As an indie author, I am often asked what it takes to publish a book. So I decided to spend a few minutes to write the process down, step by step, for all of you interesting people with extraordinary lives and imaginations. It used to be that self-publishing was the epitome of failure. The covers looked trashy, the formatting was off, and the grammar was a mess. Oh, how the times have changed! More and more people are bypassing the gatekeepers of publishing by hiring their own professionals to create their own books. Because of the freedom that comes from self-publishing a book exactly like you want it, indie books are looking as good if not better than traditionally published books. No longer is self-publishing regarded as a failure. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. Follow these twelve steps to write and publish your own book! I can’t wait to read it!

Step 1: Write the book
People often say, “Everybody can write a book!” So do it! Sit down with a pen and paper, a computer, a typewriter, a voice recorder, or a ghost writer and write the book. Memoir? Nonfiction? Fantasy? Poetry? It all requires the same step- writing the book. Some people create an outline for a book, others have no idea where the book is going when they set out. Find out what works for you and do it. It takes hundreds of hours, so get started now!

Step 2: Revise
Now that your first draft is done, step away from the book and do something else for a week or more. Forget about it. Live outdoors, step away from the screens. Let that flat butt of yours get some roundness after sitting for so many hours. Create a deadline for the break, because you can procrastinate the revision process for years- like I have. And you will regret it later, like I do. Create a deadline for the second draft process as well. Two weeks? A month? Two months? Whatever works for your schedule. When the second draft is done, from page 1 to the end, take another break. Create a deadline for the third draft. When the third draft is done and you have revised every sentence, paragraph, page, chapter, and overall arc of the book- share the book with your proofreaders.

Step 3: Proofreaders
Now is the time to step out of the comfort zone of dreamland and share the work with your trusted confidants. Ask a handful of people to read it. Ask them to focus on certain parts of the book. Plot holes, character development, movement of time, grammar, gaps, confusion, chapters that need development, and whatever else you want to ask them to read for. Make sure to thank them in the book, and thank them with some chocolate or a gift certificate to your local bookstore for their time. A proofreader is not a professional editor. You don’t want to end up like me and have published books with a butt-ton of grammar mistakes, it is embarrassing and easy to avoid. Pay the money for a line editor after you go into step 4.

Step 4: Revise
Now that you have received the feedback from your readers, go back to the manuscript and consider their suggestions. Take your time. Make a deadline and stick to it. Now is the time to make a proper book instead of a journal.

Step 5: Hire a Professional Editor/s
Developmental editors focus on the overall arc of the book. The characters, plot, settings, chronology, and holes. They point out the strong points and the weak points. Parts that require work, and parts that work great. They will both boost your self-esteem and make you question certain chapters. (Don’t take it personally, it’s strictly business and opinion). Line editors will correct grammar errors on a line-by-line basis. Both line editors and developmental editors charge different rates. Hire one, both, or none at all. It’s your book, and your money. A developmental editor can cost anywhere from $1,500-$3,500, and a line editor will cost $13/1,000 words.

Step 6: Cover Designer
This is a very exciting part of the entire process. It can be daunting to find a designer, so take your time and find one that you like. Whether it is a family friend, yourself, a local graphic designer, or somebody from Upwork. Expect to pay anywhere from $300-$1500 for the job. A good designer will help you get your ISBN numbers (or do it yourself through Bowker), design promotional material, and design a barcode on the back. You need a price, a portrait, a book description, and a book size. The designer will create a file for a hardcover, a paperback, and an ebook- if you want. Remember, it is the cover to your book! You are almost done, don’t give up!

Step 7: Revise
While the designer is creating the cover, it’s a perfect time to read through the entire manuscript to accept or reject the suggestions made by the developmental editor. And to make sure the line editor did a fine job. Nobody is perfect. Read the entire book from the eyes of the audience. Is there anything missing? Were you a little too honest? Did you write something that you will regret? Can you rearrange that single sentence another ten times? How is the hook? The ending? Now is the time to cut, add, or turn-back before it’s too late.

