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Self-Publishing Books 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Publishing Your Book in Multiple Formats Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 431 ratings

** Updated and Expanded July 2021 with new material **

Self-publishing a book has never been easier. Print on demand and eBook technology has made the process of self-publishing available to anyone without many upfront costs. However, there are certain steps to self-publishing you need to know.

However, there are certain steps to self-publishing that you need to know.

We have been publishing books since 2008 and want to share what we have learned with you. In this book, we cover everything from the different companies and costs, to copyright information and book design.

What you will learn:

Part One: The Foundation for Publishing Success
  • Writing Your Book
  • Editing Your Book
  • Building Your Marketing Platform
Part Two: Self-Publishing Your Book
  • Pre-Publication Decisions (book title, book description, pricing, categories/keywords, etc.)
  • Book Cover Design
  • Self-Publishing a Print Book
  • Self-Publishing an eBook
  • Self-Publishing an AudioBook
  • Translating Your Book
Part Three: Other Publishing Decisions
  • Obtaining a Copyright
  • Forming an Independent Publishing Company
You will also find our self-publishing checklist to help you on your journey, as well as additional tips for success.

We invite you to come with us and take a walk through the step-by-step process to getting your book self-published. After all, if you can dream it, you can do it!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Shelley's book has encouraged me and has actually given me the confidence I need to self publish a book...This is one book that I will definitely keep on hand to refer back to often. I strongly recommend it to any author out there who desires to get there work published." -Robin

"This book is a great resource for the writer who wants to self-publish but needs step by step guidance on how to accomplish that goal. Highly recommended." -Sandy Bose

About the Author

Shelley and Heather, have been working together since 2009 and have been referred to as the "writer's dynamic duo". They have written and contributed to numerous trainings for authors in the form of books, tutorials, blogs, podcasts, and more.
Shelley Hitz is an award-winning and internationally best-selling author. She is the owner of TrainingAuthors.com and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. She teaches from personal experience. Shelley has been writing and publishing books since 2008 and has published over 30 books including print, eBook and audio book formats.
Heather Hart is a book marketing expert, internationally best-selling author, and manager of TrainingAuthors.com. With the heart of an author, she enjoys working from home where she spends her days typing away at her computer, brainstorming new marketing ideas, and encouraging those around her. Heather's desire is to help others successfully publish and market their books while continuing to author, contribute to, and market multiple book marketing and faith-based books herself - and to have fun doing it!

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007IIC816
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Body and Soul Publishing (March 6, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 6, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2339 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 169 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1946118206
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 431 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
431 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book helpful and informative, providing concise and basic information on self-publishing. They find it easy to understand and a great resource for beginners interested in self-publishing. The book is described as concise, thorough, and a good value for money. Readers mention it's a quick read and a real time saver for authors.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

158 customers mention "Information quality"152 positive6 negative

Customers find the book helpful and informative. It provides concise, basic information for self-publishing beginners with step-by-step instructions and helpful suggestions. They describe it as a great resource for writers who want to self-publish and appreciate the author's detailed explanations of each chapter.

"...The rest of the book includes: Conclusion - Self-Publishing in a Nutshell (goes over the basic steps), an excerpt from another of their books, "..." Read more

"...EVERYTHING that you need to know about a subject, but this was a really great start and from knowing absolutely nothing I came away with an enormous..." Read more

"...34;you get what you pay for,"--but it offers some great insight for the absolute beginner interested in self-publishing...." Read more

"...It was very informative and gives quick, concise, basic information--a great tool to keep at your computer each and every time you publish a..." Read more

66 customers mention "Ease of understanding"66 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful and easy to understand. It covers the basics in a clear way and provides a thorough guide to self-publishing. The writing style is easy to read and the step-by-step instructions make it very easy for someone who's never self-published.

