Indie Pub Checklist

I don’t tend to do “my-life-story-back-when-I-was-a-wee-babe-journey-to-the-miracle-of-breadmaking” posts, but a little preamble may be useful for some*. However, if Ikea instructions make you itchy, this pre-post will, too. Feel free to skip on down the page to the “Indie Pub Checklist”.

If more info is good, here are two comprehensive but consumable sites you may want to check out:

https://selfpublishing.com/

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/how-to-self-publish-a-book/

If you intend to send at ARCs (Advance Reader/Reviewer Copies) to generate interest and gather reviews, this site has a nice overview:

https://www.aprilaberdeen.com/blog/arc-setup

In early December 2023, I made the decision to self-publish my novel, “All the Men Are Gone”. It’s only the second book I’ve queried, and while it had what I’d consider a “respectable” number of full requests, it didn’t make it out of the query trenches. Although there were still a few agents on my list (they’d been closed for more than a year with no signs of re-opening), the publishing industry seemed to be getting messier by the minute. When I considered how long it would take to complete my next book in hopes it would get eyes on the prior one, I decided it was time to publish on my own.

Between making the decision in December 2023, and publishing in April 2024, I in effect become an author, publisher, formatter, content creator, and marketer.

For most, the learning curve for independent publishing is uphill, so I’m including relevant links in the resource list. There are many, many, many alternatives and more guidance as to pros/cons/costs/why’s/why nots than you can shake a stick at. If you are up for a dive into an internet rabbit hole on the topic, be certain to bring snacks.

*It’s me. I am “some”. I’m in between books, cut me some slack. What’s the word count on this anyway? Don’t answer that.

DISCLAIMER: The information is provided with good intentions in order to give others a starting point. I understand how it feels to decide to publish, and then have no idea what to do next and to become overwhelmed by the prospect. Publishing on your own is, in essence, simply a check list. A long one that feels like it takes forever, and a frustrating process, but a checklist all the same. I will add to this list as I learn more.

You do not need to do everything on this list. You do not need to pay people to do all these things on your list. There are other paths to publishing, and it is okay to choose a simple path to learn how it works. It’s also important to know I'm early on in my self-publishing venture, and there are many ways to do this – I only know a little and I don’t even know if I know that much.

A word of caution as well…before you delve in to all of this, be certain you know where the horse is. I am the first to admit, I tend to be out front pulling the cart, and the horse is nowhere to be seen, i.e., I tend to rush. Most writers do. You wrote the dang thing – you want it out there! It may take a little extra effort and time to put the best of what you can out there. Future you will appreciate the effort.

