Defining our own success
I recently had the opportunity to share my experiences in self-publishing with an unpublished fiction writer, who, like me, had tried to find an agent through the traditional querying process and had found it not only frustrating and tedious, but also incredibly discouraging. There really isn’t a better way to feel lousy about your creative work than to have it rejected or ignored by literary agents.
There’s no denying the benefits to signing with a traditional agent and publisher, most significantly in terms of financial investment in marketing and distribution. Agents and publicists are experts in the field of selling and promoting books, gaining promotional momentum, using their networks, finding publishers, and underwriting acclaims and awards. Publishing firms have teams of editors to help craft a compelling story and catch errors, while their graphics departments design beautiful covers. Authors who are connected or talented or lucky enough — or have a combination of advantages — will typically find success with the traditional publishing industry. And good for them.
But what about everyone else? What about the authors who don’t know the right people, don’t happen to find the right agent at the right time, aren’t good at selling ourselves? We get left out of the business — the business which kindly and with great condescension informs the world that we just weren’t quite good enough to make the cut.
Well, I disagree. I’ve ready too many truly abysmal traditionally-published books to believe that pack of nonsense. I think most readers feel the same, having gotten partway through a bestseller and thought, “Who published this tripe?!?” From my perspective as a longtime reader of many genres, I think I’m just as likely to find excellent writing by an independent author as a traditionally-published one.
Prior to the introduction of affordable self-publishing options, authors could either print copies of their books at great expense on their own dime and try to sell them, or give up. Now we have another choice: we can do it all ourselves, for no upfront costs and a fair profit.
When I first learned about Kindle Direct Publishing in 2012, it was as if a door had opened in a brick wall I’d previously believed to be impassable. It was relatively early days for the online self-publishing industry and resources were thin on the ground at that point. Now there are entire books written about how to self-publish and paid services that will do it for you. I can’t speak to these resources, but if you’re just starting out, I encourage you to research the support available and decide what you feel comfortable doing yourself versus what professionals you might want to hire. There are also reasons not to self-publish through Amazon or other services, including plagiarism concerns and the inability to unpublish a published book, once it’s in their database.
That being said, for 14 years, I’ve published novels through the KDP platform, and have found it to be one of the most rewarding decisions of my life. It’s taken a lot of trial and error to figure out the right steps and timing, hone my processes and become comfortable with my personal definition for success in publishing. And I’m still learning as I go.
Though I only have one perspective to offer and no other claim to expertise, I realized that I want to share my experience with any author who might benefit.
This includes traditionally-published authors who might be interested in other options, due to poor sales numbers, terminated contracts or just wanting to try something else. Not having to share your royalties means a bigger percentage for yourself — and if you’re great at marketing (which I admit I’m really not, but thankfully there are many free and paid resources to tap), or you already have a large following, that might end up being a good amount of money.
There are benefits to being independent, though they might not include fame and fortune. You get to write and publish what you want, when you want. You have full creative control, which can include investing what time and money you’re willing to spend on what support you need, from professional editors and cover designers to marketers and webmasters. If your budget is nil, as mine was when I first started out, you can do it all yourself. Being an independent author doesn’t equate to being unrecognized and alone. There’s a whole community of people self-publishing today, and even if we’re forever given the cold shoulder by the traditional literary establishment, it truly doesn’t matter as long as you define success for yourself and commit to reaching your goals on your own terms.
My definition of success is writing books I’m proud to have written and sharing them with readers who enjoy them. It’s what inspired me to write my first suspense, and continues to inspire me 21 books later.
So here it is: Part 1 of a two-part series I’ve written on how to self-publish with KDP. It isn’t comprehensive in terms of how-tos, options or instructions, but offers the essential steps to start you on the KDP path and some insights into my process. I hope it can help any writer, of any genre, achieve their publishing dream.
It’s time to control your own destiny… are you ready to begin?
