Most non-fiction authors know their subject inside out. They’ve spent months, sometimes years, gathering ideas, shaping their structure and writing their book.
What often catches them by surprise is everything that comes after the manuscript is finished.
Self-publishing involves far more moving parts than many authors expect, and much of it needs to happen in a particular order.
Before becoming an author assistant, I spent 14 years working in project management. One of the reasons that experience fits so well with the work I do now is that publishing a book is a project in itself. There are deadlines, different people involved, decisions to make and tasks that depend on other tasks being completed first.
Here’s a straightforward overview of the eight stages, from finished manuscript to post-launch, along with some of the things to watch out for at each stage.
1. Manuscript and Editorial
Before moving on to the publishing stages, your manuscript needs to be ready.
That usually means carrying out your own edits, getting feedback from suitable beta readers and then working with the appropriate professional editor for your book.
For non-fiction, developmental editing can be particularly useful because it looks at the bigger picture, including the structure, organisation and effectiveness of the content. Copy editing and proofreading come later in the editorial process.
You’ll also need to think about your final title and subtitle, author bio, book description and the front and back matter that will appear in the finished book.
Something to watch out for: moving to proofreading too early.
If the structure or content is still likely to change, there’s little point paying someone to proofread sections that may later be rewritten or removed. Make sure the bigger editorial decisions have been made before moving on to the final proofread.
2. Book Cover
Your cover has an important job to do. It needs to look professional, suit the subject and give potential readers an idea of what the book is about.
This is where you’ll brief your cover designer and start making decisions about the formats you plan to publish.
Print and ebook covers have different requirements. For print, the final cover dimensions will also depend on things such as trim size, page count and the printer or publishing platform you’re using.
Your ISBN arrangements also need to be considered as part of the cover process. For print books, the ISBN is normally represented by a barcode on the back cover. Depending on the printer or publishing platform you’re using, the barcode may be included in the cover file by your designer or added as part of the publishing process.
If you’re publishing in the UK, Nielsen is the official ISBN agency. Each print format needs its own ISBN, so your paperback and hardback need separate numbers. Kindle ebooks published through KDP don’t require an ISBN. If you’re distributing an ebook through IngramSpark, it will need its own ISBN.
Something to watch out for: finalising the print cover too early.
The spine width depends on the final page count, and you won’t know that until the interior has been formatted. Your designer can begin working on the cover before then, but the final print file needs to be prepared using the correct specifications.
3. Book Interior and Formatting
Print and ebook formatting are separate processes with different requirements.
Your print interior needs to meet the specifications of the printer or publishing platform you’re using. This includes things such as trim size, margins, fonts, page numbering and consistent chapter formatting.
Your ebook will need its own file, normally an EPUB, designed to work properly across different devices and screen sizes.
Once your print files are ready, order a physical proof copy before approving the book for publication.
Something to watch out for: relying entirely on the digital proof.
A physical copy can reveal things that are much easier to miss on screen, from awkward page breaks and spacing to problems with margins or the cover. It also gives you a chance to see the book as your reader will see it before it goes on sale.
4. Self-Publishing Setup
This is where many of the practical publishing decisions come together.
Depending on how you plan to publish and distribute your book, this may include setting up KDP and IngramSpark, choosing categories, researching keywords, preparing your book description, setting the retail price and entering your metadata.
You may also need to set up or update your Amazon Author Central profile and make decisions about any additional retailers or distributors you want to use.
There’s more involved here than simply uploading the files and filling in a few boxes.
Something to watch out for: leaving your metadata until upload day.
Your categories, keywords, book description and other publishing information deserve some thought. Start gathering and researching this information earlier so you’re not trying to make every decision while you’re uploading the book.
5. ARC and Review Strategy
ARC and review planning is another part of the process that benefits from starting early.
You need time to identify suitable readers, approach them, distribute copies and keep track of who has received the book and when any follow-up is due.
For non-fiction, it can be particularly useful to look for potential readers who already have a genuine interest in the subject rather than simply trying to find as many reviewers as possible.
It’s also important to remember that no review campaign can guarantee a particular number of reviews. You can organise the process properly and make it as easy as possible for readers to take part, but whether someone ultimately leaves a review is their decision.
Something to watch out for: focusing entirely on numbers.
A smaller group of relevant readers who genuinely want to read the book may be more useful than a long list of people with little interest in the subject.
Make the process clear for your readers too. Let them know what they need to do, when you’d ideally like them to do it and where they can find the information they need.
6. Pre-Launch Marketing
Pre-launch is the time to prepare the things you’ll need around publication.
Depending on your book and your wider plans, this might include a dedicated book page on your website, emails to your subscribers, social media content, pre-order arrangements, podcast outreach, guest articles or other opportunities connected to your subject.
If podcasts are part of your plans, start approaching them early. Recording and publication schedules vary considerably and may be planned weeks or months ahead.
Something to watch out for: waiting until the book is almost published before thinking about promotion.
You don’t need to do everything, but deciding what you do want to do early gives you time to prepare it properly rather than trying to organise everything in the final few weeks.
7. Launch Week
By launch week, most of the preparation should already have been done.
This is the time to check that your book is live where expected, review the listings, send your planned emails and publish the launch content you’ve prepared.
You’ll also want to keep an eye on reviews and messages and deal with any problems that appear on the publishing platforms.
Something to watch out for: leaving too much to launch week itself.
Prepare as much as you can in advance. Having your emails, social posts and other launch material ready means you have more time to deal with anything unexpected.
8. Post-Launch and Ongoing
Publication day isn’t the end of the publishing process.
Once the initial launch period is over, you can review what’s working, continue promoting the book and look at opportunities that make sense for your particular goals.
That might include reviewing your metadata, continuing podcast or media outreach, experimenting with Amazon Ads, gathering further reviews or exploring bulk and direct sales to businesses, organisations or event organisers.
If you’re writing a book connected to your business or your expertise, there may be opportunities for it to support other areas of your work too.
Something to watch out for: having a detailed plan up to publication day and nothing planned afterwards.
Think about the first month after publication while you’re planning the launch. It’s much easier to keep things moving when you already know what you want to do next.
The Bigger Picture
When you see all eight stages together, it’s easier to understand why self-publishing becomes hard to manage.
It isn’t the number of tasks. It’s that so many of them depend on something else being finished first.
The final print cover needs the correct spine width. The spine width depends on the final page count. The page count isn’t known until the interior is formatted. And the interior shouldn’t be formatted until the editing is genuinely finished.
That’s four things in a row. If you discover the order halfway through, you’re not one task behind. You’re behind by the whole chain.
None of it is difficult. It’s just that nobody hands you the order to do them in.
Decide early which parts you’re comfortable managing yourself, which need a specialist and which you’d rather hand over. If it’s the last one, publishing project coordination is the part I take on.
If you’d like something practical to work through, I’ve put together a free Non-Fiction Author’s Self-Publishing Checklist covering all eight stages, with more than 80 items to help you see what needs to happen and when.
If you’d like to talk through your project and see where I can help, feel free to get in touch at emma@virtualm.co.uk.