Indie Pub Checklist

What	Where	Why
Critique Partners	QT Critique https://qtcritique.com/	Free: I did not use this site– but I understand finding beta/critique partners is a challenge for many, so am providing an option here.
Book Cover	$$$ Reedsy https://reedsy.com/ $$ 99 Designs https://99designs.com/	$ You can make your own cover if you have access to software, are tech smart, creative, and able to navigate size requirements and formats. If you are publishing eBooks, you only need the front cover. If you are publishing a physical book, front/spine/back are required. Templates/guidelines are often provided via the sites you publish through. Be certain you understand licensing/use requirements of images before you make something into a cover. $$ There are sites for inexpensive (~$100) covers. Educate yourself on use of artificial intelligence, which sites may use them, and which entities may not work with content created by AI. $$$ I hired a graphic artist to create the cover because often times, a good cover can sell a book.
Alliance for Independent Authors	Alli https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/	$ to $$ I do recommend joining an entity like ALLi for guidance, and as a way to cut through all of the noise of independently publishing one’s own book. ALLi provides (relatively) consolidated useful information. They have three tiers of pricing, depending on where you are in your publishing endeavor.
Copy Editor	Reedsy https://reedsy.com/	$$  I really wanted to skip this part. I thought I was a good editor. And while I may be, a copy editor is worth their weight in less/fewer and lie/lay and how many commas are too many commas. Be certain the work you put out for public consumption represents you well.
Logo / Cover / Marketing graphics	Canva https://www.canva.com/	Free to $$: Canva is one option for creating marketing reels and graphics. There is a free option and a paid option. It gives you access to create content graphics for marketing purposes, as well as book covers. Not all content is full/free use – verify rights/usage before using.
Formatting your book	Atticus https://www.atticus.io/	$$ This site is used to format book interiors for both print and eBook. It provides a preview of your book on a variety of devices as well as print. You can download the formatted file in the correct format, then upload it to publishing sites. If you’re on Mac, "Vellum" is an alternative.
Publishing Imprint	https://selfpublishingadvice.org/should-self-published-authors-create-their-own-publishing-imprints/	$$ You will need to indicate a publisher when you fill out forms/content. You can use your own name as both publisher and author. My POV is you are, in essence, operating as a publishing entity, paying for and/or performing the same services (cover art, developmental editor, copy editor, formatter, marketer/PR) as a publisher. Check out the link for more information about creating a publishing imprint.
Publishing Logo	Canva https://www.canva.com/	Free to $$: Canva provides logo templates and all manner of graphics to customize your own logo. Do modify any template you use, so your logo is your own. This will be used inside the front matter of your book, and on the book spine below the title.
Publisher Website	Wix https://www.wix.com/	Free to $$$: I created a simple one-page publisher website, largely to retain the domain and own the name.
Author Website	Wix https://www.wix.com/	Free to $$$: My author site provides links for where to buy my books, and resources for writers.
Publisher DBA	DBA https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/choose-your-business-name	$ Filed with the county I live in to “claim” the imprint name as my own business.
ISBN Numbers	ISBN https://www.isbn-international.org/	$$ The ISBN number follows your book. You will need an ISBN for each format, i.e. eBook, paperback, and hardcover (if you print a hardcover). In the US, the only recognized entity for ISBN numbers is Bowker.
Copyright	copyright https://www.copyright.gov/	Putting words to the page is an automatic copyright – you wrote it, you own the copyright. If you want legal recourse should you encounter a dispute (e.g. if someone pirates your work, causing sites to remove you as the true author), having the registered copyright will assist in proving you are the true owner.
Library of Congress	LOC.gov https://www.loc.gov/programs/cataloging-in-publication/about-this-program/process/	The LOC is part of the US Copyright Office and confirms your copyright.
Instagram	Instagram https://www.instagram.com/	Free  I created a separate author account for “bookish” things like marketing.
Bank Account	Your Bank!	Free? You may want to open a separate bank account for book expenses and proceeds (you are required to provide a routing number on some bookseller/vendor sites).
Link Tree	This can be either a page on your own website or you can use: Linktree https://linktr.ee/	Free  Instead of listing all the places you “exist” online in relation to your book (i.e. Instagram, Website, Facebook, Where to buy your books) you can create a link tree, which collects all of these links under the umbrella of one link. An alternative is create an unlisted page on your author website and use that weblink instead of linktree; this drives people to your website.
Goodreads	Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/program	Claim your author profile
Bookshop	Bookshop https://bookshop.org/info/for-authors	Claim your author profile
Ingram Spark	Ingram Spark https://www.ingramspark.com/	% of sales - If you intend to sell print books to independent bookstores, you’ll need to work with Ingram Spark. Do yourself a HUGE favor and start with them first, as they are quite persnickety about the ISBN number existing on other platforms (i.e. Amazon). Get your book set up with them before you finalize it anywhere else. Be certain to set your wholesale discount to at least 40% if you want your book available for distribution to a wide market. You may also want review the "Returns" options - some authors have experienced a negative balance if they set their book to returnable, but some bookstores will not consider stocking your book if it isn't returnable.
Amazon	Amazon KDP https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/	% of sales - Amazon KDP allows print and eBook, and definitely has a disproportionate share of the US market. If you intend to have your book available outside of Amazon (i.e. independent booksellers, B&N, etc.) do not enroll in “KU aka Kindle Unlimited”. Enrollment in KU offers exclusivity to Amazon. All eggs, one basket.
Kobo	Rakuten Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/writinglife	% of sales - Kobo and Kobo Plus is a global book platform, for ebook and/or audiobook distribution, as well as public libraries. Publishing direct (after Ingram and Amazon) affords more reach than using an aggregator like Draft2Digital.
Book Vault	Book Vault https://bookvault.app/	$$ You can get print copies from any entity carrying your print book (i.e. Ingram Spark or Amazon), but Book Vault is an alternative. Some authors have no issue with Ingram or Amazon quality and shipping, others have complained of poor service/ quality/ damaged books – all which may depend on who they source in your region. Book Vault is based out of the UK, but expanding into other areas, and seem to provide high quality reliable service.
ARCs	For those of you new to all of this - there are a few ARC entities to consider if you don't have a "following": booksprout.co bookfunnel.com	$-$$$ I admit I had zero awareness of ARCs and all the ways to drum up interest in a advance of putting a book out there, and I've been playing catch-up ever since. ARCs are Advance Reader Copies provided for free to interested readers, in an effort to generate interest / buzz / reviews in advance of release. Debut authors often times don't have a large or influential enough social media following to find ARC readers on their own, so the websites provided on the left may be useful for all of us "quiet" writers out here. You can send an ePub file directly to a users eBook Email Address from your own email account, which allows them to read on their preferred eReader. This lessens the possibility of book piracy (i.e. you're not sending a PDF which they can upload to sites) and is free (versus sending them a physical copy). After you send the ePUB file, all they need to do to read it is sync their eReader.
Bookmarks and materials	GotPrint https://www.gotprint.com/	I designed bookmarks in Canva, as well as author table materials (banners, etc.), and uploaded the files to GotPrint. They've been high quality products and speedy.