How to self-publish a book, step by step
We take a closer look at how authors can take their work from a finished manuscript to your first thirty days on sale. Plus, we've included a free interactive self-publishing checklist so you can track progress as you go.
Self-publishing a book means you need to take on every piece of the process that a traditional publisher would otherwise handle; editing, cover design, formatting, distribution, marketing, it all sits with you. This may sound overwhelming, however, the good news is that none of these steps are complicated in isolation. If you break it down and handle it step by step then it's very achievable to do well (I mean, come on, you've just written a novel - you got this).
That said, the part that trips people up is the sequencing. If you recruit ARC readers too late you won't have time to react to their feedback, if you do the cover design too late you may end up settling with something sub-par, and if you write the book description in the hour before hitting publish you will end up with something sub-par.
This guide lays the process out in five phases, starting eight weeks before your planned publication date, with a checklist available so you can tick items off as you go.
Get the checklist
All five phases as a single interactive checklist. Work through it here, print it, or bookmark it, your progress saves automatically in your browser.
The Self-Publishing Launch Checklist
Fifty checkpoints from eight weeks out to your first thirty days on sale, laid out in the order this guide walks through.
The five phases
Before you think about publishing, you first need a publish ready novel, polished to the nth degree. Once you have that the excitement starts.
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1
Foundations (8–6 weeks before)
The foundations come first. This means a manuscript that's fully edited and proofread, not "mostly done", but fully polished. You also need to research the market, understand what's selling and brief a designer for a cover (briefed against what's selling in your category currently).
This is also the phase where you need to think deeply about your books categorisation, comparable books in the market, the keywords you need to use, and your book description. Essentially, what language and images are you going to use to sell your book?
- How to Self-Edit Your Novel — the manuscript needs to be finished before this phase starts
- Designing Your Book Cover for Self-Publishing — the thumbnail test and genre conventions that matter
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2
Production (6–4 weeks before)
This stage is where the manuscript becomes an actual product: formatted for print and ebook, front and back matter finalised, a proof copy ordered and reviewed. Your publishing platform account set up and verified, tax information and identity checks included, since these can take days to clear.
Quick tip: You can professionally typeset and format your book for free using Writing Desks online formatter.
- How to Self-Publish on Amazon KDP — account setup, file requirements, and the upload process itself
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3
Reader pipeline (4–2 weeks before)
This is possibly the most-skipped phase because it can be irritating to find and get real feedback from ARC readers. But it is important you don't get tempted to jump ahead.
ARC readers need to be recruited with enough runway to finish the book and write something thoughtful before you publish. The aim here is to launch with reviews already under your belt, and you may also catch some essential feedback, either about your cover, book description, or even about the manuscript itself that needs fixing pre-launch.
- The Self-Publishing Checklist — the full reader-pipeline checkpoints, tickable
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4
Launch week
The book goes live, the launch email you already wrote gets sent, ARC readers are asked to post the reviews they already have ready. Early sales and positive reviews are what gets a book noticed by retailer algorithms in the first place, so this week carries real weight.
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5
Post-launch (first 30 days)
Publishing is the first milestone, not the end of the process. You need to track your sales and rankings, monitor rand respond to reviews. And you need to keep posting about your story, sharing updates with your audience, and decide whether or not to commit some budget into a promotional push.
A countdown deal or a temporary price drop may also be worth running to give the book a second wave of visibility.
Launch day results are decided weeks before launch day.
By the time the book goes live, the manuscript, the cover, and the formatting are already locked. What's still moveable that week is entirely about the reader pipeline built in the weeks before it, ARC reviews ready to post, an audience that already knows the date.
Sequencing the five phases in order is what makes that pipeline exist by the time it's needed.
Go deeper
The full cluster: the decision behind self-publishing, what it costs, the KDP process end to end, and cover design done properly.
Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
The real trade-offs across timeline, royalties, control, and cost, and how to decide between them.
Read the guide
Cost of Self-Publishing
Editing, cover design, formatting, ISBNs, and marketing, with realistic budgets at three different price points.
Read the guide
How to Self-Publish on Amazon KDP
Account setup, file requirements, royalty tiers, and the upload process itself, step by step.
Read the guide
Designing Your Book Cover for Self-Publishing
The thumbnail test, genre conventions that matter, typography rules, and DIY versus custom design.
Read the guideChoosing writing software? See the best novel writing software.
Export straight to a submission-ready file.
The Formatter typesets and exports your finished manuscript to EPUB and print PDF, correct margins, embedded fonts, front and back matter included, so production doesn't mean a separate piece of software.
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