Self-Publishing Your First Book: What to Do After Editing
So your manuscript has been professionally edited and you're holding a clean, polished document. Congratulations. That was the hardest part. But if you're self-publishing, there are still several steps between here and a book that readers can actually buy. Here's what comes next, in roughly the order you need to do it.
Cover Design
I'll say this plainly: do not design your own cover unless you are a professional graphic designer. I've seen talented authors tank their sales with homemade covers. Readers absolutely judge books by their covers, and a cover that looks self-published will be ignored regardless of how good the writing is.
Budget around GBP 300 to 600 for a good cover designer. Look at designers who specialise in your genre. A great romance cover designer might be wrong for literary fiction. Browse the Amazon bestseller charts in your category and note which covers catch your eye, then find designers whose portfolio matches that standard.
Sites like Reedsy, 99designs, and The Book Cover Designer are reasonable starting points. But a personal recommendation from another indie author in your genre is worth more than any directory listing.
Formatting and Typesetting
Your edited Word document isn't ready to upload as-is. It needs to be formatted for both ebook (EPUB) and print (PDF) if you're doing both.
For ebook formatting, Vellum is the gold standard if you're on a Mac. It produces clean, professional files and is genuinely easy to use. On Windows, Atticus does a similar job. Both handle ebook and print formatting. If you're on a tight budget, Reedsy's free formatting tool is decent for ebooks, though the print output is more limited.
For print books, you need to decide on trim size (6"x9" is common for fiction), margins, font, and chapter heading style. This matters more than you'd think. Readers may not consciously notice good typesetting, but they'll feel the difference between a professionally laid-out book and one that looks like a printed Word document.
ISBNs
In the UK, you buy ISBNs from Nielsen. A single ISBN costs GBP 89, but a block of 10 is GBP 164, which is significantly better value if you plan to publish more than one book or format. You need a separate ISBN for each format: one for paperback, one for hardback, one for ebook (if you choose to assign one).
Amazon's KDP will give you a free ISBN for your paperback, but it will list KDP as your publisher. If you want your own publishing imprint to appear, buy your own. For ebooks sold exclusively on Kindle, you don't technically need an ISBN at all, as Amazon uses its own ASIN system.
Choosing Your Platform
The two main platforms are Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. Most self-publishing authors use both, and here's why.
KDP is where most of your ebook sales will happen. It's free to upload, pays 70% royalties on ebooks priced between GBP 1.99 and 9.99, and handles print-on-demand paperbacks. The main decision is whether to enrol in KDP Select, which requires Kindle exclusivity for 90 days but gives you access to Kindle Unlimited readers and promotional tools. For a first book, it's often worth trying.
IngramSpark is how you get your print book into bookshops, libraries, and non-Amazon retailers. Their distribution network is massive. There's a setup fee (currently around GBP 45 per title), and the print costs are slightly higher, but the reach is worth it if you want your book available beyond Amazon.
Pricing Strategy
Pricing is where many first-time authors go wrong, usually by pricing too low. A GBP 0.99 ebook signals "I don't think this is worth much" to readers. For fiction, GBP 2.99 to 4.99 is the sweet spot for a first book. Non-fiction can go higher, particularly if it's specialised.
For print, work backwards from your production cost. KDP's printing cost calculator will tell you the minimum price. Add enough margin to make it worthwhile, but stay competitive with traditionally published books in your genre. Somewhere between GBP 8.99 and 12.99 for a paperback novel is typical.
Your Launch Plan
Don't just upload your book and hope people find it. A basic launch plan makes a real difference.
Set a publication date at least four to six weeks out. Use that time to set up your author profiles on Amazon and Goodreads, gather a small team of early readers who'll post honest reviews in the first week (even five to ten reviews help enormously), and write your book description. Your Amazon book description is a sales page, not a synopsis. Study the descriptions of bestsellers in your genre and notice how they create intrigue without giving everything away.
Categories and keywords on Amazon matter more than most authors realise. You can choose up to three categories, and Amazon allows you to contact them to add more. Pick categories where you can realistically reach the top 20, not the broadest ones. Seven keyword slots are available, and each can be a phrase, not just a single word.
The Step You've Already Taken
The reason I put professional editing first in the self-publishing process is that everything else builds on it. A beautiful cover gets readers to click. Good formatting keeps them comfortable. But it's the quality of the writing that earns reviews, word-of-mouth, and readers who come back for your next book.
If you're still at the editing stage, or if you've written something and aren't sure whether it's ready, send me a message. I work with self-publishing authors every day, and I can help you figure out what your manuscript needs before you take the next steps.