Step 8: Interior Formatting
The same person who did your design can also format the interior. Some writers do it themselves, others pay. I paid the cover designer to format the interior of both of my books. I have enough to do already, I don’t want to learn that step. This is a very exciting part! What will the font look like? The page breaks? The chapter numbers? Will your photographs be color or black and white? Send them to the formatter and be patient as they make your boring little Word document into a beautiful book. The formatter will create a file for a hardcover, a paperback, and an ebook- if you want. How will they smell and feel in your hands? You will find out soon!

Step 9: Find a Company to Publish Through
While the designer is formatting the book, research who you want to publish through. KDP? Ingram? Kobo? Draft 2 Digital? Lulu? Ink and Quill? Todd Communications? Publication Consultants? Do you want to pitch it to literary agents instead of self-publishing? A small/mid-size publishing house? A hybrid agency? Now is the time to ponder your options before you go forward with indie-publishing. Every company has pros and cons. Watch the hundreds of videos on each outfit on YouTube, read the reviews and articles. You can publish through multiple companies at the same time. Every one is slightly different. Do your due diligence with this step.

Step 10: Click PUBLISH (For a Proof Copy)
Now is the time we have all been waiting for. Create an account and upload the cover and the book’s interior. It is a step-by-step process that almost anyone can figure out with some help from tutorials, forums, and YouTube. (If you have questions, please email me!) Follow the steps and order your first proof copy. DO NOT BUY A DOZEN COPIES UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN THE BOOK IN PERSON. You want to make sure the cover and formatting job works, and that you clicked the right boxes when going through the publishing process. Don’t bite your nails too low before you get the copy. Be patient and excited. And when the book arrives, take the time to read it a final time.

Step 11: Publish
Now you have gone through all of the steps, it’s time to order your books! Yes! How many books is the perfect number? That is hard to say. Have you been advertising the release of your book? Do you have pre-orders through Kickstarter or other programs? Have you been marketing to your local community? Your family? 90% of all self-published books sell less than 100 copies. So if you think that you should order 1,000 copies- you might want to rethink it. Get a realistic number, order them, and start selling them.

Step 12: Market, Advertise, Promote
This step can be skipped if you only plan on sharing your book with friends and family. But if you want a larger population to read your work, you have to jump into Step 12 with as much vigor as it took to write, revise, and revise some more. The marketing never ends. The self-promotion makes you feel sick to your stomach. Advertising can be confusing and costly. Every successful business has to do these things. That is what you have become, a businessman. An author. Try your hand at podcasts, local radio shows, social media, book reviews, gift shops, and book stores. It takes courage to walk into a store and see if they want to buy and sell your book, but you will get used to it. Some won’t do it. Don’t take it personally, and don’t act entitled. Some people still hate the fact that self-publishing is an option. If you have the money, you can pay a publicist to do promote, advertise, and market for you! Last I checked, a publicist wants a minimum three month commitment at $3,000 per month. Don’t feel like a quack for promoting your own work. You have to! Don’t beat yourself up for asking people to leave book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. (Now that I think of it, maybe you can take a few minutes to rate both of my books on both platforms 🙂

While I believe that everybody has a story to tell, I do not believe that anybody can write a book. It takes patience, determination, and steadfast consistency. But most importantly, it requires a person to view their own life or imagination as something worthy of sitting down to write down. The process takes a very long time. Do not give up. Reach out with any questions!

Until next time,
Thanks for reading and subscribing!
Your support keeps our articles coming, provides me time to write the next books, and money to buy food for our kids’ bellies.

Robert Stark

(Visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, shop at our gift store, and visit us at the Anchor Point Farmer’s Market this summer. Oh yeah, don’t forget to buy both of my books, Warflower and Just Like a Soldier and then leave reviews everywhere you can!)