"...Chapter Five - Book Cover Design 101 is self-explanatory, from what is included on the front, back, and spine to whether to design your own cover or..." Read more

"...The cover of the book is simple but it stood out to me over others when I was searching for material in the subject of publishing..." Read more

"...Hitz straightforwardly and casually takes the beginner through some options for publishing, including traditional publishing, and different types of..." Read more

"...It was very informative and gives quick, concise, basic information--a great tool to keep at your computer each and every time you publish a..." Read more

56 customers mention "Value for money"56 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides good value for money. They say it's worth reading and studying. The book covers everything from costs to print on demand options, book design, and software.

"...ideas and things to look out for in this venture, and the book was fairly inexpensive...." Read more

"...downloads, including Make Your Words Sell, which is worth the price of admission all by itself...." Read more

"...And the book is FREE. Being new to this, the book is exactly what I needed to help me understand the playing field and “where I can go from here.”..." Read more

"...So Ms. Hitz' seems to practice what she preaches - provide a good product. I will definitely check out more from her...." Read more

14 customers mention "Readability"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and providing concise information. They find it a time-saving guide that covers the topic thoroughly.

"...It was very informative and gives quick, concise, basic information--a great tool to keep at your computer each and every time you publish a..." Read more

"Ms. Hitz' book was very informative and gives quick, concise, basic information...." Read more

"I found this book to be short and sweet. It's length is perfect and it still manages to cover pertinent information...." Read more

"...The book is short and rudimentary, but that's the beauty of it; Hitz gives the readers what they need, and sends them on their way...." Read more

12 customers mention "Author marketing"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's marketing tips. They find it helpful for self-publishers, both beginners and established authors, to connect with others and relate to publishers. The book provides practical knowledge on the writing, editing, and marketing processes. Many readers mention the book is free and provides web resources.

"...and the book provides some very valuable downloads, including Make Your Words Sell, which is worth the price of admission all by itself...." Read more

"...publishing “empire” – writing books, connecting with others, relating to publishers, etc. And the book is FREE...." Read more

"...these two ladies at a coffee shop and had a personal conversation with them about self-publishing...." Read more

"...to Get You Started Self-Publishing Books:" to versatile tricks in marketing the book. They can also offer a special guide book to just marketing...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2014
    Self-Publishing Books 101 is a free Kindle eBook on Amazon.com right now.This book is very informative and helpful and I gave it five stars; although, I don't believe this book should be the first book read on self-publishing. The mere volume of information can be overwhelming for someone just beginning to think about self-publishing. I didn't realize this, since it wasn't the first book I'd read and I'm a bit technologically inclined, until an author friend pointed out her confusion, and I will explain that statement at the latter part of this review. That said, I think Self-Publishing Books 101 is the best of all the books I've read on self-publishing so far due to all the options and choices introduced. First, lets look at the book's contents.

    Part One: Foundation for Publishing Success
    This section starts out with chapters on the actual writing and editing of the book. I almost skipped over this part since I am a published author looking at self-publishing, but I'm glad I didn't. It reminded me and reaffirmed information I already knew. The third chapter is on marketing--something I've never been very good at, so I definitely found this chapter informative. It talks about areas that are important to any type of publishing and those specifically targeted to self-publishing: Your target audience (who will read your book?), keywords to use (determining which ones will give you the best results), and there's 5 steps to building your marketing platform.

    Part Two: Self-Publishing Your Book
    There are six chapters in this section on how to self-publish in multiple formats, but it doesn't delve right into these formats. It starts out with Chapter Four - Pre-Publication Decisions. This chapter deals with choosing your book title and has six steps for that. It really has me rethinking my current working title. I have made a list of possible titles but keep going back and forth on which one to use. I plan to use the advice in this chapter to make my final decision. This chapter also explains other decisions you have to make on pricing, your book description, and choosing a category and keywords for your book. Chapter Five - Book Cover Design 101 is self-explanatory, from what is included on the front, back, and spine to whether to design your own cover or hire it out. It also gives you Book Cover design company options. Chapter Six - Self-Publishing in Print Books is about the different options you have when going through this process. I will not go into everything this chapter includes but just suffice it to say you have many options. Chapter Seven - Self-Publishing in eBooks delves into the different platforms and if you want to self-publish directly to each platform or use eBook distributors. Again there are many options from which to choose. Chapter Eight - Self-Publishing in AudioBooks and Chapter Nine - Translating Your Book. These two areas were not part of my plan until I read these two chapters and now, these are options I think I will eventually try.

