8 Self-Publishing Tips

My journey in self-publishing started back in 2021. I did hours and hours of research, and still very nearly got sucked in by a vanity publisher. Because I love sharing information (I'm happy to tell you what I know, so you don't have to make the same mistakes) I've put together 8 Tips for Self-Publishing, all learned from first-hand experience!

#1 - DO NOT PAY A PUBLISHER MONEY, EVER!!! 
If a publisher charges you a fee, they are a vanity publisher and a scam! Real traditional publishers pay authors, not the other way around. In self-publishing, YOU are the publisher. The companies I talk about using below are DISTRIBUTORS - they distribute (aka print and/or sell) the books. 

#2 – You can publish for free through Amazon KDP. 
However, you won’t have distribution through other websites. You can only sell through Amazon. You will only pay the print cost for physical books that you order, and they are printed on demand. I get a little over a dollar per book sold through Amazon, but I also don't have to print, store, or ship the orders.

#3 – ISBNs can only be purchased through Bowker. 
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s the barcode/registration number for the book. It is over $100 for one ISBN, but you can get a bulk discount when you buy multiple ISBNs. In the USA, only Bowker sells ISBNs. Any other company selling them is a scam! 

#4 – Don't pay for an ISBN UPC barcode.  
There are many free UPC barcode generators online, don’t pay to have one made for your ISBN. (I'll never get the $25 back that I spent on my first one. Never again.)

#5 – ISBNs cannot be transferred. 
If you buy an ISBN, it cannot be transferred. It belongs to you. If a company gives you a free ISBN, it belongs to that company, not you. You can use the free ISBNs provided by distributors (like Amazon KDP) but you don’t own and can’t use that ISBN with any other distributor (like Barnes & Noble.) 

#6 – Each format needs its own ISBN. 
Each format of a book needs its own ISBN. So a paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook for the same book = four ISBNs. 

 #7 – NEVER SHARE YOUR LOGINS WITH ANYONE! 
Especially KDP, which uses your personal Amazon account. If you create a login for distributors, YOU are the publisher and you “own” the books. This means you can’t upload books for someone else, and nobody can upload your books for you. Anyone who claims they can upload your books for you is a scammer!  

#8 – You may need to claim sales on your taxes. 
If you have book sales, that's awesome! Congratulations, and you may need to claim that income on your taxes. If you have enough sales, the distributors may send you a 1099. 

Other notes: 
I use Draft2Digital for ebooks. They charge a $12 yearly fee (unless you have enough sales) but they distribute to many different companies, plus library apps. They take part of each sale. 

I use IngramSpark for paperbacks. They also offer ebooks. They don’t have setup fees, but may have revision fees. You pay for the physical copies that you order to sell yourself. Be cautious when accepting returns through IngramSpark. Many brick and mortar stores won't stock books on their shelves if they don't allow returns, but you could potentially get stuck with a hefty bill for returned books. I personally don't allow returns through IngramSpark.

I use KDP for my ebooks and paperbacks specifically on Amazon. D2D and Ingram SAY they distribute to Amazon, but Amazon hates it and will list your book as “unavailable.” They do this to force you to use KDP.  

I use Findaway/InAudio to distribute my audiobooks under my pen name, D.C. McAndrews. I hired my narrator through Fiverr. It's expensive, but I think it's worth it.

I do my own formatting and design for all my books, but I have also done a lot of printing in the past. If you don't have experience with it, you can either hire someone to format your book for you or you can look up some tutorials online and learn to do it yourself.   

PLEASE DO NOT USE AI FOR ANY PART OF THIS PROCESS.  
Your story deserves better than AI generated slop!!!