How to Self-Publish a Book

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By Elizabeth Clark
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The Next Book Sold on Amazon Could Be Yours!

This How To article will teach you how to turn a book idea into an actual printed book for sale on Amazon, other websites and in retail book stores. You'll learn how to prepare your manuscript, create your book cover, obtain an ISBN number for your book, and publish your book in printed format using an easy print-on-demand service. You won't have to carry inventory of your book and will receive a percentage of revenues of every book sold on Amazon and through other retail channels that you establish.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Microsoft Word
An internet connection
A great book idea!
The ability to write a book (or a ghostwriter to write it for you)
A title for your book

Step 1

DECIDE WHAT BOOK YOU WANT TO WRITE

They say that everyone has at least one book in them. This is your chance to write that book you've wanted to write your whole life!

Your book can be a non-fiction book on a topic on which you are an expert or it can be a collection of non-fiction essays. On the other hand, you can choose to write a fictional piece, consisting of a collection of short stories or an entire novel. Most novels are between 50,000 and 100,000 words in length. A short story can be between 5,000 to 15,000 words, and you will probably need at least 6 short stories to call it a collection and have it be long enough to fill out a printed book.
Step 2

STUDY AND COMPLY WITH THE MANUSCRIPT REQUIREMENTS

Before you start writing your book, it would be a good idea to check out the manuscript requirements from CreateSpace, the service from Amazon that you will be using to self-publish a hard copy of your book. CreateSpace has specific requirements for your manuscript that you should review before you write your book: https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/#content4

Now that you have the basic mechanics down for how to structure your manuscript, it's up to you to get your amazing thoughts and stories "down on paper." Some authors can write a whole book or novel in less than a month. For others, it takes longer. Take as long as you need to write, edit and refine your manuscript before starting the self-publishing process. Only you will know when your book is finished and when it has been transformed into something you will be proud to see in print!
Step 3

WRITE THE TITLE PAGE AND INCLUDE COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Start with a Title Page that shows your book's title centered in a 16-point font. Beneath your title, write "by [Your Name]."

Lower on the title page or on page 2, copy and paste in the following legal disclaimer and copyright verbiage:

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

[Book Title], Copyright 2009, [Your Name].

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author or publisher.

ISBN: [Leave this blank until you have an ISBN number to use with your book.]

First Edition, 2009; First Printing, 2009.

Note that if your book is not fiction, you do not need to include the paragraph about the book being a work of fiction. Please note that you will learn later in this article how to get an ISBN number for your book.

If you are writing a non-fiction book, you will probably want to list the contents of your book after the title page and copyright page. You will also want to do this if you are writing a collection of short stories.

You can include your author's bio at either the front or the end of your book - it's up to you!
Step 4

PUBLISH YOUR BOOK ON CREATESPACE, AMAZON'S SELF-PUBLISHING SITE

CreateSpace is the new service from Amazon that lets you self-publish your book quickly and easily. To get started, you must first set up an account here: https://www.createspace.com/Signup.jsp . After you've gone through the set up process, you can log into your account and get started publishing your book!

In order to publish a printed book, you will need attractive cover artwork in a specific format. Visit this web page to learn about the different book sizes you can choose and how to create your cover: https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/ . Once you're on this page, select Get Started with Cover Creator! (or visit https://www.createspace.com/Tools/CoverCreator.jsp) to create your book cover.

Once you have your cover created and your manuscript ready to be published, click on the Get Started tab at the top of CreateSpace, then select Paperback Book from the choices. Enter your Title and your Description. Next to ISBN, which stands for International Standard Book Number, select "Assign my book an ISBN-13/EAN-13 immediately. "
Fill out the rest of the required information, and the optional information if you so desire, then click on the Save & Continue button .

Next, the CreatSpace website will guide you through 3 more simple steps and then you will be done: File Review, Order Proof and Print Ready.

Congratulations! You are now a published author and I wish you continued success in your new writing career!