You can publish a book yourself through print-on-demand services, ebook platforms, or both

Self-publishing means you handle the production and distribution yourself instead of working with a traditional publisher. The most common route is uploading your finished manuscript to a platform like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, or Draft2Digital, which then prints or sells copies on your behalf. You keep a larger share of the money per book, but you also pay upfront for editing, cover design, and formatting — or do those tasks yourself. The whole process typically takes two to four months from a finished manuscript to your first sale.

The path you choose depends on whether you want physical books, ebooks, or both. Print-on-demand services print one copy at a time when someone orders it, so you do not need to buy inventory. Ebook-only publishing is faster and cheaper to start but reaches a smaller audience. Many authors do both: release the ebook first to build readers, then add a print version later.

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark are the two largest self-publishing platforms, and most authors use one or both.
  • You need a finished, formatted manuscript, a professional cover design, and an ISBN (a unique book identifier) before you can publish in print.
  • Ebook publishing is faster and cheaper to start than print, but print books generate more revenue per copy sold.
  • You will pay between $300 and $1,500 upfront for editing, cover design, and formatting unless you do the work yourself.
  • Your book appears in online stores within days of upload, but reaching readers requires marketing effort on your part.

Prepare your manuscript and get it professionally formatted

Before you upload anything, your manuscript must be finished and edited. Self-publishing platforms do not edit your work — they publish exactly what you give them. Hire a professional editor or join a critique group to catch plot holes, unclear passages, and typos. This step costs $500 to $2,000 depending on book length and the editor's rates, but it is the single biggest factor in whether readers finish your book and leave good reviews.

Once editing is done, the manuscript needs to be formatted for the platform you are using. Print books and ebooks have different formatting requirements. For print, the text must fit a specific page size, margins must be set correctly, and headers and footers need to be placed properly. For ebooks, the formatting is looser but still matters — poor formatting makes the book hard to read on phones and tablets. You can hire a formatter ($100 to $300) or use templates from platforms like Reedsy or Vellum. If you are publishing only to Kindle, Amazon provides free formatting tools that handle most of the work.

Commission a cover design or create one yourself

Your cover is the first thing potential readers see, and it directly affects whether they click to read the description. A professional cover costs $300 to $1,000 from a designer on Fiverr, Reedsy, or a local designer. If you cannot afford that, you can use Canva (a free design tool) with templates made for book covers, though the result will look less polished than a custom design.

The cover must meet specific technical requirements depending on where you publish. Print books need a cover file that includes the spine and back cover, with exact dimensions based on your page count and paper thickness. Ebook covers are simpler — just a front cover image. Most designers know these requirements, but if you are designing yourself, the platform you choose will provide a template showing exactly what size and format to use.

Decide between ebook-only, print-only, or both

Ebook publishing is the fastest and cheapest route. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing lets you upload an ebook and have it live within 24 to 48 hours. There is no upfront cost to publish, though you still need to pay for editing and cover design. Ebooks sell for $2.99 to $9.99 typically, and you keep 35 to 70 percent of the sale price depending on the price point. The downside is that ebook readers are a smaller audience than print readers, and ebook sales are harder to predict.

Print-on-demand publishing takes longer to set up but reaches readers who prefer physical books. IngramSpark and Amazon KDP both offer print services. You need an ISBN (a unique identifier for your book), which costs $0 to $125 depending on the platform. Print books sell for $12 to $20 typically, and you keep $2 to $5 per copy after printing costs. The advantage is higher revenue per book and the prestige of a physical object. The disadvantage is that print books take two to four weeks to appear in bookstores after you publish, and they do not sell as quickly as ebooks.

Most authors publish the ebook first, then add print later once they know there is reader interest. This spreads the cost and lets you test the market before investing in print inventory.

Upload to your chosen platform and set your price

The upload process is straightforward on all major platforms. For Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, you create an account, click "Create a new title," upload your formatted manuscript file and cover image, fill in the book description and keywords, set your price, and click publish. IngramSpark follows the same basic flow but requires an ISBN and takes longer to process (24 to 48 hours instead of minutes).

