – Self-Publish Your Book

When you feel confident your book is ready for the public, you can create a KDP account and upload your book.

This is how to upload your book on KDP:

Amazon also allows you to select 7 keywords or keyword phrases to make sure your intended audience can find your book when searching on Amazon.

It’s highly recommended you also select two different categories on Amazon your book might fit into so you can reach a broader audience.

To select keywords and categories, look at other best-selling books in your niche and notice what keywords and categories those authors chose. We can also help you with this in some of our core offer programs.

Once Amazon finishes uploading your file, a confirmation message will be sent and you can preview the uploaded file to check for any errors. Create your Amazon author central account after uploading your book.

Include a bio, photo, and link to your website or blog to help you stand out among authors. After a few more steps, you’ll be ready to publish your book, at which time you’ll click “save & publish” in your KDP book dashboard.

Afterward, you should be ready to publish your book! Just click “save & publish” in the book editing screen!

Is it free to publish a book on Amazon?

Yes, it is free to publish your book on Amazon. The company instead makes its money by taking a slice of your sales.

#10 – Price Your Book

One of the most important decisions when it comes to self-publishing a book is how to price it. The most common question I get from new writers is, “How much should my book cost?”

Action Plan:

Find the perfect price by using this strategy that will attract your readers and best drive long-term success.

#11 – Form a Launch Team

Your launch team is the group of people who are dedicated to helping make your book successful.

They should be a passionate group of individuals who are eager to make your book launch successful. Remember, one highly skilled team member is better than a group of mediocre ones!

Here’s a video detailing how to use a launch team effectively:

To find quality candidates, here’s a questionnaire you can use to assess applicants and see if they’re qualified to market your book:

Action Plan:

Create an application with questions that align with your thought process. Try to be open-minded with those who think outside the box – they may be the perfect candidates that can get your book to become a bestseller.

#12 – Get Reviews

Ultimately, you want to get as many eyeballs and readers of your book as possible. One of the best ways to do that is by getting reviews. It’s not enough to learn how to publish a book and be done with it. You still have to take action even after your official launch.

As soon as your book goes live on Amazon, be sure to leverage your launch team and your audience to help you market your book! It may be odd to ask your fans for help, but your fans are there to support your project and want to see you succeed.

You might be surprised how willing they’ll be to help you if you just ask!

Here are some marketing initiatives you can assign your team and audience to help you maximize exposure of your book:

The additional exposure generated from your launch team and audience will help push your book up Amazon’s rankings, which will drive more sales! There are even websites that help you with rankings, such as Kindle Ranker. Make sure to have a look at that!

Action Plan:

Create your book marketing launch plan using these methods. Measure each of these methods to see which will best get your book in the hands of new readers and convert into sales.

#13 – Celebrate Learning How to Self-Publish a Book!

Publishing a book is a huge milestone. So celebrate it! Reward yourself!

And then, get back to work. Publishing is just the beginning. It will open up doors you never imagined were possible. Or maybe you imagined them, but you doubted that they were possible.

Depending on your goals for your book, self-publishing can get you more customers, free publicity, and establish you as an expert in your niche.

This can help you land speaking gigs and build a business within your area of expertise.

Your book sales can also help fund your lifestyle with passive income.

Dream big about what you want your book to do for you. When you have a vision for where you want your book to take you, it will be easier to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

Getting clear on what you want will also help you to be more effective when expanding your network along your journey.

What to Do Now

Now that you’ve learned how to publish a book, it’s time to take action and bring yourself one step closer to your goals and dreams.

If self-publishing a bestseller is something you want to do, and you’re serious about changing your life and your business for the better by getting your book out there in the world, then you need a step-by-step system to follow to take action. The book outline template below can certainly help.

You can also book a call with our team to find out how we can help you take the next step with your book!

Acknowledgement Page, Copyright Page, & More!

25-page Non-Fiction Book Outline Template

Finish your book FASTER by downloading this FREE template that’s pre-formatted, easy to use, and you can fill-in-the-blank!

How to Publish a Book: The Ultimate Guide

So you’ve finished writing your book—perhaps a lifelong dream—and now you want to get it published.

