Publishing your first book might be overwhelming. It is a dream for many people and is something close to their hearts. People often ruminate about it like how is it gonna be when they publish their first book, what things and milestones do they have to reach to publish it and how they will present it to the world. The idea of having your name on a book sure is intimidating as well and every publisher’s dream is to fulfill it.
Whether you have just finished writing your manuscript or you have just started plotting around it and you are confused about what to do next, this step-by-step book publishing process will provide you with all the information for how to publish your first book online the way you have always desired.
Step 1: Finish Writing It’s Manuscript
This is the most initial step which is very significant for your book. And as obvious it sounds, many authors are not able to fully execute it the way it is supposed to be. Don’t run after perfection while making the manuscript at first, just get the words out of your mind on the paper because that is when your critical thinking is running the most so they don’t forget the great ideas coming in your mind when you’re in the heat of the moment.
Tips:
- Setting realistic and achievable goals for daily
- Make a regular writing routine
- Keep your focus on finishing your first draft rather then re editing it again and again
Step 2: Edit Relentlessly
After you’re done with final drafts of the manuscript, take a break for 10 days and freshen up your mind. Give yourself and your mind a break. After the break come back and start editing your manuscript.
Create a checklist:
- Check the grammar, punctuation, and any spelling errors.
- Avoid repeated phrases and scenes that don’t add up a value to your content.
- Work on plot consistency, development of the characters, and pacing
- Read it out loud to have a reader’s perspective and remove any loopholes.
After editing, get beta readers to read your work and ask for honest feedback from them who can be trusted. Then invest in a professional editor and give them the feedback you have gathered so they can edit it the way your readers want to read.
Step 3: Decide Between Traditional and Self-Publishing
When you are done with the editing of your book, decide if you wanna go for Traditional Publishing or Self -Publishing. They both have their own advantages.
Traditional Publishing:
- You would need to submit your manuscript to a literary agent or a publisher.
- After being accepted they will handle the editing, cover design, printing, and distribution.
- This takes quite some time and is highly competitive.
- There is no upfront cost to you.
Self Publishing:
- Everything is controlled by you from designing, editing, pricing, and marketing.
- Publish on Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), InstagramSpark, or Barnes & Noble Press.
- Faster turnaround.
- It will require upfront investment for editing, design, and marketing.
For the new authors, self-publishing is more favourable as it is more towards creative freedom and easily accessible.
Step 4: Design a Professional Cover
Your book for sure will be judged by its over and specially in the digital market.
Tips for a good cover:
- Higher a professional designer to create the cover if possible.
- Look for the best selling books and take notes from their cover to understand the trend and what attracts the readers.
- Your title is your thumbnail so make sure that it is legible.
- Don’t overflow it with text and images.
Even if you have a great story, a poor cover can draw the readers away and a good one can attract a lot.
Step 5: Formatting Your Book
The formatting is one of the most crucial parts of publishing your book as it ensures that your book looks good on every platform. Even if its an eBook, hardcover, or paperback
eBook Formatting Tips:
- Use tools such as Scrivener, Reedsy, or Calibre to change the manuscript into EPUB or MOBI.
- Ensure that there are no odd line breaks or broken links.
Print Formatting Tips:
- Use the right trim size, margins, and page numbers.
- Use free templates on platforms like KDP and InstagramSpark.
You can higher a formatter as well to do these things for you in a more professional way as well.
Step 6: Upload and Publish
The book is now edited, formatted, and designed so here is an effective self-publishing guide for new authors.
If self-publishing:
Initiate with KDP.
- Create an account on KDP.
- Enter all the book details such as title, author, description, and keywords.
- Upload the manuscript and cover.
- Set the pricing and royalties (mostly 35% or 70%)
- Select distribution options.
After entering all the information click “Publish”, this will make your book go live within 24 to 72 hrs.
Step 7: Promote Book
Your book is ready to be read but now to unlock its true potential you would need to promote it.
Strategies:
- Create an author website and blog.
- Create social media as an author’s profile.
- Offer books with special discounts at a launch.
- Ask for feedback from early readers.
- Get in contact with influencers and book bloggers .
- Facebook and Amazon ads.
- Join online communities and groups on Reddit, Facebook, and Goodreads
Step 8: Collect Reviews
Encourage readers to drop reviews on platforms such as Amazon. This will make you and your book more prominent in front of the readers and will bring more credibility and visibility.
Engage with Audience:
- Send email newsletters.
- Share some behind-the-scenes experience.
- Announce future project ideas and sequel.
Final Thoughts
Incorporate all the steps mentioned above in this beginner’s guide to book publishing for a promising outcome for your book and take the lead over it just the way you have always wished too. By doing all of these steps your book will become more visible to the readers and this will also build up your name as an author as a brand’s name. Lastly Learn and Improve from what you have experienced from your first publication and make changes around it which will help you in the future as well. And you won’t have to look for how to become a published author in 2025 since you have got everything in here already.
