Self-Publishing Your Novel: A 10 Step Guide for First-Time Authors

Congratulations! You've finished writing your novel, and now you've set your sights on self-publishing. But now you're staring at your manuscript, wondering, "Where do I start?" If you're feeling overwhelmed by the self-publishing process, you're not alone. 

Most first-time authors don't realize just how many decisions the self-publishing process involves. From choosing file formats and pricing strategies to designing covers and optimizing metadata—every choice you make directly impacts your book's success in the marketplace.

This is exactly why having a roadmap to follow before diving into self-publishing is so crucial. Just as you wouldn't build a house without blueprints, you shouldn't publish your novel without a clear plan of action. And that's exactly what I'm going to provide—a foundation-to-roof blueprint for transforming your manuscript into a professionally published book.

The following ten steps will guide you through the self-publishing journey in a logical sequence that mirrors the actual publication process. We'll start with the essential mindset shift, move through preparation and production, and finish with the final touches that will help your book shine in the marketplace.

Pay special attention to Step #7 because it's arguably the most crucial decision that will determine your book's reach and revenue potential. Yet, many authors make this choice without fully understanding the implications.

10 Steps To Self-Publishing Your Novel:

1. Cultivate a Professional Publisher Mindset
2. Build Your Self-Publishing Team
3. Finalize Your Manuscript with Professional Editing
4. Start Building Your Author Platform
5. Start Growing Your Email List
6. Create a Professional Book Cover and Interior Design
7. Choose Your Self-Publishing Platforms and Distribution Channels
8. Develop Your Book's Metadata and Marketing Copy
9. Set Your Pricing Strategy
10. Secure Your Author Brand Assets

Step #1: Cultivate a Publisher's Mindset

Before you take a single concrete step toward publishing your book, you need to embrace an important shift in how you think about yourself and your work. You're no longer just a writer—you're becoming a publisher. This first step lays the foundation for everything that follows.

This mindset shift is fundamental to self-publishing success, yet it’s frequently overlooked. Many authors approach self-publishing as simply an extension of writing, but it's an entirely different endeavor requiring new skills, perspectives, and decisions.

This kind of professional publisher mindset means viewing your book as both an artistic creation AND a product in the marketplace. While traditional publishers separate these functions across different departments, as a self-publisher, you need to wear both hats simultaneously. This doesn't mean compromising your artistic vision—it means giving your story the professional treatment it deserves.

So, what does this kind of "publisher's mindset" include? Let's take a look:

• Treating your book as a business investment: Understanding costs, returns, and strategic decisions
• Thinking about your readers as customers: Considering their needs and experiences at every stage
• Making decisions based on industry standards and market research: Not just personal preferences
• Seeing your book as part of a larger author career: Not just a one-time creative project
• Taking ownership of quality at every stage: Not cutting corners or settling for "good enough"

The most common self-publishing pitfalls—amateurish covers, poor editing, ineffective marketing—almost always stem from approaching publishing as "just getting my book out there" rather than "launching a professional product."

PRO TIP: Start your publishing journey by creating a simple business plan for your book that includes your goals, budget, timeline, and target audience. This document becomes your North Star, helping you make difficult decisions throughout the publishing process.

With this publisher mindset firmly in place, you're ready to begin assembling the team that will help bring your vision to life, because even independent publishing is rarely a solo endeavor.

Step #2: Build Your Self-Publishing Team

One of the most persistent myths about self-publishing is that you have to do everything alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, trying to handle every aspect of publishing yourself is often a recipe for disappointing results and burnout.

Successful self-published authors build a team of professionals who elevate their book far beyond what they could accomplish solo.

Think of yourself as the CEO of your book project—responsible for the final decisions and overall vision, but relying on specialists for their expertise in specific areas. Like any good CEO, your first task is assembling the right people to execute your vision.

Your potential self-publishing team members include:

• Developmental/Line/Copy Editors: Helps strengthen and polish your story from the big picture development to correcting spelling and grammar
• Proofreader: Catches those final typos and formatting issues before publication
• Cover Designer: Creates a professional, genre-appropriate cover that attracts your target readers
• Interior Formatter: Ensures your book looks professional on the page and functions properly as an ebook
• Audiobook Narrator/Producer: Brings your story to life in audio format (if you're creating an audiobook)
• Marketing Consultant (or Contractor): Helps develop strategies for reaching your target readers

Not every author needs every team member, and your specific needs will depend on your skills, budget, and goals. The key is honest self-assessment—where do you need professional help to ensure your book meets industry standards?

PRO TIP: Start building relationships with potential team members before you need them. Join writer communities where professionals hang out, follow service providers on social media, and collect recommendations from other authors. The best professionals often have waiting lists, so planning ahead is crucial.

