Written by: Hannah Anthony | 1st August, 2025
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So you've written a book. Now what?
If you're staring at your finished manuscript, confused about the next step to take on how to get it into your readers' hands without waiting years for traditional publishers, you're in the right place.
Get your free publishing consultation today
To make your self-publishing plan easier, I've put together a list of steps to take.
In this article, we're going to discuss:
Why self-publishing is the best option for today’s authors.
Why self-publishing is the best option for today’s authors.
Self-publishing has changed the way you bring your stories to your targeted readers, providing you more control, faster publishing timelines, and wider reach than traditional publishing style ever could.
This topic is relevant to aspiring authors who are preparing for their first book release and experienced authors exploring independent publishing because the decisions made during the publishing process will determine whether your book will stand out or disappear in an overcrowded and competitive marketplace.
Self-publishing is the process that allows authors to decide how their books look, the target location to distribute the books, and how they’re marketed, but it also requires them to take responsibility for the professional and financing aspects of the book from start to finish that a traditional publisher would normally be responsible for without the involvement of a traditional publishing house.
The author manages or outsources every stage of the publishing process—from the manuscript editing, layout design, and conversion to acceptable publishing format to production (either print or ebook), distribution of the book, and promotion.
Similarly, the author has complete control and ownership and enjoys a higher rate of royalties from the book sales. Unlike the traditional publishing process, where a book publishing company takes control of all publishing processes in exchange for an agreement to own a larger percentage of profit from the book sales.
Essential steps in the publishing process.
Essential steps in the publishing process.
Step 1: Polish Your Manuscript Until It Shines Like The Star That It Is
Life-changing books start with great writing—but... even the great writing needs refining. When authors skip the manuscript editing stage, the great writing becomes flawed. I hope you know your readers notice it—and so do the reviews you get.
So, what do you need?
Developmental editing: This type of editing takes care of the big-picture issues like plot flow, structure, and character development.
Copyediting: This type of editing focuses on the grammar usage, spellings, and word consistency.
Proofreading: This is the final stage in the editing process. What it does is to eliminate lingering errors.
Pro Tip: Try to read your manuscript aloud. Your ears should catch awkward phrasing that your eyes may have missed.
Step 2: Design a Cover That Sells
Your first impression matters. Your book cover is your book’s first impression—make it impressive. It needs to look professional, convey your book genre, and captivate your readers' attention even as a small thumbnail.
DIY options:
You can design your book cover using Canva and other graphic design platforms. Canva has free book cover templates. Though you can subscribe to the paid version to access hundreds of book cover designs that fit your book genre.
Professional route:
Hire a designer to help you with a professional and stunning book cover that captivates your readers 100% more. At Louis Lucas Publishing, we help authors design stunning book covers that turn their books into bestsellers.
Cover Details:
Have a clear, unambiguous, readable book title.
The title fonts and chosen images should fit your genre.
Your name should be visible but as a secondary to the title.
Your book's back cover should have a description of the book and your bio.
Pro Tip: Go to Amazon Books, search the books in your genre, and observe how the book covers and their back covers look. Take a look at the title and the author's name.
Step 3: Format Your Book for Print and Digital
Professional formatting ensures your book looks as beautiful as your readers read. Whether it's print or digital, look is key.
For eBooks: Digital books, you can use the following platforms for your book formatting, turning them into Epub or Mobi as required by your choice of publishing platform.
Vellum, premium quality.
Atticus is a cross-platform alternative.
Draft2Digital is free with distribution.
Kindle Create is Amazon’s free tool for simple book layouts.
For print:
Use pre-made templates from Book Design Templates, like Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator, and even Kindle Create.
Learn to use Adobe InDesign for a beautiful book layout. Check out Alison's course platform for free online Adobe InDesign courses you can choose from.
Step 4: Choose Your Publishing Platforms
Now, where you publish matters as much as how you publish your book. Don’t limit yourself to one outlet; be sure to expand your reach.
Top Book Publishing Platforms:
Free Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing): At Louis Lucas Publishing, we ensure our authors books are published on the book publishing market's largest share. We use the Kindle Unlimited program.
Aside from the KDP platform, there are other publishing platforms you can choose from, including the Apple Books platform, which is strong for premium genres, and Kobo, which is excellent for international readers.
Step 5: Price Your Book Strategically
Your book pricing should be a positioning tool. Most authors pegged their eBooks at $2.99 for new authors, popular genres at $2.99, and non-fiction for $4.99–9.99, respectively, on the KDP platform.
For print books, most indie print books sell at $11.99–15.99.
ProTip: As a new author in the market, it is advisable to start with a lower price for launch to attract early readers, then adjust later on.
Step 6: Write a Book Description That Hooks Readers
Your book description is your sales pitch. It should intrigue, not summarize.
How to Win:
Make your book description hook your readers with intrigue.
Be sure to introduce your protagonist and the scenes that capture your readers attention.
In your description, state the main problem and highlight the stakes.
End the description with a question or cliffhanger. Be sure to focus on emotional points, not the entire plot.
Pro Tip: Learn more about writing book descriptions using KDP resources.
Step 7: Build Your Author Platform
As an author you don’t need millions of followers, but you need visibility.
How to Build Your Visibility:
Start with an author website with your bio, book info, and contact details. Reach out to us at Louis Lucas Publishing to help you build a simple website that showcases your book, plus Google Ad and Facebook campaigns that would bring your readers wherever they are to your website.
We also set you up with an email list from your readers and prospective readers (even if small at first).
A Facebook page and Instagram business page would be created where your readers would be active.
What We Would Share:
Behind-the-scenes updates.
Character insights.
Writing and research tidbits.
Book recommendations in your genre.
Step 8: Launch as the Pro That You Are
Congratulations, the Newest Author in Town! 👏. Well done!
Now, your first few weeks would determine your long-term success.
Pre-launch (6–8 weeks prior):
You need to set up pre-orders and then send pre-release copies of your book to reviewers and influencers in exchange for an honest review.
Here Louis Lucas Publishing comes again; we will build anticipation on your social media pages.
Launch week:
The goal now is to begin posting across platforms and encourage readers reviews.
Post-launch:
You have to continue the engagement with your readers on all social media platforms.
Having done all the above, your visibility as an authority in your genre is in the limelight. So what's next?
Pro Tip: Start writing your next book immediately.
Avoid these common mistakes that hurt indie authors.
Avoid these common mistakes that hurt indie authors.
Rushing to publish ❌
Skipping editing ❌
Using amateur covers ❌
No marketing plan ❌
Giving up after one book ❌
Note: Self-publishing isn’t about shortcuts—it’s about control, quality, and persistence. That is why Louis Lucas Publishing is with you on your publishing journey, from start to finish, and then we start again! Book a free book consultation to begin today!
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