A self-publishing book plan aims to explain the book-building basics for writers new to publishing. It offers the best resources available on self-publishing and simplifies the publishing process through a step-by-step action plan.

Having a checklist and a plan can help you stay organised and set up your book for success…

Determine Your Project: Define your budget and your ultimate goals. Select your paper type, trim size, and cover design. For example, to get the feel of how your choice of paper can affect the appearance of your work, order a swatch kit that shows samples of all the paper types.  

Pick the Perfect Tool: Keep things simple by choosing a book-creation tool that fits your workflow. 

Check Your Book: Checking is crucial for a large one-off print run. Keep a sharp eye out for spelling and grammar errors, and review the flow of your book. One of the many benefits of choosing print-on-demand is that if you tweak your book, all copies printed and shipped afterwards will be up to date with all the edits.

Set up for Sale: If you aim to sell as many copies of your self-published book as possible, your marketing efforts must begin long before it hits the shelves. Start building your mailing list early to reach the big day. You have a ready-made audience to target. You can start generating a buzz right from the beginning with a behind-the-scenes blog post documenting the process of making your book.

Print and Distribute: When it comes to printing, your budget is likely to be a deciding factor, but it is also worth thinking about how to get your book in front of people. If you plan on selling only online, print-on-demand is the answer. But if you have conferences, networking, or speaking events lined up, it may be worth investing upfront in a print run so that you have copies ready to hand out, sell, and share. 

If your passion is writing, to make a contribution and impact the lives of others, self-publishing can be a richly rewarding endeavour.