Where do you go from here?

You poured your heart and soul into the writing, and I hope you also spent countless hours editing and revising.

Any seasoned expert will tell you: All writing is rewriting.

Certainly the writing alone took months, maybe years. But you did something few people ever do: You finished writing your book.

Maybe you’ve done your homework on the do’s and don’ts of publishing a book, but you’ve found so much conflicting advice that you’re overwhelmed.

How do you decide your next step?

I’ll give you my best advice from 40+ years in the publishing business.In this post, you’ll learn:

In simple terms, you have two options:

1—Traditional publishing

2—Self-publishing

Which is best for you?

As one who has written and had published nearly 200 books since the 1970s, let me try to help you decide.

I’ll start with definitions so you know what you’re actually choosing.

Traditional Publishing

In this scenario, a book publishing company offers you a contract for the right to publish your book. The publisher owns the copyright and you earn royalties from sales.In exchange, they pay for everything from editing, proofreading, typesetting, printing, binding, cover art and design, promotion, advertising, warehousing, shipping, billing, and more.Traditional publishers take all the risks.

If a “publisher” requires any money from you—even a minimum number of copies purchased—they are not a traditional publisher.

They might refer to themself as a co-op or a hybrid publisher, and they might even insist that they accept some manuscripts and reject others, but they are not traditional publishers.

Note that even if you get a publishing deal, it’s never hands-off. You will still have to share in marketing and promotional activities.

The Pros of Traditional Publishing

The Cons of Traditional Publishing

Self-publishing

Regardless what services or suppliers you use to have your book printed, this option is rightly referred to as self-publishing.

Why? Because everything is on you. You are the publisher, the financier, the decision-maker, and the creator.Everything listed above under Traditional publishing falls to you. You decide who does it, you approve or reject their work, and you pay for it.

The term self-publishing is a bit of a misnomer, however, because what you’re paying for is not publishing, but printing.
So, the question becomes, why pay to be printed if you could be paid to be published?

The Pros of Self-Publishing

The Cons of Self-Publishing

Whichever method you choose, there are a few steps that every author must take to get published.

8 Steps to Publishing a Book

Finish your first draft

Obvious? Yes — but few people ever achieve this.

Come up with a great title

Start with a working title, but don’t finalize it until your first draft is complete.

Get feedback and editing

Separate yourself from the competition and make sure your book is the best it can be. Agents and publishers reject manuscripts that need too much work.

Get a great cover

Your book’s cover is your most important marketing tool. Your publisher knows what sells. If you’re self-publishing, invest in a professional designer.

Write a strong book description

A good cover makes readers curious enough to pick up your book. Your book’s description will seal the deal.

Format your manuscript

Poor formatting makes you look like an amateur, so do this right. Check out the recommendations in my guide, How to Write a Book.

Create a launch plan

Your launch plan helps to build excitement and sell as many books as possible once it’s released. Your publisher will help with this, but they won’t do everything.
Prepare Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) and reach out to your email list, your colleagues, and any influencers you know to ask them to submit reviews to Amazon or Apple Books during launch week.

Market your book

Your work doesn’t stop after your book is published – it’s only just begun. Have a plan that will help you promote your books on an ongoing basis.

Let’s Get Real About How to Publish a Book

Some say writers can make a lot more money by self-publishing. They argue that rather than settling for just a 15% or so royalty of the sales by a traditional publisher, they enjoy all the profits.

The problem with this logic is that it too often underestimates what it costs to self-publish.

The likelihood is that the “profit” per sold book, often at best, equals about the same as a traditional royalty.

The drawback then is that as a self-publisher, you have vastly less experience promoting, advertising, marketing, selling, delivering, and billing than traditional publishers do.

Besides the fact that this is a full-time job that will likely rule out your having the time to write another book, with rare exceptions, traditional publishers sell many more copies than self-publishers do.

That said, self-publishing may be your choice under certain circumstances. Such as:

In truth, there are many reasons you might opt to self-publish, so the issue becomes whom you can trust as a supplier for all the services you’ll be paying for.