The Essential Guide to Self-Publishing with KDP | Part 1
Step 1: Edit, edit, edit, edit, edit
So you’ve written a book. YAY YOU! There’s really no better feeling in the world than finishing a first draft. Congratulations!
Before you take your first steps toward publishing (or querying agents, for that matter), you’ll want to spend a vast amount of time editing it. I mean, a LOT of time. To the point that you’re sick of it. This process might include using a service online, hiring or tapping a friend or, if you’re comfortable with the idea, doing it yourself. I’m my own editor, along with a close family member, and I probably go through the process at least 20 to 25 times. At the beginning, I didn’t edit nearly enough before I hit the Publish button, and I’m still correcting mistakes from those reckless early days.
No work, not even an internationally acclaimed bestseller, is necessarily without a single typo, but the more you invest at the front end in going through it, getting feedback from trusted readers and/or professionals, and ensuring that it’s as error-free as possible, the better your book will be in the long run. I don’t even schedule a publication date until I feel like the text is ready, taking the pressure off of the process. Then again, if you perform best under a deadline, go ahead and set yourself one, whatever works better for you.
TIP: I keep all my manuscript masters on Dropbox, so I can edit from multiple locations and devices. The MS Word app on my phone has become my favorite editing partner for later rounds of edits. I start the process in Word on my laptop, but eventually I read the file on my phone, and then have my phone read it aloud to me. It gives me different perspectives, breaks up the monotony and allows me to edit as I go, rather than having to somewhat onerously make notes on eBook or hard copies and transfer the changes to my manuscript.
Step 2: Copyright your book
As soon as your book is edited and re-edited and ready to publish, the second step in self-publishing is to protect it. Create an account on www.copyright.gov/registration and fill out the online form to register your literary work. You have the option to submit unpublished literary works online without sending in a printed copy, and pay the fee at the time of submission. It’s a fairly straightforward process, but if you need help, or if you make a mistake in the claim, I’ve found the customer service to be efficient and helpful.
You can copyright under a pseudonym, if you choose to publish under one, but be aware that your legal name and address will be on record as the copyright owner.
Assuming your claim is approved, it should be about a month before you receive the certificate, and in that time you can begin to set up your book on Kindle Direct Publishing as an eBook, paperback and/or hardback, including working on the description, formatting and cover(s).
TIP: Start a spreadsheet to track your book information, whether you only publish one or it’s the first of many. My spreadsheet lists the title and series information, the ASINs (for eBooks and audiobooks) and ISBNs (for paperbacks and hardbacks), the prices, publication date and Library of Congress Copyright Registration Number, which you can find both online and on the registration paperwork you receive.
Step 3: Create a Kindle Direct Publishing account
Create an account at kdp.amazon.com using your existing Amazon credentials (the same account you just used to order a 20-pack of athletic socks for same-day delivery). Once you’re logged in, you can enter your tax and bank account information for royalty payments and start to build out your bookshelf. If you have questions on how to do it, there are resources to help you fill out the correct fields.
Step 4: Create an Amazon Author Central account
Again using your existing Amazon credentials, go to author.amazon.com (or find the author page where your home marketplace is) and create a new author account. This will allow you to set up your author page with a bio and eventually to showcase your titles and allow customers to follow you. If you’re not sure where to start, read bios of some of your favorite authors, or authors of similar content, to give you a jumping off point. You can get creative with your bio or keep it simple, there’s really no right or wrong way to tell readers about yourself, and it can be updated at any time.
GOOD TO KNOW: Your author page is where you can eventually add additional content to your book detail page, including reviews and front and back matter. Once your title is linked to your author account, you’ll see the option for adding content.
Step 5: Start creating your books
Whether you want to publish in eBook, paperback, hardback, virtual voice audiobook or multiple formats, KDP walks you through the steps to enter the book details, including title, author, description, publishing rights (if you wrote your book, you own the rights), audience, keywords, categories, marketplace and series information, content, cover, format (including print size and ink options), and finally your rights and pricing. Every step offers guidelines and links to their detailed help center, so if you’re not sure what something is or how to do it, they’ll tell you. I recommend reading their Create a Book resource as an overview.
