Unlike in years gone by, nowadays anyone with something to say and a manuscript can share their words with the world.

In the past, self-publishing was so expensive and confusing that few people went that route. But now, it is much more feasible.

In fact, self-publishing a book can be done in just a couple of hours once you’ve got everything ready. 

Read on to learn all about self publishing for beginners. 

Self Publishing for Beginners

The easiest way to publish a book is to choose from among the publishing companies out there.

With free self-publishing models, you don’t pay a cent upfront. You just pay the publishing companies with the proceeds of your sales through a royalty agreement.

This is a great way to self publish a book with little risk. You won’t have to have a garage full of books that you are responsible to sell. 

But First, Hire an Editor

Before you go one step further in self-publishing, you need to hire an editor. Even if you’ve had several beta readers who gave meticulous notes (and we hope you did that already).

A professional editor will ensure that your book doesn’t scream amateur. The right editor will also fix grammar errors, point out plot problems and other subtle mistakes that your readers will no-doubt find.

Format Your Manuscript

Once your manuscript has been polished to perfection by a professional editor, you need to convert it to the right format.

The format depends on which self-publishing platform you’ll be using. Typically, it will be 

Once your book has been polished by a professional editor, it’s time to get your manuscript formatted for the platform you’ve chosen.

Typically, the format will be .ePub or .mobi. You can use Calibre for free to convert your manuscript into the right format. 

Get an ISBN

In case you don’t know, an ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number.

This 13-digit number is used all over the world to identify a book. Many booksellers require an ISBN to stock a book. 

If you plan to skip the book printing and binding and just sell your book as an e-book, you may not need an ISBN.

Beware of publishing companies that offer a free ISBN. Most of the time, you won’t be listed as the publisher. This limits your rights and ownership of your own work.

It’s better to invest the $125 and purchase an ISBN on your own. 

Create a Book Cover

Everyone judges a book by its cover. That’s why traditional publishing houses have entire teams dedicated to designing book covers.

Your book cover is a vital marketing element that you mustn’t ignore. Self publishing a book means that you don’t have access to the design and marketing teams that a large house does.

So you’ll need to consider your cover design options and see what works best for you.  

Bottom Line on Easiest Way to Publish a Book

Thanks for reading. We hope this article has demystified self publishing.

At the end of the day, the easiest way to publish a book is to choose between the publishing companies that specialize in self publishing.

At Instant Publisher, we specialize in self publishing for beginners and experienced authors alike. 

We offer offers quick, affordable book publishing, excellent customer service and a variety of print finishing options.

Contact us today and let’s get started. 

Yes, you can publish your book!

All this time, you may have been thinking that getting published is difficult and time-consuming. The good news? It’s so much easier than you think.

Learning how to publish a book is as simple as clicking on a do-it-yourself website. Let’s get started to see what it takes.

Planning Your Layout and Design

Assuming you’ve already got the content ready to go, the layout of your book can vary. It depends on which direction you’d like the pages to flip and how large the pages are.

Keep things visually appealing on the page by not cluttering them up. Make sure your paragraphs and pictures or illustrations have white space around them. If you use an existing template, you may be able to simply copy and paste your content into the assigned spaces.

It’s great when you can use a timesaving tool like this. It also gives you options you didn’t know existed for page design.

How to Publish a Book for Profit

The length of your book determines how much it costs to print. If this is a first run, you might want to use the shorter version and see how well it sells. Future runs could be revised with more pages if the book does well with readers.

Make sure you stay within your budget, so you create a financial win even on the first publishing run. Check out other books similar to your own to compare length and content styles. 

This research might help you make smarter choices in terms of how many pages and illustrations to include. Keep in mind who your audience is, so you can make the best choices for them.

Forget Your Fear and Publish

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the idea and then back out at the end of the process. Sometimes, fear of failure keeps us from hitting the send button and making our dream come true.

Look at all the time and effort you’ve put into creating something you’re passionate about. Remember how you felt when you finished the first page, let alone the first chapter.

Allow that same excitement to push you forward and complete the project. Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from finishing the book you started. Many people never even put pen to paper, let alone see their work in print.

Create Your Book Today

If you’re ready to stop talking about writing a book and actually do it, then today is your day! The tools are in place, the website is ready, and all you need to do is get your content there.

There is nothing like the feeling of holding your book in your hands and sharing your work with others. Gather your content, research prices and see how to publish a book easily.

Contact us today and let us help you create a plan. We are excited to see what you’ve created and even more proud to be a part of it!