With your publishing mindset established and your team beginning to take shape, it's time to focus on one of the most crucial aspects of your book's success: ensuring the manuscript itself is truly ready for prime time.

Step #3: Finalize Your Manuscript with Professional Editing

Even if you've already worked with beta readers, revised your manuscript extensively, and feel confident about its quality, professional editing remains an essential investment for self-published authors. This step ensures the foundation of your book—the actual content—is structurally sound and polished.

No matter how skilled you are as a writer or how thoroughly you've self-edited, you'll never catch all the issues in your own work.

Professional editors bring both technical expertise and objective distance to your manuscript. They see what you can't because you're too close to the work. This fresh perspective is invaluable in taking your book from good to great.

Depending on where you are in the revision process, you might need different levels of editing:

• Developmental Editing: Helps strengthen story structure, character development, and overall narrative
• Line Editing: Focuses on the craft and flow of your writing at the sentence level
• Copy Editing: Addresses technical issues like grammar, punctuation, and consistency
• Proofreading: Provides that final quality check to catch any remaining errors

Related: What Kind of Editor Do You Need For Your Book?

Many first-time authors make the mistake of skipping professional editing to save money, only to receive negative reviews highlighting the very issues an editor would have caught. Remember, readers don't give you a pass on quality just because you're self-published—they compare your book to everything else they read, including traditionally published works.

PRO TIP: To get the most value from professional editing, prepare your manuscript thoroughly first. Do as many self-editing passes as possible and/or enlist the help of trusted beta readers before hiring a professional. This allows the editor to focus on more subtle issues rather than obvious problems you could have fixed yourself.

While your manuscript is being polished to perfection, there's a parallel process you should be initiating—one that many authors unfortunately leave until after publication. It's time to begin building the platform that will help readers discover your book.

Step #4: Start Building Your Author Platform

An author platform is your ability to reach readers directly. It's the collection of channels and relationships that allow you to connect with your audience without intermediaries. 

And while it may seem premature to think about your platform before your book is published, the truth is that building a platform takes time, which is why you need to start now, while other aspects of your book are being developed.

Your author platform isn't just a marketing tool—it's the foundation of a sustainable self-publishing career.

The most successful self-published authors don't just release books into the void; they build direct connections with readers who will buy not just their current book, but future books as well. This direct relationship is your most valuable asset as an author.

Key components of an author platform include:

• Author Website: Your digital home base where readers can learn about you and your books
• Email List: Your direct line of communication to people who have signed up to hear from you
• Social Media Presence: Strategic participation on platforms where your readers spend time
• Content Creation: Blogs, podcasts, videos, or other content that showcases your expertise
• Speaking/Events: In-person and virtual opportunities to connect with readers
• Media Relationships: Connections with bloggers, influencers, podcasters, and journalists in your genre

Related: 5 Steps To Building Your Author Platform

Don't feel pressured to establish all of these components at once. Start with the foundations—a simple author website, an email list, and one social media platform you enjoy—and build from there.

PRO TIP: Focus on depth over breadth in your platform-building efforts. One social media platform where you regularly engage with readers is far more valuable than profiles on five platforms you rarely update. Choose where to invest your time based on where your target readers actually gather.

Remember, platform building runs parallel to your other publishing tasks and continues long after your book is published. Consistency matters more than immediate results.

As you begin establishing your author platform, there's one component that deserves special attention—an element so powerful and valuable that it warrants its own step in our publishing blueprint.

Step #5: Begin Growing Your Email List

Of all the platform components we discussed in Step #4, your email list deserves special attention. It's the single most valuable asset you can build as an author, far outweighing social media followers or website traffic in terms of actual book sales and career stability.

Your email list is the only platform you truly own and control.

Social media algorithms change, platforms rise and fall, but your direct connection to readers through email remains constant. When someone joins your email list, they're inviting you into their inbox—a privilege that comes with unparalleled opportunity for meaningful connection.

Here's why you should start building your list now, before your book is published:

• You can build anticipation for your upcoming release
• You'll have an audience ready to buy, review, and recommend your book at launch
• You'll establish relationships with readers that extend beyond a single book
• You'll create a foundation for sustainable book sales, independent of algorithms

Related: Email List Building Essentials For Authors

Starting an email list is technically simple. You can sign up with a provider like MailerLite, Kit, or MailChimp, create a signup form, and offer something valuable in exchange for email addresses. The challenging part is consistently providing value that keeps subscribers engaged.

Like platform building, list growth is a gradual process that happens alongside your other publishing tasks. Start small, focus on quality subscribers who genuinely connect with your work, and be patient with the process.

