Self-publishing
A self-publishing checklist for your first book
Work through publishing decisions, book files, retailer setup, and proofs before releasing your first book.
By AuthorPath Editorial · Updated · 3 min read
The short answer
Self-publishing involves more than uploading a manuscript. Decide your formats and distribution, finish editorial review, prepare and validate files, check metadata, and review proofs before release.
Choose the route and formats first
Decide whether you are pursuing self-publishing or another route before investing in retailer setup. For self-publishing, choose the formats your readers need: ebook, paperback, hardcover, or a combination. Each format brings different production tasks.
Consider where you want the book available and whether any program imposes exclusivity. Review the current terms directly before enrolling. Distribution choices should match your reader and goals rather than simply maximizing the number of dashboards you open.
Prepare consistent book details
Maintain one metadata sheet with the title, subtitle, author name, description, language, publication plan, categories, and relevant search phrases. Keep the cover, title page, and retailer fields consistent.
Write a description that identifies the reader, the book’s value, and what makes it distinct. Choose accurate categories and keywords. Avoid filling metadata with unrelated popular terms that attract the wrong reader.
Decide how to handle ISBNs and identifiers
KDP ebooks do not require an ISBN. Standard paperback and hardcover editions require one, and each print format needs its own ISBN. Review KDP’s guidance for format-specific exceptions and the conditions of its free ISBN option.
If you plan to publish through multiple services or use your own imprint, investigate identifiers through the appropriate ISBN agency and each platform’s current requirements before assigning them. Record the identifier for each edition in your metadata sheet.
Finish and validate the book files
Complete structural revision, editing, and proofreading. Prepare an ebook file with usable navigation and a print interior designed for the final trim size, margins, and page count. Check that images and fonts meet the selected service’s requirements.
A print cover includes front, spine, and back. Calculate the spine from the final interior using the printer’s template and paper specification. A beautiful front-cover image is not a validated full print cover. Inspect barcode space and all text near trim edges.
Check disclosures, rights, and proofs
Confirm rights and permissions for text, photographs, illustrations, quotations, and other incorporated material. KDP requires disclosure of AI-generated text, images, or translations; its rules distinguish generated material from AI-assisted work. Read the current policy when submitting.
Use the retailer’s preview tools and review a physical proof for print. Inspect page breaks, contents, readability, color, margins, cover alignment, and spine text. Correct problems and check the replacement files before release.
Use a guide, then complete the retailer handoff
In AuthorPath, Publish guides publishing route decisions, metadata, file checks, platform walkthroughs, and release tracking. Follow its official links for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Apple Books, Kobo, or Draft2Digital as relevant to your plan.
AuthorPath prepares DOCX and EPUB downloads, a PDF review proof, and cover packages. The PDF is not a certified production interior, and covers require printer preflight. You complete retailer account setup, submission, approval, and proof checks in the publishing service.
Frequently asked questions
Does AuthorPath submit my book to Amazon?
No. It helps prepare materials and guides the steps; you submit and approve the book in your retailer account.
Can I publish as soon as my manuscript is finished?
Allow time for editing, formatting, metadata, rights checks, retailer validation, and proof review. A finished draft is a milestone before publication, not the final production check.
Sources & further reading
Platform requirements can change. Check the linked official guidance when preparing your submission.