That’s where you need to do your homework. Talk to others who have self-published to see whether they felt ripped off, over-promised, over-charged, etc.

Many vanity or subsidy or hybrid self-publishing suppliers have beautiful websites, rave reviews, and examples of beautifully produced books that will make your mouth water.

They’ll use terms like, “If we accept your manuscript…” when the truth is, many such firms would print anything you sent them as long as your check was attached.

They’ll offer all the services I listed above, but if you decide not to take advantage of those, you’ll pay less but also wind up with an inferior final product.

That’s why too many self-published books look self-published:

But those are the least of the potential issues.

How Much Does it Cost to Publish a Book?

As mentioned above, if you go the traditional route, your publisher will cover all related costs.

You’ll save time and energy — and also avoid a steep learning curve.

If you’re self-publishing, you’ll pay out of pocket. Your costs can vary widely depending on the types of services you need, your genre, and more.

You can find estimates for professional services here, as well as four authors’ actual book publishing costs.

How To Publish a Children’s Book

If you dream of becoming a children’s author — or of publishing children’s versions of your adult books — the process is similar.

But there are enough differences to make it worthwhile to learn specifically about the children’s book market and how to publish a children’s book. It’s highly competitive, largely because four-color illustrations are the most expensive printing there is.

However, the market is growing quickly and it’s highly rewarding. Learn how to write a children’s book and submit it to publishers.

Are the Odds Against Traditional Publishing too Great?

Few traditional publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t consider new writers and their work.

They accept submissions from agents — who are always on the lookout for the next great book or author — or from writers recommended to them by one of their current authors.

I’ve been coaching writers for decades, so I’m well aware of the confusion, the desperation, and the frustration you may be feeling.

Pursuing a traditional book deal takes:

Which is why I wrote this roadmap to the publishing process.

By the end, I want you confident and clear about which route to choose when publishing your book—and you’ll know the steps to take.

Deciding your publishing path

We’re in the busiest and noisiest era in publishing history. It has never been easier to get printed, and never harder to be traditionally published.

But don’t let that discourage you.

Getting a literary agent or a publisher to take a chance on you or your manuscript does not happen by accident. It requires time, focus, and excellence.

Begin by considering:

How to Pitch to Traditional Publishers

If you’re a nonfiction writer you’ll want to submit a book proposal that includes a brief, one- or two-sentence synopsis (summary) of each chapter, plus three sample chapters.

A first time fiction writer is expected to submit a complete manuscript for consideration.

How to Publish a Book: Landing a Traditional Publishing Deal

1. Edit Like Your Writing Life Depends On It, Because It Does

The most important step as you begin is to become a ferocious self-editor. Even if you choose to self-publish, the quality of your writing is determined by this.

Acquisition editors (first readers at publishing houses who decide whether your manuscript is worth showing to their bosses) and literary agents tell me they know within two minutes or as few as two pages whether your manuscript is worth pursuing.

That may not sound fair, but it’s the hard truth. If you wished they would have stuck with it till you got to the good part, next time start with the good part. 😊

All writing is rewriting. Put your best foot forward by learning to aggressively self-edit until you’re happy with every word.

If an agent decides to take you on and/or your manuscript is accepted by a publishing house, it will still go through editing there.

But your goal is to make it the best you know how so it will get past those first readers—potential agents or acquisition editors.

2. Determine your genre

You need to know where your book will sit on bookstore shelves and how it will be categorized in online marketplaces like Amazon. This lets your ideal readers find you and tells Amazon how to promote you.

Knowing your genre is also critical when you start pitching agents, because not all agents represent all genres. If you send your memoir to an agent who’s only interested in business topics or romance, you’ll get an automatic rejection.

3. Find An Agent

Landing an agent can be just as difficult as landing a publishing deal, because they are every bit as discerning regarding a manuscript’s (or an author’s) potential.

The advantage of an agent (which makes them worth their 15% of whatever you make) is that they serve as your manuscript’s cheerleader.

Agents know the business, the industry, the players—who’s publishing what and who might like what you’ve written.

They shop your manuscript to publishers and advocate on your behalf. Having landed an agent is a credit in itself.