PRO TIP: Create a compelling "reader magnet"—a free piece of content related to your book that entices people to join your list. This could be a prequel short story, a character interview, a deleted scene, or even the first few chapters of your upcoming book. Make it substantial enough that readers feel they've received real value in exchange for their email address.

With your audience-building efforts underway, it's time to shift focus to the visual and design elements that will make your book stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Step #6: Create a Professional Book Cover and Interior Design

We've all heard the advice "don't judge a book by its cover," but the reality is that everyone does exactly that, especially in the digital marketplace where your cover is often reduced to a tiny thumbnail competing with countless others.

Your book cover is the single most important marketing asset you'll create.

A professional cover doesn't just make your book look good; it communicates crucial information to potential readers in an instant:

• What genre your book belongs to
• The tone and emotional experience readers can expect
• The level of professionalism they'll find inside
• Whether this book is "for them"

The most common mistake self-published authors make is underestimating the importance of professional cover design. An amateur cover doesn't just look unprofessional—it actively signals to potential readers that the content inside might be equally amateur.

The same principles apply to interior formatting, though to a lesser degree. A well-formatted book interior enhances the reading experience, while poor formatting creates friction and frustration for readers.

Related: How To Find & Work With A Book Cover Designer

When budgeting for your book, prioritize your cover design investment. A professional cover typically costs between $300 and $3,000, but the return on investment through increased visibility and sales makes this one of the wisest expenditures in your publishing journey.

PRO TIP: Research bestselling covers in your specific sub-genre before hiring a designer. Look for patterns in color schemes, typography, imagery, and overall feel. These patterns exist because they signal to readers what kind of book they're getting. Your cover should be unique while still clearly belonging to your genre's visual language.

With your book's content polished and its visual presentation professionally designed, it's time to make crucial decisions about how and where readers will be able to find and purchase your novel.

Step #7: Choose Your Self-Publishing Platforms and Distribution Channels

This step represents a crucial decision point that will significantly impact your book's reach, income potential, and marketing strategy. Yet many authors make these format-specific choices without fully understanding their implications.

The platforms and distribution channels you choose determine not just where your book is sold, but how you'll market it and what business model you'll follow across all formats.

For Ebooks:

Exclusive Distribution (Amazon KDP Select)

• Makes your ebook available exclusively through Amazon
• Enrolls you in Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read your book for free and you're paid per page read
• Provides additional promotional tools like Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions
• Requires 90-day commitment periods for ebooks only
• Note: Print and audiobook versions can still be distributed widely while your ebook is exclusive

Wide Distribution

• Makes your ebook available across multiple retailers (Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.)
• Reaches readers worldwide who prefer platforms other than Amazon
• Allows direct sales through your website or platforms like Payhip
• Provides more stability through diversified income streams
• Requires more complex management or use of aggregators like Draft2Digital

For Print Books:

Print-on-Demand Options

• Amazon KDP Print: Offers a wide reach through Amazon with no upfront printing costs
• IngramSpark: Provides access to bookstores, libraries, and academic institutions worldwide
• Barnes & Noble Press: Offers another significant retail channel for print distribution
• Consider using both KDP Print and IngramSpark for maximum reach—KDP for Amazon sales and IngramSpark for expanded distribution

Neither approach is inherently superior for any format—the right choice depends on your specific genre, goals, and marketing strengths. 

Many authors in certain genres (romance, thriller, science fiction) find exclusive ebook distribution through Amazon highly profitable due to Kindle Unlimited readers, while authors in other genres or with strong direct platforms often earn more through wide distribution.

PRO TIP: Consider a hybrid approach across formats. For example, you might distribute your ebook through KDP Select for the initial 90 days to leverage promotional tools, while simultaneously distributing your print book widely through both KDP Print and IngramSpark. For audiobooks, evaluate whether your specific genre performs better in Audible or across multiple platforms.

These decisions don't have to be permanent—many authors switch strategies as their career evolves or experiment with different approaches for different books in their catalog.

Now that you've determined where your book will be available in all its formats, the next challenge is making sure readers can actually find it among millions of other titles. This is where strategic metadata becomes essential.

Step #8: Develop Your Book's Metadata and Marketing Copy

Now that you've chosen your publishing platforms, it's time to ensure readers can actually find your book in a sea of millions. In the digital book marketplace, your book's metadata is as important as its content when it comes to discoverability. 

Metadata includes all the information that describes your book to retailers and readers: title, subtitle, description, keywords, categories, and more.

Well-crafted metadata helps the right readers find your book, while poor metadata leaves it invisible regardless of quality.

