Ready to publish your own book online? I published my novel Games of Chance as an eBook and a paperback using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Self-publishing is a huge undertaking, and it’s easy to make mistakes. I’ve compiled my top five tips–covering everything from social media to ISBNs to Kindle Create–to help you avoid common pitfalls and find success in self-publishing.

Tip #1: Establish a social media presence BEFORE you release your book 

When I was writing my novel, I didn’t have social media accounts. It’s easier for me to create a fictional world when I’m not distracted by updates from other people. Looking back, this was a mistake! I should have set aside time to build followers, and to create hype by posting excerpts of the book. Instead, I waited until right before the book went live to set up my Facebook and Instagram . Once the book was published, I announced it to my followers at the time…all ten of them. My book was ready, but few people knew or cared! It’s been an uphill battle for me to spread the word. If you want to publish on Amazon and promote your book, start using social media now!

Tip #2: Have a new person proofread your manuscript

No matter how careful you are, you will overlook some typos or formatting mistakes in your manuscript. That’s why you should have a new person look it over before you submit it. Whether or not you worked with a professional editor during your writing process (I did not), it’s helpful to have a fresh set of eyes checking for errors. You can pay someone to proofread, but you don’t have to! If you have detail-oriented friends or family members, see if they’ll read your work for free. I sent my manuscript to my brother, my mom, and my aunt (all of whom had never read the book and were excited to get a sneak peek) before I submitted it. They each found a different set of errors! I’m glad those mistakes didn’t end up in my book.

Tip #3: Buy your own ISBNs

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s the thirteen-digit number that libraries, publishers, and retailers all over the world use to identify your book. Amazon will tell you that 1) you don’t need an ISBN for your eBook because they will assign it an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) and 2) Amazon will give you free ISBNs for hardcover or paperback books. DON’T accept either of these options! The ISBNs and ASINs that Amazon gives you can’t be used on any other publishing platform. This means that if you ever want to distribute your book anywhere other than Amazon, you will have to buy new ISBNs. Imagine the confusion you’ll create by having multiple records of the same format of the same book! You want to make it EASY for readers and booksellers to find your work–so you should own the ISBNs.

Bowker is the official agency that sells ISBNs in the U.S. You can purchase ISBNs from their website–and you’ll need separate ISBNs for every format of your book (eBook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook, etc). They’re expensive–I paid $295 for a pack of ten–but they never expire, so any ISBNs you don’t use now can be assigned to future books. Bowker will also try to sell you barcodes, but DON’T buy those–Amazon puts a free barcode on your book.

Tip #4: Don’t make content edits in Kindle Create

Kindle Create is a tool you can download from Amazon to format the inside of your book. You don’t have to use Kindle Create to publish on KDP–and you shouldn’t use it for anything other than your eBook. For paperback/hardcover books, it’s best to format your manuscript correctly in Word (or any word processor), save it as a PDF, and upload it to KDP. Make sure to follow Amazon’s formatting guidelines; you can download a free template to make things easier.

For your eBook, you can also upload a PDF and avoid Kindle Create. I used Kindle Create because it auto-generates elements like a Table of Contents with links to different chapters, which is convenient. However, DO NOT upload your manuscript to Kindle Create until it is 100% finished. If you make changes to your manuscript in Kindle Create, you WON’T be able to download those changes as a Word doc or a PDF (you can download an EPUB, but that’s difficult to convert to Word). I made the mistake of uploading my manuscript to Kindle Create, then doing my last proofread within the tool. I made dozens of changes–cutting words, fixing punctuation–only to find that my indents were out of whack and I would have to upload a new, properly formatted Word manuscript (Kindle Create has limited formatting capabilities). The problem was that I didn’t have a Word manuscript with my new edits–because I made them in Kindle Create! I ended up getting my new edits into Word by looking at Kindle Create and the old Word version side-by-side and checking EVERY. SINGLE. LINE. for changes. Save your sanity–do your editing in Word and only use Kindle Create as the final step to export to Amazon.

Tip #5: Order a proof copy of your paperback/hardcover

Your manuscript and cover look great on the computer–you’re set to publish, right? No! You need to see the book people will hold in their hands–so order a proof copy. I was hesitant to buy one, but it’s a good thing I did. When I got my proof, I hated the fonts on the cover. The cover image was slightly off-center–hard to see on a screen but obvious in print. Inside, there were multiple blank pages between chapters. The book looked totally unprofessional, and I’m glad nobody saw it but me! I fixed those issues and I love the way my paperback turned out. 

Hope my advice has been helpful!