How to Self publish Your Book in 2023

Self publishing is rapidly gaining popularity, particularly for authors who want to share their ideas with the world, no matter how complex and controversial they are. The $1 billion self publishing market revenue evidently shows that it has become the first choice for many authors.

By self publishing, you not only get worldwide platforms like Barnes & Noble and Amazon Kindle to showcase your work, but you can also make it big. Many authors in the past have made it to the bestselling lists by self publishing their ideas, which was not possible otherwise without bypassing the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing landscape.

While you will have to compromise on the potential of maximum exposure by choosing self publishing over the traditional method, the other perks, such as more control over your work and high royalties (up to 70% of the sale price), compel aspiring authors to opt to publish their book independently. If these benefits inspire you to self publish your book, here are the step-by-step guidelines to become an indie author in 2023.

Complete your manuscript for self publishing

The first and foremost thing that propels you to publish a book is the idea churning in your mind, and you are eager to share it with the world. You only have to coherently pour your ideas into the document to form a narrative. Some over-the-counter tips to prepare a professional standard manuscript are:

Try to write the final draft on a word-processing program, preferably MS Word, for its efficient editing tools.
If you have the budget, you can hire a professional ghostwriter near you to pen down your idea in the right tone and creative words.

Edit your manuscript to perfection.

Editing to make your book errorless is crucial whether you are self publishing or giving your book to agents for the publication process. As an author, your primary customers are the readers who judge your book and decide to read it based on the content. Minor spelling and grammatical errors can have a massive negative impact on them, leading them away from your present and future content.

Here are a few pointers to help you run extensive editing on your book.

Go back to your manuscript for editing after a week of completing the manuscript so you can see the small details with fresh eyes.
Start by reading your manuscript as your target audience. Read the entire book, noting down the plot holes and character gaps, keeping the big picture in mind. Make changes once you have gone through the whole book.
In the end, once again, proofread your book for any spelling, grammar, and contextual errors.

The entire process might sound intimidating, which is understandable. Making your book perfect for publishing standards is more challenging than writing the manuscript. Therefore, the best idea is to hire a professional editor who cannot only screen your manuscript line-by-line but also read it with a unique perspective and develop it into a more enhanced and engaging book.

Design your Cover

There are those who are jack of all trades, but this is not the case with everyone. A great idealist might not be a great writer, and a great writer cannot be equally good at designing. But this should not stop you from becoming a published author. With many professional and budget-friendly designers available online, you can hire a freelance designer to design an appropriate cover for your book. Remember the following factors while hiring a professional book cover designer online.

See that the designer you are hiring has extensive experience in designing book covers. A book cover designer knows the technical details of book cover designing, such as the size, the title, the back cover, the book spine, etc.
Ensure that the designer is providing you with all the file formats of your cover design so you can use it whenever you want to publish the other formats of your book in the future, such as paperback, hardcover, etc.

Usually, you get all your requirements fulfilled by associating with an agency with expert teams for every book publishing process. They can guide and help you throughout the process, from editing to book cover designing and even marketing.

Formatting and typeset

Formatting and typesetting the manuscript according to the publishing standards is a crucial step for the acceptance of your work. The formatting process not only aesthetically represents your content but also makes it more representable and readable for the readers. The more professionally formatted, the more appealing it gets for the readers. Here is the standard formatting guideline for self published books:

Fiction: 4.25 x 6.87, 5 x 8, 5.25 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9.
Novella: 5 x 8.
Children’s: 7.5 x 7.5, 7 x 10, 10 x 8.
Textbooks: 6 x 9, 7 x 10, 8.5 x 11.
Non-fiction: 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, 7 x 10″
Memoir: 5.25 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5.
Photography: As they fit in the layout.

Most publishing platforms accept .doc, .docx, and .epub files.

Publish Your Book

Once your manuscript is ready with content, illustration, and book cover, find the ideal publishing platform for your book. Unlike traditional publishing, you can keep your book on multiple platforms if you are self publishing your book. However, some renowned platforms like Amazon’s KDP Select ask for a 90-day Kindle-only distribution in exchange for special promotions.

Some popular publishing platforms include Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Press, Book Baby, and Rakuten’s Kobo Writing Life. Follow the following general guidelines to publish your book on one or all of these sites.

Sign up for a free publishing account and follow the instructions to upload your manuscript and cover image.
Set a price and distribution area for your book and account details for royalties earned.
Every platform requires a specific cover size and book format to accept your publication. Upload your work according to those requirements.
The platforms also require a book description of about 150 words, briefly explaining your book’s theme without giving away too much.
After the registration, your e-book appears for sale usually within a couple of days. You can opt for print-on-demand services. The platform will print and deliver your book according to the order placement.

Final Words

Self publishing can be exciting, but there are various technicalities involved in the process, which can be daunting for writers. The intelligent choice is to hire online publishing services to take care of the technical details so you can focus on your creativity.

The great benefit of hiring professional services is that you get to oversee the entire production process without worrying about technical glitches. So, it’s beneficial to make room in your publishing budget and hire professionals for the services to enjoy the success of your book later.