Pricing matters for visibility and sales. On Amazon, books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 earn you a higher royalty percentage (35 to 70 percent) than books priced outside that range. Print books have less pricing flexibility because the printing cost is fixed — you set a retail price, and the platform calculates how much you earn after printing costs. Most debut authors price ebooks at $4.99 to $7.99 and print books at $14.99 to $17.99, but the right price depends on your genre and the length of your book.

Understand where your book will appear and how readers find it

After you publish, your book appears in online stores within days. Kindle books show up on Amazon immediately. Print books appear on Amazon, IngramSpark's catalog, and eventually in bookstore ordering systems like Ingram and Baker & Taylor, though this takes two to four weeks. Your book will not appear in physical bookstores automatically — bookstores order from distributors, and most will not stock a self-published book unless you have proven sales history or pay for placement.

Readers find your book through search, which means your book description and keywords matter enormously. When you publish, you write a description (the back-cover text) and choose up to seven keywords or categories. These determine where your book shows up in search results. A book about grief recovery might use keywords like "grief," "bereavement," "self-help," and "coping strategies." Spend time on this step — it is free and directly affects visibility.

Most self-published books do not sell without marketing effort. You will need to tell people your book exists through social media, a website, email, or paid advertising. Amazon allows you to run ads for your book, which costs $5 to $50 per day depending on your budget. Many authors also offer the ebook free or discounted for the first few days to build reviews, which then help the book rank higher in search results.

Know the costs and timeline from start to finish

A realistic budget for self-publishing a single book is $800 to $2,500 if you hire professionals for editing, cover design, and formatting. If you do some or all of the work yourself, you can publish for $0 to $500. The timeline depends on how fast you can complete each step: editing takes four to eight weeks, cover design takes two to four weeks, formatting takes one to two weeks, and platform review takes one to two days. Most authors spend three to six months from finished manuscript to published book.

After publication, you will not see significant sales immediately. Most self-published books sell fewer than 100 copies in the first year. Books that do well typically have strong reviews (which take time to accumulate), active author marketing, or both. If you are publishing for the experience or to share with friends and family, the cost and timeline are manageable. If you are hoping to earn income, expect to invest time in marketing and to wait months or years to see a return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an ISBN to self-publish?

You need an ISBN only for print books. Ebooks do not require one — Amazon assigns its own identifier. If you publish print through Amazon KDP, they provide a free ISBN. If you publish through IngramSpark or want your print book in bookstores, you need to buy an ISBN, which costs $125 for one or $295 for ten from Bowker (the official US ISBN agency).

Can I publish the same book on multiple platforms?

Yes, for print books. You can publish through both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark simultaneously. For ebooks, Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program requires exclusivity — if you enroll, your ebook cannot be sold anywhere else for 90 days. Many authors use this strategy to boost visibility, then move to other platforms later.

What happens if I want to make changes after publishing?

You can update your book anytime. On Amazon, you upload a new file and it goes live within 24 to 48 hours. On IngramSpark, updates take longer (48 hours to a week) and may require a new ISBN depending on what changed. Readers who already bought the old version do not automatically get the update — they have the version they purchased.

How much money will I make from self-publishing?

This varies widely. Most self-published books sell fewer than 100 copies total. A book that sells 1,000 copies at $4.99 with a 70 percent royalty earns about $3,500. A print book that sells 500 copies at $15.99 with a $3 per-copy royalty earns about $1,500. Success depends on genre, marketing effort, and reader reviews — not on the publishing platform itself.

Do I need to register my book with the Library of Congress?

Registration is optional and free through the Library of Congress Copyright Office. It is not required to publish, but it gives your book an additional identifier and makes it easier for libraries to catalog. Most self-published authors skip this step, but it takes 15 minutes if you want to do it.