Each element of your metadata serves a specific function:

• Title/Subtitle: Catches attention and signals genre/content
• Description/Blurb: Entices readers to buy through compelling marketing copy
• Keywords: Helps your book appear in relevant searches
• Categories: Places your book where browsing readers can find it
• Author Bio: Establishes your credibility and connection with readers

The most important principles for effective metadata are relevance and specificity. You want your book to appear in searches and categories where it truly belongs and will satisfy reader expectations. Misleading metadata might generate initial clicks but leads to disappointed readers and poor reviews.

PRO TIP: Study the descriptions and keywords of bestselling books in your sub-genre. Note the specific language they use, the way they structure their blurbs, and the emotional triggers they employ. This research is invaluable in crafting metadata that resonates with your target readers.

If you struggle with marketing copy, this is an area where professional help can make a significant difference in your book's performance.

With your book's discoverability elements in place, you're now ready to make another crucial decision that will impact both your readers' perception and your bottom line—determining how much your book will cost.

Step #9: Set Your Pricing Strategy

Pricing your book effectively requires balancing multiple factors: perceived value, market positioning, reader expectations, and your own revenue goals. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are principles that will guide you toward the optimal price point for your specific book.

Your book's price is not just about revenue—it's a marketing tool that signals quality and positions your work in the market.

The key factors that should influence your pricing decisions include:

• Genre norms: Different genres have different price expectations
• Book length: Longer books can often command higher prices
• Series position: First-in-series books are often priced lower as entry points
• Format: Different formats (ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio) have different pricing standards
• Launch strategy: New releases may warrant special pricing
• Your goals: Revenue maximization vs. reader acquisition

Many new authors make the mistake of underpricing their work, believing that a lower price will attract more readers. While this can be true in some circumstances (especially for first-in-series books), pricing too low can also signal low quality and actually reduce sales.

PRO TIP: Plan your pricing strategy with flexibility in mind. Consider different price points for your book launch (to generate early momentum), regular pricing (aka your standard price point), promotional pricing (for occasional sales and marketing pushes), and series pricing (or how prices will work across multiple books in a series).

Remember that digital book prices can be changed easily, allowing you to experiment and find the sweet spot that maximizes both readers and revenue.

As we approach the final stage of our self-publishing blueprint, it's time to ensure that all your hard work is wrapped in a consistent, professional brand that readers will recognize and trust.

Step #10: Secure Your Author Brand Assets

As you approach publication, it's essential to ensure that your author brand is consistently represented across all platforms and touchpoints with readers. Your brand assets are the visual and textual elements that identify you as an author and create a cohesive experience for your audience.

A consistent author brand builds recognition, professionalism, and trust with your readers.

The key author brand assets to secure before publication include:

• Professional Author Website: Your digital home base with your unique domain
• Author Platform Accounts: Consistent profiles on relevant social platforms
• Professional Author Photo: A high-quality image that represents you appropriately
• Author Logo/Visual Identity: Consistent colors, fonts, and design elements
• Author Central Accounts: Claimed profiles on Amazon and other retailer platforms
• Professional Email Address: Ideally with your author domain ([email protected])
• Author Bio: Consistent messaging about who you are as an author

While some of these assets require financial investment, others simply require careful attention to consistency. For example, using the same author photo, bio, and header images across all platforms costs nothing but creates a cohesive, professional impression.

PRO TIP: Invest in a professional author photo. This is one of your most reused assets and significantly impacts how readers and industry professionals perceive you. A good author photo doesn't need to be expensive—clarity, appropriate attire for your genre, and good lighting are the essentials.

With these final brand elements in place, you've completed our self-publishing blueprint—from establishing the right mindset to creating a cohesive brand identity. You've built a solid foundation for not just this book, but for your entire publishing journey.

Your Self-Publishing Journey Starts Now

As we complete our blueprint for self-publishing success, you might feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. The path from finished manuscript to published book involves important decisions and dedicated work, but it's a path well worth taking.

Every successful author has stood exactly where you stand now, manuscript in hand, wondering how to transform it into a book that readers will discover, enjoy, and recommend.

The ten steps we've explored give you a structured roadmap that breaks down the seemingly overwhelming task of self-publishing into smaller, more manageable pieces. Each step builds on the one before it, creating a solid foundation for your publishing success.

Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

Some days will bring breakthroughs, and others will feel like you're taking steps backward. This does not mean there's anything wrong with you or your book—it's just part of how the publishing process goes.

Above all else, remember that your story deserves to be shared with readers who will love it.

By committing to this self-publishing journey, you're giving your manuscript—and yourself as an author—the best possible opportunity to succeed. 

Take a deep breath, embrace your new role as publisher, and prepare for the rewarding work of bringing your book into the world!