It shows that you and your writing have already survived serious vetting.

Some (but not many) traditional publishers consider unsolicited or unagented manuscripts, but if you can land an agent, that’s your best bet.

Having an agent can make your life a lot easier. They can:

Once you’ve researched and compiled a list of agents who seem to be a good fit, follow their submission guidelines to a T. (Google literary agents.)

4. Write A Query Letter

A query (question) letter is designed to determine whether an agent or publisher might be interested in your manuscript. It’s your first impression—your initial sales call.

Make it stimulating and intriguing.

You’re not selling your writing just yet; you’re merely asking to get in the door.

Position yourself as a colleague, not a fan. Make it short and to the point, preferably one page, and send electronically.

Before you hit Send, proofread your letter. Then proofread it again.

While up to a half dozen typos in a 300-400-page manuscript are of little consequence, any typo in such a short document will make you look like an amateur.

Have a friend or relative proofread it with fresh eyes.

5. Write your proposal or send your manuscript

These are the documents agents want.

If you’re writing nonfiction, your proposal is often the only document they require before asking to see your manuscript.

If you’re writing fiction, agents will request either a partial or a full manuscript.

Every word should pique an agent’s interest—your goal is an invitation to send your entire manuscript.

Briefly but completely describe the details of your manuscript. Leave nothing out.

For nonfiction, include every issue you cover and the basics of what you’ve said about each.

For fiction, synopsize every chapter.

Proposals can contain any number of components, including:

The average proposal can range from between 10 to 25 pages. Keep it as tight as you can without leaving out anything crucial.

Which is best, a query or a proposal?

As a rule, a query letter precedes sending either a proposal or a full or partial manuscript. But check potential agents’ submissions guidelines on their websites

Some want to start with your proposal. Show them you’re thorough and willing to work.

How to Self-Publish a Book

The best way to set yourself apart, besides ferociously self-editing your book, is paying for a professional editor.

The biggest mistake many self-published authors make is spending more on design and marketing than on professional editing and proofreading.

A great looking book with a terrific cover and lots of promotion will die a quick death in the market unless the editing and proofreading are also evident.

Resist the urge to hire a relative who majored in English or even teaches English; book editing is a unique discipline.

The last thing you want is a handsome product that reads like the manuscript made the rounds of the traditional publishing houses, was rejected, and had to be self-published.

Writing quality sets you apart in a saturated marketplace.
Amazon is by far the biggest player for self-publishers, so it’s worth your while to learn how to publish a book on Amazon.

Engaging a Self-Publishing Company vs. Doing It Yourself

Many companies offer all the services you need to self-publish, but some are more trustworthy than others. It takes a lot of success—and sales—to recoup the costs of such services.

You may run across the term “hybrid publishing,” referring to different pay-to-publish methods, but the bottom line is that it’s still self-publishing.

As I’ve said, you are the publisher. You pay the bills.

My friend Jane Friedman’s helpful article, What is a Hybrid Publisher?, explains this in detail.

In short, hybrid publishing companies claim to combine the best of a traditional publishing house with a self-publishing model. But beware.

Many of these are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Again, do your homework, get references, compare pricing.
The more popular platforms to “publish” online:

Other considerations for self-published titles (unless you’ve hired someone to navigate this process):

But hear me:
Please exhaust all efforts to be traditionally published before resorting to self-publishing.

If you are fortunate enough to have your manuscript accepted by a traditional publishing house, they assume all the financial risk, so it costs you nothing.

Should you choose self-publishing, the cost varies greatly. You can “publish” virtually free online if you don’t engage an editor, proofreader, or designer.

My Opinion on How to Publish a Book

I’ve made it my life’s work to coach writers to get their work to a level where they can market it to traditional publishers. Even if you choose self-publishing, you want your writing up to that standard.

A great starting point? My 21 Ferocious Self-Editing Tips Checklist can turn you into an aggressive self-editor and give your writing the best chance to impress industry gatekeepers.

Regardless whether you choose to compete for a traditional publishing deal or self-publish, give everything you have to your writing.

Hone your skills. Read everything you can get your hands on about the craft.