Save as a draft as often as you need to — and remember that nothing is final until you hit publish on the last page.
ISBNs: For paperbacks and hardbacks, KDP will create an independent publishing ISBN (International Standard Book Number) for each print format and register it for you. You can also purchase your own ISBN (Bowker, the official ISBN Agency for publishers located in the U.S. and its territories, offers package options and discounts for KDP authors) and enter it when prompted. The free ISBN from KDP can only be used to publish on KDP, limiting distribution to Amazon and its distributors, so if you dream bigger it may be worth investing in your own. If you use the KDP ISBN and want to change it later, you’ll need to unpublish and republish the title, making sure to update the copyright page. Every new edition of a print book (2nd, 3rd) will also require a new ISBN. EBooks don’t require an ISBN, though you’re welcome to purchase and include one; instead, KDP assigns each title a unique 10-digit ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number).
Digital Rights Management: For eBooks, you have the choice to “Add Digital Rights Management (DRM)” for your title; this will limit, if not completely protect you from, unauthorized downloading and sharing of your book content, but also limits customers to only reading your book on the Kindle platform (devices and apps) and only loaning your title via Kindle Unlimited guidelines. Some authors feel strongly one way or another; I’ve always added DRM, as I don’t mind the limitation. You can’t change your choice after you publish, so you’ll want to spend time considering what’s best for you.
Starting a series: If your book is the first of a series, you’ll need to create, name and write a description for your series so your title can be added to it. You can add a series after a book is published, but if additional books are already planned or written, it’s a good idea to publish your first title with the series information included from the start.
Pre-order for Kindle eBooks: While this shows up on the initial Details page for eBooks, unless you’ve already decided you do or don’t want to use the pre-order option, you don’t need to worry about it until later in the process. Just leave it on the default option “I am ready to release my book now,” and before you publish you can decide if you want to make your book available for pre-order and set the date. More on that in Part 2.
GOOD TO KNOW: You can choose up to three genre categories for your book, which will be consistent across all formats. I’ve previously shared my reservations about confining books to genres; one of my biggest complaints in terms of KDP is that the categories you choose on the back end don’t align with the categories on the front end of Amazon. I don’t understand why this is. Your best bet is to find books similar to yours on Amazon and select the same categories, or as close as you can get. If you’re too general (i.e., “Fiction”), your book could get lost in the multitudes, so however flawed, genre-specific categories are still a good idea.
Step 6: Format your books
EBooks: For eBook formatting, I highly recommend the free software Kindle Create. Once you download the software, import your final book copy into it and format as needed for Kindle, including creating a clickable table of contents (this will import over from Word if your chapters use a Heading style) and adding front and end matter. There are themes available or you can style it manually. Once you’re done, you can export it to KPF format, upload it to the Content tab and preview how it will look. If you need to make edits or formatting tweaks, you can re-export and re-upload it as needed.
Print Books: For paperbacks and hardbacks, you can choose from different size and format options, including trim size, color of paper (white or cream), type of paper, color of interior/text printing (black and white or color), and if your interior pages will bleed or not (i.e., “bleed” off the edge of the paper, requiring trimming; most books won’t need this). Your paperback cover will automatically be color with full bleed, and you have the option for a glossy or matte finish. I like matte finish, B&W on white paper, and 5.5×8″ trim size. Hardbacks have similar options specific to the format.
If you’re formatting your print versions yourself, I recommend downloading the free templates offered on KDP. I have a Microsoft Word template that I set up from the KDP paperback template and use for every book, saving to a PDF to publish. You can also use Kindle Create to format print books, though there are some limitations.