    Part Three: Other Publishing Decisions
    This section includes two chapters: Chapter Ten - Obtaining a Copyright and Chapter Eleven - How to Form an Independent Publishing Company. I already knew about "Obtaining a Copyright" but again it reminded me and reaffirmed what I already knew. I wasn't really interested in forming my own publishing company but after reading this section I can see the benefits and may rethink the options at a later date.

    The rest of the book includes: Conclusion - Self-Publishing in a Nutshell (goes over the basic steps), an excerpt from another of their books, "Marketing Your Book on Amazon", Additional Resources, and About the Experts (about the authors of this book).

    Overview
    The authors of this book have a Website dedicated to helping and training authors at Training Authors. They have a free newsletter and advice, videos, and they also have books and other tools for free and for purchase from themselves or others in the publishing industry.

    Back to the Confusion
    My author friend knew I was researching the self-publishing idea and she was also interested and emailed me about "Self-Publishing Books 101" after she read it. Her email stated, ". . . it sounds awfully complicated . . . besides writing the book, editing, formatting and getting cover art, you have to get an ISBN or ASIN number, it needs different formats for different websites" and I wrote her back explaining that she could do as much or as little as she wanted, and that most of the self-publishing outlets provide the ISBN/ASIN for you when you use their services. Now, I admit, I didn't see the confusion at first. I had taken a two-week break from my research to redesign a Web site. So, I had to go back and reread the sections on ISBN and publishing in print books and eBooks. I think the background I have in technology also helped me understand better as well as I had read other books on the subject before this one.

    When I wrote her back, I explained she could start out with Amazon's Kindle for eBooks and CreateSpace for print books first, see how well her book sells, then move on to other venues like Smashwords (a publisher/distributor service). At Smashwords she could format once and they would distribute her book to multiple online bookstores; such as Barnes & Noble, Apple iBook, etc. My author friend and I decided, she would edit for me and I would format for her. Editing my own writing isn't a strong area of mine. I also received an email yesterday from Joel Friedlander at The Book Designer, advertising Two-Way Templates from Book Design Templates, where you can format once and publish twice (ebooks and Print books). They are also offering 40% off until Sunday night for these new templates.

    I can see how it can all be a bit overwhelming and confusing in the beginning. In my day job I'm responsible for training others on software, policies, and procedures in my field. Sometimes it is hard to explain to others what you know. Even in writing fiction, you know what you want to write, but getting your information across to readers is sometimes the hardest part. For the reader it may be that they are looking for specific information, but while looking at the many shelves of multiple options (like looking for a candy bar in a candy store), it's hard to find what you're looking for without your head swimming from all the choices. Most of the people I have met are hands-on learners, doing it and delving in helps us to remember what to do. So that's the best advice I can give: Make your decisions on how you want to proceed, go to the sections of this book on the step-by-step instructions and just do it. Each time the process will get easier. Or you also have the options of trading processes or hiring out the publishing process which leaves you open to just writing your books. Your options are almost limitless in self-publishing.

    You can also find this review on my blog, Kim's Musings at kimcox.blogspot.com and visit my Web sites kimcoxauthor.com and kimcoxdesigns.com.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2016
    I downloaded this book as a form or research because I wanted to learn more about self publishing to help a friend who is starting out. I realize that no ONE single book will give you EVERYTHING that you need to know about a subject, but this was a really great start and from knowing absolutely nothing I came away with an enormous list of things to look into further.
    Personally, I found this book to be very informative. The editing of it could be a little better but I won't harp on that because overall it gave me an incredible amount of new ideas and things to look out for in this venture, and the book was fairly inexpensive.
    The cover of the book is simple but it stood out to me over others when I was searching for material in the subject of publishing (which proves at least some of the content in the book to be very effective, btw).
    The hyper links were great. I found it very helpful not to need to type all that out when looking into a particular suggestion.
    Overall I enjoyed the read and highlighted a ton of stuff to look up later via other sources.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015
    What would one really have to lose by choosing to "purchase" this book on Kindle? -Nothing much, because It's a free resource. That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information offered in this book. Many people might pass up this book simply because it is free--in keeping the adage that, "you get what you pay for,"--but it offers some great insight for the absolute beginner interested in self-publishing.

