How to Self-Publish a Book (Without Getting Duped)

There’s way more mystery around self-publishing than there needs to be. I’ve watched so many thoughtful, talented writers get pulled into vanity publishers that promise the world—“We’ll print your book! We’ll market it! We’ll make you an author!”—only to under-deliver on marketing, lock people into contracts, and require expensive bulk book orders.

So let’s demystify this.

Below is the bare-minimum, realistic version of self-publishing: what you actually need, what’s free, what costs money, and what expectations to drop immediately.

This is written for independent authors (or aspiring authors) who have realistic expectations and simply want their paperback book to exist in the world… without getting scammed.

First: Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing (quick clarity)

Before diving into how to self-publish, it helps to understand the two main publishing paths, because a lot of confusion (and scams) live in the space between them.

Traditional publishing works like this: you send query letters to literary agents, who are the gatekeepers to the connections to major publishers. You wait (often a long time) to hear from them. If they find a publisher who accepts your book, they pay you. They handle editing, design, printing, distribution, and some marketing—but you give up creative control, and most books are never picked up.
Key rule: in traditional publishing, the author does not pay the publisher.

Self-publishing flips the model. You are the publisher. Platforms like Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble Press let you upload your book for free, print copies only when they’re ordered (with the printing costs only coming out of each book unit), and sell them online. You control the timeline, pricing, and creative decisions—but you’re also responsible for marketing. (Alternatively, you can get your book printed through a local printer, but they likely require you to buy a bulk minimum. And that still leaves you to sell and distribute to bookstores on your own.)
Key rule: in self-publishing, you only pay for what you choose to outsource (design, editing, ads). This is typically an a la carte model.

Vanity publishers blur this line. They charge large fees to “publish” your book, promise marketing, and often require bulk orders—while offering very little you couldn’t do yourself. If someone asks you to pay them to publish your book, that’s a red flag.

Neither path is “better.” Traditional publishing is slow and selective; self-publishing is faster and more flexible. Most people who self-publish simply want their book to exist, and that’s a perfectly valid goal.

The platforms (that is, where your book actually lives)

Two of the biggest, most accessible self-publishing platforms are Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble Press. (No, I’m not a paid advertiser.)

Here’s what you need to know:

• They are free to use.
• You do NOT pay upfront printing costs.
• Printing costs are deducted per book sold.
• They do NOT market your book for you (at least, not for free).

These platforms are printing & distribution machines, not publishers in the traditional sense.

ISBNs: The catch you need to understand

Both Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble Press offer free ISBNs, which sounds great, but there’s a tradeoff. If you use a free ISBN:

• You must choose only ONE platform.
• That platform gets exclusive publishing & selling rights.*
• You cannot sell that edition elsewhere.
• You cannot distribute to bookstores independently.

If you want to sell your book everywhere, you’ll need to purchase your own ISBN (extra cost).
If you’re okay keeping things simple, one platform + free ISBN is totally fine.

There is no moral superiority here, just logistics.

*Caveat: You CAN order author copies for yourself and have people buy from you directly, but you can’t sell to bookstores.

Formatting your book for printing

You do not need a secret publishing degree to format your book. Both platforms offer:

• Free book interior* templates
• Clear sizes and margin rules

All you do is drop your manuscript into the template, export a PDF, and upload it. Is it glamorous? Nope. Is it doable? Absolutely.

*A book interior is the actual pages of the book. Book covers are separate files from the interior.

Designing your cover (yes, you can DIY this)

Covers matter, but you don’t have to stress about it. Free tools like Canva offer:

• Paperback cover templates
• Spine calculators
• Drag-and-drop layouts

If your book is simple, you can create something perfectly acceptable without spending money. If you want something more custom or illustrated? That’s where hiring a book designer comes in. (Oh hey, I, Vania, happen to be one!)

When to hire help (and when you can be scrappy)

Here’s the honest breakdown:

You might hire:

• A book designer / cover designer
• An editor (developmental, copy, or proof)

Or, if you’re scrappy:

• Recruit beta readers
• Friends who’ll proofread for coffee, dinner, warm fuzzies, gratitude, or a shoutout in the acknowledgments.

Is this perfect? No. Is it enough to get your book into the world? Often, yes.

Let’s talk expectations (this is the big one)

Your self-published book will likely:

• NOT become a New York Times bestseller in a week (or 6 months, or a year)
• NOT get “discovered” by a major publisher out of nowhere
• NOT magically sell thousands of copies without effort

The only ways that might give your book a shot at that are:

1. Traditional publishing (agents, querying, waiting… lots of waiting)
2. A massive, personally funded marketing budget
3. Being a social media influencer

All of those routes are slow, tedious, often inaccessible, and are not even guaranteed paths to success.

So here’s the mindset shift: self-publish because you want the book to exist. That’s it. That way, if you sell 1 copy, that’s a win. 5 copies? Great win. 50 copies? Incredible. If you lower the bar, you’ll enjoy the process so much more.

If you want to sell any copies at all

The moment you publish, you technically have a product. So you’ll need to behave like a small business owner (without burning yourself out).

Do the basics:

• Talk about your book consistently on social media, especially before launch.
• After launch, continue to talk about it, especially around gift-giving seasons.
• If it’s illustrated: have your illustrator share process shots and sketches to use for social media content.

Set up:

• A simple landing page
• An email list (more reliable than social algorithms)
• Both of the above are free via Mailchimp.

Bonus:

• Depending on your book, offer a freebie for email sign-ups:
  • A short PDF
  • A digital art print
  • A printable excerpt

You don’t need to do everything. Just don’t do nothing.

*Heavily illustrated books WILL require professional design & illustration services (at least, to be produced responsibly. AI does exist, but it’s a tacky and irresponsible way to produce an illustrated book). But a paperback book can be done this way.

A final word…

If someone asks you to: pay them to publish your book, pay them to “get it into stores”, pay for mandatory bulk orders, or promises bestseller status… run. 🚩

That’s not how traditional publishing works, and it’s not required for self-publishing either. If you want this to be a side hustle, treat it like one! Market your book. Talk about it. Network. Build your author brand. Be patient.

But also? Have fun. Books don’t have to justify their existence with profit alone. Sometimes it’s enough that they exist at all.

List of self-publishing resources

• Platforms: Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press
• Templates: Amazon book interior templates, Amazon cover template, Barnes & Noble book cover template
• Directory of book professionals: Reedsy
• Book formatting app: Reedsy Studio
• Book interior & cover designer: Hi, I’m Vania! (shameless plug…)
• DIY design: Canva
• ISBN you own: Bowker
• Landing page & e-mail list: Mailchimp