Self-publishing your book: The good, the bad and the ugly
2 min readNov 17, 2022
It’s a great time to self-publish your book.
The process has not been easier with a number of tools and platforms at your disposal.
Here is a breakdown of the self-processing process.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Let’s start with:
The good:
- The process is straightforward. Start writing your manuscript. I recommend Scrivener to organize your chapters and make the process seamless.
- Share your manuscript with beta readers and revise it after you get their feedback.
- Hire an editor. You can find editors on Reedsy.
- Hire a copyeditor.
- Hire a cover designer or design it yourself using Canva.
- Buy an ISBN from a place like Bowker.
- Format your book for publishing — You can use Kindle Creator or you can hire someone through Fiver.
- Upload your work on Amazon publishing service, KDP.
The bad:
- Nothing is for free. You need to upfront between $3000-$5000.
- You will have to allocate time for hiring and vetting your team: The editor, the designer, the copy editor, etc.