    Hitz straightforwardly and casually takes the beginner through some options for publishing, including traditional publishing, and different types of self-publishing, like print on demand (which is covered in the majority of the text). She even discusses important issues like copyrighting and marketing--though the discussion of marketing is a bit brief. The book is short and rudimentary, but that's the beauty of it; Hitz gives the readers what they need, and sends them on their way.

    I particularly liked that Hitz offers readers not only tips and suggestions, but also offers useful links. I decided to check out her website, and found even more helpful information. Some of it is a bit of click-bait, but overall, she offers a lot of free, helpful information to budding authors. The tone of her book and the fact that it is for free, combined with the information on her website, gave me the impression that Hitz wants to empower others. I think that's awesome. Kudos! I am very glad I got this book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2014
    SELF-PUBLISHING BOOKS 101:Helping You Get Published and Noticed! (Author 101)
    Cover Art: Excellent

    I was pleasantly surprised when I found Self-Publishing Books 101 by Shelley Hitz. It was very informative and gives quick, concise, basic information--a great tool to keep at your computer each and every time you publish a book.

    It's wonderful to know that this hard-working author cares about her writing friends and wants to share with them the wealth of information, as she gathers it in herself. Get your copy today, not just this one but she has many more 'helpful' books on the shelf. HELPING YOU TO GET PUBLISHED AND NOTICED - that's what it's all about!!

    I highly recommend!
    Review by author of: Selfish Little Bob, Selfish No More!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Matt D
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very complete and practical book on self-publishing. It gave me a great overall view of the process.
    Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2018
    Very complete and practical book on self-publishing. It gave me a great overall view of the process. I know where to start.
  • Lilith Eibl
    5.0 out of 5 stars really helpful!
    Reviewed in Germany on April 7, 2015
    Great tips, ideas and free ressources for writers of any kind, even if they don't want to self-publish. Can really recommend the read to any writer or even anyone who plans on writing a book, even if they're not yet writing anything.
  • James Minter
    5.0 out of 5 stars A useful addition to any writers 'How to ...' collection
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2014
    Despite what many writers think of publishing house – dinosaurs, commercially driven, old technology- they do many things for authors that, as a self-publisher, you have to do for yourself. Once you go down this path you soon realise to be successful you need a wide range of skills and depth of knowledge on subjects not normal encountered. To have an accessible guide based on hard won experience provided by a pair of successful writers is a real bonus for aspiring, new, recent and seasoned writers. The 'Self-Publishing Books 101: A Step-by-Step Guide’ is just that.

    Shelley and Heather have a no nonsense approach to writing. The narrative is tight – no swaths of text to wade through; the information current as an eBook its kept up to date (This book was published in 2012 and heavily revised in 2014); included are many embedded links to useful websites and resources and it covers the whole process including multiple formats.

    Personally I like ‘How to …’ books as it saves me time and brain strain trying to work something out or making frustrating mistakes. I’ve picked up several useful tips from this book particularly in the area of hardback books, oversized print books, audio books and foreign language translation. Okay these topics are on the periphery for many new or recent writers but as you grow your back catalogue you will want to reach more and more readers. This book is a great place to start.
  • Cathy M. Donnelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Australia on January 25, 2015
    I found this an excellent book. It's easy to understand and set out clearly. It made me aware of a lot of things I hadn't thought about. It will be by my side constantly as I prepare my novel for publication. I started bookmarking the pages of interest and realized it was most of the book. Thank you providing vital information for the task ahead.
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely helpful and very informative
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2016
    This is one of the best books on publishing I have read. Although it did not give much detail on formatting,it provided links to where you can find one. Too many links to keep up with. Overall I liked the book

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