You’ll be required to preview and approve your paperback or hardback before you can order hard copy proofs, and KDP will let you know if there are any formatting issues with your cover or text. Once you feel it’s ready and there are no issues, approve it, request a proof (it will be added to your Amazon cart; you pay cost for production along with shipping) and plan for a week or two before the proof copy arrives.
Audiobooks: Audiobooks were previously an expensive and/or complicated undertaking for independent authors, at least as offered by KDP, but they recently launched a beta virtual voice audiobook format for Audible. It’s free, it’s fairly simple, and it’s an opportunity to break into the audiobook market at no upfront cost. You select from a library of voices and accents, then can manually edit pronunciations, pauses and voice speed.
I found the virtual voice needs quite a lot of manipulating, especially in dialogue, but on balance it’s really passable for a clear, expressive reader. You can select different voices for different chapters, but that’s as selective as you can get, so it isn’t possible to create a dramatic version. Still, it’s an excellent option, and the audiobook file will update automatically when you submit an update to the eBook version, minus front and back matter.
Readers will be able to purchase the audiobook as an add-on with other formats, and can also purchase independently through Amazon or Audible. Audible members read for free, and you receive royalties per page as with Kindle Unlimited.
GOOD TO KNOW: With the dramatic spike in the attempted publishing of AI-created content, KDP requires you to answer if any of the written or graphic content is AI-generated. If you’re not sure, read their guidelines; however, AI-generated isn’t the same as AI-assisted. If you used an AI tool to help you edit, refine, improve or filter original content, you would answer No.
Step 7: Design your cover
Cover design could have it’s own extensive guide, but I’ll keep it brief. Covers matter in book sales, but I think what’s most important is that you like it and it’s formatted and sized correctly.
As someone with graphic design experience, I enjoy creating my own covers using licensed stock photography and KDP templates. You could hire a designer, find a creative friend, or use the free Cover Creator tool with your own image or KDP stock images.
For eBooks, you only need a front cover, uploaded as an image file according to their specifications. Virtual Voice narration audiobooks use your Kindle version cover automatically. For print books, you need a full wrap cover with the spine dimensions based on format and final page count. You can download a free PDF template from KDP, once you know your page count, and use that as your sizing guide. If it sounds too complicated, Cover Creator could be your best bet.
TIP: Ask for feedback on two or three different cover options on social media or your website as a fun way to generate some early excitement for your title.
Step 8: Write the description
As you get ready to publish, take time over the description of your book, since it needs to not only attract readers, but to accurately describe what the book is about. I often start this during the editing process and let it marinate as I go through different drafts.
Though you have 4,000 characters to work with, more isn’t necessarily better. Think about what grabs your attention when you’re looking for a new read. Do you like it when a blurb includes bold text and multiple testimonials? Or would you rather it be simple and concise? Play with it, and know it can always be changed later on.
I also suggest writing an even shorter blurb of one to two sentences to use in promotional materials. For a series, you’ll need to write a brief series description as well.
TIP: Once you have a description you’re happy with, use ChatGPT or your favorite AI tool to give feedback and suggestions, in addition to sharing with trusted people. I find it helps to dialogue with ChatGPT, working to find the right balance between punchiness and exposition.
Step 9: Build your copyright page
In all formats, make sure your copyright page includes the appropriate language, copyright information and copyright registration number. It can be basically the same page for eBook and print, though you won’t include an ISBN number in an eBook unless it has its own unique ISBN.
Because I like the option, I include the copyright information at the back of my eBooks as part of the end matter, but you can set it up however you feel is best. You can always change your mind and move front and end matter around (see more on republishing in Part 2).
SAMPLE COPYRIGHT PAGE:
This novel is set in real places, but this is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
© 2025 YOUR NAME
Library of Congress Registration Number: TXu XXXXXXXXX
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 979-XXXXXXXXXX (print copies only)
Cover Image © XXX (if applicable)
Cover Design by (if applicable)
Watch for Part 2 for the final steps in self-publishing with KDP, and please share your comments and questions below.
